A Delicious Dinner

Dinner came first.

That alone felt wrong.

The dorm room was quiet except for the faint crackle of heat from the stove and the soft clink of metal touching ceramic.

The air was warm and heavy with the smell of food that had been cooking for a while.

Oil. Seasoning. Something rich and savory.

I sat at the small dining table at the center of the living room.

My hands were resting idly on my knees, watching Adelina move about the room.

She looked… comfortable.

Her sleeves were rolled neatly to her elbows, and her dark hair was loosely tied behind her back. The light from the lamps reflected off the polished surface of the cookware, and painted her profile in a nice glow.

She moved with an ease that suggested familiarity. Not just with cooking, but with the space itself, as if this dorm room had always belonged to her.

Fssshhh—!

The pan sizzled as she turned something over.

Shaaa—!

Steam rose briefly, and then faded.

For a moment, I simply watched.

In my previous life, cooking had been a matter of survival. I often had cheap meals that were cooked late at night and eaten alone. Food was fuel and something you did because you had to.

In this life, Eldrinn had never cooked.

Meals were prepared by servants. Breakfast arrived on time. Dinner was laid out without effort. I had grown up never needing to think about ingredients or timing.

And now, somehow, fate had placed me here.

Watching the villainess cook for me.

Initially, I had doubts she was planning to cook me.

Fortunately, it was just food.

But still…

From this distance, Adelina looked rather harmless.

If I didn’t know any better, I might as well have lived my life in this dorm with a beautiful woman who was happily cooking for me.

But knowing the plot, this was all very weird.

‘For a future mass-murderer…’

She’s playing the part of the nice cadet well, I thought.

Since she’s doing her best blending in, it’s only natural I calm down my nerves as much as possible to avoid suspicion.

Since I’m living with her, I should do the bare minimum of being a good roommate as you’d never know when my head will go flying as well.

Still, getting used to this probably wouldn’t be possible.

I watched as she turned, and a few moments later, she set the dishes down on the table.

Whoa…

Neatly portioned rice.

A stew with a deep color and thick aroma.

Grilled meat brushed with a glossy sauce that caught the light.

Visually, this was a treat.

It was a rather simple dinner, but it looked pretty appetizing.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like,” Adelina said, pulling out the chair across from me and sitting down. “But I made my best recipe.”

She gave me a polite smile.

“Have a taste. It’s better while it’s warm.”

My gaze lingered on the food.

For a second, hesitation crossed my mind.

Is this poisoned?

It was an instinctual thought I couldn’t help.

I stared at the steam rising from the bowl.

…No.

I shook my head internally.

You’ve already gone through this before.

I reminded myself.

She cannot poison you until later.

Still.

My fingers tightened around the spoon.

I waited a few seconds longer than necessary.

Then took a bite.

Warmth spread across my tongue.

The flavor was clean. It was rich, but not overwhelming. The stew had depth and layers that settled slowly rather than hitting all at once.

My shoulders relaxed before I noticed they had been tense.

I swallowed.

Took another bite.

I hated to say it out loud, but… she’s really good.

Across from me, Adelina watched quietly, her chin resting against her hand.

“…Is it good?” she asked.

I nodded without thinking.

“Yeah. It is.”

“Delicious?”

“Very.”

Her lips curved slightly.

“Mm~ That’s good.”

A pause.

“This morning, you seemed awkward around me.”

My spoon stopped halfway to my mouth.

“I thought you knew me from somewhere, but… now, you look more comfortable.”

—Kgh!

I choked.

“Cough—! Kh—!”

The spoon clattered against the bowl.

My chest burned as I bent forward, coughing hard.

“Kgh—hah—!”

Adelina stood up instantly, moving to my side.

“Are you okay?”

She asked, one hand patting my back, the other pushing a glass toward me.

“Slow down.”

I grabbed the glass and took a huge gulp.

Gulp—!

Air finally filled my lungs again.

And then my thoughts spiralled.

Shit. So she had noticed.

Is my cover blown even before I could start—

What have you done, Eldrinn—

“Are you alright?”

Adelina repeated, her face seemingly concerned.

I took a moment to calm down.

“I—I’m fine,” I said quickly, my voice hoarse. “It’s just—cough—the food was too good. And I–I ate too fast.”

For a second, she stared at me.

Her expression seemed… doubtful.

“Hm~ So you’re coughing because you were eating too fast.”

Her eyebrows narrowed.

“And not because you recognized me from somewhere?”

The room felt quieter all of a sudden.

Shit.

I swallowed, my throat still raw.

“I—”

Adelina tilted her head, studying my face.

“It’s strange,” she continued. “I’m quite certain we’ve never met before.”

She leaned forward.

“So I wonder why… Eldrinn was looking at me that way earlier this morning.”

My mind raced.

Say you mistook her for someone else.

Say you were tired.

Say literally anything—

“So?” she prompted. “What is it?”

Those words landed like a blade at my throat.

My heart pounded hard enough that I was sure she could hear it.

“You’re beautiful!”

The words burst out of me, loud and sharp.

Too loud.

They echoed slightly against the dorm’s walls, hanging awkwardly in the silence that followed.

“I—I was just nervous,” I continued hurriedly, not daring to look up. “Anyone would be nervous around someone like you. That’s all. Really.”

Silence.

Absolute, suffocating silence.

I shut my eyes tight.

Idiot.

Absolute idiot.

I could feel heat creeping up my neck, and into my ears.

My grip on the spoon tightened as if it might disappear if I let go.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then—

“Pfft~”

A soft sound.

Light and playful.

“Hahaha—!”

I froze.

Adelina laughed.

A clear laugh that spilled out of her, bright and unguarded, as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Oh my,” she said, still smiling. “That’s quite the confession.”

The pressure lifted all at once.

She stepped back, returning to her seat across from me. Her expression went back to being relaxed and somewhat amused.

“Well,” she said, resting her elbows lightly on the table. “There’s plenty of food.”

Her eyes flicked up to meet mine.

“And…” she added, her voice lowering a fraction, “plenty of me, too. So slow down.”

My soul nearly left my body.

I felt my shoulders sag in pure relief.

She fell for it.

…Mostly.

There was still a glint of interest in her eyes, but it wasn’t suspicion anymore.

If anything, she looked entertained.

I quickly looked down at my bowl, my face burning.

That was too close.

Fortunately she didn’t question further, but the fact that she noticed my awkwardness earlier this morning…

‘Haa…’

She was as perceptive as I remember.

I needed to do better.

I cannot keep giving myself away.

I scooped up another spoonful and shoved it into my mouth to avoid any suspicion.

“So, Eldrinn,” Adelina leaned forward. “Have you taken a tour around the academy?”

I paused. “...Not yet.”

“You came here straight after the Identification Ceremony?”

She seemed puzzled.

I nodded.

“Hm~ That’s not good. You should’ve asked the Warden to show you around.”

“...Right.”

“Is it because the classes for Batch II start tomorrow?”

I shook my head as I took another bite.

Batch II.

Saira’Thyvar accepted cadets twice a year.

The first intake, the Solar Batch, arrived three months earlier. They were already settled in, familiar with the academy’s layout, the instructors, and the rules.

Batch II, the Lunar intake, was different.

They were late arrivals and fresh cadets.

Which meant, Adelina had been here for three months already.

Not exactly a senior, but close enough.

“No, it’s just… I didn’t want to wander around without knowing the rules.”

That was a lie. I spent most of my time inside the trial room thinking of my next plans, so I simply didn’t have time to wander around.

“That’s cautious,” she said, nodding. “But the academy isn’t strict about exploration. Especially on weekends.”

She cut into her meat and took a small bite.

“Once classes start, you’ll find that most areas are busiest on weekdays. Weekends are quieter and easier to move around.”

That was an interesting bit of information.

Usually it was the opposite. Weekends were louder and noisier.

I wondered what was going on in the academy during that time.

But I kept my expression neutral as I chewed.

“Since you haven’t explored yet,” she continued, setting her cutlery down, “you’ll probably have a lot of free time.”

Her gaze met mine.

“So, as someone who’s been here longer… I should help you get comfortable.”

I nearly choked again.

You really don’t have to.

“That’s… very thoughtful of you.”

Her smile widened.

“It’s my duty. You’re my partner, after all.”

That word again.

Partner.

If it had been anyone else, I would have dismissed it as standard academy courtesy.

Polite words exchanged between two cadets assigned the same room.

But coming from her, even something that simple didn’t sit right.

She stood again, moving toward the counter.

“Oh—before I forget,” she said over her shoulder. “Would you like some tea?”

I looked up. “Tea?”

“You said you liked Sofrano,” she glanced back with a knowing look. “I made extra.”

She picked up the kettle.

“It’s good for the throat too.”

Her eyes flicked briefly to my neck.

And she winked.

I stiffened.

Must be because I choked myself earlier.

“…That’d be nice,” I said.

She poured the tea into a cup. The liquid was a clear amber and the steam curled upward. Unlike the one I drank in the morning, this one carried a faint floral scent.

She placed it in front of me.

“Careful,” she added. “It’s still hot.”

I lifted the cup and took a cautious sip.

She then poured one for herself, and rested it lightly against the table.

“So,” she said, casually. “What area of personnel training did you choose?”

“Field Agents,” I answered.

“Field Agents…” Adelina repeated. “Aurelion Dukedom, wasn’t it?”

I nodded once.

“Northern territory, merchants, trade… A fitting choice.”

She didn’t explain further, only nodding to herself as though she’d reached a private conclusion.

At the academy, personnel training was divided into five different areas.

Intelligence, Knight Escorts, Civil Officers, Field Agents, Administration.

Initially, I planned to go into Civil Officers

It made sense on paper.

My dukedom wasn’t a military powerhouse. We didn’t produce famous knights or legendary commanders. What we had was money, trade routes, contracts, and influence that flowed quietly between cities and regions.

Civil Officers dealt with logistics, negotiations, internal governance. These were things I was already familiar with.

It was the safest choice.

A role that stayed behind desks instead of battlefields.

But after thinking it through… I changed my mind.

Field Agents wasn’t a popular choice for someone like me.

They operated outside the academy’s walls, and were trained to move between regions, gather information, liaise with local powers, and handle situations that couldn’t be solved with formal authority alone.

In other words, they stood at the intersection of intelligence, diplomacy, and action.

For someone born into a merchant dukedom, that overlap was familiar.

Trade routes weren’t just lines on a map. They were arteries. They connected cities, factions, and interests. Knowing how to move through them without drawing attention was a skill my family had quietly mastered over generations.

Her earlier words sinked in.

A fitting choice.

Any logical person would’ve followed the same line of thought.

But even more importantly—

Field Agents were given freedom.

They weren’t tied to a single department, or confined to one building or one chain of command. They went where problems happened.

That flexibility was dangerous, but useful.

Very useful.

Especially if you knew the future.

Especially if you wanted to act before events unfolded instead of reacting after they already spiraled out of control.

Thinking about it now…

Choosing Field Agents might have been the best decision I’d made since arriving here.

And it wasn’t surprising she knew about my family. Wherever trade existed, Aurelion’s name followed.

“As for me, my family specialized in escort duties,” Adelina went on, her tone shifting naturally. “So I didn’t have much of a choice.”

That, at least, matched what I remembered.

Escort knights who are the loyal blades of the Emperor.

“I figured.”

“Oh?”

Her eyes flicked up at me. It was sharp despite her gentle expression.

I’d spoken too quickly.

“House Armathele is a prestigious dukedom,” I said smoothly. “It’d be stranger not to recognize it.”

She smiled at that.

“Then we’re the same. House Aurelion is a familiar name as well. Though I’ve only known from the records.”

She paused.

“No direct connections.”

Somehow, that comment made the air around me feel lighter.

We weren’t entangled.

Good.

The conversation drifted again. Adelina asked me about my schedules, and then guided me about lecture halls, and the odd traditions of Saira’Thyvar.

I found myself conversing and answering her questions more easily this time, the stiffness in my shoulders gradually easing.

I ate. I drank.

At some point, without really thinking about it, I reached for the Sofrano again.

The second sip went down smoother than the first.

It was warmer and somehow more comforting.

Maybe it really was good for the throat.

“…You seem calmer now,” Adelina said.

I looked up.

She was watching me over the rim of her cup.

“Do I?”

She nodded. “You were very tense earlier.”

I let out a quiet breath.

That was true.

Strangely enough, the conversation hadn’t been so bad.

I’d fumbled at the start, sure, but…

If I could keep this up, the next six months might pass smoothly.

After all, staying on her good side meant she’d lower her guard around me.

“Guess I was just overthinking things.”

And the moment the thought settled…

Something loosened inside me.

Adelina smiled, as if satisfied with the answer, and turned her attention back to her tea.

“Do you know what’s special about Sofrano?” she asked.

“Hm?”

I shook my head.

She didn’t look at me this time.

Instead, she slowly swirled the amber liquid in her cup.

“It was first discovered near the eastern ravines,” she said. “The name comes from an old dialect. Sofra—to soothe.”

I listened.

Or tried to.

“It’s brewed using leaves grown at different depths,” she continued. “Most people only ever taste the surface-grade.”

The room felt… eerily quiet.

Strange.

“...At shallow depths, it can be just a simple delicacy,” Adelina said, voice even, “however, at medium depths, it becomes medicinal. Helps with fatigue.”

I blinked.

Had she always been talking this slowly?

“…And at deeper levels,” she added softly, “it becomes something else entirely.”

My spoon slipped from my fingers.

Clink.

I frowned, staring at my hand.

Why did it feel so heavy?

“There are many variants at the deep end,” her voice went on, distant now. “Stimulants. Sedatives. Hallucinogens.”

My vision wavered.

Just for a moment.

I reached for my cup again—

Missed.