Chapitre 32: NOT-SO-ROMANTIC CANDLE-LIGHT DINNER

"THAT'S a strange utensil."

Zoe beamed when Isaak noticed the pair of wooden chopsticks in her hands. "I'm glad that you noticed," she said. "These are called chopsticks. I saw these in the market earlier." She pointed to the soy sauce on the saucer next to the plate of sashimi that she had just made. "I bought that soy sauce for dipping from the market, too. I'm shocked that it tastes like Japanese shoyu soy sauce that I enjoy in my world."

She made sashimi for dinner because of the soy sauce and chopsticks that she bought at the market. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to look for other spices and ingredients.

Thus, her sashimi plate looked a little sad.

But, at least, she made some shredded radish and thinly cut cucumber for garnish.

[Anyway, I'm glad that Dal's aunt let us borrow the rooftop.]

Isaak had set up the table on the rooftop while she was preparing his tartare earlier. And much to her surprise, he used his expensive Mana stones to create floating lanterns that lit up the entire rooftop. The pretty lights made the atmosphere look good.

But she didn't think that it was romantic– it was simply practical. The place was dark, and they needed light.

[You know, candlelight dinners aren't really romantic if you can't see your food.]

"Zoe."

"Hmm?"

"Don't you think it's strange that some of the items and food from your world ended up in my world?" Isaak asked, concerned. "Because I do."

To be honest, she didn't find it strange.

Since Isaak's world was a world that only existed in a novel, she thought that the author put the things that she was familiar with in their book. That was why she didn't find it strange to find items and stuff from her world when she was at the market earlier.

But it wasn't like she could tell Isaak the truth, so she just acted dumb again.

"Is it?" she asked, then she put a slice of fresh sashimi in her mouth. "I don't find it strange. The world is big, Isaak. Maybe there are people here who are closely similar to my people back at home?"

"I think you still need to look into it," he said, still concerned. "I have contacts for some big and influential merchant guilds on the East Continent. Do you want me to investigate where the items that you got came from?"

She couldn't help but smile while listening to Isaak's concern.

[Ah, this is the real Isaak Viotto.]

Although he acted cold most of the time, he was actually a softie. To his people, at least.

[If I remember it correctly, he just saved the dogs from the illegal dogfighting club because his knight apprentice's dog was stolen by the syndicate that ran the club.]

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Isaak asked, then he raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you finally considering taking my marriage proposal seriously?"

She laughed softly. Isaak wouldn't really miss an opportunity to propose, huh? It was cute, but her heart wouldn't easily waver. "Isaak, eat your food first before you flirt with me. I will be hurt if you don't pay attention to the Graveling tartare that I prepared for you."

After her reminder, he finally looked at the tartare on his plate. "Minus the raw egg and the garnish, this indeed looks like the steak tartare that you made at the banquet." He raised his head to look at her with curious eyes. "What did you feel when you minced the Graveling meat?"

"The meat was kind of rubbery," she said. "But it was doable. I guess it's thanks to my sharp chef's knife."

"Ah, the pink knife," he said, then he took a spoonful of the tartare.

She almost laughed at how his expression didn't change. "How does it taste?"

"The same," he said bluntly. "The taste won't change just because you minced the meat."

"Uh-huh," she said, waiting for him to continue because she knew that he wasn't done talking yet.

"But this is the second time that I didn't hate eating this cursed meal."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Only the second time?"

"The first time was when I had my first meal with Princess Runa," he said softly. "It was the first time I was grateful to be a Grimling. If I wasn't, then Princess Runa would have felt alone and ashamed to be the only one with a "strange" appetite." He paused before he smiled bitterly. "I know because it was how I felt before I met you."

Okay, now her heart fluttered.

[Isaak doesn't seem to realize that his words sound prettier when he's not trying to flirt.]

"I like how you see my strange appetite as normal," he said casually. "I believe you're the only woman who can truly accept me for what I am, Zoe. My ex-fiancée tried, but she threw up and fainted the first time she saw me eat raw Graveling meat."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"You were engaged before?"

"Yeah," he said bluntly. "I was an imperial prince before I became a duke. Members of the royal family get engaged early."

Oh, shocking.

She didn't know that Isaak had an ex-fiancée. It wasn't mentioned in the book. Or maybe it was, but her brain just decided that it wasn't important for her to remember.

"Did you love your ex-fiancée?"

"No," he said promptly. "That's why you don't have to look at me with pity."

"Pity is also a form of love," she said defensively. "I feel this way because I care for you to a certain extent. If I don't care about you, you'll never see an ounce of emotion in my eyes."

He chuckled while shaking his head. "You're really a tough cookie, huh?"

"Well, I would have been dead early if I didn't toughen up."

"It sounds like your previous life is a little… complicated."

"Are you interested in what kind of family I had in my previous life?"

He nodded. "If you're willing to share, I'd like to hear it. But if it's something that's hard for you to say, then you don't have to."

"Nah, it no longer bothers me," she said with a shrug. "I came from a "mafia" family," she said. "Most people call us the "Korean mafia.""

There was no such thing as the "Korean mafia."

It was just a moniker because their family operated like the mafia. But it was just a fancy name. In the end, her family was nothing but a dysfunctional criminal group.

"Mafia?" he asked curiously. "What is that?"

"A big criminal syndicate," she said bluntly. "We sell anything from drugs to women."

Yes, her family was involved in disgusting businesses such as drugs and human trafficking. But to be honest, she wasn't really involved in their "family business."

Strangely enough, she was somehow treasured by her parents.

[They never really let me get too involved with our dirty business, and they mostly let me live a fairly normal life.]

The only thorn in her side back then was her damned Oppa (older brother).

"Now I know why your knife skills are on the sword master's level," Isaak said while nodding his head. "I guess you're better at butchery than cooking."

She would have been offended had she not detected the playfulness in his voice. And thus, she couldn't help but laugh.

So Isaak knew how to crack a joke, huh?

"Don't you find my family disgusting?" she asked lightly. "I might be involved with our shady business, you know?"

"You think my family is clean?" he asked, then he laughed bitterly. "Zoe, the Royal Family is sitting on the throne of sins. To give you an example, do you know why the Black Market that's involved with human trafficking and gladiator fights is still active despite the empire's "best efforts" to stop it?"

"The Royal Family runs the Black Market?"

"To be precise, it's run by the families that "support" the Royal Family," he explained. "They have grown so powerful over the years that the Royal Family has turned a blind eye to their atrocities. Now, even if the current emperor wanted to cut them off, he could no longer touch them."

Ah, she remembered now.

The Black Market, or the 'Underworld,' was actually run by House Wilson– the current empress's family.

[That's the reason Empress Veronica is more powerful than Emperor Rino at the moment.]

But it wasn't only the Black Market that House Wilson had a hold of. If she remembered it correctly, House Wilson also had the support of the–

"Zoe, let's have a toast," Isaak said, interrupting her thoughts. Then, he poured red wine into both of their glasses. After that, he raised his glass. "For our shitty families."

Zoe laughed, then she raised her glass and clanked it gently with Isaak's glass. "For our shitty families."

***

"WELCOME back, my lord."

Isaak just nodded at Sawyer's greeting when he returned to his room. It was the room next to Zoe's. "Have you searched the area?"

"Yes, my lord," Sawyer said politely. "Duke Wilson's men have completely left the town. He didn't leave anyone to monitor Lady Rochester."

Instead of feeling relieved, he actually felt uncomfortable that Vaughn Wilson left just like that after coming out of the palace for the first time in a long while, just to follow Zoe. As expected, there must be a connection between the Red Snake and the real Zoanne Rochester.

But it wasn't the only thing that bothered him at the moment.

"Sawyer, send one of our spies to the East Continent," he ordered. "Ask him to investigate merchant guilds that sell items that look like from another… region that we haven't heard of."

He said 'region' because it wasn't like he could say 'another world.'

Sawyer looked surprised by his order, but like the good knight that he was, he didn't question his order. "I'll do that, my lord," he said. "Ah, there's one more thing that I need to report."

"What is it?"

"One of Marquis Rochester's men has secretly arrived earlier and met up with Lady Rochester's attendant."

Oh?

He was about to ask if Sawyer found out the reason why Marquis Rochester sent one of his men when suddenly, they heard a burst of loud laughter next door.

It sounded like an evil laugh, though.

"W-Was it Lady Rochester?" Sawyer asked nervously, then he gulped. "Why does Lady Rochester's laughter sound like she just went mental?"

That seemed to be the case.

"I don't know what made Zoe so angry for her laughter to sound like doom itself," he said, amused to realize that so far, he never had a dull moment with Zoe. "But I want to wish whoever it was that made her angry to never find peace in hell."

He noticed that the next room suddenly became quiet.

Then he heard Zoe's heavy footsteps. She must be running. And if his intuition was correct, then she must be on her way to his room.

"Ah," Sawyer said when he heard the continuous knock on the door. "I'll open the door–"

"I'll do it," he said, cutting off his knight as he walked past him.

He was excited to see how Zoe would entertain him this time.

When he opened the door, he got more than what he hoped for. He wasn't just entertained– he was stunned as he looked down at the woman who suddenly got down on one knee.

"Isaak Viotto," Zoe, who was kneeling on one knee while offering a violet ribbon to him, called his name while smiling brightly. "Marry me?"

Isaak wondered if he should play hard to get.

***

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