CHAPTER 123: MEAL

Narin’s image had plummeted. Her talent was no greater than Gara’s, and her personality was far worse. The only thing keeping the others from confronting her outright was her rank.

Even so, no one wanted to talk to her except the investigation team. The men who used to hover around her had long disappeared. Some had already finished their missions, while the rest realized they’d only been used.

Narin sniffed dismissively. She didn’t care.

She had thought about buying salt yesterday, but if she had, she wouldn’t have had enough left for her new bracelet. Besides, there was still salt in the dorm. Why not use that?

She tasted the soup. Only faintly salty, but far better than the villagers’ meals. And it had beef, which was all that mattered.

Once finished, she hurried off to the guards’ barracks. From a distance, she spotted Madha stepping out.

Before she could call to him, Loka appeared out of nowhere and closed in.

The aroma of the soup wafted from the earthenware lunchbox in her hands, catching Loka’s nose.

"Is this the dish you made with yesterday’s ingredients?" he asked.

Narin nodded. "Do you want some?" Her gaze wasn’t all that sincere.

Unfortunately, Loka didn’t catch the nuance. The big man nodded eagerly. Clearly, he was tired of the tasteless food served in the dorms.

Narin’s heart sank, especially since Madha was already out of sight. She needed to improvise quickly.

"Actually," she said, spinning a tale with that signature green-tea sweetness, "I was planning to bring this to Gara and his family. You heard the rumor yesterday, right? About Gara’s child being a devil? Gara thinks I’m the one who spread it, and he’s angry with me. I just want to clear things up. And besides... Gara is a villager. His meals probably aren’t as good as what we Liners are used to."

"Wow, that’s really kind of you, Narin," Loka said sincerely.

"Oh no, not at all. I just feel like I should do something," she replied, feigning modesty.

"Then let’s go right now," Loka declared with enthusiasm.

Before Narin could stop him—or even ask what he meant—the broad-shouldered man was already striding ahead. She could only curse inwardly and follow behind.

It didn’t take long before they stood in front of Gara’s house. For a village home, it was fairly large. The yard was tidy, filled with colorful herbal plants marked by little wooden signs.

One tree even had a squirrel house built into it, adding a charming touch. Two rattan lounge chairs and a small table sat neatly on the porch.

The place didn’t look shabby at all—in fact, it looked downright cozy.

"Still... it’s just a village," Narin muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile, Loka was already calling out Gara’s name in a booming voice.

The door opened, revealing Gara’s striking face, framed by thick, straight black hair that gleamed under the morning sun.

Narin immediately became aware of her own disheveled appearance. Her hair was greasy and flat.

Yesterday, she came home late from town, and when she arrived, the water had run out.

"Loka, Narin," Gara greeted, his voice calm. "What brings you here so early?"

Narin didn’t answer, still sulking. Loka, on the other hand, looked utterly captivated by the man before them.

"What is it?" Gara asked again, confusion flickering across his lovely features.

It wasn’t until that second question that Narin snapped out of it. Catching sight of Loka’s dumbstruck expression, she quickly thrust the food box forward.

"I made some meat soup..." she said sweetly, stepping inside without an invitation. "Have you all... eaten yet?"

The moment she entered, the rich scent of other dishes hit her. On the table were plates of food far more varied than she had expected—soups, grilled meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, stir-fried mushrooms.

Fian and Madha were already seated, watching her with hostile stares as they held their plates.

In that instant, Narin realized she had lost again. Who knows whose food is more delicious, but one thing is clear—

This was not the meal of a struggling household!

"It looks like you’re already having breakfast. In that case, I’ll just be going," she said quickly, not even lasting a full minute inside.

She spun on her heel and slipped out before anyone could reply.

Leaving the yard behind, Narin seethed in silence. Why did Gara get to have everything? Why did he lack nothing?

After walking a fair distance, she realized Loka wasn’t following her.

"Damn it! Don’t tell me Loka’s betraying me too?"

She clicked her tongue, but then a sly thought bloomed in her mind.

Curling her lips into a wicked smile, she muttered under her breath, "If you like Gara that much, my dear friend... then I’ll help you."

...

After countless attempts, Gara finally managed to create an anti-toxin formula that came close to neutralizing the poison.

There were still traces left, but it was miles better than his earlier results.

This time, he wanted to combine the anti-toxin with his anesthetic.

When he pushed open the door of his makeshift lab, a pair of wide, innocent eyes blinked back at him.

Rea sat on the worktable, tail twitching.

"What’s with that look? Did you do something?" Gara asked at once, suspicion flaring.

Rea shook her head, too quickly. Her expression shifted as though she really was hiding something.

Gara’s gaze swept over the table. Nothing had changed... except for one anti-toxin pill that looked suspiciously damp.

"You ate this pill, didn’t you?" His eyes narrowed, locking on the little creature.

Rea squeaked defensively.

Gara groaned and shook his head. "Just because I asked you to taste-test some pills doesn’t mean you can help yourself whenever you want. This is for experimentation."

Rea squeaked again, louder this time, as if insisting she hadn’t really eaten it.

"Yeah, yeah. You didn’t eat it, just had a nibble." Gara scooped her into his palm, the tiny white squirrel still squeaking indignantly. "Alright, alright. Rea’s been doing a great job. I really do appreciate you."

He pressed his cheek against her fluffy head. Rea stopped grumbling and instead gazed up at him with delight.

His eyes drifted back to the half-ruined pill. Well... he could just make a new one.

After spending a little more time with Rea, Gara turned back to his experiments.

...