Episode 21: His Preferences (6)
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“She deliberately sent this but I’m sure she’ll be disappointed to find out that Milord didn’t even touch it.”
Screech.
The whispering warriors turned their heads at that sudden loud sound. It was the sound of Tarkan’s chair scratching against the floor.
Tarkan got up from his seat and spoke, “Bring it.”
“What?”
The sight of them frustratingly asking questions instead of bringing it right away made Tarkan narrow his eyes.
He would never allow another incident where the warriors ate everything by themselves.
‘Hiik…!’
The warriors trembled. They didn’t know why but their lord’s expression suddenly got really terrifying.
It was like he was asking them to bring the flames of hell, not chocolate fudge.
The warriors couldn’t ask anything else and tremblingly brought the dessert tray.
“Here you go, Milord.”
After unraveling the lovely white lace, the box was opened to reveal an extra creamy and thick chocolate fudge.
It felt like your teeth was rotting just by looking at it.
Tarkan stared at the chocolate fudge with a frown, then he picked up a silver fork.
“A, Are you actually eating it?” Jacquelin swallowed and asked.
Tarkan stabbed into the chocolate fudge without answering.
Everyone held their breath as they watched chunks of chocolate fudge disappear into Tarkan’s mouth.
Gulp.
Tarkan’s throat moved.
‘H-He’s actually eating it?!’
‘Milord is eating something sweet…!’
Even if they told the other warriors, no one would believe it.
Tarkan silently reached for the coffee cup on the tray. He wanted to drink something to wash down this biting sweetness.
But Mukali was blocking the coffee cup for some reason.
“Um, Milord. You might not want to drink this…”
“Why?”
My wife sent it for me so why can’t I eat it?
Tarkan’s gaze instantly turned turbulent.
Mukali wet his dry lips and spoke carefully.
“This is salted caramel latte…”
Needless to say, caramel was much sweeter than chocolate.
Tarkan’s eyes shook like there was earthquake.
“I think I will take this one back. Hey, bring some water.”
Right when Mukali spoke to the servant and was about to take away the tray…
A strong force caught his wrist.
“Milord?”
“Leave it.”
At those words, the warriors gasped.
“You can’t, Milord!”
“This is really sweet! The salt makes it even sweeter!”
“it’s sweeter than you can imagine!”
Someone might think they were trying to stop someone walking to their death.
Ignoring their attempts to stop him, Tarkan picked up the coffee cup. As the glass drew closer to his lips, the warriors and servants couldn’t bear to look and shut their eyes.
They were acting as if he was drinking poison, not salted caramel latte.
With a clack, Tarkan placed the coffee cup back on the saucer.
The warriors and servants secretly opened one eye.
The coffee cup was completely cleaned.
“A, Are you okay, Milord!”
“Quick, bring water!”
“Water is here!”
Once the servant handed over the water, Tarkan quickly gulped it down.
No one could stand still so they hovered around him.
Tarkan’s complexion was slightly pale. His complexion which hadn’t even changed when he slew the great beast Murzika at the age of ten.
Everyone looked at Tarkan with worry in their eyes.
Sure enough, Tarkan seemed to be in a bad mood after eating something so sweet.
His cold golden eyes turned to Mukali.
“Mukali?”
“Yes, Milord.”
“Why did you bring this?”
“Huh?”
At that unexpected question, Mukali stared at Tarkan with puzzlement.
“And how did you know it was salted caramel?”
Tarkan wanted to check if maybe Aristine had given Mukali some dessert as well. Even he didn’t know what he was going to do with that knowledge.
“Did you get some too?”
“No, of course not!”
Mukali was so startled.
“Then why are you the one who brought this, instead of a servant or court lady?”
Mukali was a general. He wasn’t the type to be doing such errands. But the fact that he brought it himself…
‘Did he meet Aristine?’
Maybe she asked him to deliver it after they met.
‘And I can barely even see her…!’
Tarkan’s jaw clenched.
Aristine was practically locked up in the blacksmith forge lately so he couldn’t see her till late at night.
After Brodie attacked Aristine, Tarkan escorted Aristine to and from the smithy. With such a trick, he was able to extend the time he saw her by only a few minutes.
Furthermore, he also had business that he had to handle so there were times where even that wasn’t possible.
‘No, it’s not like I want to see Aristine or be with her for a long time.’
But they were still a couple, no, business partners so they had to see each other often for the business to run smoothly.
But he didn’t think that Mukali would meet Aristine separately.
Mukali broke out in cold sweat at the sharp gaze directed his way.
“I just ran into the court ladies.”
“Then why didn’t the court ladies come themselves?”
“The court ladies and maids of my house have somehow gotten close and it seems they feel comfortable with me too…”
He met them in the hallway leading to Tarkan’s office and they walked together while chatting.
“I heard they were going to give something to Your Highness so I offered to deliver it on the way. That’s also when I heard about the chocolate fudge and salted caramel latte.”
“That’s right. At the time, we were all on the way to see you, Milord.”
Only after he heard their testimony did Tarkan’s gaze soften.
The expression of the warriors turned awkward and they kept their mouths shut.
‘We have to hide that Her Highness send more food to the other warriors!’
Otherwise, no one knew what would happen.
They all made a resolution and left the office quietly.
“Anyway, Milord really cares about the Princess Consort.”
“It’s Her Highness of all people, so it makes sense.”
They already realized this when Aristine visited the training hall before.
When the warriors were chatting that day, Jacquelin told them about what happened at Aristine’s tea time with the Queen.
Naturally, the warriors cheered when they heard that Aristine didn’t yield to the Queen, who you could call the pinnacle of power, rather, she sided with their lord and dealt a heavy blow. Of course, after hearing about their couple’s act afterwards, the warriors felt a lonely chill in their side.
“I was so surprised when Milord didn’t tell Her Highness that that evil handmaid was scheming.”
As the guardian of Irugo, efficiency was Tarkan’s top priority. But for the first time, Tarkan gave up that efficiency. Just so that Aristine could walk around, relaxed.
“I already knew that Milord pays a lot of attention to the Princess Consort but you know what’s even more surprising…”
“That Milord’s thoughts are so sensitive.”
The word ‘sensitive’ with Tarkan sounded like such an unsuitable combination.
However.
“Milord has changed…”
“I never thought he could be so sensitive.”
“It’s all thanks to the Princess Consort.”
They all remembered Aristine and smiled contentedly.
“Alright, time to go eat the chocolate fudge that the Princess Consort gave ‘me’!”
“Ah, you mean the one she gave to ‘me’?”
The large-framed adults went on bickering and saying to each other that they had gotten chocolate fudge.
