For the Young Villain’s Happy Ending - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 104

Two years ago, in Hibei.

“The Fourth Prince wishes to learn… cooking?”

The Hart Barony’s sole Head Chef ran his hands across the counter as the Fourth Prince made his request in the kitchen. The smooth surface felt pristine and new.
It hadn’t been long since the lord had generously renovated the entire kitchen, offering to grant any wish as a gift to commemorate his long years of service.

“Might I ask what prompted such a remarkable decision?”
“My Master said she wished to eat food made with sincerity.”

As expected. The answer aligned with what I’d anticipated. Wasn’t the book the lord was currently reading one I’d recommended?
A heartwarming daily-life story about a man with a genius palate who cooked for his beloved every day.
What mattered to the Fourth Prince now was the sincerity of food he’d made with his own hands. An offer to cook in his stead wouldn’t work.
Yet unleashing the Fourth Prince’s culinary skills—sealed away twelve years ago—in my brand-new kitchen was a concern.
The Head Chef instinctively spoke words that balanced courtesy toward the Fourth Prince with protecting his new kitchen.

“Your Highness, do you know what matters more than practice in cooking?”
“What is it?”
“Theory and recipes. Starting today, whenever you have time, I’ll teach you the recipes for dishes the lord favors, one by one.”
“You could teach me all at once. I just need to memorize them, don’t I?”
“No, that’s not quite right. I’ll demonstrate the techniques as well. The more you observe before practicing, the faster you’ll improve. After all, don’t the mages also put effort into building their mana hearts from the foundation?”
“…”
“The lord also deserves cooking with solid fundamentals…”
“Starting today. I understand.”

From that day forward, Kevenriak visited the kitchen daily to watch the Head Chef’s demonstrations, absorb the theory, and memorize recipes. When he’d learned the fourteenth recipe for Raina Hart, the Third Prince’s rebellion erupted.
With Raina Hart looking so anxious, I had no mind for cooking. And so the disciple’s devotion to his Master was buried in the past.

Then yesterday, in Hibei.

A heavy sigh escaped.

Late into the night, the Head Chef sat upon a bench in the Lord’s Castle Garden, lost in thought, and released a long, weary sigh.
The Castle remained desolate even today. A Butler, a Head Chef, and two maids and servants each—six retainers still guarded the Hart Barony’s Castle without abandoning it.
Though the Master had been gone for a long time, they waited for someone. Someone who would find the Castle. Someone who loved her more than they did. Surely, one day she would return to this place.
When that day came, I hoped she would not think the Castle had been forsaken. I hoped she would know that Hibei, which that person had loved, still waited for you.

“…?”

A luminescence of mana coalesced in the center of the Garden. A beautiful man with black hair materialized. The Head Chef rose uncertainly, doubting his own eyes.

“How is this—.”

Since Raina Hart’s funeral, I had never left Hibei.
The Disciples living below the hill spoke endlessly of how the Emperor had gone mad. Since everyone said it was true, I believed it to be so.
But beneath the moonlight, those clear blue eyes were unmistakably his. The Fourth Prince before I lost my Master.

“The theory and recipe seem perfect now.”

At the Emperor’s voice, clear and distinct, the Head Chef fell to his knees, tears streaming down his weathered face. He had returned.

“…Yes. It is perfect, Your Majesty.”

It was the first practical lesson in two years.

***

“Raina Hart. Eat it while it’s still warm.”

Raina Hart, seated at the table, gazed at the plate before her. Though it was Vivian’s familiar pale rose-colored dish, it radiated an ethereal brilliance.
A perfectly seared steak, even cut into convenient pieces with such thoughtfulness.

“Did… Keri prepare this….”

Raina Hart instinctively reached out and summoned her subspace pocket. Yet even as she unfurled the calling magic, nothing stirred.
Ah, it was Vivian’s body, after all.
For a moment, I mistook this place for Hibei. The man sitting across from me felt so familiar.

‘Did he notice?’

I glanced at him. The moment our eyes met, a tender smile greeted me—a smile Kevenriak reserved only for me.
I had thought I would never see you smile like this again.

“I admire you.”

His gentle expression overlapped with that day’s image.
My nose suddenly stung. This wouldn’t do. I didn’t want to eat Kevenriak’s first dish for me while crying.
I had grown weary of knowing what tears tasted like.

“I’ll eat well.”

I quickly brought the steak to my lips and took a bite.

“…!”

My brows drew together involuntarily.
The taste of meat after days without it was nothing short of rapturous. Despite being pre-cut, it was bursting with juices and melted tenderly between my teeth. The sweetness of the sauce harmonized with the savory richness of the meat, creating a flavor that bloomed across my palate with exquisite perfection.

“Is it to your liking?”

The longer my silence stretched in admiration, the more concern etched itself into Kevenriak’s features. He hadn’t touched his own plate, waiting instead for my reaction.

“It’s perfect.”

I swallowed the food in my mouth before answering my disciple’s question.

“In all my years, across every meal I’ve ever eaten, I’ve never tasted anything this exquisite.”

My disciple was a genius even in cooking. I couldn’t help but marvel. An unrestrained reaction poured forth. Seeing me unchanged from before, Kevenriak fell silent for a moment, drinking in the sight of her. The light still shone brilliantly. How I wish she would never disappear. Yet there was a reason he didn’t broach that subject.
The moment he spoke it aloud, this happiness—one he never wished to wake from—would shatter into countless pieces.
The moment I speak it aloud, I knew this happiness—one I never want to wake from—would shatter into pieces.

“Yes.”
“Yes.”

So she just laughed. Pretending to know nothing. As if that fleeting sweetness would last forever.

“Raina Hart, I’m sorry.”

Because I love you.

***

It had been ages since I enjoyed such a satisfying meal.
With my belly full, drowsiness crept over me. I sat at the sunlit dining table, resting my chin in my palm as I let out a small yawn.
This was the first time since entering Vivian’s body that I experienced such leisurely contentment. Back in Hibei, this had been my daily routine.

‘Ah, I want to sprawl out and laze about.’

I hastily banished the unbidden thought from my mind.
What was I thinking? Breakfast was already finished, and Keri had cleaned everything with magic. Shouldn’t I be discussing what comes next?
This was no time for idleness.

“Raina Hart.”

Just as I was steeling myself, a gentle voice called out to me. It was Vivian’s lodger, who had been staying in the living room.

“Would you like to read a book?”

My disciple seemed to have seen right through my thoughts and asked. I turned my head toward Kevenriak. It was a tempting proposal, but I had intended to decline—this wasn’t the time for such indulgence. We should discuss other matters instead.
Raina Hart turned her head toward Kevenriak Heteroven. It was an incredibly tempting proposal, but she tried to refuse it. She suggested they have a different conversation since now wasn’t the right time.

“….”

The living room view was absolutely perfect.

“I brought a book. It’s a new release from Raina Hart’s favorite author.”

I could not resist the temptation.
Raina Hart couldn’t resist the temptation.

I lay comfortably on the sofa, my head resting against my disciple’s thigh as I read. Kevenriak was also absorbed in a book held in one hand.
In the quiet living room, the occasional sound of turning pages drifted through the air. It appeared peaceful. On the surface, at least.
In the quiet living room, the occasional sound of pages turning in the bookshelf could be heard. It looked peaceful. On the surface, anyway.

“I can’t concentrate.”

Raina Hart looked at the densely printed text and thought. The disciple’s lap pillow, which had felt comfortable until two years ago, now felt strangely awkward. The sensation of her head pressing against the thighs felt unfamiliar and embarrassing.

‘I’ve completely lost my mind.’

Not a single word of the text registered in my eyes, yet I turned the pages at a steady pace to avoid suspicion. As a result, I hadn’t even learned the protagonist’s name by the time I reached the middle of the book, let alone grasped the plot.

“….”

Curious about how my disciple was faring, I lifted my gaze upward. Kevenriak’s expression as he read was serious and intent.

“Keri, are you enjoying the book?”
“Yes.”

What book could possibly captivate him so thoroughly….
Yet the moment I saw the book his serious gaze was fixed upon, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Even though you’re holding it upside down?”
“….”

At my observation, Kevenriak silently corrected his grip on the book. As if nothing had happened, he nonchalantly feigned innocence and continued pretending to read.
The tips of Kevenriak’s ears had flushed crimson.
I found my disciple so endearing that I didn’t know what to do with myself. Rising from the sofa, I habitually drew him close and nestled my cheek against his dark hair.

“What is it? Were you really that bothered about seeing your teacher again? Honestly, whose disciple is this adorable-.”
“…Raina Hart.”

Kevenriak, who had been silently offering me his dark locks, set down his book and gently grasped both my wrists. His crimson lips moved against my ear.

“Don’t.”

His low, whispered voice resonated through my eardrums. I froze, my movements halting abruptly.

“…please.”

The soft corners of his lips curved up playfully. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his face now in my line of sight.
Heat rose to my cheeks, leaving them flushed and warm.
Though my disciple had regained his sanity, traces of the main villain still lingered in his demeanor. And my heart raced because his appearance—a bewitching blend of decadence and purity—was utterly captivating.

‘I’ve gone mad.’

I was clearly losing my mind.
An inexplicable emotion surged violently, consuming her whole.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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