Ascension Of The Villain

Chapter 141: Tears Of Spice

The atmosphere was full of the mouthwatering scent of roasting meat and a medley of exotic spices. Noble ladies, more often seen elegantly sipping tea or gliding through ballrooms, were now bustling around the open kitchen.Today, they traded their fans and parasols for knives and spatulas, and the results were both impressive and amusing. After all, it was their turn to shine in the festival.

Lady Gretchen was preparing thick slabs of Tryclaw Sentinel steak to grill. Beside her, Lady Seraphina was daintily marinating cuts of another beast, her hands working with a blend of rare herbs and honey as if she were crafting a love potion. And then there was Princess Althea, casually letting magic do most of the heavy lifting—because why get your hands dirty when you can just magic it?

At the far end of the counter, Iyana stood silently, her violet eyes focused on the task at hand as she expertly sliced the Talonraith meat into smaller pieces.

As a certain host decided to hover next to her, probably in

"Not really. Just curious," she replied, sneaking a glance at him. Then, with a hint of mischief in her voice, she added, "Just like how I am curious about why you have been clinging to me even more since I mentioned drawing a line between you and I. Did you not understand?"

Vyan's grin widened. "Oh, I understood it loud and clear," he said, lightly brushing his upper arm against her shoulder. "I just decided to ignore it." His voice dropped to a sotto level as he continued, "Because I like being close to you. I don't… want there to be a line between us."

Iyana was about to sprinkle some black pepper when she almost dropped the entire jar into the pan. "What?" She whipped her head around to see if he was joking, but the seriousness in his eyes made her breath hitch instead. "Stop joking about stuff like this," she muttered, turning away quickly as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"I am not, though," Vyan replied, feigning innocence, though the sparkle in his eyes suggested otherwise.

"Just go away. You are ruining my peaceful cooking time," she shooed him off with a wave of her hand, trying to mask her flustered state.

"What? I have been nothing but a delight," he protested, hands raised as if he were the picture of angelic behavior. "You are not the one I pranked at the very least."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What prank are we talking about here?"

Vyan's grin turned mischievous, and Iyana could practically feel the impending doom. "So, about that thing I said earlier regarding spiciness…"

———

About two hours later, Althea was wandering around the tents with a tray of food in her hands, trying her best not to drop it. She stopped in front of a particular tent and called out, "Clyde, are you in there?"

There was a brief moment of shuffling and then a surprised voice from inside. "Y-your Imperial Highness?" Clyde stammered before practically tripping over himself to come out. "Why are you here?"

"I should be asking you that," she retorted, raising an eyebrow. "Why didn't you show up at the dining area?"

"I thought you might feel pressured to make me try your food if I were there. I didn't want to make things awkward, so I figured I would—"

"But I wanted you to try it," she cut in firmly. "So, can I come in?"

Clyde blinked, momentarily stunned, before a bright smile spread across his face. He quickly stepped aside to let her in. "By the way, I am sorry if what I said on stage made you feel awkward—"

"It's fine. I actually admired your courage," she admitted, and Clyde's heart practically did a backflip.

"Thank you," he mumbled. He was glad to know that it was worth putting on that show on a whim. Obviously, he was sincere, but like, in front of everybody, he later regretted that he might have embarrassed Althea too much. But thankfully, she seemed okay.

Althea set the tray down on a small table in the corner. "Now, why don't you get to eating?"

"What about you? Have you eaten yet?"

"I will, once I know what you think of it," Althea said, her tone turning a bit mischievous. "Although, fair warning—I am not exactly an expert in the kitchen."

"It's fine, you don't have to worry about it; I am pretty good at cooking," Clyde replied confidently, then immediately let out a flustered chuckle. "I mean, uh, sorry, I don't know why I said that, haha."

Althea's cheeks reddened slightly at his indication as she sputtered, "Um, why don't you just take a bite already?"

"Yes, yes, of course." He quickly grabbed a spoon and took a big mouthful of the dish she had prepared. "Wow, it's really good! It's…"

"Really?" Althea clapped her hands in delight, only to freeze when she noticed Clyde's smiling tightly with— "Oh, my, why are you crying? It can't be that good, can it?"

"I can't… s-speak… f-food… it… b-burns…," Clyde choked out, pressing a trembling hand to his mouth while desperately reaching for water, tears streaming down his cheeks like a waterfall.

"What?" Althea panicked, nearly knocking into his nightstand. "What do you mean?"

"I can't eat spicy food at all, Althea! It burns my throat and tears me up!" Clyde managed to cry out between gulps of water.

Althea gasped. "But how can that be? Vyan told me—" She paused, then facepalmed as it all clicked. "My gosh, that little scoundrel!"