IITYVA 28

Chapter 28

As I descended the stairs, the sounds grew louder and clearer.

It wasn’t just the sound of something being chopped.

There were the sounds of liquid bubbling, something being dropped into a pot, dishes clinking…

The noises were all different, but one thing was clear:

They were all the sounds of cooking.

Walking quickly through the living room and entering the kitchen, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

With neatly tied-up black hair and a pale yellow apron draped over a firm, lean upper body—

‘…Akes.’

Everything I saw and experienced last night wasn’t a dream.

Sensing my presence, Akes, who was casually checking the stew’s flavor, turned around to face me.

“Ah, Einra.”

He smiled, eyes gently crinkling with his crimson gaze.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Ah, uh-huh…”

Unable to meet his eyes, I gave an awkward nod with a strained smile.

Akes, wearing an apron and cooking in my kitchen.

I had never even imagined such a thing.

“Just wait a little bit, Einra. It’s almost done.”

“Uh, okay…”

I answered, my eyes darting everywhere.

The moment our eyes met earlier, the sensations from last night—his breath, his body heat—rushed back to me. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

‘C-Come to think of it… did we actually fall asleep like that…?’

That sudden thought froze me stiff on the spot.

S-Sleeping in the same bed with a full-grown man?!

‘I’ve never even done that when I was Lee Hee-soo!’

I barely restrained myself from clutching my head and screaming, “Aaaaah!”

While I awkwardly lingered around the kitchen, clueless Akes suddenly said, “Ah,” as if something occurred to him.

“If you don’t mind, could you come here and taste this?”

“Taste?”

“Yes. It suits my palate, but I’m not sure if it matches yours.”

He smiled softly.

Considering that the stew I’d tasted from him before was just right for me, this one would likely be the same. There was no reason to refuse his request.

I hesitantly stepped toward him.

Thinking I was close enough, I stopped. But Akes tilted his head and said,

“Einra, you’re too far. I can’t reach.”

“Ah, r-right?”

Scratching my cheek awkwardly, I stepped closer.

“A bit more.”

“How about now?”

“A little more.”

“…Now?”

“Still far. Just a bit more.”

I kept inching forward toward him.

With every step closer, my heart pounded harder, threatening to explode.

By the time I thought it really might burst, I heard a soft chuckle above me.

“That’s good enough.”

At those words filled with laughter, I sighed in relief.

Any closer, and I really might’ve died of a heart attack.

“Thank you for coming over.”

Still smiling, he scooped up a spoonful of stew and offered it to me.

As I reached to take the spoon with my hand, Akes raised it slightly and shook his head.

“Ah—open up, Einra.”

“…Ah?”

Instinctively, I opened my mouth at his words.

Grinning with satisfaction, he gently placed the spoon in my mouth.

“Well done.”

He reached out and softly patted my head.

I watched his side profile as he turned back to the stove, dazed, then quickly blushed and hid my face in both hands.

‘This… this feels just like we’re a married couple…’

The stew being “almost done” really was true—it was finished shortly after.

Breakfast consisted of a light stew with meat and some ciabatta.

I sat across from Akes, hesitating, unable to look at him. I just kept dipping the sliced ciabatta into the stew and eating it mechanically.

How long had I been doing that?

A glass of water slid toward me.

Startled, I looked up, and there was Akes, smiling gently at me.

“If you just eat the bread like that, you might get indigestion. Drink some water.”

“Uhmm, thang yuu…”

As I reflexively thanked him, I realized my words were slurred—I had a mouth full of bread.

My face flushed red.

I quickly took the cup and gulped down the water.

Once I became conscious of Akes, I moved like a broken puppet.

‘I’m four years older than him, yet here I am, acting like a kid in front of him after five years…’

What must he think of me?

The more I dwelled on it, the more miserable I felt.

I decided to change the subject quickly.

“Um, Akes… you were in that child form… What was that all about?”

At my question, Akes, who was about to lift a spoonful of stew to his mouth, paused.

He lowered his hand and spoke.

“I was under a regression spell. It made me revert to a ten-year-old.”

“A spell? Who would do that?”

Who would dare curse a war hero?

I stared at him in disbelief, and Akes quietly answered,

“Grand Duke Baharman. He tried to kill me.”

He then briefly explained the circumstances surrounding the curse and the earlier kidnapping.

At the victory celebration banquet, Grand Duke Baharman had sent assassins to abduct Akes when he was alone.

According to imperial law, no one is allowed to carry weapons or use aura or magic within the imperial palace for the emperor’s safety.

Plus, Akes had even drunk alcohol that night, despite his usual avoidance of it, making him unable to handle two elite knight squads on his own.

Instead of killing him outright, the Duke cursed him, turning him into a child.

Then, he had Akes brutally beaten and dumped in a dark alleyway.

He hoped Akes—mentally and physically regressed—would die a dog’s death, just like the emperor’s hound.

But Akes had reached a level where he could wield aura through his sword thanks to five years of war.

As a result, he wasn’t affected by the mental regression, preventing him from losing his adult consciousness.

‘That’s why he was still able to use the teleportation artifact.’

That’s how he came to find me.

“Then… were the assassins yesterday also sent by Grand Duke Baharman?”

“Yes, most likely. He’s the only enemy who would know I’m missing.”

I clenched my teeth and muttered,

“Grand Duke Baharman… that pathetic little vermin…”

In the original novel The Tyrant Emperor, Grand Duke Baharman was one of the recurring villains.

The emperor’s uncle, dissatisfied with his dukedom, dreamed of taking the throne—a foolish and petty villain.

His role in the original was mostly to annoy the protagonist Harnen before the true main villain emerged.

Well, thanks to that, Harnen eliminated him and earned the emperor’s trust.

Still, I never even considered him worth worrying about. And yet he dared to lay a hand on Akes?

I was so angry, my mind blanked out.

In that moment, the events of last night, my embarrassment—none of it mattered anymore.

As Akes smiled at me, his gaze suddenly dropped to my neck.

His expression darkened.

After a moment of hesitation, he quietly asked,

“…Einra, were you scared yesterday?”

“Huh?”

“The assassin… took on my appearance.”

“Oh…”

I unconsciously reached up and touched my neck.

Pressing a bit harder, I felt a dull pain.

I’d use a healing spell if I could, but the spirit suppression magic was still lingering, making that impossible.

I slowly lowered my hand and gave a soft smile.

“It’s okay. It wasn’t really you, after all.”

“…”

“The real you saved me.”

To be honest… I was even a little happy.

Like receiving an unexpected gift from someone I hadn’t dared to hope anything from.

I meant it sincerely, but Akes said nothing.

A shadow of guilt briefly passed over his face, so I hurriedly changed the subject.

“Oh, right! You’re back to your original form now. What happened?”

Was my intention to ease his guilt too obvious?

A faint smile tugged at his lips.