Chapter 114: The Sizzle of the Pan, the Heat of the Table

Standing in front of the counter, Soren washed his hands and surveyed the ingredients laid out before him. The lively chatter from the dining table drifted into the kitchen, a mix of Zoe’s bright voice, Aunt Clara’s polite chuckles, and Ethea’s occasional responses.

’Perhaps I should have invited Ryan too,’ he thought, reaching for a knife.

Being the only guy in the room felt a little weird. It wasn’t that he felt out of place with them; one was his wife, one he treated as an aunt, and the third was a teacher who doubled as an annoying big sister. It was just that against a lineup like that, he had absolutely no backup.

If Ryan had come tonight, he would have at least shared the burden, even if the guy would probably just sit there like an obedient little brother.

A faint smile touched Soren’s lips as he shook his head, cutting through a bunch of fresh greens.

’Let’s just invite him some other time. Alone.’

That was probably for the best anyway.

After all, he had recognized Ethea’s true identity the moment he saw her back at the hospital. He had looked absolutely shell-shocked at the time, staring like his brain had short-circuited.

Fortunately, nobody else had been around except for Ryan’s parents, and Ryan had possessed enough discretion to keep his mouth shut.

Still, ever since that day, he hadn’t stopped bringing her up in their conversations. He even started dropping subtle hints, asking if it would be alright to visit his home and hang out.

’It seems like he’s a fan of hers or something.’

On the other hand, it was actually a bit strange that others hadn’t recognized her.

Sister Zoe obviously knew who she was at their first meeting, and she hadn’t missed a single opportunity to tease him about it during their training sessions. But everyone else - the staff from the Bureau, the hospital workers, even Lady Seria hadn’t batted an eye.

Soren chopped the rare vegetables, pondering the contradiction.

Perhaps Ethea just wasn’t that famous in this specific city, or maybe they simply didn’t pay much attention to the high-profile Hunter world. To them, top-ranking Hunters were probably like distant celebrities on a screen, hard to connect with a real person sitting right in front of them.

’Well, it works out better for us anyway,’ Soren thought, putting the speculation aside.

He fired up the stove and poured a bit of oil into the pan, letting the rhythmic sizzle ground his thoughts. He could worry about arranging a proper introduction for Ryan some other time. For tonight, his immediate mission was simply to survive Zoe’s teasing and prove he could actually cook.

He set a pot of water to boil alongside the pan.

Well, Aunt Clara and Ethea were already well aware of his culinary skills, but Zoe’s cheap provocation had definitely triggered his competitive side. Even if he had fallen right into her trap, he decided to do his absolute best anyway.

After all, when was he going to put these ’hard-earned’ skills to use if not right now?

With renewed focus, Soren began tossing the ingredients into the pan, the savory aroma instantly filling the air.

’Let’s see if you can resist my cooking~’

───────

Meanwhile, at the dining table, the relaxed atmosphere had suddenly heated up, all because of a single question from Zoe.

Leaning forward with her elbows on the table and her chin resting in her palms, Zoe locked her eyes onto Ethea with a mischievous grin. "So, Miss Ethea, now that Soren is out of earshot... how exactly is your love life going with him? Is he as dutiful a husband as he is a student, or does he need a little pushing?"

Clara blinked in surprise, a small, knowing smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she quietly sipped her tea, choosing to remain a silent spectator.

In her opinion, perhaps Ethea was the one who needed that push more than Soren. After all, the young man seemed to have already figured out his own feelings, albeit he was struggling with them, constantly walking on eggshells around his wife.

Whereas Ethea seemed to have those feelings brewing underneath, but simply hadn’t realized them yet.

Clara shifted her gaze toward Ethea, who still looked completely stunned by Zoe’s sudden interrogation.

That dazed expression, the nervous fidgeting of her fingers, the blush coloring her cheeks—all of it was undeniable proof that Clara’s guesses were entirely correct.

She wasn’t indifferent; she was just lost in territory she had never navigated before.

As Clara watched the silence stretch across the table, Ethea finally managed to find her voice under Zoe’s expectant gaze.

"We... We are simply focusing on our current circumstances, Miss Zoe. There hasn’t been... time for such things."

"I see... But..." Zoe leaned in closer, her eyes narrowing with a look of disbelief. "Don’t tell me you haven’t even held hands properly yet?"

"!" Ethea froze completely once more, the blush on her cheeks deepening into a vivid crimson that spread all the way to the tips of her ears. She opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out, her usual stoic composure entirely shattered by the absurdly accurate accusation.

Zoe stared at her, momentarily speechless.

It was genuinely hard to believe that the revered, icy-cold Ice Empress could ever make such a helpless, flustered expression, but being able to see it firsthand made Zoe hum in joy inwardly.

In fact, teasing her was definitely proving to be way better than messing with that guy.

"Oh my," Zoe gasped, her lips curling into a mischievous grin as she tapped her fingers against her cheek. "You really haven’t, have you? You two are actually hopeless."

Ethea quickly bowed her head, using her long hair to shield her burning face from view, completely unable to meet the older woman’s eyes.

Seeing the poor girl pushed to her absolute limit, Clara decided it was finally time to step in. She set her teacup down with a soft click and looked over at the energetic guest.

"Miss Zoe, please stop teasing her."