---o---
The sounds of stir-frying and sizzling echoed from the kitchen, and an enticing aroma wafted into the living room.
The young man, who had become a master chef through cheating, stood before the stove, skillfully preparing various dishes. As a God-Slayer, a Herrscher, and a god, his reflexes were far beyond those of an ordinary person. He possessed the same knowledge as the master chefs who provided his experience, yet his execution was far superior.
He wielded the spatula with deft movements, and the ingredients tumbled and rolled in the wok as if they were obeying his very command.
Standing to the side was the girl, her burns having long since vanished under the effects of healing magic. She watched him effortlessly use the strange and wonderful kitchen appliances, her cheeks flushing slightly red.
The proper way to treat a burn is to immediately cool the affected skin under running water to alleviate the pain, then disinfect it with an iodine solution. After that, applying a burn cream can help the wound heal faster and reduce the risk of scarring.
Smaller blisters can be left alone to be absorbed by the body. If the blisters are large, a sterile needle can be used to drain the fluid. The skin of the blister should not be torn off. Afterward, it should be disinfected with iodine and treated with burn medication.
For someone whose original profession was a magus, healing an injury was obviously not so troublesome.
Therefore, his solution was to use magic directly.
However, using healing magic required contact with the wound. The burns on her arm were one thing, but the ones on her leg...
The girl could still recall the warmth of his hand as it gently caressed her thigh, and her expression grew increasingly uncomfortable.
While he had shown a rare moment of gentleness, his personality was actually very similar to that of a Celtic hero.
And Celtic heroes...
Their lives were for naught but slaughter and debauchery.
This man was clearly the type who enjoyed hunting for beautiful women. After cleaning her wound with a cotton swab and a simple application of healing magic, all of Miss Stargazer's burns were healed. Any actions he took after that could basically be considered as him taking liberties.
Every time she thought of the feeling of his hand wandering over her thigh, Miss Stargazer's face would burn a shade deeper, and her heart would sink with despair.
She felt like she might never be able to get married now.
At this thought, the girl's heart filled with indignation.
Her opinion of him had just started to improve, and not even a few minutes later, he revealed his true colors?
What a bastard.
Looking at his side profile, the girl's heart stirred as she recalled both the pained concern in his eyes when he treated her injuries, and the "SP" smile that followed.
The latter made her want to plant her foot squarely in his face, and then restore her guzheng to its original function.
---o---
The guzheng is an ancient Han folk instrument.
It was popular in the state of Qin during the Warring States period and has a history of over 2,500 years.
Originally, the zheng was a type of polearm from that era, used to strike down at enemies. There is even an old saying: "Laid flat, the zheng is for leisure; stood upright, it becomes a weapon for war."
As time went on, weapons became lighter and more portable, and a large, heavy weapon like the zheng was abandoned. Thus, the zheng people see today appears only in the form of a musical instrument, with an elegant shape and beautiful ornamentation.
As the future monarch of the Empire of Huang, Miss Stargazer had undoubtedly received an excellent musical education.
Among all the instruments, her favorite was the guzheng.
When held in her hands, she could cultivate her temperament and play serene melodies for others.
And when people complained that her playing was unpleasant, she could stand it upright and make them listen to her music peacefully.
His "SP" gaze and wandering hands truly gave her the urge to pick up her guzheng and restore it to its original purpose.
But—
That pained expression from before...
The girl, whose relationship with him could hardly be called familiar, felt an unprecedented sense of confusion.
That pained concern didn't seem fake. But given their limited interactions, did she even have the right to make him feel that way?
That emotion couldn't possibly have developed from just the few days they had spent together.
Moreover, he was a man who was never short of beautiful women. Theoretically, he shouldn't be so strangely persistent with her.
So, what was the source of that emotion?
For some reason, Miss Stargazer recalled the words he had spoken earlier.
"You can call me 'husband'."
At this thought, a faint blush spread across the girl's cheeks, and her eyes grew flustered.
Could it be that the nonsense he was spouting before was actually true?
No, that's not right.
Perhaps he was just naturally lecherous and was nice to all pretty girls.
Thinking this, the girl, who was well aware that the treatment she received was unusually good, couldn't help but let out a cold huff.
As expected, a scumbag is a scumbag.
But then again, was he really this skilled at cooking?
The girl, whose impression of him had always been that of an idle, good-for-nothing young master, watched as he continuously prepared desserts.
After quickly making some main dishes, he had started on red bean mochi balls.
He mixed the dough, adding sugar and water to the glutinous rice flour, stirring clockwise with chopsticks. Just like with regular dough, once it became flaky, he began to knead it by hand.
After kneading, he pinched off several small, round dough balls the size of tangyuan and boiled them. He then mixed the cooked dough balls back into the original batch and kneaded it again.
Miss Stargazer had heard a chef explain the benefits of this method before; it was to make the dough smooth and give the finished dumplings a delightfully chewy, "Q" texture.
It looked like it was going to be delicious.
Miss Stargazer couldn't help but swallow.
She loved Shenzhou pastries, and among them, red bean mochi balls were her absolute favorite.
"How does it look?"
The young man, who had clearly made a portion of the pastries especially for Miss Stargazer, turned his head and asked her.
"I remember you really like to eat this."
Miss Stargazer froze.
She did indeed love red bean mochi balls, but she had never once mentioned this fact after arriving in this world.
Before, she could explain his kindness as him treating all beautiful girls with the same consideration...
But that explanation couldn't account for the fact that he had specifically made red bean mochi balls just for her.
Miss Stargazer's heart, for the first time ever, was thrown into chaos.
---o---
The young man, who had never expected Miss Stargazer to cook a proper meal from the start, carried plate after plate of pastries and placed them on the table.
"Alright, now that your injuries are healed, eat something and then you can go back to your room and get ready for bed."
"If you'd like, I can play some music for you."
Miss Stargazer silently walked to the table and sat down. She picked up her chopsticks and lifted a red bean mochi ball.
The texture was perfect.
But as she took a bite, it brought with it a profound question.
Why did he know I like to eat this?