One thing he had to admit, despite having all the ingredients at home, eating at a rich man’s house was always a different experience.
There were so many dishes that Luke paused for a moment, letting his eyes wander from one to the next.
He had attended plenty of formal gatherings in his previous life, so he didn’t gawk at the table like an amateur.
He calmly ran his eyes over while his posture remained relaxed.
"Go ahead, Luke. I hope everything suits your taste," Baldon said. He was the only other person seated at the table.
Roxanne and several servants stood nearby, ready to provide anything they might need.
Luke would have invited Roxanne to join them, but this wasn’t his home, nor was Roxanne his mate for him to make such a request.
He reached for the strange dish wrapped in a leaf. At first glance, the outside looked slightly charred.
There were no spoons or utensils, so he unwrapped it with his hands and found it filled with meat and black beans.
"You can eat the leaf too," Baldon said as he picked up an identical parcel and took a bite without unwrapping it.
Luke nodded in understanding, wrapped it back up, and took a bite.
"Mm..."
His brows lifted, and his head tilted back slightly in appreciation. It tasted somewhat like a burrito, except it had no rice. Even so...
"It’s quite good."
Smiling, Roxanne said, "It’s steamed, while the filling is prepared separately. Although it takes time to make, the taste makes all the effort worthwhile."
Luke nodded in agreement.
"Try that one too," Baldon suggested, pointing toward what looked like a bun, except it was brown.
Luke finished the leaf-wrapped burrito before picking up the bun.
The moment he took a bite, a sigh of contentment escaped his lips.
"Sweet... and so tender."
It tasted like jaggery and finely ground nuts wrapped inside a pillowy soft bun that practically melted apart without needing to be chewed.
"This is heaven. What exactly is this?" Luke asked, feeling like he had just experienced a foodgasm from a single bite.
"You like it? Roxanne made them," Baldon said.
Luke turned toward the woman, whose cheeks had turned slightly red as she replied, "It’s nothing special. I just grind a few ingredients that go well together, then cook them in boiling water."
Luke nodded appreciatively.
"I’m definitely learning this recipe from you because I won’t be able to live without it now."
Even having just one bun after every meal would make everything perfect for him.
Roxanne giggled.
Just then...
"Deaaar!"
Someone barged into the room and headed straight for Baldon.
Roxanne’s eyes instantly lost their warmth as Thea climbed onto Baldon’s lap. The man accepted it as though it were a completely ordinary occurrence.
"What is it, Thea? We have a guest over."
Thea spared Luke a brief glance before saying, "I don’t care. I’m so fed up with this life. Doing the same thing every single day, seeing the same faces... it’s just so frustrating."
Luke wasn’t surprised to see Thea behaving this way with the chief. He had already heard from the villagers how much Baldon doted on his younger mate. If Roxanne felt bothered by the blatant favoritism, she certainly wasn’t wrong to feel that way.
"So? What do you want to do? Want me to take you hunting?" Baldon asked gently, holding her hand as though she were a precious treasure.
Luke’s gaze shifted to Roxanne. Either she was hiding her feelings remarkably well, or she had simply grown numb to it all. Her expression remained utterly indifferent.
"No, I don’t want to go hunting anymore. I want to go somewhere. Maybe another village for a few days. I just need a change."
Baldon hummed thoughtfully.
"You know I’ve been quite busy lately because of the ambush, so I couldn’t..."
He suddenly paused and turned toward Luke.
"Luke is going with Roxanne to visit her village. Why don’t you go with them?"
Roxanne’s expression finally shifted. She looked reluctant about this proposal.
Completely ignoring her reaction, Baldon continued, "I am sure there is enough space in the carriage for you to travel with them. How about it, Luke?"
Luke found himself in a difficult situation.
While he had no problem with the midget joining them, he knew Roxanne wouldn’t be comfortable with the idea.
However, as if the system held a grudge against Roxanne...
[Quest Generated]
[Task: Agree to take the target with you on the trip.]
[Reward: 50G, possible fragment of a Legendary Physique.]
Luke paused.
Right. With Thea nearby, he would have the opportunity to extract the essence of the physique from her.
This trip would also be the perfect chance to trigger more quests involving her.
So he nodded.
"I have no problem with that."
Thea giggled in delight.
"Glad to hear that. I’ll go pack my things."
She slowly got off Baldon’s lap and, as she passed Roxanne, flashed her a broad, toothy grin.
Roxanne simply stood there, silently clutching the side of her dress.
Luke felt guilty about it.
He watched her for a few moments and muttered under his breath, "I need to talk to her."
....
After the meal, Luke finally got his chance.
"I’ll go wash my hands since I need to leave soon," he said as he rose from his seat.
Baldon nodded, still only halfway through his meal.
Luke stopped beside Roxanne.
"Will you show me where I can wash my hands?"
Roxanne let out a quiet sigh before replying, "Come with me."
The usual warmth in her voice was gone.
The two of them walked away together.
Once Luke was certain no one else was around, he gently pulled Roxanne into a nearby room.
"Ah..."
She let out a small yelp of surprise as her back met the wall.
Looking up, she found Luke standing close in front of her.
"I’m sorry about that," he said.
Roxanne shook her head.
"I understand. There wasn’t anything you could have done."
"Don’t say it like it doesn’t matter." Luke met her eyes. "You can complain if you want, Roxanne."
Roxanne lowered her head and said, "I really understand Luke, that you couldn’t have rejected her in that spot. However, I always feel she try to take away what I like. And her sudden decision must be to steal you from me as well."
Roxanne wasn’t an idiot to not understand why Thea suddenly felt like doing something for fun. She must have in mind that Roxanne was going to her birth village with Luke and to ruin the trip, she chose the perfect moment to request the Chief.
Luke gently cupped her cheek and made her look up at him.
"Hey, Roxanne, do you trust me?"
The question got her confused.
He asked again, "Do you trust me or not?"
Roxanne slowly nodded. Even though they haven’t met much longer ago, considering how many times she has relied on him, she would be lying to say she doesn’t trust him.
Luke gently pulled her in a hug and assured her, "Then trust that faith. I promise you she wouldn’t come between us."
His gaze sharpened as he added, "In fact, she won’t come in anyone’s way during the trip.’