The grand mansion of Athena exuded an imposing atmosphere.
Within it, there was a luxurious kitchen that was the envy of anywhere else.
It boasted a variety of cooking tools, neatly maintained dishware, and very expensive food ingredients.
Anyone dreaming of cooking would want to work here for its splendid and tidy atmosphere.
At least until just a moment ago.
Ka-BLAM!!!
With a huge BANG, the door shattered into pieces beyond recognition.
“AHHHHH!”
“What… what is happening?!”
As the remaining chefs were busy tidying up, the kitchen door suddenly blew apart.
Looking towards where the door used to be…
“Y-You… Hero?!”
The woman radiating a chilling atmosphere stepped heavily into the kitchen.
For some reason, everyone began to shiver under an inexplicable pressure.
Her gaze was infinitely calm, yet within it lay an eerie feeling of fear that instinctively made bodies recoil.
“Where’s the head chef?”
In that tense atmosphere, no one dared to speak to her.
Eventually, no one answered—
BANG! BANG!
“HELP!!!”
Like a bombing, golden mana scattered throughout the kitchen, smashing everything in sight.
Then, someone came running.
It was the head chef, a man named Borsh.
Having left the cleanup to his staff, he had been resting nearby but rushed in as soon as he heard the overwhelming noise.
“Athena!! What is happening?!”
Athena’s eyes flashed briefly before she closed the distance and grabbed Borsh by the throat.
“COUGH…!”
“W-What…?!”
“Did you… dare say Hera’s cooking was bad?!”
Dare. You. Think of Hera’s cooking as bad.
At that moment, with Athena’s seething quiet fury, Borsh felt like he might choke. Then Athena released her grip.
GULP!!
He gasped for breath and stared at her coldly as she spoke.
“I’ll give you three seconds. Answer me if you don’t want your head to roll.”
“Y-Yes, but!! I was just following orders!!”
BANG! A huge hole blasted into the wall next to Borsh.
If his head had turned just a bit, it would have separated from his body and left the ground.
“Ugh…!”
“I know. And that’s why I’m even more pissed.”
CRUNCH!
The sound of Athena grinding her teeth echoed chillingly in the kitchen.
The chefs were frozen in place, holding their breath and cowering silently.
“Okay. I’ll take some responsibility too. I’ll give you a chance.”
She lightly kicked Borsh’s knee and continued.
“Hera’s food. Where is it?”
“Uh… what?”
“Hera’s food. Don’t tell me you threw it away?”
GRIND!
Her teeth ground together again, sending shivers down Borsh’s spine.
He instinctively felt he couldn’t keep her waiting any longer.
“I-I have it!! It’s so special that I kept it in a freezing magic container!!”
Without looking back, Borsh hurried to fetch the food.
He cradled the chicken as if it were his lifeline, being extra careful not to drop it.
As Borsh handed the bowl of chicken to Athena, she snatched it from his hands right away.
Then she popped a piece of cold chicken into her mouth.
With her eyes closed, she slowly chewed to savor the taste.
Spicy with the texture of chicken, just as she remembered it being when she told Hera she liked it.
In fact, it was delicious. An enchanting flavor she had never tasted before.
It seemed Hera really had a knack for cooking.
Thinking of Hera, who had carefully crafted this dish with her in mind, a warm feeling spread in her chest.
Eventually, she placed the bowl carefully on the dining table and coldly commanded everyone around.
“Make this food hot, so its original flavor doesn’t disappear.”
“If even a bit of the taste I just ate is lost…”
“Then everyone here will not see a good day.”
With that, the kitchen lights flickered back on.
The chefs and head chef began moving frantically, using every possible method to revive the cold chicken without taking a breath.
*
“Ugh… huh…”
In a pitch-black room where not a single ray of light could enter.
Since regaining consciousness, I hadn’t stopped shedding tears for a second.
“You idiot!… Moron!… Ugh…”
I pounded my head with my fist in self-harm.
Because if I didn’t do this, I simply couldn’t forgive myself.
I should’ve just done nothing.
By now, Athena should be waiting for me.
I had foolishly made her wait, thinking to cook for her.
But ultimately, I didn’t want to give her subpar food, so I had no choice but to run away.
She must be furious.
Perhaps she would even abandon me now.
Though she promised to love me forever, people’s hearts can change at any time.
It wouldn’t be strange if she grew distant from such a pathetic version of me.
“You fool!… Fool!”
THUMP! THUMP!
As I continued to slam my head with my hands, something warm began to flow from one side.
But I couldn’t see anything in front of me, so I couldn’t tell what it was.
I don’t know how much time passed like this.
Knock, knock.
-Hera. It’s me.
A voice came from the door, the very last person I wanted to see.
“Don’t… come in…”
But despite my plea, she opened the door and stepped in.
When she switched on the light, brilliant rays stabbed into my eyes.
“Ooof.”
“Hera!!!!”
In the brief moment my eyes adjusted to the light, I heard her scream.
As I opened my eyes again, she stood before me, wearing an expression I had never seen before.
Her eyes trembled, and her face looked greatly surprised.
I reached out my hand to shield her from my sight.
“Don’t… look at me…”
Please, don’t look at my pathetic self.
But she gently overpowered my hand, placing hers on my head.
“You’re bleeding, Hera!!!!”
The warm substance flowing down my head must have been my blood.
Golden mana seeped from her hand and enveloped my head, filling me with a warm sensation as my wound began to heal.
Turning my head towards the direction the blood was trailing, I spotted the sheets stained red with my own blood.
“What have you been doing until it got this bad?!”
Athena, uncharacteristically, shouted at me with a sharp voice.
“……”
But I couldn’t answer her.
I even thought it wouldn’t be so bad to faint from blood loss to escape this situation.
Then I wouldn’t have to deal with this anguish for a while…
As negative thoughts crowded my mind, Athena hugged me tightly.
“From now on, never do this again.”
Even until this moment, she was worrying about me.
I had even run away from our promise, yet she warmly embraced me.
Tears flowed from my eyes again as I buried my face in her shoulder.
“I’m… so sorry…”
She comforted me, gently patting my back.
“Why are you sorry, Hera?”
“I… I tried to cook for you… but it was bad… ugh…”
“…….”
Her body, holding me close, shivered slightly.
I felt her skin growing colder from the contact.
As an altered atmosphere settled, I cautiously looked up at her.
“…Athena…?”
Her face revealed an expression of deep anger.
Her brows were furrowed, and the sound of her grinding teeth reached my ears.
Was she mad at me?
Her expression made my body start to tremble even more.
“I’m… sorry… Athena… please don’t be angry…”
The reason I didn’t want to see her.
Because I was afraid she would leave after seeing my pathetic self.
I felt so small before her anger, not wanting to be cast aside by Athena.
But rather, she held me tighter.
“It’s… not your fault.”
Her reassuring words calmed me.
Tears streamed down my face.
After crying in her arms for quite a while, I finally managed to regain my composure.
Athena wiped away all my tears with her hands and then asked.
“Hera, have you eaten?”
I gently shook my head.
She smiled softly at me, then walked over to the hefty bowl she had set by the door.
“I haven’t eaten either. Shall we eat this together?”
“This… this is…”
What she brought was the chicken I had worked so hard on for hours.
“This… this can’t be!… This is bad… better to…”
But ignoring my words, she took a large bite.
“Oh no…”
The dish everyone said was terrible.
She looked as if she couldn’t bear to eat it.
I couldn’t bear to look at her face and sat with my head bowed, muttering.
“It’s… probably not good…”
I feared hearing her response.
But her words were—
“It’s delicious.”
“…huh?”
“It’s the best food I’ve ever had.”
Delicious…?
That couldn’t be right.
Everyone in the kitchen had said it was awful.
Even the highly skilled head chef had criticized the food harshly.
Athena’s words must have been just to comfort me.
“…you don’t have to lie…”
But she looked at me earnestly.
“Hera, I’m not lying. It really is delicious.”
With that, she took another piece and popped it back into her mouth.
“…huh?”
“You should eat too. It was meant for us to share, wasn’t it?”
Athena sliced the chicken into manageable pieces and offered it toward my mouth.
As I hesitantly opened my lips, the spicy seasoning hit my taste buds.
It was the same flavor I had loved back in Korea.
“Is it… really delicious…?”
“Yes. It’s the food I want to eat every day.”
“……”
She kept eating, confirming how good it tasted.
I gazed at Athena for a long while.
‘…Thank goodness.’
I thought to myself, grateful that Athena liked it.
That what I did wasn’t in vain…
Watching her enjoy the food gave rise to emotions I couldn’t name.
I felt the warmth radiating from her embrace.
Thud-thud—
My heart started to race a little faster.
A great sense of gratitude began to swell within me.
I was deeply thankful to her.
So thankful for someone who always came to me to offer comfort despite my shortcomings, and I wanted to do something for her.
Something she would like.
‘Would she like a kiss…?’
While I had always received, now I wanted to be the one to give.
As I slowly gazed into her face, I noticed her lips stained red with the seasoning I made.
I gently set the bowl aside and approached her.
“…Hera?”
She looked at me with a slightly flustered expression, and I closed the distance.
SMACK!
I gave her a light kiss.
It was the first kiss I’d ever given her.
Athena seemed taken aback, blinking in surprise as she stared at me.
SMACK SMACK!
Like a bird tapping its beak together, I repeatedly pressed my lips gently against hers.
As the seasoned flavor transferred to my lips, I licked my lips clean of the seasoning.
Athena stared blankly at my actions, suddenly her eyes lit up with fire as she came rushing toward me.
She grabbed my shoulders tightly enough to hurt.
“OW!”
With a breath like she was holding something back, she looked at me intensely.
“What… what was that…”
Her rapid breaths and burning gaze made her appear as if she was angry about something.
Huh…?
Why is she angry?
Did the kiss upset her…?
“Hera… what do you think you’re doing?”
“Uh… what?”
She growled in a low and calm voice.
As her threatening tone began to spin my mind, I pondered what might’ve upset her.
Slowly retracing my actions, I quickly found the answer.
Oh. Right.
It was such a simple reason.
It was surprising that I hadn’t noticed it.
‘…I’m so selfish.’
I had failed to consider her feelings.
I realized how she could easily be offended by my actions.
I smiled gently at her as I looked into her eyes.
Then I gave her one last kiss on the lips.
“I’m sorry… Athena.”
“Hera… you…”
“…It’s okay to eat.”
“…what?”
“Just don’t hold back… it’s okay to eat.”
At my words, something in her eyes snapped.
She began to breathe heavily, slowly approaching me.
“Hera. Hera. Hera. Hera. Hera. Hera.”
As she came rushing at me like a beast losing her mind, I—
“Here. Open wide~.”
Holding out the chicken dripping with sauce, I offered it to her.
SHRINK!
At my words, her body froze for a moment.
After looking at me with unease, she cautiously spoke.
“…what is this?”
“Chicken. This is what you got mad about when I threw it away.”
Athena really.
If it’s that delicious, she should just tell me.
It seems the power of chicken transcends all!
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