Chapter 13: Husband Instinct

Chapter 13. Husband Instinct

Before I could dwell on that particular emotional disaster any longer, the dining-room doors opened.

I looked over.

Lily entered first.

Ariel walked beside her.

Behind them came six servants carrying covered silver trays, pitchers, baskets, and enough plates to suggest Lily had interpreted my request for meat as a declaration of war against livestock.

Good woman.

My attention should’ve gone toward the food.

It almost did.

Then Lily stopped.

Her eyes landed on Seris.

Specifically, Seris’s face.

The phoenix princess had managed to sit down and recover approximately seventy percent of her composure.

Unfortunately, the remaining thirty percent was still bright red.

Lily blinked. "Seris, what happened to you?"

Seris stiffened. "Nothing."

Lily’s eyebrow rose.

Seris immediately pulled out her chair and sat. "It’s been too warm lately."

I said nothing.

A gentleman knew when to protect a woman’s dignity.

Especially when he was directly responsible for destroying it five minutes earlier.

But my amusement disappeared when my gaze shifted toward Ariel.

She looked better.

That was the first thing I checked.

Her hair had been brushed and tied loosely behind her. She’d changed out of the thin ritual clothing into an elegant pale-blue dress with pearl embroidery around the neckline and sleeves. Human legs instead of her mermaid tail tonight. No visible injuries. Her complexion had recovered some color.

Still...

Her eyes looked tired.

Slight swelling beneath them.

She’d been crying.

I watched her take her seat.

Ariel noticed.

Our eyes met.

She gave me a small smile.

Not forced exactly.

But careful.

My jaw tightened.

I still felt bad about what happened.

Guilty too, despite knowing logically that none of it had been my fault.

I hadn’t prepared the ritual or asked Ariel to sacrifice herself.

Hell, I’d been in this world for approximately a minute when I found her lying inside that circle.

Logic could go f*ck itself sometimes.

I’d talk to her later.

Privately.

And examine her properly.

I wanted to know exactly what that ritual had done before I interrupted it.

Researcher instinct.

Husband instinct too, apparently.

That one was new.

Lily clapped her hands once. "Tonight’s dinner is Rey’s request."

A few servants visibly tensed when she said my name.

I noticed.

Lily continued cheerfully, "I cooked plenty, so eat as much as you want."

My eyes shifted toward the servants as they approached.

Fear.

Most of them carried it differently.

One wouldn’t meet my eyes.

Another held the serving tray so rigidly that his knuckles had turned white.

A maid placing cutlery near me had a faint tremor in her fingers.

Rey’s recent behavior had done this.

Not surprising.

The curse had turned every bad day into a lottery where nobody knew whether they’d get cold silence, anger, or something worse.

But then there was one.

A woman standing near the rear of the serving line.

Dark brown hair.

Plain servant uniform.

Calm hands.

She wasn’t frightened.

She was watching me.

Not openly enough to be disrespectful.

Just enough.

Observing.

Her gaze moved from my face to my hands, then briefly toward Ariel and Lily.

Interesting.

I didn’t react.

I simply stored her face in my memory.

’Later.’

One servant stopped beside me and lowered a covered plate.

The silver lid came off.

Warm fragrance hit me immediately.

Herbs.

Butter.

Roasted meat.

Something earthy and slightly sweet underneath.

My stomach practically stood up and applauded.

It smelled incredible.

Then I looked at the portion.

...

That was it?

Three slices of meat.

Vegetables.

A little sauce.

I stared at the plate.

The servant visibly paled.

I immediately understood why.

Rey had ordered tiny meals for the last several days.

Specific herbs.

Small portions.

This wasn’t Lily being stingy.

This was everyone following the dietary instructions their terrifying master had personally given them before nearly starving himself into another dimension.

Fine.

I’d ask for more.

Everyone took their seats.

Lily to one side.

Ariel nearby.

Seris across from me.

I looked around.

Two chairs remained empty.

I lifted my fork. "Where are the others?"

Lily stopped reaching for her glass.

Seris glanced toward Ariel.

Ariel’s fingers tightened slightly in her lap.

They hesitated because they expected me to be angry.

"Speak." My voice came out naturally cold.

Ariel answered. "Nia and Liora went to the Arcane Academy."

That name sparked a strange flood of memory.

Stone towers.

Floating training platforms.

Endless libraries.

Research halls filled with artifacts and magical formations.

The Arcane Academy.

Well...

That was ironic.

The academy had existed even in my era.

Different buildings. Different professors. Thousands of years of expansion and reconstruction.

But it was the same institution.

The academy had two major branches.

The Magus Branch, dedicated to combat magic, spellcasting, mana control, and producing some of the strongest magi in history.

And the Research Branch, dedicated to magical theory, artifacts, ancient arcana, potions, mana engineering, and everything else that made normal people wonder why researchers were allowed near explosive objects.

Rey and I had both graduated from there.

Just thousands of years apart.

Rey Valen graduated from the Magus Branch as the greatest magus of his generation.

I graduated from the Research Branch as the youngest recognized magic researcher in the academy’s history.

I almost laughed.

Different eras.

Different branches.

Different lives.

Same damn academy.

Apparently fate had a sense of humor.

Ariel continued carefully. "They thought... there must be something there that could help cure you."

So two more wives had gone hunting for a cure.

I nodded once. "I see."

Three women at the table visibly relaxed.

I looked down at my plate. "Let’s eat."

I trusted the food. Lily supervised the household’s food preparation herself.

Partly because she was exceptionally skilled with herbs.

Partly because poisoning Rey Valen was not exactly an unimaginable political strategy.

He had enemies.

Many.

Some earned.

Some inherited from war.

Some probably created because his natural expression looked like he was mentally evaluating where to bury you.

I cut into the meat.

The knife passed through effortlessly.

I took the first bite.

Then stopped.

That was good.

The meat almost fell apart against my tongue. Rich juices mixed with butter and herbs, followed by a faint smoky flavor. Lily had used something similar to rosemary, but sweeter, with another herb I didn’t recognize.

I chewed.

Swallowed.

Then took another bite.

And another.

It had been a long time since I’d eaten food like this.

In my old life, I had two eating modes.

Research obsession mode: whatever was simple, nearby, and could be consumed while reading.

Mostly sandwiches, instant noodles, rice bowls, protein bars, coffee, and more coffee.

Then there was recovery mode.

When I remembered that the human body unfortunately required nutrients to continue doing research.

Those meals were healthy.

Balanced.

High protein.

Vegetables.

Controlled calories.

And usually tasted like someone had seasoned them with responsibility and regret.

This? This was unfair.

Nutritious food wasn’t supposed to taste this good.

I looked down.

My plate was empty.

I blinked.

That had been less than a half minute.

I placed my fork down. "More."

The servant nearest me froze. "My lord?"

I looked at him.

He immediately looked like he regretted possessing ears.

"More."

He glanced toward Lily.

Hesitated.

Apparently the possibility that I’d changed my dietary orders was more terrifying than the possibility of refusing me.

Lily smiled. "I’ll do it."

She took my plate herself.

Several thick slices this time.

Vegetables.

More sauce.

She placed it in front of me.

I ate without any comment.

My body needed protein, mana recovery, salts, carbohydrates, probably several vitamins, and possibly an apology.

Second plate.

Gone.

I placed the fork down. "More."

Now Ariel was staring.

Seris too.

The servants exchanged glances.

Lily said nothing.

She filled the plate again.

This time she doubled the portion.

Excellent.

I ate.

The room became strangely quiet.

Not completely.

Cutlery still moved.

Glasses touched wood.

But I could feel the attention.

Third plate.

Gone.

I leaned back slightly. "More."

One servant’s eyes widened.

Another looked at Lily as though asking whether this was medically legal.

Lily’s smile was getting bigger.

Fourth plate.

Meat.

Vegetables.

Bread this time.

I ate everything.

By the time I finally put my fork down, warmth had returned properly to my body.

My hands weren’t trembling.

My legs no longer felt hollow.

Even my mana circulation felt smoother.

Food.

Truly groundbreaking technology.

I reached for my water.

Then noticed nobody else was pretending anymore.

All three wives were staring at me.

I raised one eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

Lily smiled. "Nothing." Her eyes suddenly shimmered. She looked down quickly, but not before I saw the tears gathering. "I’m just glad your appetite came back."

My hand stopped around the glass.

To me, this was dinner.

To them...

This was evidence.

Rey eating.

Rey was not screaming from pain.

Not throwing plates.

Not disappearing into his study for days.

Seris leaned back in her chair, studying me with an expression halfway between suspicion and relief. "You’re so much like yourself today."

There it was again.

’Yourself.’

I took a drink.

Ariel had remained quiet.

When I lowered the glass, I found her watching me.

Her expression was softer than the others.

More fragile.

"You’re in a good mood today."

I looked back at her. "I suppose I am."

Ariel smiled.

Small.

Painfully relieved.

And for some reason, that bothered me more than tears would’ve.

Because nobody should look that grateful simply because her husband was having one good day.

I rested my arm against the chair. My expression remained cool. My voice did too. "Get used to it."

Ariel blinked.

Lily looked up.

Seris’s lips slowly curved.

I picked up my fork again and glanced toward the serving dishes. "Also."

The servants stiffened.

I pointed at the meat. "More."