(This chapter will questionably have more 18+ rated content, read with caution)
I sat there for a while staring at the mana core book. So far my research had found nothing, not even a clue about how I could fix it.
I closed the book. I had sat in the library for 4 hours straight.
I stood up. I got extremely dizzy, but it passed quickly.
"Do you want us to make you something to eat, Master?" Irene said. I still didn't trust her.
"I'll make myself something, you can assist me though." I set the book down in the chair.
I pushed the door open and walked down the halls. Irene's footsteps echoed behind me.
"Do you have any experience cooking, Master Levi?" It sounded like a genuine question.
"No need to keep this fake shenanigans up. Act how you want around me and drop the master stuff." I turned left and opened the kitchen door.
"So what are we cooking, Levi?" Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she said that.
"Well, I'm pretty basic, so just some steak tacos and a side of fries." I opened the fridge and grabbed some thin-sliced steak.
"No, no, don't use that. It's pre-sliced. We would want a chunk, and then we'll want to start the boil on the potatoes so we can properly fry them." She opened the other side of the fridge and pulled out a massive steak roast.
"Were you going to be a chef if not an assassin?" A slight smile crept onto my face.
"Yes." She said it with a completely straight face.
She burst out laughing. "Ha haha, no. It's just something I picked up since Thalia likes cooking." She moved around the kitchen looking for a cutting board.
"Above the stove." It was weird seeing her so dedicated to something.
She grabbed the cutting board and a cleaver and began to slice the meat into 1-inch strips.
I found one of our tall pots and put some water on to boil.
I grabbed our bag of potatoes and began cleaning them.
"So Levi, what were you up to after leaving the kingdom? Also, do you want me to cut them into cubes?" She set the cleaver down.
"Just leave them in strips." I rummaged through the cabinets and found what I was looking for.
"Didn't take you as a mead type of guy." She said it in her teasing tone.
"Well, looks can be deceiving." I grabbed a random coffee mug and poured myself a glass. The color was almost like amber.
"Not going to offer the lady any?" She grabbed a mug from behind me and set it down.
I poured her some. The amber color filled the glass quickly.
Well, let's get to frying some meat.
We threw the meat into the pan, and she lightly seasoned it.
The sizzling of the meat, the smell… this almost felt like a date.
"Remember when you tried to kill me?" Quite random, but the sizzling reminded me of Heaven's Gate and how it heals me.
"Yes, yes I do. I also remember you covering for me." Her blonde hair shined ever so slightly in the light of the kitchen.
"Well, I had some other reasons." I pulled up a bar stool to the counter.
"Like what?" Her eyebrows were creased. She was leaning against the counter.
"Well, the king was corrupt, you not murdering me again." I took a sip of the mead.
"Fair, I guess." She poured the potatoes into the boiling water.
We sat there, in silence.
"Truth or dare." Time to mix it up.
"Truth." Of course, she went with the boring answer.
"Is it true… well shit, I didn't plan for that answer… ummm, is it true that you've killed before the king?" I couldn't come up with anything better.
"True. Before the king, I had killed 23 others." She tapped the table. "Your turn. Truth or dare."
"To be more interesting, I'll choose dare."
A devious grin formed on her face. "I dare you to finish the bottle of mead without stopping."
I opened the bottle again. "Well, you truly are trying to kill me." I started to drink. I started slow.
Irene pushed the bottle upward. "Faster, slowpoke."
She took the meat and placed it into an oven. I was still drinking.
"Damn, you're slow." She grabbed the bottle from my hands. It spilled across the floor.
She started to chug it.
"That was my dare." The system would increase my tolerance to an extreme point.
She set the bottle down. It was empty. "Another dare, since yooou didn't finish yours."
Damn, alcohol moved through her system quick.
"Your next dare… Kiss me." Her face was completely red.
I was technically double her age. "W-Wait, think about w-what you're asking m-me."
"Or doooo you chicken out?" She leaned towards me.
"Sigh." I leaned in. "This will be our secret." I closed my eyes and kissed her.
My face felt warm.
"I think that's it for the night. No more drinking for you." I stood up and grabbed the potatoes from the pot. They were mush.
Well, mashed potatoes it was.
"You… actually kissed me…" She was mumbling some stuff behind me.
I opened the alcohol cabinet and pulled out an elixir. I felt something press against my back.
"What are you doing?" I turned around. "Irene, we aren't doing this." I pushed her away.
I grabbed a new cup and poured the elixir into the cup. "Drink this." It should sober her up quick.
"Buttt you said no more drinks." She stumbled a little. I grabbed her and steadied her.
"Drink it." Her hands fumbled around the cup. She picked it up and dropped it.
The grey liquid spread around the floor. There wouldn't be nearly enough now for her to completely sober up.
I poured the rest into a cup. "I'll help you, since you clearly can't hold the cup."
I pressed my free hand against her forehead and tilted her head back, and then I poured the elixir down her throat.
She tried to struggle against my hand, but in her drunken state she just couldn't.
It would take about 15 minutes for the elixir to take effect. "Sit there for a minute while I make my tacos."
I slowly assembled my tacos. Once I finished making my tacos—
"Alright Irene, let's go." In my left hand I held a plate of tacos.
"I don' wanna go." She was pouting.
I grabbed her by her arm. "Come on."
She stood up and followed.
I made my way to my room, Irene still following.
I opened my door and set my plate on my desk.
"You're fine to stay here for the night. I doubt you can make it back to the maids' quarters." I moved her to the bed and pushed her onto it. "Sleep."
I walked back to my desk, sat down, and ate my tacos.
I finished eating the tacos. I set my head down on the desk.
"Wanna have some fun?" She was leaning against me, whispering into my ear.
The Next Day
The sun shined through the window. The air felt cold against my skin. I got up. There was a note on the table next to my bed.
"Let's do that again sometime." She had cut the paper to be a heart.