Ch.102Love is an Open Door (4)

*Drip-drip*

While staring blankly at the red liquid being poured into the wine glass, Evan glanced at Irene from the corner of his eye.

It would take quite some time to adjust to this suddenly changed situation…

Drinking alcohol together out of nowhere—he found it difficult to judge whether it was right to be with Irene like this, especially knowing she had low alcohol tolerance.

But to break this moment and leave… Evan sighed inwardly.

How could he refuse such an occasion? Before being her knight, he was a man,

and ultimately, Evan couldn’t ignore the voice of instinct shouting from within his chest.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and though she appeared tipsy, Irene still seemed perfectly fine.

…One glass, no. At least staying by her side until she got drunk would be fine.

“Aren’t you drinking? We should say ‘cheers.'”

Cheers, really?

Seeing Irene using speech patterns she normally wouldn’t, Evan let out a small chuckle.

As long as she didn’t get as drunk as last time, this might be rather nice.

After all, alcohol helps people open up and be honest with each other, so denying this wouldn’t be the right attitude.

After contemplating briefly, Evan finally raised his glass with an awkward smile and clinked it against hers.

“Hehe.”

When Irene smiled pleasantly at the sound of their glasses touching,

Evan felt himself being swept up in some subtle emotion.

Was she drunk like last time, or just slightly tipsy?

However, when he took a sip of wine, the sweet taste in his mouth made Evan inadvertently let out a small laugh.

‘…There’s almost no alcohol content.’

Had she deliberately chosen this wine? The fruit wine they drank last time actually had a high alcohol content,

so perhaps she chose this to avoid getting drunk.

If so, should he assume she was just slightly tipsy now?

After pondering for a moment, Evan finally looked at Irene and carefully opened his mouth.

“How much have you had?”

“Let’s see, about one or two glasses?”

If two glasses were enough to make her tipsy, Evan nodded and finished the rest of his wine.

They wouldn’t have much time together like this.

Judging that they would talk until Irene was satisfied and then return to their rooms,

Evan carefully stood up and took out an apron to put on.

“Evan?”

“We can’t just drink wine, can we? I’ll make some simple appetizers.”

This was a dining room after all, and given the location, there were plenty of ingredients.

Besides, hadn’t Irene made porridge for him before?

He wanted to return the favor at least once, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Evan immediately headed to the kitchen.

Having traveled the world for competitions, he’d had quite a few chances to cook for himself.

Though not as good as a professional chef, he could manage simple dishes, and appetizers were something he’d made countless times before.

After examining the freezer briefly, Evan pulled out some nicely packaged mushrooms.

At this hour, he couldn’t prepare anything elaborate, so one or two simple dishes would be enough.

He looked for salami but, unfortunately finding none, pulled out a paper-wrapped chunk of meat instead.

Irene quietly gasped as she watched Evan prepare the food.

The apron tied over his form-fitting shirt.

His visible collarbone left Irene unsure where to look.

His body was already toned, but perhaps due to her tipsiness, in her hazy vision, Evan seemed to sparkle like a star.

But unable to show this, Irene quietly followed behind Evan and casually spoke.

“You know how to cook too?”

“I know how to do various things. Not as well as a chef, though.”

Irene found herself seeing Evan in a new light.

Aside from his looks, he excelled in so many areas.

His piano playing was praised as better than famous performers in the empire,

he was one of only two Masters in the empire, and now he could cook well too…

What was she good at in comparison? Though momentarily dejected,

Irene soon collected herself and looked at Evan again.

If she let someone like him slip away, she would probably regret it for the rest of her life.

If there was a way to capture Evan’s heart while he still had feelings for her…

‘There’s really only one way.’

Recalling what she had read in a book, Irene took a deep breath and quietly pressed herself against Evan’s back.

She caught her breath at the feel of his muscles through his shirt,

then quietly embraced his waist and peeked her head around to the side.

“What are you making?”

“Tapas. Since I can only make simple dishes right now, I should at least make something like this.”

Evan muttered as he skillfully peeled the stems from the mushrooms.

He actually knew how to make many other things,

but if they were having red wine, meat dishes would be best.

Chop, chop, chop—after mincing parsley and placing it with the chopped garlic, Evan looked at the mushrooms he’d placed in the pan.

As water began to pool and the mushrooms started to brown, he sprinkled a little salt on them,

then placed the flank steak he’d just taken out onto the cutting board and covered it with olive oil.

Without gloves, he used a brush to apply olive oil to the meat, seasoned it with salt and pepper,

and placed it on the pan after removing the mushrooms.

This would be thinly sliced and served with cheese. He wondered if there was cheese available,

but fortunately, Evan found Brie cheese in the freezer and let out a sigh of relief.

What would wine be without cheese? Though this might not truly qualify as Brie cheese,

it had characteristics remarkably similar to modern Brie, so he could use it as is.

The white mold covering the cheese without any gaps suggested it was quite high quality.

After cutting the cheese into rounds and setting it aside, he checked on the meat, which was gradually turning brown, and continued cooking slowly.

He flipped it once every minute, then every 30 seconds. He wished he could check the internal temperature,

but realizing there was no such device, Evan inwardly sighed.

Still, having done this many times, his intuition was quite accurate.

The flank steak, now covered in melted butter, was slowly browning through the Maillard reaction.

When he removed the meat from the pan and inserted a knife,

he couldn’t help but smile at the tender, moist interior.

Crispy on the outside, with the meat’s unique juices completely preserved inside, showing a bright red color—anyone could tell it was perfectly cooked.

After placing whole peppercorns and bay leaves on top, Evan added the cheese,

and Irene watched with sparkling eyes.

The rich aroma of cheese melting from the heat of the meat filled the air.

The unique scent of cheese, pepper, and bay leaves eliminated any gamey smell, leaving only richness and umami.

Perhaps the true charm of such dishes was that you could taste them even without eating.

Seeing Irene’s sparkling eyes, Evan shrugged and smiled.

This was hardly enough to be impressed by—he had so much more to show.

As the awkward atmosphere seemed to ease compared to when they first sat at the table,

Evan took hold of Irene’s hands embracing his waist and spoke.

“My, you shouldn’t touch it yet. Shouldn’t you have it with the wine?”

“…How can you be good at this too?”

“It’s cooking I’ll only do for you, so what does it matter?”

Startled by those words, Irene eventually smiled quietly and hugged Evan’s waist even tighter.

They always faced each other when embracing, but occasionally hugging from behind like this wasn’t bad either.

Was it the tipsiness? The grape scent of the wine mixed with Evan’s body scent made Irene’s cheeks flush even redder.

Alcohol, night, stars and moon in the sky—all these awakened a strange emotion as their hearts connected.

Trying to suppress that emotion, Irene secretly let out a heated breath behind Evan’s back.

Not yet, not yet. She could wait a little longer.

With his back to Irene, Evan turned his attention back to the mushrooms.

The minced garlic and parsley, mixed with some of the chopped meat and stir-fried, quickly filled the dining room with aroma.

Bell peppers would be nice too, but… there weren’t any.

After filling the mushroom caps and inserting wooden skewers, the tapas quickly took shape.

Looking at the completed dish, Evan gently removed Irene’s hands and spoke in a soft voice.

“Please sit down. I’ll bring it over.”

“Shall I?”

“It’s something I’ve wanted to try. Isn’t it romantic?”

As Irene sat down and filled the glasses with wine,

Evan smiled and walked toward the table carrying a tray with both hands.

It felt just like being a chef. Setting down the tray containing the mushroom tapas,

Evan imitated a solemn voice and spoke.

“Your order of Champiñones Rellenos de Jamón Ibérico is served.”

“Hehe, Evan likes such childish pranks.”

“Child…ish? Hmm, I thought it was rather good.”

“I’m joking. It was cool.”

Pfft—Irene burst into laughter, covering her mouth with both hands, and Evan joined in as he sat down.

Being together like this seemed to liven up the atmosphere. The slightly sweet yet bitter taste of wine filled his mouth.

The phrase about getting drunk not on alcohol but on the surrounding atmosphere came to mind.

Watching Irene rest her chin on her hand while holding her wine glass,

Evan suppressed his laughter and picked up a piece of flank steak with his fork.

Who would have thought he’d witness a scene straight out of a novel?

Was the wine she enjoyed in novels also this low in alcohol content?

Perhaps it was more like grape juice than wine, with such low alcohol content.

Wondering whether to be impressed that she felt tipsy from such a drink,

Evan carefully put a piece of meat in his mouth.

‘Delicious.’

Though he made it himself, it was still praiseworthy. The texture he felt while cutting it wasn’t deceiving.

The meat retained its texture while melting tenderly in the mouth.

He felt proud that it was this good even without being aged with fruits like pineapple or pear.

The rich and unique flavor of the cheese,

combined with the salt and pepper, elevated the meat’s umami to a higher level.

The soft Brie cheese that melted simultaneously was the highlight of this flavor.

Whether it was aged using cow’s milk and fruit like Brie cheese or not,

the fragrant aroma filled his mouth, completely erasing the heaviness left after eating meat.

With the tapas added, the water pooled in the mushrooms mixed with the flavors of mushroom, parsley,

garlic, and minced meat, perfectly washing away the bitter taste of the wine.

Red wine has a slightly stronger astringent taste compared to white wine.

As the red liquid, its astringency removed by the appetizers, went down his throat,

the lingering grape aftertaste left a somewhat intense impression.

And in his field of vision, through the parted curtains, the starry night sky spread out.

Evan quietly admired that sky before finally looking at Irene and slowly speaking.

“I was surprised by the sudden drinking. I thought you wouldn’t drink after getting drunk last time. Especially at this early hour.”

“…I had things to think about.”

Irene moistened her lips with the wine and sighed.

In truth, she hadn’t expected Evan to find her like this.

She thought she needed more time to think,

but she found herself growing impatient each time she discovered a side of Evan she hadn’t known before.

The Evan she didn’t know—even now, she couldn’t claim to know everything about him.

She hadn’t known he could cook this well,

nor did she know what he did before becoming her knight.

Even the mention of this woman named Scarlet Terazein—

she didn’t know how that name had come up.

Haah, sighing, Irene rubbed her cheek as the tipsiness gradually rose up her throat.

If she got more drunk… she might lose her senses. Should she just let go?

Like when they kissed last time, should she just lose her senses and leave everything to him?

But she didn’t want that. Unlike last time, she wanted to face everything with a clear mind, not while senseless.

Just like she had read in that book, everything.

“…Evan.”

Irene, who had been looking down at the table, spoke.

Seeing her slightly reddened ears, Evan slowly rose from his seat and naturally approached Irene.

Perhaps she was drunk now. Supporting Irene’s slumped shoulders,

Evan helped her up and spoke while checking her condition.

“I’ll escort you to your room.”

Irene didn’t answer. She was hazy but still conscious.

Even as she walked down the corridor entrusting her body to Evan, Irene was only aware of Evan beside her.

Her heart was racing. Strangely enough, more than when she first realized her feelings.

Right now, her heart was pounding as if it might burst.

…She was probably not as pure a woman as Evan thought.

Evan didn’t notice Irene’s inner self-mockery.

He simply thought she lacked energy from being drunk, and after passing through the empty corridor, they finally entered Irene’s room.

Creeak—the door opened, and Evan carefully held Irene’s waist to lay her on the bed.

And in that moment, a strange light flashed in Irene’s eyes.

It was very easy to knock down a completely off-guard knight.

Being an Expert knight herself, Irene tripped Evan and laid him on the bed, then grabbed his wrists.

Evan could only stare blankly at Irene who was suddenly sitting on top of him.

Rather than wondering why, he read the desire in those blue eyes glittering in the darkness.

“…Irene.”

“I don’t know you, Evan. I don’t know if you like this kind of thing… this is just something I read in books.”

Holding both of Evan’s wrists to prevent him from getting up, Irene leaned over Evan’s body.

The scent of grapes wafted around. Mixed with the scent of roses, and even Evan’s cologne that she had been wearing lately.

The moonlight breaking through the darkness created a sensual atmosphere.

Irene’s white skin looked pale in the blue light.

But her lips shone brighter than ever,

making Evan swallow hard as he looked at Irene. Her slightly lowered gown revealed her shoulders.

Irene briefly followed Evan’s gaze to her shoulder, then smiled and turned her gaze back.

Seemingly with no intention of covering her shoulders,

Irene traced Evan’s chest with her finger and spoke.

“…Evan can’t claim to know everything about me either. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s… correct.”

Evan simply couldn’t gather his thoughts in this situation.

This strange atmosphere, and Irene’s completely different behavior—he didn’t know what to make of it.

What meaning should he attach to what was happening now?

It was somewhat sudden, and somewhat… he even felt elation in this situation.

Evan turned his head to the side, slightly avoiding Irene’s gaze.

Irene inwardly smiled as she saw Evan’s wavering eyes. What would he think of her like this?

But even so, Irene didn’t stop.

Not suppressing the burning inside her, she leaned her face toward Evan and spoke.

“Perhaps I’m not as good a person as you think. You’ve always been considerate of me. Keeping boundaries… always stopping if you thought I wouldn’t like something. I knew all of that.

Her breath tickled his nose, then his ear.

In that suffocating silence, Irene quietly whispered one sentence.

When she bit Evan’s defenseless ear, he flinched at the tickling sensation.

The flowing saliva entering his ear seemed to tickle his entire body.

Heated breath, that warmth that made his body tremble at the slightest touch.

Irene’s voice penetrated Evan’s ear.

“…Shall we cross the line?”

Her blue eyes, shining like the pale moon, were blazing like fire.

No, perhaps even hotter than fire. That burning silence choking his throat,

their breaths increasingly covering each other’s bodies.

Evan quietly met Irene’s gaze.

With a slightly different look than before.