Ch.334Chapter 334 – An Outing After a Long Time

The first day of a new year always seems to have an effect that makes people dream of a fresh start toward a new future.

“Come on! Buy one ring to celebrate the New Year and get another one free! Take this chance to confess to someone you like!”

“A good New Year needs good alcohol! We’re taking reservations for the ‘Last Bottle’ to send off the year!”

“Try this! It’s perfect for gut health!”

“Just for today, to welcome the New Year, we’ll serve you at an incredible price!”

The commercial district of Aurelius was bustling with merchants shouting their sales pitches and citizens wandering the streets, leaving no room to step.

“There are so many people because of the New Year…”

Being the imperial capital, it would naturally be crowded on normal days, but it was definitely more packed today because of the holiday.

Well, we were still able to move around relatively comfortably because many citizens recognized me and Karen.

“Wow, I never thought I’d see Duke Aurelion in person.”

“That must be the Duchess beside him, but who are those people following them?”

Perhaps because of my marriage to Karen being public knowledge, many people were curious about the women following us.

But I didn’t have time to explain to each person—that would take away from the time I could spend with them.

People made way for me, Karen, and the other women to pass through the streets easily.

Thanks to this, we were able to comfortably explore and enjoy the commercial district of Aurelius.

“What brings Your Grace Duke Aurelion and the Duchess to the city?”

Just then, the captain of the Aurelius guard spotted us and hurried over.

It wasn’t really necessary, but since Karen and I held the position of Duke, second only to the Emperor and the Chancellor, the guard captain naturally felt concerned.

So I naturally received his greeting.

“I’m out for a stroll with my ladies to celebrate the New Year. I see the guard is working hard, as there are no issues despite the crowds. I’ll mention your diligence when I meet His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Thank you for acknowledging our efforts, Your Grace. I hope you and the Duchesses enjoy your time. Please don’t worry about maintaining order in the city. The guard will apprehend all suspicious individuals.”

The guard captain seemed pleased with my words as he saluted and withdrew.

Well, most words spoken on such occasions are mere lip service, but I genuinely intend to mention this to my father-in-law.

If I subtly mention that the guard is working hard to strengthen security in the capital, he’ll understand.

The reason I’m so concerned about the guard is that when you’re with beautiful women, troublemakers tend to lurk around.

But thanks to the guard captain’s efforts, we didn’t encounter a single troublemaker while touring the streets with the ladies.

This must be because the guard had rounded up all suspicious individuals.

As a result, I was able to enjoy quite a pleasant time with them.

“This café has spacious seating and is quite nice. I should visit often after retirement.”

“Indeed. Since we’ll all be living in the capital after marrying him anyway, shall we hold regular meetings of the Aurelion family mistresses here?”

“I like it. The atmosphere is cozy, and I enjoy the tea and desserts.”

“This one also finds this place to her liking.”

Meanwhile, my wife and future wives seem to be deciding on this café as their regular meeting place.

Well, I should be grateful they all get along without fighting.

Having multiple wives who get along well without fighting is already the greatest fortune one could ask for.

‘Though they probably wouldn’t have any reason to fight anyway.’

In novels, I’ve read about protagonists with relatively inferior physical specs getting squeezed dry by women stronger than them. Surely that won’t happen to me, right?

Of course, I’ve trained in the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique for this purpose, and my body now overflows with energy that could handle several ordinary people.

However, while Elena, Mina, Emelda, and Aisen might be considered relatively normal, unfortunately, among those I’ll need to work hard to please at night are people like Sister Regina, Cheon Hyeryeong, Karen, and Eterna, who possess physical abilities far superior to ordinary people.

At this rate, will I really end up withered like those alien memes I saw on the internet?

‘From today, I should eat foods good for stamina and exercise diligently.’

To be a beloved husband, I need to perform well not just during the day but also at night.

Is this why married men fear mandatory defense? I think I understand their feelings at least 1% now.

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After finishing our street outing, we returned to the academy and had a simple dinner.

By the way, I was the one preparing tonight’s dinner.

Since we had just returned from an outing, everyone agreed to have a simple dinner, so I decided to prepare the meal myself.

“A meal cooked by my husband? I’m looking forward to it!”

“Since Master Patos is so skilled with his hands, I’m sure whatever he cooks will be delicious!”

Everyone was excited about me cooking, but honestly, what I planned to make wasn’t that complicated.

‘It’s amazing that this world also has rice, peppers, soy sauce, soybean paste, and red pepper paste.’

Surprisingly, these ingredients were available from the Eastern Continent, and Cheon Hyeryeong had personally gone to great lengths to bring them.

‘I wonder if the Eastern Continent has fermented soybean foods?’

‘You mean soy sauce and soybean paste? There’s also doubanjiang and chunjang. Oh, and red pepper paste has become popular lately.’

‘Can you get them for me?’

‘Of course.’

As for rice, Cheon Hyeryeong had said, “People of the Eastern Continent live by the strength of rice!” and had stocked the mansion’s storage generously.

Needless to say, my cooking today was simple.

A simple geotjeori (fresh kimchi) made with red pepper powder, soy sauce, and soybean paste, served with rice and samgyeopsal (pork belly).

The samgyeopsal was a hefty 5kg piece, but once sliced and grilled, the fat would render out, reducing the weight.

That meant we’d end up with about 2-3kg of grilled meat.

“Is samgyeopsal with geotjeori and rice okay?”

“Anything you make is delicious, so it’s fine.”

“No one here would refuse a meal made by you, my lord. Besides, shouldn’t we prepare the meat now?”

At the mention of samgyeopsal, Cheon Hyeryeong rose from her seat, grabbed a kitchen knife, and created a sword aura.

“I’d appreciate it if you could just prepare it. Raw meat is tough to cut.”

“Hahaha. Leave the meat preparation to me. How thick should I slice it?”

“About this much.”

I showed Cheon Hyeryeong how thick the meat should be sliced.

“I understand. About the thickness of one finger.”

Cheon Hyeryeong easily sliced through the raw meat with her aura-infused kitchen knife.

I sprinkled pepper and salt on the meat, naturally seasoning it while simultaneously removing moisture.

I’ve tried tenderizing meat before, but samgyeopsal doesn’t get that crispy Maillard reaction from it.

So despite the hassle, this had to be done piece by piece.

While the moisture-removed meat was grilling on a large pan, I brought various seasonings and homegrown lettuce and cabbage to add my personal touch.

Without cooking gloves, I had to use my bare hands, but no one seemed to mind that aspect.

Anyway, I quickly whipped up geotjeori with soy sauce, soybean paste, and red pepper powder, and diligently grilled the 5kg pile of samgyeopsal.

Rice? That’s simple—just wash the rice, put it in a magical cooking device with water, and press a button.

There’s something oddly Korean about this, which might be why I’ve started eating rice instead of bread recently.

Perhaps Korean blood still flows in my soul?

“Here we go—geotjeori, samgyeopsal, and rice. Let’s eat simply since everyone’s tired from our outing.”

“Well then…”

“Let’s eat!”

With everyone’s signal to begin, our modest dinner started.

I was worried that 3kg of samgyeopsal might not be enough for nine people, but fortunately, everyone was satisfied with this amount since we had eaten various things in the streets earlier.

“Whew, your cooking skills are truly amazing, my lord. I will definitely catch up to you someday.”

“It’s just grilled pork belly, but it’s incredibly delicious.”

“How fascinating. Just adding a few seasonings turns vegetables into such a delicious dish.”

“This rice is interesting. It has a nice texture and is filling. It might work well in the student cafeteria instead of bread.”

“Hohoho, Master Patos’s cooking skills are indeed remarkable.”

“Hmm, my lord’s cooking skills are impressive. I would like you to make this occasionally even after we’re married.”

“Tell me if it’s difficult? I can make magical cooking tools to help you anytime.”

“Could you make this for Father and Mother later? The palace chefs don’t make dishes like this.”

This scene of eating dinner and chatting together—perhaps this is the peaceful daily life I’ve been longing for?

But at that time, I didn’t know.

I had no idea what impact the geotjeori and samgyeopsal I made for them would have on the Empire.