Evil Dragon Chapter 50: Making Desserts

Chapter 50: Making Desserts

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Aika

 

Lin Nuo felt a wave of panic wash over him. He had been troubled by the thought that “due to his own temptation, Rennes, out of his knightly duty, had done various things,” and now, with this ‘scientific theory,’ he felt even worse about himself. But the real issue was, what should he do? How could he make amends to Rennes? How could he return all the energy he had absorbed from him? Lin Nuo was torn between anxiety and distress, which surprisingly made his complexion appear rather charming.

Rennes noticed Lin Nuo’s varied expressions and closed the book, asking, “What’s wrong with you?”

Naturally, Lin Nuo couldn’t say, “I’m afraid I’ve absorbed your energy,” so he vigorously shook his head. As he did so, he felt even more ashamed. Thinking about how much trouble he might have caused Rennes lately, he even felt his eyes reddening.

Rennes was genuinely surprised this time. “Your Highness?”

Lin Nuo sniffled and said, “Nothing… I’m just having trouble with a problem, feeling stupid and anxious about it.”

Rennes furrowed his brows slightly. “What problem?”

Lin Nuo wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Math.”

Rennes placed the book aside, tapping the cover lightly. “I saw you were working on history just now.”

Lin Nuo sniffled again, “Yeah, because I couldn’t solve the math, so I switched to history.”

Rennes rubbed his temple, stood up, and asked, “Which problem?”

Lin Nuo rushed to the desk, picked a seemingly difficult problem, and pulled a chair for himself to stand beside it. Instead of sitting down, Rennes leaned over Lin Nuo, quickly glanced at the problem, and swiftly wrote down the answer.

Finishing, Rennes put the pen back, turned to Lin Nuo, and asked from a higher vantage point, “Just this?”

While internally cursing himself for choosing a too-easy problem, Lin Nuo earnestly stared at Rennes, affirming that it was indeed that problem. Rennes looked at him for a few seconds, and then reached out, grasping Lin Nuo’s chin, observing the still-flushed eyes of the little prince. Once again, he asked, “What exactly worries you, Your Highness?”

Lin Nuo, held in place by Rennes’s cool and firm grip, avoided direct eye contact. He stammered, “Teacher… I’m concerned… I saw your pet… I heard that… I’m worried… that when the pet is in heat, if it rubs around its owner, it may cause… negative effects…”

“Negative effects?” Rennes released Lin Nuo’s chin, but instead of letting him stand, he half-sat on the desk, crossing his arms, and looked at Lin Nuo thoughtfully.

“You mean, you’re worried the little creature will scratch or rub around aimlessly? Or… go into heat uncontrollably?” Rennes inquired.

“No, no, no,” Lin Nuo vehemently shook his head, thinking, ‘I’m so well-behaved; how could I scratch or rub around aimlessly? Going into heat is definitely out of the question.’ “Teacher, you see, in that book, the ‘Flame Beast’ gradually enters a roaring phase. But where does the energy to support it come from? I heard that some animals, like praying mantises, or octopuses… um, they obtain energy by harming their own kind,” Lin Nuo tried his best to express himself in a ‘scientific’ way, replacing terms like ‘mate’ with ‘own kind.’ “I was just thinking, could this Flame Beast… unconsciously harm you, causing it to enter the roaring phase?”

Rennes crossed his arms, looking down at Lin Nuo, silent for the first time due to shock. After a while, he recovered and straightforwardly asked, “You’re worried the Flame Beast considers me a mate, and in the process, it absorbed my… uh, energy?”

After Lin Nuo’s meandering and veiled speech, Rennes hit the nail on the head. Lin Nuo could only respond with a disheartened “Yes.”

Rennes held one hand to his chest while the other elbow rested on his arm, massaging his forehead. He sighed, “So, the Flame Beast… mating with me… Your Highness, I didn’t know you had such bold tastes.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Nuo’s face reddened instantly. He jumped up from the chair, attempting to explain, “No, no! That’s not it! I don’t have such strange thoughts! But, if the Flame Beast were to hug you and rub around…” Lin Nuo’s voice became lower and lower despite his jumping up.

Rennes promptly interrupted, “No. It hasn’t hugged or rubbed against me, nor has it done anything strange.” Rennes questioned, “But, why would you think my energy was being absorbed?” 

“Teacher, I saw that your complexion wasn’t great, dark circles around your eyes, and your cheeks would flush…” Lin Nuo’s tone became unsure, and he couldn’t bring himself to look at Rennes. Thus, he didn’t notice that while he was saying this, Rennes’s face reddened a bit more. “And you weren’t eating, only drinking cold water… and your voice sounded hoarse. You’ve never been like this before, even when you endured pain in the underground lake, you never… never acted like this. So, I was worried that you were sick. And then, thinking it over, I thought maybe the cause of your illness might be… your pet nearby?”

Lin Nuo finally stumbled through his explanation.

Rennes continued to massage his forehead, taking a while to recover. He sighed, “I am not sick. As for not eating—our chef changed recently, and it’s been hot weather. I just haven’t had much of an appetite.”

Lin Nuo looked at Rennes, half-believing, “Really?”

Rennes didn’t respond further; instead, he pinched Lin Nuo’s cheek and walked back to the couch, reopening the hefty book, “Take a look for yourself. Where does it say anything like that about the Flame Beast?”

Even though the book didn’t mention anything about intimate contact with the Flame Beast affecting its owner, Lin Nuo still sat beside Rennes, peering over to see what else was written in the book. Rennes flipped to the section about the Flame Beast and then turned a page further.

“Look, there’s a note here. [Note: Regarding the Flame Beast’s ‘preferred object,’ in our observations, the Flame Beast is not particularly intelligent but extremely loyal. Once it selects a ‘preferred object,’ it probably won’t choose another for a lifetime. Moreover, there’s an interesting phenomenon: as the Flame Beast becomes more intimate with its ‘preferred object,’ eventually becoming mates, whether it’s the Flame Beast itself or its mate, their magic becomes stronger.”

“Hence, between the Flame Beast and its mate, there’s a spontaneous repetition of intimate behavior, benefiting both for better sleep, a healthier body, and enhanced magic. This is probably one of the unique abilities of the Flame Beast.]” Rennes tapped these lines with his fingers and earnestly stated, “Your Highness, your assumptions about the Flame Beast were completely wrong. It not only doesn’t harm its mate but also enhances their magical abilities; it’s a… creature that nurtures its partner with love.”

Lin Nuo sat there in a daze, thinking he had worried for no reason. Maybe Rennes didn’t want the little dragon to see what was written later in the book?

Rennes closed the book again, saying, “I’ll put away this book. Otherwise, Your Highness might start having more wild ideas.”

Lin Nuo nodded blankly, “Oh, okay.”

He realized how wrong he had been just now. What was he even thinking? Apparently, he didn’t need to worry that the behavior in the garden would harm Rennes. Furthermore, doing a bit more might enhance his magic, which would be beneficial for Rennes. He shook off those thoughts. How could he be so selfish and indulgent? Lin Nuo, who had just thought about those scenes, quickly changed the subject, “By the way, Teacher, since you don’t like the chef’s food, what flavors do you prefer?”

Rennes, who had prepared himself to expound on the importance of a mate to magical creatures and possibly discuss the stages of intimate behavior, didn’t expect Lin Nuo to steer the conversation back to food. He supported his forehead with his hand, feeling a bit helpless. “I don’t have any specific preferences.”

Lin Nuo suddenly perked up, “Teacher, I can cook, you know. If you don’t mind, I’ll make you a dessert. It’s perfect for hot weather and when you’re feeling tired.”

Rennes put down his hand from his forehead, staring at Lin Nuo. “Really? Your Highness can cook?”

Lin Nuo smiled and nodded, “Yes. I plan to make ‘Milk Rice Pudding.’ I’m sure you’ll like it!”

At this moment, Lin Nuo forgot that considering his current status and life trajectory, the possibility of “cooking food by himself” was close to zero. He was only thinking about making something delicious for Rennes to eat instead of just drinking cold water every day. Of course, he didn’t have many things he could cook. This ‘Milk Rice Pudding’ was simple to make and delicious, considered his best dessert. When he was a child and had a high fever in summer, his grandmother would make it by boiling rice in milk, draining it, and adding sugar. After it became thick, she would put it in the fridge to chill.

After chilling for a while, Grandma would use a small bowl to serve this ‘pudding’ and feed it to Lin Nuo with a small spoon. This kind of ‘dessert’ was cheap, nutritious, and perfect for kids. Every time, Lin Nuo would devour it eagerly, almost licking the bowl clean. Later, Grandma fell ill and passed away.

Before Grandma left, Lin Nuo noticed that even when Grandma had no appetite, she would still make this rice pudding. Each time, Grandma would eat it happily, praising Lin Nuo while enjoying it. So, in Lin Nuo’s eyes, nobody could dislike this dessert.

Rennes watched Lin Nuo’s expectant eyes, reached out, ruffled his hair, and stood up, saying, “Alright, I’ll have the butler take us to the kitchen.”

Lin Nuo nodded at first, then reacted, asking, “Us? Are you going too?”

In Lin Nuo’s opinion, Rennes didn’t need to go. He could just wait in the dining room for the dessert to be brought in.

Rennes’s lips curled slightly. “If I don’t accompany you, I’m worried you might accidentally set the kitchen on fire.”

Set the kitchen on fire? Did Rennes mean he was concerned I might accidentally use fire? After all, I’m not a dragon now, and he doesn’t know I’m one. How could I breathe fire?

As the butler responded to the call and heard Rennes’s request, the usually elegant old man couldn’t hide his confusion. “The kitchen? Both of you want to go to the kitchen?”

“Your Highness, whatever you wish to eat, just command, we’ll prepare it for you. There’s no need for you to personally go to the kitchen,” the butler said, trying to dissuade.

Rennes interrupted him, “To the kitchen.”

The butler immediately abandoned his resistance. “Very well, Sir. Let me prepare first.”

The kitchen was in an annex on the ground floor, a long room where four cooks and kitchen assistants were bustling, preparing broth, sauces, pounding meat slices, and chopping potatoes for lunch and dinner.

Upon the butler’s signal, despite their surprise, the cooks smartly ceased their work and quietly left through the back door without asking questions. When Lin Nuo arrived at the kitchen, he found a clean and bright room with utensils neatly arranged, ingredients and spices organized, and a stove controlled by crystal stones emitting heat, ready for use at any moment.

Lin Nuo couldn’t help but marvel. This kitchen was no less convenient than a modernized kitchen from another world, even more so than Grandma’s kitchen back then with just a gas stove and an induction cooker. Soon, he found a clean white linen apron and gathered pearl rice, fine sugar, and that especially delicious milk, and started to prepare carefully.

Rennes, who had almost never set foot in a kitchen, found a chair and sat down, observing Lin Nuo’s actions. As Lin Nuo stirred the pearl rice and milk, he caught Rennes’s gaze, lifting his head a bit shyly yet a bit proudly. “Surprised, huh? This might be the only thing I can do better than you, aside from dancing.”

Lin Nuo felt somewhat pleased with himself.

Rennes propped his chin. “Hmm, surprised.”

In fact, not only Rennes, even the kitchen staff who quietly left through the back door were surprised. One of the kitchen assistants who had served in the Clement household for twenty years had a close relationship with the old butler. She curiously asked him, “Isn’t it said that Sir’s distinguished guest is the little prince? Is it possible the little prince is cooking?”

There were very few nobles who would willingly enter a kitchen. They couldn’t believe that a genuine royal would enter the kitchen to cook?

The old butler, hands clasped behind his back, wore an enigmatic expression. “Let’s not casually speculate about Sir’s affairs.”

The kitchen assistant nudged him with her elbow. “Have you ever seen Sir bring any guests to this mansion before? I heard that previously when the other two princes, Your Highness, wanted to visit, Sir didn’t even bother with an excuse and simply said “not entertaining outsiders,” sending the royals away.”

The butler rubbed the spot where she nudged him, sighing. “It’s not just that—alright, enough. We shouldn’t gossip behind Sir’s back.”

The kitchen assistant was now intrigued, persistently asking the butler, “What else? What else?”

With a serious face, the butler didn’t respond. Seeing there was no one around, the kitchen assistant lowered her voice, smiling slyly. “A few days ago, when the little prince, Your Highness, passed through Faro City in a carriage, I went to see. Did you notice? Our master, who never likes people touching him or touches others, first supported the little prince, Your Highness’s back, then even held the hand of Prince Your Highness! Let me tell you, I was genuinely, almost fainting from surprise at that moment!”

The butler glanced at her, whispering, “Alright. In any case, that’s the Prince, Your Highness! Don’t ask or talk randomly and especially don’t startle His Highness, understand?”

The kitchen assistant immediately smiled broadly, nodding vigorously. In fact, not only did the kitchen assistant find it strange, but in the past few days, Sir Clement’s behavior, in the eyes of this old butler, was entirely abnormal.

Two nights ago, Sir hurriedly returned in the middle of the night, locking himself in his room, refusing anyone entry. The butler had been by his side for 17 years and had never seen him so agitated. After that, Sir alternated between reporting to the King, requesting the little prince, Your Highness, to stay temporarily at this mansion for “His Highness’s safety,” and locking himself in his meditation room, instructing strictly: unless the prince, Your Highness, seeks me, do not disturb me for anything else.

Sir was truly, very concerned about this little prince. But, it was unexpected that the distinguished Prince, Your Highness, would voluntarily cook for Sir. It seemed that the one who cared wasn’t just Sir alone.

The old butler sighed about the vigor of the youth, contemplating what else he could do to further assist his master.

In the kitchen, Lin Nuo’s ‘Milk Rice Pudding’ was almost ready. He turned off the stove, took the shiny little milk pot down, and poured the thickened rice pudding into a large crystal glass bowl using a silver ladle. According to the usual procedure, the pudding needed to be put in the refrigerator. Of course, there was no refrigerator in this kitchen, but there was a small ‘ice chest’ that provided cold air using crystal stones and stored various rare treasures.

Lin Nuo couldn’t help feeling that it was a bit wasteful to use the ice chest to freeze the pudding using magical crystals. So, he decided to follow Rennes’s example and use his own magic to cool down the bowl of pudding. Lin Nuo placed his palm on the edge of the glass bowl and silently activated his magic, intending to make it cooler… cooler…

Three minutes passed. Instead of cooling down, the bowl of pudding seemed to get even hotter. At this heat level, Lin Nuo thought he could probably boil water with his bare hands; he wouldn’t need a stove at all. But how could he make the bowl cool down? Rennes seemed so relaxed doing it.

Just as Lin Nuo started to feel anxious, Rennes approached, and calmly asked, “What’s the next step? Cooling it down?”

Lin Nuo nodded, “Yes, this rice pudding needs to cool down for a better texture, smoother when eaten.”

Rennes observed Lin Nuo’s posture and slid his finger along the edge of the glass bowl, asking, “Your Highness wants to use magic to directly cool it down?”

Lin Nuo bit his lip and said, “Yes… but I’m not doing this step well.”

Rennes chuckled lightly, “Your Highness’s magic is primarily fire-based. Naturally, it’s challenging to cool objects down.”

Saying this, Rennes stood behind Lin Nuo, extending his arm behind Lin Nuo, pressing down on Lin Nuo’s arm, his palm just touching the back of Lin Nuo’s hand. As Rennes made this move, Lin Nuo’s hand visibly trembled and his neck even started to turn red. “Don’t worry, I’ll guide Your Highness in practicing ‘cooling.’ This position is convenient for Rennes to speak softly into Lin Nuo’s ear.

Soon, a chill passed from Rennes’s palm to Lin Nuo’s hand. It was refreshingly cold but not bone-chilling.

“Using this force as a base, Your Highness amplifies it with your own magic,” Rennes continued to whisper earnestly into Lin Nuo’s ear, just as he would during their usual classes. Though Lin Nuo’s legs felt a bit weak, as if he might not stand, he closed his eyes and concentrated, following the teacher’s instructions to strengthen the chill in his hand. After a few seconds, Rennes softly said, “That’s enough.”

Lin Nuo opened his eyes to see a frost forming on the glass bowl, the steam from the pudding disappearing, and it had solidified.

“It worked!” Excitedly, Lin Nuo exclaimed, grabbing a silver spoon nearby, carefully scooping a spoonful, then turning around—

Upon turning, he realized how ambiguous their current posture was. Wanting to move back, he found himself pressed against the cold countertop, with nowhere to retreat. With no way to retreat, Lin Nuo pretended not to notice, his gaze drifting around, offering the spoon to Rennes, “It’s delicious. Try it.”

Rennes glanced at the white rice pudding, rolled a bit on the spoon with his tongue, and praised, “Indeed, very delicious.”

He wasn’t just blindly complimenting. He wasn’t much of a sweet tooth, but this rice pudding wasn’t too sugary, with a moderate sweetness. The tender pearl rice cooked softly, combined with smooth milk, fragrant yet not heavy, sweet but not cloying—it was indeed delicious.

After hearing Rennes’s appreciation, Lin Nuo temporarily forgot the awkward posture, his eyes sparkling with a beautiful curve. “See! I told you that you’d like it!”

Rennes smiled but didn’t answer. He took a small spoonful and offered it to Lin Nuo, “You made it, try it yourself.”

Lin Nuo looked at the silver spoon, thinking why not use another spoon? This seemed somewhat akin to indirect… something. Without thinking or perhaps unwilling to reach for another spoon, he opened his mouth, taking the rice pudding offered near his lips.

Mmm, still delicious. My skills haven’t declined at all.

Lin Nuo focused on savoring the pudding, unaware that a soft pearl rice had stuck to the corner of his mouth.

Watching the young Prince moving his cheeks while eating, Rennes licked his lips, his gaze gradually darkening, saying, “Don’t move. You have pudding on your lips.”

Huh? Lin Nuo instinctively raised his head.

The next moment, Rennes’s gentle breath brushed against his cheek. A soft tongue lightly traced the edge of his lips, pausing for a moment. So gentle, so warm, like a butterfly’s wings, like a fledgling bird’s feathers. In a daze, Lin Nuo heard Rennes’s hoarse voice, “Done.”

After being stunned for several seconds, Lin Nuo absentmindedly licked his lips, as if in a dream, asking, “Done?”

With his head lowered, Rennes gently pressed his forehead, now scattered with stray locks, against Lin Nuo’s, whispering, “Want more?””

 

 

 

 

 

 

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