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    THIRD PERSON''s POV


    Nearly two months had passed since Kaden had met the two girls he''d given free food to during the Flower Festival. Just as they''d wished for him, his restaurant had been flourishing ever since. Perhaps it was the festival itself, drawing a large crowd to the capital, or maybe it was the whispers of his restaurant''s delicious cuisine that had spread to neighboring territories.


    Or maybe it was something else entirely. Maybe it was his two new customers, with their breathtaking physical features, who were drawing in the crowds.


    Whatever the case, he was very grateful and was more than enthusiastic in serving delectable dishes to his customers.


    “Here''s your order, sirs!”


    “Thank you.”


    “Mannn! This is just so delicious no matter how many times I''ve tasted it!”


    “Hey, at least watch your manners while eating.”


    The auburn-haired man nagged the black-haired one with a scowl on his face, as if ashamed by his friend''s actions.


    A small smile crossed Kaden''s lips as he watched the two men bicker like a pair of siblings while he was placing the rest of their food on the table.


    This had been their routine since they discovered his restaurant a few weeks ago. About once or twice a week, they''d eat and hang out here while being admired by all the passing customers and people outside, as if they were celebrities. And as if they were used to being gawked at, all the people''s stares didn''t bother them at all. In fact, as quite the introverted person himself, Kaden was the one who felt uncomfortable for them due to the amount of attention they''d been getting.


    Well, Kaden didn''t really mind as they did help in further increasing his customers.


    They were his last customers for this day. He closed the restaurant early because he wanted to have a good long sleep after several days’ worth of hard work.


    “Please enjoy your meal.”


    After giving all their orders, he was about to head back towards his kitchen to clean up. But he was stopped on his tracks when he saw someone, well, two people outside at the doorstep.


    Quite delighted, he opened the door.


    “Uhm… Sorry to barge in even though you''re already closed but, c-can you give us some water, please? We’ll pay you for it.”


    He was surprised to see them again. He did want to see them again after that brief encounter in spring, but he didn''t expect it would be today.


    “M-My friend is really thirsty and she isn''t feeling well…”


    Out there, standing in thin ragged clothes, were the girls he met before - the ones he gave food for free.


    “Oh, of course! Please come in and sit. I''ll get you some water.”


    Hurriedly, he fetched an entire pitcher and two glasses then brought it to the exhausted-looking girls who seemed to be walking the town all day.


    “Here, drink slowly.”


    “Thank you…”


    Along with her trembling hands, the water inside the glass shook as Ella handed it to the dehydrated Isa who looked very pale from hunger. They both looked severely starved, and that didn''t go unnoticed by Kaden whose eyebrows slightly furrowed in concern.


    He noticed that the two girls, who were so skinny when they first met, had become even skinnier than before. Their thin bodies visibly shaking was a clear indication that they hadn''t eaten anything for who knows how long?!


    “Thanks for the water.”


    Isa, who had just finished drinking, replied feebly.


    Seeing them reminded him of that little girl who always held the hem of his clothes and followed him around in the past.


    For this very reason, he couldn''t help but have a soft heart towards them and let the words automatically slip out of his mouth.


    “Have you eaten yet? There happens to be extra food in the kitchen. I''ll go get it.”


    Driven by his desire to help, he offered them food, like before. But Ella reluctantly stopped him and said,


    “N-No! It''s just… We can''t pay… We only have money for water…. I''m sorry.”


    ‘Besides, we won''t be able to digest good food and we''d just get stomach aches again.’


    Was what she would''ve added, but did not, for she didn''t want to offend him.


    Her shaky voice resonated with him, rendering him speechless. He would''ve offered to give it for free again, but he felt like that would just make them feel bad. Before he could open his mouth to reply, his two remaining customers called out to him.


    “Mr. Owner! Can we please have one more serving of-”


    Once the black-haired guy saw the two girls'' sitting not too far behind him, he immediately recognized them.


    “Oh, I remember you both.”


    “Uhm… Sorry but, who are you?”


    Ella, who wasn''t able to properly communicate or even face them at the clinic two months ago, didn’t recognize them at all, and was cautious. On the other hand, Isabel, who had just finished drinking her second glass of water, took a few seconds to recognize them.


    “We''re the ones who brought you to the clinic last time. Though a few months did pass after that, so you must have forgotten.”


    He explained with a friendly smile on his charming face; the strands of his straight black hair gently cascading his forehead.


    He''s such a stunningly handsome man, indeed. Unfortunately, a handsome face and a charming smile were nowhere near enough to earn Ella''s trust.


    “Oh, it''s alright, Ella. They''re good people.”


    Finally recognizing them, Isa managed to put on a weak smile and assured Ella, still recovering her strength.


    “It''s nice to see you two again! I''m Evan. This, here, is my friend, Cal.”


    “Hi there.”


    Evander, who, unbeknownst to them, was actually the crown prince of the empire, gladly introduced themselves.


    “We''re glad to meet you again, too. I''m Isabel and this is Ella. We''re really beyond grateful for your generosity back then.”


    “I-I’m sorry I didn''t recognize you! We’re really grateful. How could we ever repay you?”


    Catching on that these men were her saviors from that day, Ella felt ashamed for not recognizing them and apologized.


    “It’s alright. We''re just glad we could help.”


    Assured Evan.


    The clueless restaurant owner, on the other hand, was curious about what happened between the four of them. But he thought it would be rude to ask about it, so he just stood there listening to their conversation, a little awkwardly.


    Seeing as all of them had already introduced themselves, except for the kind restaurant owner, Isa tactfully inquired for his name.


    “May we also ask your name, sir?”


    “Oh, I''m Kaden. Nice to meet you all. I''m surprised that you all know each other.”


    “They helped us during the Flower Festival. We owe them a great deal.”


    Isa filled him up on the details.


    “So you''re Mr. Kaden. I really like your seared scallops! I usually hate seafood but your cooking is top-tier. It''s definitely far better than the ones at the pal—”


    “Ahem.”


    “-Place where we live. Haha!”


    Cal sighed in hopelessness because of the careless prince-in-disguise’s close slip of the tongue.


    “Well, thank you. You can just call me by my name. Formalities like ‘Mister’ feel a bit awkward to me.”


    Kaden embarrassedly scratched his cheek with his index finger.


    “In that case, let''s call each other by our names, then! If that''s alright with everyone.”


    The carefree Evan suggested cheerfully. Sparkles could be seen around him that Cal felt drained by the bright energy his friend was radiating.


    ‘They are like polar opposites.’


    Ella thought as she stared at them with wonder and awe evident on her face.


    “Yes, of course.”


    “I’d prefer that.”


    “Okay!”


    Isa, Kaden, and Ella replied simultaneously.


    “That''s great!”This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Chirped Evan.


    “Well, have you two eaten yet? We''ve got a lot of food here. Let''s all eat together.”


    Cal’s velvety deep voice rang in their ears as he invited them to eat.


    “Yeah! Eat with us! You too, Kaden.”


    Evan seconded.


    “How could we? We haven''t even paid for your help last time.”


    Isa firmly refused with Ella following suit.


    “Yes, thank you for your kindness but we''re alright. I-In fact, we have just eaten a while ago. So we will just be paying Sir Kaden for the water and leave afterwards.”


    “It was really nice to meet you all again.”


    Both of them were about to stand up, but Kaden couldn''t bear to let them go while shaking in hunger. He quickly thought of something and stopped them with a good offer in mind.


    “I don''t mean to offend you in any way, but it doesn''t look like you have eaten anything to me. If being offered free food makes you feel bad, then how would you like to work in exchange for it?”


    They were quite surprised. Ella gulped as she looked at the pale Isa whose stomach hadn''t been fed for two whole days, the same as hers.


    With eagerness to feed her starving friend, she asked.


    “W-What kind of work do we have to do?”


    Kaden felt a bit relieved seeing that they were willing to accept, and replied,


    “Well, I''d need someone to wash the dishes and help me clean the restaurant. In return, you can eat whatever you want from the menu. Would that be a deal?”


    Ella eagerly looked at Isa as if asking for her permission, to which the latter simply nodded in response. With a warm smile on her face, the former accepted the green-haired chef’s offer.


    “We''ll do it.”


    Kaden smiled in return.


    “That''s great.”


    “I''ll start cleaning. It''ll be done in a few minutes.”


    Delighted, Ella was about to stand up and finish her job immediately to earn their reward.


    However, Kaden stopped her once again.


    “Hang on a minute. I think you should eat first and get some energy before you move.”


    “That''s right. Your friend looks unwell too. I think we should let her recover her energy first.”


    Cal added.


    “T-That’s right. Sorry, Isa.”


    ‘I wasn''t being thoughtful enough.’


    Ella felt apologetic for not thinking of Isa’s well-being first. She just really wanted to get food for the both of them as soon as possible but it came off as her being inconsiderate. But Isa knew she didn''t mean that way.


    “It''s alright, Ella.”


    “Now then, sit back and relax and tell me what you want to eat.”


    Kaden playfully said as he reverted back to his waiter stance while holding a notebook and a pen with one hand on his chest and the other behind him.


    “Will it really be okay?”


    Isa reluctantly asked with her eyebrows furrowed in hesitation.


    “Well, if you were to wash the dishes first before you eat, then who''d wash the dishes you’d use? And who will clean the restaurant again after you eat?”


    He pointed out in response; though it was just to convince them to do their job later.


    “Now, now, ladies. As the famous saying goes, ‘When it comes to food, chefs are always right.’ So just sit back and relax as our chef here takes care of the rest.”


    Further persuading them, Evan interjected with his hands welcomingly spread in front of him, inviting them to join.


    “That''s right.”


    Agreed Kaden.


    “Where did that saying come from?”


    Cal, who was arching a brow on Evan, asked doubtfully.


    “From me, of course.”


    Evan proudly answered, his hands pointing pridefully to himself, causing Cal to roll his honey-hued eyes. With their interaction, Ella smiled and finally felt comfortable with them a bit more.


    “Well, if you insist.”


    Isa smiled. Finally getting the two girls to agree, Evan stood up and held out the chair next to him. Cal did the same as they waited for them to sit.


    “Careful.”


    Seeing that Isabel wasn''t feeling well, Evan assisted her and held out his hand for her to hold while she was sitting down. For a moment, Isabel felt like a princess as this was the first time someone had treated her this carefully; except for Ella and her mom, of course.


    On the other hand, Ella would''ve preferred to stick to Isa’s side. But she felt like it would be disrespectful to Cal, who went to the trouble of standing up from his seat and holding out a chair for her, if she were to refuse sitting next to him.


    So she went on ahead and sat on the chair next to his.


    “T-Thank you…”


    Isa was sitting in front of her next to Evan, who was sitting in front of Cal.


    For some reason, Ella''s heart began beating loudly and her hands were sweating despite being cold. No, it''s not that she was in love.


    It''s just because the man beside her had a huge build and even though they were sitting, she felt like he was towering over her a few inches above.


    She tried to regain her composure but it was hard to do so with a trembling body.


    “So, what''s your order?”


    Kaden gave the girls the menu, and with a pen and notebook in his hands, he asked.


    “Uhm… I just want chicken broth and a few slices of bread.”


    “Me as well.”


    The girls replied.


    “Alright. What else?”


    “That''s all.”


    “That''s all? But would that fill you up? I promised you any food from the menu so you don''t have to feel shy to pick what you want.”


    Kaden assured them. However, the two girls still refused and explained themselves,


    “B-Because we can''t eat any heavy or too high quality foods. Our stomachs can''t digest it and we will just end up vomiting.”


    In a dejected voice, Ella stated the reason for their refusal which caused them all to fall silent.


    The three men were curious about why they couldn''t digest food as they said. However, they all knew it wouldn''t be good to dig too much into the ladies’ lives, especially since they hadn''t known each other for long. Besides, they wouldn''t want to make them feel uncomfortable by asking them even further.


    “Well, if chicken broth and bread are what will satisfy your stomachs, then I''ll make the broth extra savory and serve you the softest bread I have in the kitchen.”


    The kind restaurant owner smiled warmly as he took note of their orders.


    Evan also asked for more seared scallops and Cal ordered two more plates of beef steak. Once Kaden left, the outgoing Evan began chatting with the two girls.


    “So, how have you been?”


    The two men weren''t blind. Like Kaden, they also noticed that both girls had gotten even more malnourished compared to before. They were worried, but decided to not bring it up. Many assumptions had been forming in their minds about their story but they felt it was too soon to pry into their lives. All they could manage to ask was the usual question of ‘how have they been’.


    “W-Well, Ella had gotten a lot better thanks to you for bringing her to the clinic that time. The nurses took great care of her so she was able to recover quickly.”


    “That''s good to know, then.”


    Perhaps he noticed the sudden change in Ella''s complexion after bringing up that topic, as well as Isabel''s hesitation while answering him, Evan knew that it would be better to change the direction of where their conversation was going.


    Maybe something bad happened after that time?


    Again, they were worried and curious. But they couldn''t ask.


    “By the way, do you often go around the town? Cal and I are mercenaries and we usually spend our time in town when we have days off, you see. Who knows, maybe we''ve crossed paths several times before in the streets but we just didn''t know each other yet.”


    Changing the topic to lighten up the mood, Evan laid his chin on his hand that was on the table as he curiously waited for their answers.


    “You''re both mercenaries?”


    Isa asked in surprise.


    “Yes. Does that make you feel uncomfortable?”


    Evan sheepishly questioned in return.


    “N-No! W-We just didn’t expect it.”


    Evan smiled and jokingly asked,


    “Why? Don''t we look like one?”


    “It''s not like that. Please don''t be offended.”


    The cheeky ?p?r?i?n?c?e? mercenary chuckled and told her it was just a joke, earning him an annoyed pout from the white-haired girl.


    While the two of them were conversing, Cal noticed that Ella had been silent for a while. Her hands that were hidden under the table trembled and twiddled nervously. Sweats were also forming on her forehead.


    Worried, he leaned a bit closer to ask her what was wrong.


    “Are you-”


    However, Ella flinched in fear at his sudden movement and shrunk her head down her shoulders like a meek little kitten.


    Seeing this, Cal was quick to understand that she was scared; of what - he did not have any idea. But not wanting to scare her any further, he decided to be more mindful of how he moved and acted.


    Ella felt the chair beside her move a bit farther. And soon, a large callused hand holding a handkerchief carefully invaded her view, as if not wanting to surprise her.


    She hesitantly looked up and saw the man with long auburn locks tied in a ponytail looking straight in front of him while holding out the handkerchief. His topaz orbs, that glinted warmly when struck by the light, wasn''t looking at her as if to look as cool and casual as possible while handing the handkerchief.


    “Will you accept?”


    He asked, still not looking at her.


    Somehow, his strange gestures made Ella feel a bit better than before. Perhaps she felt more at ease seeing him relaxed and casual like that, as if he felt more approachable.


    Still a bit hesitant, she carefully took the handkerchief from him with her trembling hands and whispered a soft ‘thank you’.


    Although she did take the handkerchief, she didn''t really know what to do with it; and she just realized that when she already had it in her hands.


    Confused, she threw another glance at the man beside her.


    “Wipe your forehead.”


    Cal told her, still not looking her way.


    “B-But it will get dirty.”


    “It won’t.”


    Not knowing what to say anymore, she hesitantly stared at the piece of fabric in her hands. Once again, she glanced up as if seeking his permission one last time to use it, then whispered thank you once more before finally wiping her forehead. She was being careful so as to not dirty the handkerchief in any way.


    A few more minutes and their orders finally arrived.


    Cal stood up to help Kaden place the foods one by one on the table.


    “Eat with us. This is for you.”


    The former stated as he held out a plate of beef steak towards Kaden, who was surprised.


    “I noticed you eating it before. In your kitchen.”


    Touched by Cal’s considerate action, Kaden warmly smiled and could no longer think of an excuse to not eat with them. Not that he didn''t want to do so, but he was the chef and they were his customers. He thought it would be awkward. But seeing as the other three people were highly expecting him to join them as well, he realized there was nothing wrong with dining with his customers at all. Well, at this point, they were his friends.


    Little did they know that this coincidental meal together would spark an unbreakable friendship among them that would last them a lifetime.


    ?*????????*?????。? . to be continued .。? .?*?????????*?????