“Is… everything ok, Narias?” Layla asked, noticing Narias glancing at her from time to time.
“Aah… sorry. You had never combed your hair this way before and… the pigtails make you look very pretty.” Narias responded, becoming flustered.
“Oh…” his comment made Layla catch a blush. She touched one of her cheeks with her hand, smiling happily. “I will make sure to comb my hair this way more often then.”
Narias and Layla were on a date at Marnas, the trade city situated not that far from where Narias’s parents lived. Now that Layla became Narias’s official girlfriend he had to treat her right and that included going on dates too. He will be going back to Reina’s Magic Academy in about a week’s time, which means they won’t be able to see each other for quite a while after that. Of course, Layla will be able to come visit him once in a while, but her visits will be rare.
They didn’t have any plans to go see or do anything specific. Spending some private time together was more than enough for them. Well, handholding as they walked added that romantic touch too. Layla was feeling very happy about it personally. Her feelings for Narias were real and sincere and she didn’t try to hide them anymore. That just made Narias feel at ease as well.
“What would you like to do, Layla? Is there something you’d like to go?” Narias asked after a short moment of silence.
“You’re asking me?” His question caught Layla a little off guard.
“Of course. We’re on a date. We’re ought to do something we enjoy.” Narias smiled at her.
“But then… where would you like to go, Narias? As you said, it is our date, so what is it that you would like to do?” Layla shot a question back at him, hesitating to answer his.
“I’d like to go somewhere that you’d like.” Narias wasn’t about to budge on having Layla decide, his answer making her giggle charmingly. “Besides, you were taking me anywhere I wanted to go when we went to Marnas when I was little kid. But now I am not little and you’re not just another maid who works for my parents. You are someone who I care about very much and we’re on a date. I’d like you to have fun too.”
“Narias…” Layla was holding her clenched fist next to her mouth, her eyes sparkling lovingly. She took a deep sigh to calm her excitement before smiling happily. “In that case, there is a place I’d love to go see.”
“Great. What is the place?” Narias cheered up, eager to know what it was.
“But first, we need to go buy something.” Layla said with a giggle.
“Buy something?” Narias became even more curious. He waited for Layla to tell him what she wanted to buy, but she simply wrapped her arm around his and gently pulled him forward without explaining anything. Narias had to comply and go with her if he wanted to find out what was the thing Layla wanted to buy.
After a short while, both Narias and Layla were standing at the edge of a small pool where they were feeding fish. The thing Layla wanted to buy was some food that was suitable for the fish to eat before coming here. The place they were at wasn’t anything fancy. It was just another park in a city. Only this one had several small ponds with fish in them. The area was kept clean and tidy with additional flower beds grown here and there. It was nice, but the park was mostly used by older people. The flowers and pools with the fishes added to the quiet serenity that the older people enjoyed so much. Of course, you’d see a younger couple walking by now and then, but young people were still young people, they wanted to do something more exciting than simply walk around or feed the fish.
“I remember you bringing me here now and then when I was a… small child.” Narias had to pick his words since he wasn’t actually small at that time.
“Yeah. And I remember you being so grumpy you didn’t even want to feed the fish with me, Young Master.” Layla chuckled with a tease.
“Aaa… yeah… sorry.” Layla’s words made Narias become embarrassed.
Narias was about five years old when Layla brought him here for the very first time. He was so upset that his parents forced him to leave the house and go do some sightseeing in Marnas. Narias was dragging his feet wherever Layla wanted to take him. All he was thinking about at the time was reading books. He could read easily at the age of five, so he would shut himself inside the library and read voraciously from early morning till late night. As happy as his parents were about his eagerness to learn, they were worried Narias would grow up to be a shut-in, making it difficult for him to find friends, or girlfriends, in the future. So, they set a ‘Going Out Days’ in place as a new rule in the house. Narias dreaded those days the most before he could appreciate what his parents were trying to do.
Wow… Layla looks really happy being here. Narias caught Layla’s happy smile as she was looking at the fish eating the bits of food she was throwing into the pool. As he was gazing at the beautiful woman standing by his side, his brain hit him with another realization so hard it even hurt. Wait, Layla seems to love being here. So, does that mean that all those times when she wanted to take me here with her was because… Sigh… I’m such a jerk.
“I’m so sorry, Layla.” Narias apologized, stopping Layla from throwing another handful of food into the pool.
“For what?” She became confused.
“For being such a numbskull in the past.” He said, rubbing the back of his head from embarrassment. “You always wanted to come see the fish here when I was little and I just…”
“Oh, Narias…” Layla couldn’t hold in her laugh, making Narias confused on top of him becoming even more embarrassed. “I was never upset with you not wanting to feed the fishes. Yes, I love watching fish swim and nibble on the food that I throw at them, but that doesn’t mean everyone else has to feel the same way.”
“I understand that, but… I honestly was acting like a total jerk.” Layla not feeling bad about it just made Narias feel worse.
“Well then…” Layla leaned forwards to give him a tiny kiss on the lips. “I appreciate you telling me that, Narias.”
Narias was left mesmerized by her sudden kiss and how absolutely cute Layla looked.
Layla… He wanted to say her name aloud, but was too caught in the moment to speak. Ahm… oh, ahem. Wait, I still need to make up to her somehow anyway. What could I do? Ghm… Man, I can’t think of anything on the spot. Layla never spoke much about herself and I don’t really know what she likes, but asking her outright doesn’t feel right. Maybe I can remember something after we eat. It’s almost lunch time. But we still have some fish food with us, so… huh? Wait, food… and fish… That’s it!
Narias was suddenly hit by the unexpected excitement which didn’t go unnoticed by Layla. But when she asked him about it, Narias simply said he was very happy about being here with her which also put another charming smile on Layla’s face. After they fed the fish, they had a peaceful walk in the park before going to eat lunch. Narias and Layla had only half a day to themselves. They didn’t rush to do things, but both of them knew they’d have to be home before dinner. Layla was still a maid at his parent’s house and she had her responsibilities to attend to. Helping prepare the dinner was one of them. However, Narias had a new idea regarding that.
“You want to buy some food ingredients to take home with us?” Layla was surprised to hear him say that.
“Yeah. I’d like to prepare something for dinner tonight.” Narias told her.
“What? But… you have servants who cook for you. If there’s any specific food that you’d like to be made, just tell me and we will prepare it.” Layla was puzzled, but managed to stay calm.
“Aah… yes, there is, but… the food I want to make is nothing like you or our family’s main chef had prepared before.” Narias said, not willing to tell her what the food was. He couldn’t really tell her that the food he wanted to make comes from a different world.
“I see…” Layla backed off, as if understanding Narias’s intentions. She straightened up, giving him a smile as well. “In that case, let’s visit the market before we go home.”
They spent some lovely time together. Narias and Layla visited a nice restaurant to have some light lunch before going for another walk around the city. When the time to go home was closing in, they went to the food market to buy the ingredients that Narias said he needed. Marnas was a trade city, so there was plenty of foods to choose from. The ingredients that Narias bought weren’t anything Layla hadn’t bought herself before, except for one thing. However, given the ingredients that Narias had chosen, Layla couldn’t figure what kind of dish he wanted to make. It piqued Layla’s interest and she definitely was curious, but she restrained from asking. Narias’s unexpected willingness to buy and prepare a certain dish for dinner just added to their lovely date.
{after Narias and Layla came back home}
“What? You want to prepare some food for dinner tonight, sweetie?” Narias mom exclaimed upon hearing the news. Her son had never prepared food before for them. “But we have Jonathan who cooks for us. If you just tell him what you want for dinner, he will certainly prepare it. What kind of food is it, my dear?”
“Well, it’s a…” Narias didn’t know how to explain it since he didn’t want to say what the food was.
“It’s probably some food that Narias read in a book,” Ileena commented, throwing her hand to the side.
“Hah, Narias and books,” Flavia laughed. “Personally, I’d love to try Narias’s cooking. I’m too curious to know what kind of dish he’ll make.”
“I would like to try it too,” Emilia said with a smile.
“My own son will cook food for me. Hah, I can’t say no to that,” Lorenard declared, adding a laugh.
“But can you at least tell us what kind of food is it, dear? There might be someone here who might avoid eating some foods,” Narias’s mom asked politely.
“Ah, yes. It will be a dish that has fish in it,” Narias could tell them that much.
“Fish?” Alvina had a curious expression on her face.
“Hey, I love fish dishes. Can’t wait to try it, partner.” Flavia was looking forward to it already.
“Yes. I like fish dishes too,” Emilia said, clapping her hands.
“Fish, huh?” Narias’s dad held his chin, full in thought.
“It will take some time to prepare and I still need to go change, so if it’s ok with you…” Narias wanted to leave.
“Would you like some help, Narias?” Layla was quick to ask.
“Ah, no. I mean, yes. But Jonathan will be in the kitchen, so I’ll ask his help instead,” Narias didn’t want her to come for some reason.
“Ok, if that’s what you want,” Layla didn’t mind.
“How about all of us girls have some tea in the meantime?” Alvina suggested, clapping her hands. “Maybe Layla could tell us how her date with my son went?”
“That’s a great idea,” Lorenard was quick to agree.
“I’m sorry love, but didn’t you say you have some paperwork to take care of?” Alvina was even quicker to burst his bubble.
“Yes, but…” Lorenard put on his charming smile on his face.
“You wouldn’t want to leave unprepared now, would you?” Narias’s mom chuckled.
“Leave where?” Her words made Narias curious.
“Your father is going away soon to conduct an investigation. We thought we’ll tell you about it later,” Alvina answered his question. “Please, go ahead, dear. I can’t wait to try the food that you want to prepare for us.”
“Ok. Please, excuse me.” Narias bowed his head politely before leaving the room.
“No, no, my love. You better go do what you need to,” Alvina jumped in front of her husband, preventing him from saying whatever he wanted to say. “Besides, it will be just us girls talking about some boring stuff.”
“B… but…” Lorenard knew that whatever the conversation will be, it definitely wouldn’t be boring. Unfortunately, Lorenard knew he won’t be able to sweettalk himself into it. “Ok, ok. I’ll see you at the dinner table, my love.”
“Aah… you’re such a charmer.” Alvina gave him a kiss before he left. “Now then Layla, how about you go change before joining as at the dining room?”
“Yes, Lady Alvina,” Layla bowed down respectfully.
Since Narias wasn’t exactly a cook, preparing the food was a real challenge for him. Fortunately, he had some help from Jonathan, their house chef. Jonathan was very curious to see what kind of food Narias was attempting to prepare, in addition to becoming shocked when he learned Narias will be the one cooking today. Being a cook himself however, Jonathan was very eager to learn a new cooking recipe and Narias appreciated to have two extra helping hands. Narias had to learn the hard way that knowing a cooking recipe and cooking food were two different things. Fortunately, Jonathan was more than happy to assist him. The two of them made a great team and dinner was ready just in time.
“I’m sorry for the wait,” Narias said as soon as he entered the dining room, pushing a table with the food in front of him. Jonathan entered after Narias, pushing another table with the food as well.
“My son is serving dinner for me. That’s so adorable,” Alvina smiled happily, seeing both of them enter.
“Great, I’m starving.” Flavia exclaimed, becoming excited.
“Ok, here we go.” Narias placed a big plate on the table before uncovering the lid that was hiding the food on it.
“Wow, that’s… a food I had never seen before,” Emilia said in a curious voice.
“Are these… rice balls wrapped in dried lettuce leaves?” Layla was trying to figure out what the food was.
“Hey, what do you call this food, partner?” Flavia wanted to know.
“It’s called ‘sushi’,” Narias answered.
“Soo-shee?” Flavia tilted her head to the side, feeling confused.
“Ah, no. It’s a…” Narias knew he will have some explaining to do once again.
Niuniax
━━━━━━━━━
Thank you for reading. Leave a comment and favorite the chapter if you enjoyed it. Apologies in advance if you find a weird sounding phrase or a grammar error. These are draft chapters after all.
Read 10+ extra chapters on my Patreon (including the artwork not available anywhere else) – Extra Chapters on Patreon
━━━━━━━━━
Extra thanks to nonomo4 and Lynderyn for extra support and help.
“Is… everything ok, Narias?” Layla asked, noticing Narias glancing at her from time to time.
“Aah… sorry. You had never combed your hair this way before and… the pigtails make you look very pretty.” Narias responded, becoming flustered.
“Oh…” his comment made Layla catch a blush. She touched one of her cheeks with her hand, smiling happily. “I will make sure to comb my hair this way more often then.”
Narias and Layla were on a date at Marnas, the trade city situated not that far from where Narias’s parents lived. Now that Layla became Narias’s official girlfriend he had to treat her right and that included going on dates too. He will be going back to Reina’s Magic Academy in about a week’s time, which means they won’t be able to see each other for quite a while after that. Of course, Layla will be able to come visit him once in a while, but her visits will be rare.
They didn’t have any plans to go see or do anything specific. Spending some private time together was more than enough for them. Well, handholding as they walked added that romantic touch too. Layla was feeling very happy about it personally. Her feelings for Narias were real and sincere and she didn’t try to hide them anymore. That just made Narias feel at ease as well.
“What would you like to do, Layla? Is there something you’d like to go?” Narias asked after a short moment of silence.
“You’re asking me?” His question caught Layla a little off guard.
“Of course. We’re on a date. We’re ought to do something we enjoy.” Narias smiled at her.
“But then… where would you like to go, Narias? As you said, it is our date, so what is it that you would like to do?” Layla shot a question back at him, hesitating to answer his.
“I’d like to go somewhere that you’d like.” Narias wasn’t about to budge on having Layla decide, his answer making her giggle charmingly. “Besides, you were taking me anywhere I wanted to go when we went to Marnas when I was little kid. But now I am not little and you’re not just another maid who works for my parents. You are someone who I care about very much and we’re on a date. I’d like you to have fun too.”
“Narias…” Layla was holding her clenched fist next to her mouth, her eyes sparkling lovingly. She took a deep sigh to calm her excitement before smiling happily. “In that case, there is a place I’d love to go see.”
“Great. What is the place?” Narias cheered up, eager to know what it was.
“But first, we need to go buy something.” Layla said with a giggle.
“Buy something?” Narias became even more curious. He waited for Layla to tell him what she wanted to buy, but she simply wrapped her arm around his and gently pulled him forward without explaining anything. Narias had to comply and go with her if he wanted to find out what was the thing Layla wanted to buy.
After a short while, both Narias and Layla were standing at the edge of a small pool where they were feeding fish. The thing Layla wanted to buy was some food that was suitable for the fish to eat before coming here. The place they were at wasn’t anything fancy. It was just another park in a city. Only this one had several small ponds with fish in them. The area was kept clean and tidy with additional flower beds grown here and there. It was nice, but the park was mostly used by older people. The flowers and pools with the fishes added to the quiet serenity that the older people enjoyed so much. Of course, you’d see a younger couple walking by now and then, but young people were still young people, they wanted to do something more exciting than simply walk around or feed the fish.
“I remember you bringing me here now and then when I was a… small child.” Narias had to pick his words since he wasn’t actually small at that time.
“Yeah. And I remember you being so grumpy you didn’t even want to feed the fish with me, Young Master.” Layla chuckled with a tease.
“Aaa… yeah… sorry.” Layla’s words made Narias become embarrassed.
Narias was about five years old when Layla brought him here for the very first time. He was so upset that his parents forced him to leave the house and go do some sightseeing in Marnas. Narias was dragging his feet wherever Layla wanted to take him. All he was thinking about at the time was reading books. He could read easily at the age of five, so he would shut himself inside the library and read voraciously from early morning till late night. As happy as his parents were about his eagerness to learn, they were worried Narias would grow up to be a shut-in, making it difficult for him to find friends, or girlfriends, in the future. So, they set a ‘Going Out Days’ in place as a new rule in the house. Narias dreaded those days the most before he could appreciate what his parents were trying to do.
Wow… Layla looks really happy being here. Narias caught Layla’s happy smile as she was looking at the fish eating the bits of food she was throwing into the pool. As he was gazing at the beautiful woman standing by his side, his brain hit him with another realization so hard it even hurt. Wait, Layla seems to love being here. So, does that mean that all those times when she wanted to take me here with her was because… Sigh… I’m such a jerk.
“I’m so sorry, Layla.” Narias apologized, stopping Layla from throwing another handful of food into the pool.
“For what?” She became confused.
“For being such a numbskull in the past.” He said, rubbing the back of his head from embarrassment. “You always wanted to come see the fish here when I was little and I just…”
“Oh, Narias…” Layla couldn’t hold in her laugh, making Narias confused on top of him becoming even more embarrassed. “I was never upset with you not wanting to feed the fishes. Yes, I love watching fish swim and nibble on the food that I throw at them, but that doesn’t mean everyone else has to feel the same way.”
“I understand that, but… I honestly was acting like a total jerk.” Layla not feeling bad about it just made Narias feel worse.
“Well then…” Layla leaned forwards to give him a tiny kiss on the lips. “I appreciate you telling me that, Narias.”
Narias was left mesmerized by her sudden kiss and how absolutely cute Layla looked.
Layla… He wanted to say her name aloud, but was too caught in the moment to speak. Ahm… oh, ahem. Wait, I still need to make up to her somehow anyway. What could I do? Ghm… Man, I can’t think of anything on the spot. Layla never spoke much about herself and I don’t really know what she likes, but asking her outright doesn’t feel right. Maybe I can remember something after we eat. It’s almost lunch time. But we still have some fish food with us, so… huh? Wait, food… and fish… That’s it!
Narias was suddenly hit by the unexpected excitement which didn’t go unnoticed by Layla. But when she asked him about it, Narias simply said he was very happy about being here with her which also put another charming smile on Layla’s face. After they fed the fish, they had a peaceful walk in the park before going to eat lunch. Narias and Layla had only half a day to themselves. They didn’t rush to do things, but both of them knew they’d have to be home before dinner. Layla was still a maid at his parent’s house and she had her responsibilities to attend to. Helping prepare the dinner was one of them. However, Narias had a new idea regarding that.
“You want to buy some food ingredients to take home with us?” Layla was surprised to hear him say that.
“Yeah. I’d like to prepare something for dinner tonight.” Narias told her.
“What? But… you have servants who cook for you. If there’s any specific food that you’d like to be made, just tell me and we will prepare it.” Layla was puzzled, but managed to stay calm.
“Aah… yes, there is, but… the food I want to make is nothing like you or our family’s main chef had prepared before.” Narias said, not willing to tell her what the food was. He couldn’t really tell her that the food he wanted to make comes from a different world.
“I see…” Layla backed off, as if understanding Narias’s intentions. She straightened up, giving him a smile as well. “In that case, let’s visit the market before we go home.”
They spent some lovely time together. Narias and Layla visited a nice restaurant to have some light lunch before going for another walk around the city. When the time to go home was closing in, they went to the food market to buy the ingredients that Narias said he needed. Marnas was a trade city, so there was plenty of foods to choose from. The ingredients that Narias bought weren’t anything Layla hadn’t bought herself before, except for one thing. However, given the ingredients that Narias had chosen, Layla couldn’t figure what kind of dish he wanted to make. It piqued Layla’s interest and she definitely was curious, but she restrained from asking. Narias’s unexpected willingness to buy and prepare a certain dish for dinner just added to their lovely date.
{after Narias and Layla came back home}
“What? You want to prepare some food for dinner tonight, sweetie?” Narias mom exclaimed upon hearing the news. Her son had never prepared food before for them. “But we have Jonathan who cooks for us. If you just tell him what you want for dinner, he will certainly prepare it. What kind of food is it, my dear?”
“Well, it’s a…” Narias didn’t know how to explain it since he didn’t want to say what the food was.
“It’s probably some food that Narias read in a book,” Ileena commented, throwing her hand to the side.
“Hah, Narias and books,” Flavia laughed. “Personally, I’d love to try Narias’s cooking. I’m too curious to know what kind of dish he’ll make.”
“I would like to try it too,” Emilia said with a smile.
“My own son will cook food for me. Hah, I can’t say no to that,” Lorenard declared, adding a laugh.
“But can you at least tell us what kind of food is it, dear? There might be someone here who might avoid eating some foods,” Narias’s mom asked politely.
“Ah, yes. It will be a dish that has fish in it,” Narias could tell them that much.
“Fish?” Alvina had a curious expression on her face.
“Hey, I love fish dishes. Can’t wait to try it, partner.” Flavia was looking forward to it already.
“Yes. I like fish dishes too,” Emilia said, clapping her hands.
“Fish, huh?” Narias’s dad held his chin, full in thought.
“It will take some time to prepare and I still need to go change, so if it’s ok with you…” Narias wanted to leave.
“Would you like some help, Narias?” Layla was quick to ask.
“Ah, no. I mean, yes. But Jonathan will be in the kitchen, so I’ll ask his help instead,” Narias didn’t want her to come for some reason.
“Ok, if that’s what you want,” Layla didn’t mind.
“How about all of us girls have some tea in the meantime?” Alvina suggested, clapping her hands. “Maybe Layla could tell us how her date with my son went?”
“That’s a great idea,” Lorenard was quick to agree.
“I’m sorry love, but didn’t you say you have some paperwork to take care of?” Alvina was even quicker to burst his bubble.
“Yes, but…” Lorenard put on his charming smile on his face.
“You wouldn’t want to leave unprepared now, would you?” Narias’s mom chuckled.
“Leave where?” Her words made Narias curious.
“Your father is going away soon to conduct an investigation. We thought we’ll tell you about it later,” Alvina answered his question. “Please, go ahead, dear. I can’t wait to try the food that you want to prepare for us.”
“Ok. Please, excuse me.” Narias bowed his head politely before leaving the room.
“No, no, my love. You better go do what you need to,” Alvina jumped in front of her husband, preventing him from saying whatever he wanted to say. “Besides, it will be just us girls talking about some boring stuff.”
“B… but…” Lorenard knew that whatever the conversation will be, it definitely wouldn’t be boring. Unfortunately, Lorenard knew he won’t be able to sweettalk himself into it. “Ok, ok. I’ll see you at the dinner table, my love.”
“Aah… you’re such a charmer.” Alvina gave him a kiss before he left. “Now then Layla, how about you go change before joining as at the dining room?”
“Yes, Lady Alvina,” Layla bowed down respectfully.
Since Narias wasn’t exactly a cook, preparing the food was a real challenge for him. Fortunately, he had some help from Jonathan, their house chef. Jonathan was very curious to see what kind of food Narias was attempting to prepare, in addition to becoming shocked when he learned Narias will be the one cooking today. Being a cook himself however, Jonathan was very eager to learn a new cooking recipe and Narias appreciated to have two extra helping hands. Narias had to learn the hard way that knowing a cooking recipe and cooking food were two different things. Fortunately, Jonathan was more than happy to assist him. The two of them made a great team and dinner was ready just in time.
“I’m sorry for the wait,” Narias said as soon as he entered the dining room, pushing a table with the food in front of him. Jonathan entered after Narias, pushing another table with the food as well.
“My son is serving dinner for me. That’s so adorable,” Alvina smiled happily, seeing both of them enter.
“Great, I’m starving.” Flavia exclaimed, becoming excited.
“Ok, here we go.” Narias placed a big plate on the table before uncovering the lid that was hiding the food on it.
“Wow, that’s… a food I had never seen before,” Emilia said in a curious voice.
“Are these… rice balls wrapped in dried lettuce leaves?” Layla was trying to figure out what the food was.
“Hey, what do you call this food, partner?” Flavia wanted to know.
“It’s called ‘sushi’,” Narias answered.
“Soo-shee?” Flavia tilted her head to the side, feeling confused.
“Ah, no. It’s a…” Narias knew he will have some explaining to do once again.
Niuniax
━━━━━━━━━
Thank you for reading. Leave a comment and favorite the chapter if you enjoyed it. Apologies in advance if you find a weird sounding phrase or a grammar error. These are draft chapters after all.
Read 10+ extra chapters on my Patreon (including the artwork not available anywhere else) – Extra Chapters on Patreon
━━━━━━━━━
Extra thanks to nonomo4 and Lynderyn for extra support and help.
