Chapter 20: Request
In Evelia’s mind, holding hands between the opposite sexes was already considered an intimate expression, so she chose to tentatively hook her little finger around Alman’s little finger, touching him with the smallest finger on her palm.
She thought this gesture was a form of restraint, but this action of hooking fingers was inherently more ambiguous than directly holding hands.
This small action created a hint of haziness between the two of them, as if they were holding each other and snuggling, yet also seemed cautious and distant.
The tender skin brushed lightly against Alman’s rough finger, and unconsciously, he hooked his finger in an attempt to feel the weak warmth of her pinky.
The first round of their contest began silently.
They probably remained silent for a few seconds, but their footsteps didn’t stop; in the meantime, they missed each other’s gaze as the sunlight fell upon them, bringing a layer of faint warmth.
If someone happened to pass by, they would certainly gossip about how that guy Alman was about to bloom, but whether it was Evelia or Alman, even though they were walking together with their pinkies hooked towards the garden, neither of them felt a trace of affection in their hearts.
— Is this woman sending some kind of signal? Or is she possibly a spy that hasn’t been cleaned up?
Alman seemed somewhat clueless, only thinking about how to guard against this girl.
— Although it’s written in novels, does this hooking of fingers count as physical contact? It feels more like walking a dog.
Evelia was still using her own way of thinking to judge the correctness of what she was doing.
“Evel, what do you mean by this?”
The conversation was initiated by Alman. He maintained the hooked finger position while raising Evelia’s hand.
“Hooking fingers,” Evelia replied in her usual flat tone.
“I certainly know this is hooking fingers.”
Saying this, Alman chuckled and changed his gesture. While keeping the original hooking state, he gently pressed his thumb against the pad of Evelia’s thumb.
The second round of their contest began.
This time, the position of their hands was much more intimate than before, with their knuckles tightly pressed together. Finally, they could feel the warmth of each other’s palms.
“Hooking fingers means making a vow. Evel, do you have something you want me to do?”
“……”
Evelia silently looked at Alman, considering something in her heart.
She thought that there were indeed many things she needed him to do.
First, she needed him to trust her.
Next, she needed him to fall in love with her.
Then, she needed him to become reliant on her.
If she could manipulate this man easily, getting whatever she wanted would be a simple matter.
Gripping his heart firmly in her hands, she would make him obedient to her every wish.
Controlling him would mean controlling the entire Royal Knight Order, thereby seizing the lifeline of the First Prince.
Extracting information from him, or presenting enough temptation to turn him to her side.
Ultimately, no matter what, when everything was in order, she could eliminate both him and the First Prince.
In summary, four words: kill the donkey after it has served its purpose.
Looking at it this way, Evelia could be considered a heartless manipulator intent on using feelings and then discarding them.
However, for her, it was just a trivial matter.
“The kitchen.”
After thinking for a while, Evelia replied with these two words.
“Can you let me go to the kitchen?”
Alman’s obvious probing question was the second time Evelia had heard it. The first time, she chose to have him remember her name, to leave a deeper impression on him. This time, she chose to strive for the right to use the kitchen, as it’s often said that to capture a man’s heart, one must first capture his stomach.
This saying was also often reflected in the “Complete Family Cookbook” she bought, even printed on the cover.
Of course, this was merely a promotional gimmick for a women’s self-help book.
If it were a makeup book, it would say “To capture a man’s heart, capture his eyes”; for a massage book, it would state “To capture a man’s heart, capture his acupoints”; for an adult book, “To capture a man’s heart, capture his xxx.”
There were even self-defense books with slogans like “To capture a man’s heart, capture his skull.”
To make Alman satisfied, the usually unserious Evelia specifically bought a cookbook and prepared various seasonings, but before she could truly show her skills, Alman had already forbidden her from entering the kitchen.
“The kitchen?” Alman laughed lightly, rejecting her decisively. “No.”
Being resistant to poison is one thing; having your tongue tortured is another.
Although Alman could see that Evelia was sincerely trying to cook, he couldn’t accept dishes like the corpse mountain blood sea omelet-rice or those occasionally attempted chaotic spice stews, nor the unforgettable soup that resembled an ancient grudge soul condensation.
He also couldn’t adapt to her saying, “Master~ the little maid has brought you your meal, let me feed you~♡” with a deadpan tone that sounded so stiff.
Saying such things with a straight face was simply mental pollution; Alman certainly didn’t possess masochistic traits, and he didn’t want to see Evelia frowning at him with a look of disgust while he was eating, which would only worsen his already terrible appetite.
“I heard from the head chef that you are very picky.”
“Not really that picky. I can basically eat whatever the head chef makes.”
“What about other people’s food?”
“Our knights often bring snacks from home; I can manage to eat a little…”
“Understood, you just don’t eat mine.”
“Ah… well… this…”
Thud.
From afar came the sound of knights hitting the target center, as if Evelia’s words were hitting Alman’s thoughts.
“You look down on me.”
Evelia’s direct words made Alman feel a bit awkward.
“Not really.”
“Then let me go to the kitchen.”
It was the same line; once her stubborn temper rose, it was impossible to give up halfway.
Whatever Evelia set out to do, there was no talk of quitting.
“I will satisfy you.”
Although Evelia’s expression didn’t change much, she hadn’t even realized that what had started as simply hooking fingers had now turned into her fully grasping Alman’s hand.
“You really are persistent.”
Alman laughed, holding her hand back. The warmth in his palm made her instinctively look down at their tightly intertwined hands. The next moment, Alman was already pulling her and changing direction.
“Where are you going?”
“To the back kitchen. You wanted to go, right? I’ll accompany you.”
“Um…”
Evelia followed Alman, feeling the spring breeze brushing against her cheeks. She didn’t break free from Alman’s hold but rather chose to further entwine their fingers.
Alman also didn’t refuse, allowing the woman to hold him so intimately.
This marked the third round.
Alman taking her there wasn’t out of goodwill; he simply wanted to see what she intended to do.
Evelia studying dishes wasn’t out of love; she merely wanted to gain Alman’s favor.
Both held their own thoughts, yet they appeared so close.
On the surface were smiles and calm, while internally, they were counting with opposing intentions. They were merely a man with false feelings and a woman with intentions to use and discard.
However, at least for now, this battle held no smoke of war.
