Chương 162: Chapter : 162

"She is ridiculous," Naomi muttered, crossing her arms tightly. She glared at Ken.

"And you are an idiot. Are you actually going to accept a gift from the enemy? What if she poisoned it?" Ken didn't even hear her. He was completely deaf to the political awkwardness. He didn't care about the tsundere romantic tension, the blushing, or the rivalries of the Succession War. His sleepy eyes were sparkling like a child on a holiday morning. Ken carefully pulled the golden silk ribbon, untying the perfect knot. He opened the lid of the glossy white box.

Inside, resting on a delicate paper doily, was the most beautiful, magnificent, mouth-watering chocolate cake he had ever seen in his entire life. The smell of rich fudge and fresh strawberries floated into the air.

"Oh my goodness," Ken whispered, his voice full of pure, unadulterated awe.

"It is beautiful. It is an absolute masterpiece."

"Ken, put the box down," Naomi scolded, though she was completely ignored.

"You shouldn't eat things from rival units." Ken looked up from the cake. He gave the entire team a massive, joyful, completely unfazed smile. The romantic tension flew right over his head, leaving only pure happiness behind.

"Are you kidding me?" Ken announced loudly, raising the fancy cake box into the air like a victorious trophy.

"This is the greatest day of my life! I don't care if she wears a shiny uniform! I don't care if she calls me a peasant! Anyone who brings me free, highly expensive chocolate cake is officially my new best friend!" Laxmi burst out laughing, leaning against Zinia for support.

"He doesn't even care about the girl! He is just in love with the food!"

"I am in love with the frosting!" Ken corrected her happily, totally shameless. He turned around and started shuffling quickly toward the front doors of the estate.

"I am going to the kitchen right now to find a very large fork. If any of you try to steal a slice of my new best friend's cake, I am calling the Imperial Police!" As Ken happily disappeared into the house, completely oblivious to the complex, shifting emotions of the girls around him, the 13th Unit just stood in the courtyard and shook their heads.

The lazy slacker had somehow managed to win over the coldest, most arrogant rival in the city without doing any actual work, proving once again that his ridiculous, goofy charm was the most unpredictable weapon in the entire Empire.

The front door of the Eliot household clicked open, and Ken immediately let out a massive, happy sigh. He didn't bother announcing his arrival right away. He just stood in the small entryway of his family's modest, middle-class home in the Iron Rose District and took a deep breath. The air here didn't smell like toxic dungeon moss, expensive Inner City cologne, or burnt monster fur. It smelled exactly like fresh laundry, old floorboards, and boiling caramel. Stolen novel; please report.

It was the absolute best smell in the entire world.

"I am home!" Ken called out, kicking off his shoes. He left them in a sloppy, uneven pile by the door and shuffled into the house wearing only his socks.

"And I am officially off the clock! Do not ask me to do any chores, because my arms are currently on a strict vacation!"

"Ken!" a warm, cheerful voice answered from the kitchen. Khadija, his mother, peeked her head out from around the corner. She was wearing her usual floral apron, her face lighting up with a massive, loving smile the absolute second she saw him. She quickly wiped her hands on a dish towel and hurried over, wrapping him in a tight, crushing hug.

"Oh, look at you!" Khadija beamed, pulling back to inspect his face. She totally ignored the fact that his dark blue uniform shirt was completely untucked and his tie was missing entirely.

"You look like you haven't slept in a week! Are they feeding you enough at the estate? You look so thin!"

"They feed me fine, Mom, but they make me walk everywhere," Ken complained instantly, leaning into the role of the suffering victim. He slouched his shoulders and let out a dramatic groan.

"It is pure torture. They don't understand the concept of taking a nap. I am practically wasting away from all the unnecessary cardio."

"Well, you are in luck," Khadija chuckled, patting his cheek affectionately.

"I am making your absolute favorite homemade pudding right now. It just needs to cool down for a few minutes. Go sit in the kitchen with your sister." Ken's sleepy eyes actually widened with pure, unfiltered joy.

"Pudding? You are literally the greatest woman in the Belmontia Empire. I am going to eat the entire bowl." He shuffled into the small, cozy kitchen. Sitting across the square wooden table was his younger sister, Jasmin. She was surrounded by a massive pile of textbooks, her notes scattered everywhere. She was chewing on the end of a pencil, looking incredibly focused. When Ken walked in, she dropped the pencil and gave him a highly suspicious, narrow-eyed look.

"Well, well, well," Jasmin said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look who decided to grace us with his presence. The big, important Royal Servant returns to the slums. So, how is the fancy lifestyle treating you? Are you drinking tea from golden cups yet?" Ken pulled out a chair and totally collapsed into it. He let his head drop backward, staring up at the plain white ceiling.

"Jasmin, it is absolutely terrible," Ken answered honestly, totally dropping any pretense of having a good time.

"I hate it. I want to quit right now and come back here to do absolutely nothing forever." Jasmin rolled her eyes, picking her pencil back up.

"Oh, please. You are working for the 13th Princess of the Empire! You get a free room, you get paid a massive salary, and you probably just stand by a door all day. Stop whining. It cannot be that bad."

"You have no idea," Ken whined, lifting his head to give her a serious, highly annoyed look.

"The frontlines of this job are an absolute nightmare. I am surrounded by the most arrogant, annoying nobles you will ever meet in your life. They wear these pristine white suits and think they own the entire universe. If you even look at them wrong, they start throwing glowing magical swords at you!"

"Magical swords?" Jasmin asked, raising an eyebrow. She clearly thought he was exaggerating.

"Are you actually fighting people, or are you just running away?"

"I am running away, obviously," Ken defended himself, crossing his arms.

"But I have to run very fast! And it's not just the snobby nobles! Do you know what we had to do yesterday? We had to walk into a pitch-black cave. A cave! It was damp, it smelled like rotten garbage, and it was completely filled with terrifying, giant monsters!" Jasmin put her chin in her hand, looking highly amused by his dramatic storytelling.

"Monsters? What kind of monsters?"