Exiled Prince: I'm the Unexpected Extra in the Novel

Chapter 227: Good evening, Elara

When we reached the small table beside the window, I assumed we would sit across from one another. Instead, Iris pulled out the chair beside mine and sat next to me.

Our legs touched beneath the table.

"Did you bring me here specifically to see Adam?" I asked.

Iris hesitated.

"The food really is good," she said, averting her gaze. "And I wanted to check whether Adam was here before we went to Elara’s house. It would have been harder to surprise her if they were both at home."

"So you planned this from the beginning."

"Not exactly." She fidgeted with the edge of the table. "I wanted to have dinner with you too."

Her cheeks turned faintly red again.

"I thought we could do both."

"I see."

A relieved smile appeared on her face at my answer.

Before long, the sound of oil sizzling in a pan rose from the kitchen. Only when the aroma began spreading through the restaurant did I realize just how hungry I was.

While we waited, Iris began telling me about Elara and Adam.

"When Elara told me she was getting married, I honestly couldn’t believe it," she said with a laugh. "She used to scowl the moment anyone brought up marriage. Then one day, she brought Adam before me and said with an extremely serious expression, ’I’m marrying him.’"

"Where did she find him?"

"They tell that part differently. Elara says they met during a mission. Adam claims Elara came to his restaurant, disliked his food, and then spent three hours explaining how he was supposed to cook it."

Adam’s voice came from the kitchen.

"Because my version is the true one!"

Iris rolled her eyes.

"As you can see, they’re still arguing about it."

A short while later, Adam emerged from the kitchen carrying a large plate in each hand.

He placed plates piled high with roasted meat, spiced potatoes, vegetables, and a thick sauce in front of us. Then he set warm bread and two bowls of dark soup in the center of the table.

"Student portions," he declared.

Iris raised her eyebrows at the food.

"This could feed three students."

"You work for the Student Council. You burn enough energy for two people."

Adam then turned to me.

"I’m guessing you eat more than an ordinary person too."

"That’s a good guess."

I picked up my fork and cut a piece of meat.

Although the outside had been lightly seared, the inside was tender. The sauce was rich without being overwhelming, and none of the spices overpowered the others.

It was far better than I had expected.

Adam leaned against the counter, watching my reaction.

"Well?"

"Good."

Iris lightly elbowed me in the arm.

"Just good?"

"Very good," I corrected myself.

A satisfied smile appeared on Adam’s lips.

"Elara told me you use words as if you have to pay for every one of them."

"Elara told you about me?"

Both Adam and Iris fell silent at the question.

After thinking for several seconds, Adam pulled out one of the chairs in front of the counter and sat across from us.

"A few times," he said. "She spoke about a white-haired, red-eyed, unruly boy. An irritating student who did the opposite of everything she told him, yet learned every technique she demonstrated on his first attempt."

"I didn’t do the opposite of everything she said, and I didn’t learn quickly at all."

"So that part of the story was true."

Iris covered her mouth and laughed.

The smile on Adam’s face gradually faded.

"Elara believed that boy was dead."

My fork stopped above the plate.

A brief silence fell over the table.

"So did I," I said.

Adam didn’t take his eyes off me. It was obvious that he wanted to ask what I meant, but he never voiced the question.

"You’re here now," he finally said. "You can tell us the rest when you’re ready. I don’t enjoy forcing open other people’s wounds."

My gaze involuntarily drifted toward the burn scar on his face.

Adam noticed.

Rather than appearing uncomfortable, he smiled faintly.

"Now it’s your turn," I said.

"My turn for what?"

"You have a Seven-Star mana core. Why are you working here as a cook?"

Iris closed her eyes and rested her forehead against her palm.

"Cassian... You can’t ask someone something like that so directly."

"Why?"

"Because it’s rude!"

Adam burst into laughter.

His voice echoed throughout the restaurant, causing the other customers to glance toward us.

"Elara was right," he said. "You really do say whatever comes into your head."

"You still haven’t answered."

"Because I enjoy cooking."

I waited for him to continue.

Adam silently stared back at me.

"That’s all?"

"That’s all."

When he saw the dissatisfaction on my face, he leaned back in his chair.

"I used to wield a sword," he said. "For a long time, I believed strength existed only to kill, to survive, and to cut down your enemy before someone stronger came along to cut down you."

His fingers unconsciously touched the burn scar on his face.

"Then one day, I realized I had killed enough people. I wanted to see if I could use these hands to create something else. Cutting meat with a knife is far more peaceful than cutting people with a sword. Fire doesn’t always have to burn things to ash. Sometimes it can simply warm a pot."

His gaze dropped toward his hands.

"My mana core isn’t a chain that gets to dictate what I do with the rest of my life. It’s only a tool. I am the one who decides how to use it."

Your mana core...

Your strength...

Your curses...

The things you possessed didn’t have to determine the course of your life.

They were simple words.

Even so, they lodged themselves deep within a corner of my mind.

Was I truly making my own decisions?

Or had my desire to survive, the System, Lilith’s curse, Zevstyle, and the powers I possessed already set me on a predetermined path?

Warm fingers touched my left hand beneath the table.

Without saying a word, Iris took my hand.

She must have noticed the change in my expression.

When I turned toward her, she answered with a small smile. She slid her fingers between mine and gently squeezed my hand.

The dark thoughts rising within me vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

Adam’s gaze dropped toward our joined hands.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Childhood friends, huh?"

Iris’s face instantly turned crimson.

She tried to pull her hand away, but this time, I didn’t release her fingers.

"Adam!" she exclaimed in embarrassment. "Stop looking at us like that!"

"I’m not doing anything. I’m simply asking the question Elara will ask sooner or later."

"There’s nothing between us like what you’re imagining."

"I want to marry her," I said.

Iris’s entire body froze.

The spoon slipped from her hand and fell into her soup bowl.

The teasing expression on Adam’s face disappeared as well.

Iris slowly turned her head toward me. Her eyes were wide open, and her lips had parted slightly.

"C-Cassian..."

"What?"

"You can’t..." Her voice grew quieter with every word. "You can’t just say something like that out of nowhere."

"Why not? It’s true."

The redness in her cheeks spread all the way to the tips of her ears.

She swiftly turned her head away. However, she didn’t withdraw her fingers from mine. On the contrary, her grip grew slightly tighter.

Adam studied my face for several seconds.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"I see."

He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest.

"Then that handshake earlier was only the beginning."

"I assumed as much."

Iris sighed helplessly.

"You’re both terrible."

Adam rose from his chair again.

"Finish your food. You should get to Elara’s place before it becomes too late. And if she managed to put the baby to sleep, don’t knock too loudly."

"How do you think Elara will react when she sees me?" I asked.

Adam answered without hesitation.

"She may try to attack you first."

"Adam!" Iris snapped.

"What? I know my wife."

"Does she keep a weapon at home?"

"She has a sword as tall as I am hidden in the kitchen."

"That’s enough!"

Despite Iris’s angry voice, Adam returned behind the counter with a laugh.

After finishing our meal, I tried to pay, but Adam firmly refused.

"I’m not taking money from Elara’s former student on his first visit," he said.

I placed a gold coin on the counter.

Adam pushed it back toward me.

I pushed it toward him again.

For several seconds, the coin slid back and forth across the counter.

Finally, Iris snatched it and shoved it into my pocket.

"Don’t turn this into another contest of strength," she warned us both.

By the time we stepped out of the restaurant, the sun had completely disappeared. The streetlamps bathed the snow-covered roads in golden light.

After we had taken a few steps, Iris abruptly stopped.

She silently pointed across the street.

The dessert shop we had passed earlier was there.

"You didn’t forget," I said.

"Of course I didn’t."

We went inside and bought two boxes of sweets—one for Elara and another for Iris to eat along the way.

Iris insisted that the second box was also for Elara. However, the fact that she opened it the moment we left the shop and began eating one of the small cream-covered cakes made her claim rather unconvincing.

"I’m only checking to make sure they aren’t poisoned," she said.

"Are you going to check every sweet we bought for Elara like that?"

"If necessary."

A small amount of cream had smeared across her cheek.

I raised my hand and wiped it away with my thumb.

Iris froze where she stood.

"There was cream on your face," I said.

"Y-you could have told me."

"Wiping it away was easier."

She hid her face behind her scarf and resumed walking. However, she didn’t release my hand for even a moment.

Roughly ten minutes later, we reached a quieter district of the capital.

The house where Elara and Adam lived was a simple two-story stone building. Warm light spilled from the windows on the ground floor.

When we stopped in front of the door, Iris took a deep breath.

"Are you ready?"

"For what?"

"To see Elara."

"If she tries to kill me, should I fight back?"

"Cassian!"

"I was joking."

Iris looked at me suspiciously.

"I think," I added.

Rather than reassuring her, that answer only made her more anxious.

She released my hand, stepped toward the door, and knocked lightly twice.

First came the muffled sound of footsteps from inside the house, followed by the faint murmur of a baby.

The lock clicked.

The door opened, revealing Elara.

Her purple hair fell messily over her shoulders, and she wore simple clothes meant for the comfort of home. In one arm, she held a small baby wrapped in a pale blanket.

She noticed Iris first.

A warm smile spread across her tired face.

"Iris? What are you doing here at this—"

Then her gaze shifted toward me.

Her words died in her throat.

Her eyes slowly widened as all the color drained from her face. Her body tensed with battle instinct, and her free hand reached toward the hilt of a sword that was no longer hanging from her waist.

The last time I remembered seeing Elara, she had been a woman who wouldn’t tremble even when standing before me with a sword in her hand.

Now, the arm holding her baby was visibly shaking.

Her lips parted.

"Cassian...?"

I looked at her with the same expressionless face I always wore.

"Good evening, Elara."