The night passed, and Ariel was woken up by birds chirping outside her window.
She stretched and rubbed her eyes, feeling super comfy, but then froze.
Wait, why am I in bed.
Ariel clearly remembered setting up her bed on the floor.
But now, she was snuggled under a bright red quilt with the word "hi" on it, smelling all fresh like sunshine.
When she turned, she noticed a dent on the pillow next to her. Her cheeks turned pink.
Did Rhysand come back last night? Did he... sleep here?
Just as she was thinking this, the door opened, and Rhysand walked in. He had just come back from a run, steam rising off him.
His sweaty black T-shirt clung to his muscles, which bulged underneath. He casually took off his shirt and started wiping his face with a towel.
Ariel's eyes widened. For the first time, she was seeing a guy up close like this, and her mind went blank.
The room was small, and Rhysand was just... changing clothes, not even caring that she was there.
When he started to take off his sweatpants, Ariel panicked. Her face turned beet red. "I'm going to cook!" she blurted and ran out of the room like the place was on fire.
Rhysand barely looked up, his expression cold.
It's just clothes, what's the big deal? Didn't she have a childhood boyfriend, Callum?
Later, Ariel came back into the house, holding two plates of fried eggs. Her face was still a bit flushed.
Rhysand had changed into a black suit, looking all serious and proper. He was super handsome, totally different from the sweaty guy she saw earlier.
"I made breakfast," Ariel mumbled, putting a plate in front of him. "You can try it."
Rhysand glanced at the food. He remembered her saying she was good at cooking last night when she felt guilty.
Is this what she calls cooking?
The dark blob on the plate barely looked like food.
Seeing Rhysand's silent expression, Ariel grew nervous. She looked at her misshaped omelette and whispered, "It looks bad, but it tastes good. I promise!"
Without a word, Rhysand stood up and walked out, leaving Ariel feeling frustrated. She'd tried so hard to be nice to him, but it was like hitting a brick wall.
Fine, don't eat it if you don't want to!
She angrily grabbed his plate, ready to eat it herself when Rhysand came back with his own plate of fried eggs.
He silently placed the new dish in front of her.
Ariel's jaw dropped. The omelette on his plate was perfectly cooked—golden, soft, with cute little tomatoes on the side.
It looks so good!
"You made this?" she asked, her eyes wide.
Rhysand just nodded, emotionless, and took her dark, overcooked omelette to eat himself.
Ariel blinked in shock. Rhysand, a bodyguard, knew how to cook better than her? Seeing him start to eat her "black charcoal" omelette, Ariel was super embarrassed. "Uh, how does it taste?" she asked.
"Good," he said plainly.
Ariel let out a sigh of relief.
Phew, at least it's not awful.
After thinking for a bit, she asked shyly, "Um, did I do anything... weird last night?"
Without looking up, Rhysand replied, "You kicked the blanket off six times. I had to pick it up every time."
Ariel's face turned bright red. She was a restless sleeper. "And after that?"
"I hugged you to sleep," he added casually. "Your waist is pretty small, easy to hold."
"Clank!"
Ariel dropped her chopsticks, her face burning.
Was he... flirting with me?!
But Rhysand's cold expression didn't change. After finishing his food, he quietly gathered the dishes and headed outside to wash them.
Ariel quickly stood up to help, but Rhysand glanced at her hand and said, "Sit down." She immediately froze.
Honestly, she didn't know Rhysand well and was still a bit scared of him.
The way he had beaten up Callum yesterday with those cold, scary eyes still freaked her out.
Outside the window, Butler Jorah and a couple of bodyguards were hiding behind the bushes, peeking in.
Jorah's face turned green when he saw Rhysand eating the "black charcoal" omelette and even washing the dishes afterward.
Back in Peak City, Rhysand only ever stayed in five-star hotels. His family's chefs were all Michelin-starred, cooking gourmet meals every day.
Now, here he was, living in a shabby little house, cooking his own meals, and even eating burnt food without a single complaint.
Tears welled up in Jorah's eyes.
Third Young Master is the heir to the great Lee Golden family, used to the best of everything.
How did he end up here, married to this woman, and living like this? He's completely changed!