Just fuck it, yes, you heard me. fuck everything.
"What's wrong with Sir these days?"
"He seems a little different since he came back from the hospital."
"I don't know, but I caught a glimpse of him, and you wouldn't believe what I saw him doing in the kitchen."
The servants, male and female alike, all moved closer, eager to find out what was going on in the mansion. No one could blame them; they had worked in this place long enough to know that loud music was unheard of. The mansion, often nicknamed "The Ghost Palace" due to its eerie quietness, never saw such noise unless there were guests, and even then, it was rare.
"He's... he's dancing to the rhythm of music while cooking."
Everyone gasped at once as if they had rehearsed it.
"Impossible!"
"Stop imagining things! We're talking about Sir here."
The servant turned to her colleagues, her expression full of bewilderment.
"Am I saying something crazy?"
Her eyebrows arched downward in frustration. How could she not feel insulted after being doubted?
"How about you go and take a look yourself?"
The hesitation on the servant's face didn't escape her notice.
"What if I told you that if you look and find out I'm wrong, I'll take your shift for a week? But if I'm right, you'll take mine."
Suddenly, his hesitation disappeared. He seemed confident it was impossible for his Sir to be dancing and cooking at the same time.
He took long strides under the watchful eyes of all the servants. Some praised his bravery, while others thought he was a fool walking into his doom.
Reaching the kitchen door, he began to open it slowly. Only a sliver of space allowed one eye to see through, and what he saw widened it in shock.
Everyone gathered behind him, waiting for him to report what he saw.
"What do you see?"
No response came, heightening their anticipation.
"Speak up, quickly!"
Their patience wore thin. Someone nudged him, causing him to lose his balance and fall, dragging the others with him, which flung the door wide open. The scene revealed me, wearing a kitchen apron, holding a spoon, and moving my lips to the lyrics of the song while swaying my body with effortless grace.
Too stunned to process what their eyes saw, they forgot to get up and remained sprawled on the floor.
I hadn't noticed them. And even if I had, fuck it all.
This had always been my method when stuck on a difficult story plot. I'd head to the kitchen, blast music at full volume, and start cooking while dancing. That's when my brain worked at its peak. Oh, by the way, if you looked closely, you'd notice a cigar on the corner of my mouth.
Yes, a cigar. It turned out the previous owner of this body had been addicted to two things, and the first was blood.
His thirst for blood, sleep did not begin to visit me until after the hallway incident.
After I returned from my adventure yesterday, of course because of what I discovered, I went back to sleep until I noticed a small box. When I opened it, the scent triggered something in me, and after finishing one cigar, I slept like a baby.
It's ironic. Someone like me, who used to cough as if dying whenever a car passed by, was now a smoker. I'm genuinely curious about how many things I'll end up doing that I never imagined.
"Have you all lost your minds or what?"
Trembling was followed by chaos as they scrambled to their feet, frantically trying to straighten their wrinkled clothes.
They turned toward the voice behind them.
"Ma'am…"
They ran as soon as they finished bowing. It wasn't wise to get caught in the crossfire between spouses.
I grabbed the spices and, with a playful toss, passed them from one hand to the other, adding a sprinkle to my dish. But my fun was abruptly cut short when the music stopped.
Annoyed, I turned to look at the device, my expression reflecting my irritation. Who would dare interrupt me? Who else but Ivana.
"How do you allow yourself to appear like this in front of the servants?"
As if I hadn't heard a word, I turned my back to her, focusing entirely on finishing my great dish.
"Stop ignoring me. We need to talk. It's urgent."
The word urgent piqued my interest slightly, but not enough to abandon the great meal nearing completion.
She moved closer, grabbing my arm in an attempt to force me to face her. Though it was impossible for her to budge me even an inch, I let her feel a small victory by loosening my posture so our eyes could meet.
She realized how close we were and took two steps back, leaving some empty space between us.
The cold expression on her face bore no trace of the overly emotional woman from yesterday. Sweetly murderous or, rather, murderously sweet.
Some might find such a contrast intriguing, but I wasn't one of them. If I couldn't read her emotions, I simply couldn't trust her.
Well, given my psychological issues, even if I could read her, trust was still impossible.
"What's so urgent? Hurry, the great meal is still on the stove."
No response. Her face betrayed no reaction, even though I had exaggerated my words in an attempt to crack her facade. This only deepened my curiosity about what had happened to her yesterday to bring forth such a flood of emotion.
"The banquet date has been set. We'll leave in two months. We need to prepare ourselves. Even though you've lost your memory, with me by your side, we'll manage."
I gave up trying to read her thoughts. Turning away again, I focused on my great cooking.
"I assume this banquet has something to do with your family?"
"Of course."
"And did I say I'd go?"
"Of course, we agreed on it."
"That question wasn't for you, Hank."
Out of nowhere, Hank appeared by the door. Ivana turned toward him with a blank expression.
"You didn't inform me of anything, sir."
"It's obviously not to tell him something this important. This is between us."
"Hank, do you have a response to this?"
His expression revealed reluctance to intervene. After all, this was between a husband and wife. But he had no choice.
"There's a schedule listing all the Sir's activities. From my review, it doesn't include anything about a family banquet, ma'am."
"Ivana, my wife, do you have a response to that?"
"Do you really think you tell him everything?"
I turned to her, resting my hand on my chin—a habit I had developed whenever I wanted to give the impression of deep thought, even if I didn't actually need to think.
It was obvious. The body's owner hadn't been sharing everything with Hank, and the same applied to Ivana.
But the idea of walking into the lion's den right now didn't seem wise.
I returned my focus to the greatest dish ever prepared, the most important thing at the moment.
"We were specifically invited. Do you really want to—"
I turned to her quickly, scooping up a spoonful of the world's greatest dish and shoving it into her crimson-red lips.
Caught off guard, she clasped her beautiful hands over her mouth, struggling to swallow what had invaded her forbidden space.
Wait, no, not that space. I confused the two. Well, does it even matter? I mean, don't they both—the same thing enter them?
Damn it, what am I even thinking?
After swallowing and catching her breath, she straightened up. Damn, what do I need to do to extract some sort of emotion from her face? Should I... No, I can't, stop my mind.
(Author: Pervert. It's him, not me.)
"How does it taste?"
"Tasteless. Completely flavorless."
"You have the same problem, my dear."
I picked up the plate containing the greatest dish humanity had ever known and left the kitchen, heading to the dining area—the same place where she had broken down before.
I took a seat at the head of the table. Why do the wealthy always buy these ridiculously long tables? In the end, only two or three people sit at them, at most.
Ivana sat beside me, and naturally, Hank stood like a lamppost nearby.
"Is there something important you want to tell me?"
I didn't want anything interfering with my enjoyment of the greatest meal humanity had ever known. Yes, I confirm and repeat—what I had prepared was the culmination of years of cooking expertise.
"In response to you, sir,The Investigation office has already called, as I expected. They're on their way, sir."
"Good. Make sure everyone stays sharp. I don't want any mistakes."
"Of course, sir."
I was about to take my first bite when Ivana interrupted.
"The Investigation office ... I should be with you."
I glanced at her in confusion.
"Is our marriage public knowledge?"
It was natural for her family to know I existed. What surprised me was how they had let her marry the kingdom's most-wanted enemy—or at least, that's what the media reported. They might know I was married, but it was impossible for them to know who my wife was. Regardless of its authority, the office couldn't bypass the Protection Law.
"Of course not."
"Then why suggest such a foolish idea?"
"It would be foolish to leave a man with amnesia alone with someone from the office ."
She shut me up. Fair point.
She looked at Hank.
"Are you really going to let him do whatever he wants?"
My eyebrow raised involuntarily as I tapped my finger on the table, drawing her attention back to me. Setting the cigar aside, I spoke firmly.
"I decide."
"I say what happens."
Each word was punctuated by a stronger tap on the table.
"I allow and forbid."
She kept her cold gaze fixed on me. I felt anger boiling in my chest, but fortunately, Hank intervened.
"The Sir's orders are final here. Ma'am means no disrespect; she's only concerned for you."
Even though I knew he was spewing nonsense, it helped me regain a bit of control over my temper.
This was what I had anticipated. I needed something to keep her in check. I couldn't have her undermining me or planting doubts among my subordinates about my capability due to my memory loss.
Anyway, I turned my attention back to the greatest—yes, the greatest—meal humanity had ever known. Without hesitation, I took my first bite.
I cannot describe how much I had longed for this moment. I had been without taste or smell for so long—so long that I'd forgotten what it felt like. Especially to taste food I had prepared myself. Yes, I couldn't taste it earlier due to my physical condition, but now... now...
My pale skin suddenly turned yellow. My eyes began to water as if I were about to cry. Of course, it was out of joy.
I glanced at them and saw the look of realization settling on their faces—even Ivana. Nothing ever showed on her face except in moments of my misery.
I couldn't believe the moment I had awaited for so long would turn out to be so bitter.
And to think I had considered myself a legendary chef. I had planned to buy a long white headband, tying it around my wrist and then my head whenever I cooked. Damn it, all my dreams went straight to the trash.
I swallowed. No matter the cost, I had to preserve what little dignity I had left.
I pushed the plate away.
"I... I just remembered I was on a diet."
I stared into the void, ignoring their looks that clearly said, "Yeah, right."
Hank raised his hand with a fake cough. Is this how you save your Sir? You've let me down, Hank.
"I'll inform the staff to prepare something that meets your dietary standards, sir."
I nodded like one of those dashboard dogs. Hank picked up the plate and left the room.
Moments of silence passed between us. The longer they stretched, the more awkward it became.
"We can't trust the servants. They might try to exploit your vulnerable state. If you don't trust your wife, then who will you trust?"
She held my hand as if to emphasize her words.
I lifted my hand, freeing it from her attempt at manipulation.
"Let's cut the nonsense."
I looked at her with certainty.
"Clearly, we don't have a normal husband-and-wife relationship. Obviously, our marriage was for mutual benefit."
She took a deep breath, seemingly done with the pretense.
She was about to speak when I raised a finger to stop her.
"It's better if you don't try to play games with me. Remember, memory loss isn't permanent, and eventually, I'll regain it. This is your one chance to build something called trust between us."
She might try a mix of truth and lies, but I had nothing to lose. I would listen and analyze. No one else could tell me the truth about our relationship but her.
"Our marriage is an agreement, as you said."
Obviously.
"What kind of agreement?"
"To give you access to my family."
What? How? Is she betraying her family? Impossible. Why? What would she gain?
Money? Her family didn't lack that.
Power? Well, I'd heard her family discriminated between males and females, but with some wit and cunning, they'd surely find a way for her to live a better life than being branded a traitor.
Besides, no matter her rank, if anyone dared to harm her, her family would descend on them until their entire lineage was wiped out. And the law wouldn't do anything to help you. How do you prosecute someone who doesn't officially exist?
"You'd give me access to your family. In return, what do you gain?"
"I want you to kill the current head of the family."
Shocked, I stood up from my seat.
Knock, knock.
The door opened, and Hank entered.
"Sir, the guest has arrived."
I didn't take my eyes off her.
"We'll finish this discussion later. Don't show yourself to the guest."
I left the room, heading to the door to greet him.
Damn it. This body's owner was insane. He antagonized everyone. Even the greatest emperors formed alliances and relationships at some point.
Since waking up, all I've seen are enemies. Everyone wants to be my enemy—or no, the opposite. I'm the one who wants to be everyone's enemy.
What is this body's owner relying on? The serum.
The serum you're only allowed to have as much of as the Boss permits.
I steadied myself after hearing the guest's approaching footsteps. I had been so lost in thought that I'd been staring at the ground, ignoring the guest's face.
I snapped back to reality when his extended hand came into view, waiting for a handshake as he introduced himself.
"I'm the Deputy Head of the Investigation office, I'm Null. Pleasure to meet you."
The name sounded familiar. But just in case my hearing had deceived me, I raised my head, and our eyes met.
Damn it. Damn it. Are we destined lovers or what?
**********Unintentionally**********
Emiric: Son of a bitch.
Author: Why are you insulting me now?
Emiric: Oh no, no, I wasn't talking about you, but about that Scum Null.
Author: Man, why are you breaking the laws of time and space just to spout such nonsense?
Emiric: I was confused, alright? Besides, I don't even understand which version of myself I am when I'm here. Sometimes I feel like I know exactly what's happening to me, and other times I feel like I know nothing."
Author: Just get out.