This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 10 - Operation To Recapture Diswen (1) - Part 2

As Phel said, Mummy Man was indeed very reticent.

Since Anise and I spent the night at Obella’s mansion, it was natural to see him the next morning.

Still, I was surprised. He was sitting on the sofa, looking just as he had the day before, with a carton of eggs on his lap, just like the day before.

“Good morning.”

“……”

“Did you wake up early?”

“……”

Despite my questions, he remained silent, merely giving a glance before starting to wipe each egg with a handkerchief.

What’s up with this…

“Phel mentioned you’re very reticent.”

“…You woke up early.”

At some point, Terisier approached and started talking, then headed to the kitchen to fetch some water.

“Do you want some to drink?”

I nodded. He brought a cup over and poured the water for me.

What’s with this kid? Why the sudden kindness? Though his tone wasn’t particularly warm.

“Thanks to you, we managed to avoid a reckless plan yesterday.”

“Hearing that from Terisier feels ominous. Will today’s operation to retrieve Diswen end in failure…”

“Even when you’re praised, you have something to say.”

Terisier growled as he spoke, which seemed more like his usual self.

As he ran his fingers through his disheveled silver hair while drinking the water, he looked surprisingly handsome.

Even compared to Anise, who is the most beautiful person I’ve seen, he holds his own in appearance… I should probably keep some distance.

“Anyway, thanks to you, that woman decided to help us.”

“Terisier, this is awkward. You used to chase me away, and now you’re suddenly praising me.”

“That’s because we couldn’t trust you. But now, including that woman, you’re cooperating with us, right? The information about Zerdan’s location might be wrong, but the skills you’ve shown are impressive. We’ve had a hard time finding anything with our abilities.”

It’s clear that with their abilities, finding Zerdan would have been difficult. Terisier’s ears turned red, and he seemed uncomfortable admitting their shortcomings.

“I hope it goes well.”

Seeing Terisier like this, I didn’t tease him as I used to. Instead, I just smiled, which seemed to make him feel uneasy. It was as if my reaction was different from usual and it threw him off.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“It’s not that, but I think I understand the intent behind your statement, so it feels a bit uncomfortable.”

“You don’t seem to be in pain from what you’re saying… you just look tired, unlike yourself.”

“Are you concerned about me?”

“Concerned? No way!”

“Really? Were you and Terisier close?”

It seemed like Phel had just woken up. Rubbing her eyes, she joined our conversation after seeing us talking. She looked at us in surprise.

“Wow, now that I see it, you both have rare silver hair. Are you twins or siblings who were separated in the past?”

“Hey, you shouldn’t talk in your sleep.”

“Ugh, that kid! You called that woman ‘you,’ but now you’re calling me ‘hey’ after knowing me longer? Am I so insignificant?”

“Oh. And it’s not ‘that woman’ but Moa Ablon.”

“Stop doing things that don’t suit you! It’s creepy, really!”

Phel shivered at Terisier’s behavior and then looked at me.

“Did you feed him something strange? Or how did you tame him? He’s never addressed anyone properly or treated anyone well except Obella.”

“Stop with the nonsense and wake up the other woman who’s still asleep. The leader is already getting ready, so you should wash up too. Why is a woman so filthy?”

“Hey! It’s not just ‘another woman’ but Anise! She’s like a benefactor to us, so call her by her name properly!”

“Not my concern.”

“That’s something!”

Regardless of Phel’s shouting, Terisier seemed to be heading to his room to wash up. Phel shouted a few more times at his retreating figure.

Maybe Anise is awake by now…

After getting dressed and ready, I sat next to Mummy Man in the living room.

He had already cleaned half of the eggs. While we had been having trivial conversations, he silently continued cleaning the eggs.

“Do other items not have the same effect if thrown?”

His gaze turned toward me. His light brown eyes looked at me, then shifted back to the eggs as if he lost interest.

I was about to turn away, thinking he wouldn’t answer again, but a deep voice spoke right next to me.

“Other items… are useless.”

“I see. Is there a special reason for that?”

“…The first food I properly ate was an egg given to me by someone…”

His unexpected answer made me blink in surprise.

However, Mummy Man seemed to be focused solely on the eggs, not caring about my reaction.

“So, is cleaning the eggs like this important to you?”

“It was the first food I ever properly ate… But the leader provided me with food… and a warm bed… It’s precious to me, but if I need to help the leader, I must make sacrifices…”

Mummy Man’s voice carried a tinge of melancholy as he spoke about how the egg was the first food he properly ate, given to him by someone he valued. His dedication to cleaning the eggs revealed how much he treasured them.

“Bella is a good person.”

I remarked, but Mummy Man didn’t respond. It seemed he was only interested in discussing the eggs, and he didn’t answer any more questions after that.

Before I could ask anything else, Obella appeared.

“You’re both up early.”

He said, noticing my unusual attire. I had opted for black pants and a deep wine-colored top instead of my usual dresses. He seemed surprised.

“It’s a different look, isn’t it?”

“Well, you know, in a war, standing out isn’t ideal. I don’t have any defensive abilities.”

But then again, with silver hair, blending in might be a futile wish.

“A different look can be charming too.”

Obella didn’t reply, which was not surprising. I knew he wouldn’t give a straightforward compliment like Zerdan would.

“You remember what I told you, right?”

“…”

“Bella, I see you avoiding eye contact.”

I followed Obella into the kitchen, where he seemed intent on avoiding my gaze. His attempt to ignore me was endearing, and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him try not to make eye contact.

“If the information I gave you proves to be correct today, you must keep your end of the bargain. Understood?”

Obella sighed, possibly recognizing my resolve.

“Don’t waste time with pointless jokes. If you need anything else, let me know. I can provide a substantial amount of money if necessary.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. I don’t need money. What I want is far more valuable.”

I stepped closer to him and reached out to touch his body through his white shirt. My hand traced from his neck down to his chest, feeling the strength of his muscles. His physique was athletic, reminiscent of a knight’s build.

“I’m curious about Bella’s taste.”

I said with a sweet smile.

Despite my clear intentions, Obella remained surprisingly still. His face, usually so expressionless, was now strangely tense. I had initially thought he was indifferent to women, but it seemed he was not completely unaffected.

‘It seems the brothers have similar tastes in women.’

It seems both Zerdan and Obella prefer proactive women. 

I took Obella’s hand and intertwined our fingers, slowly pulling him closer. He complied without resistance. As he lowered his head, his golden eyes and lips came into closer view.

“I’ll be looking forward to it, Bella.”

I lightly kissed Obella’s lips.