His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 21

“This one needs more salt and paprika,” Raena said after tasting one of the dishes in front of her.

Her new cooks were standing in a line on the other side of the table, waiting nervously. She had given each of them a recipe and instructions for the cooking, and the deal was that she’d only hire those who did a good job. Considering the salaries she offered them, they had no option but to agree. She had suspected they’d all do well, but wanted to keep them on their toes so that even after they started working, they’d always try their best.

Moving toward the next dish, Raena raised the knife so she could cut the meat. Steam was rising from the juicy beef shank and just the aroma of the steamed vegetables and the seasoning was making her mouth water. Her fork went in easily, almost as if sinking in soft butter, and as she pressed with the knife. the meat rolled down in thin slices, showing a well-done crust on the outside while still being soft on the inside. She took a bite and barely stopped herself from moaning – that was probably the best dish so far and it was definitely better than all the times she had made it herself.

“This is great!” she said with her mouth still half full. She took her time to swallow, glancing at the cooks. One of the women at the end of the line beamed happily, almost jumping on her spot. “Just be careful with the vegetables, we don’t want them to turn mushy.” The woman nodded in agreement, her smile growing even wider.

Raena stopped in front of the last dish – a chocolate lava cake combined with raspberries to counter the sweetness since nobody here knew the joys of ice cream. She took a small dessert spoon and hesitated over the dish – it had taken her dozens of tries to make her first lava cake properly, so she really didn’t want to see someone else fail.

She sunk the spoon into the dessert, scooping a bite. The warm chocolate inside spilled beautifully onto the plate, while the crust remained in place. Raena tried to suppress her smile, raising her veil a little so she could bring the spoon to her mouth. Her attempt to hide her emotions failed as the chocolate spilled in her mouth and the soft cake and fresh raspberry slice mixed together. Closing her eyes, she m****d in approval.

“Oh, god, this tastes amazing!” Raena mumbled.

“I bet.” Somebody chuckled behind her and Raena jumped, looking over her shoulder. Marden was leaning on the counter between the kitchen and the restaurant, a playful smile dancing on his lips. He had discarded the ragged and unkempt look from before – now his face was smoothly shaved and even his hair was cut shorter and carefully styled back. He was wearing a black shirt with the top three buttons open, revealing his smooth chest underneath. He even wore a small golden earring on one ear and a big ring with what looked like a family crest on his forefinger.

“Marden,” she said, smiling behind her veil. She found his flirting amusing and somewhat flattering, but dealing with it when Zen wasn’t around felt a bit too risky. Marden never crossed the line, but she thought that was because of Zen’s cold and threatening presence. Yet now she had to send the cooks away and Zen was still not back from the errand she sent him on. “Give me a moment,” she said to him, turning back to the kitchen staff.

“The cake was really amazing. Congratulations to all of you, you pass. Come back tomorrow so we can review your contracts and you can start officially two weeks from now. I’ll need you to memorize all the dishes I give you and be able to make them on the spot. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight.

“Goodnight, Madam Lydia!” they replied in a disharmonious choir, then made their way to the back door, slipping outside in groups while talking excitedly about the dishes and the recipes.

Raena turned on her heel, her eyes locking on Marden. He continued to watch her like a cat that was observing a mouse trapped in a barrel.

“Where is your guard?”

Raena slipped her apron off, hanging it on the wall and straightening the skirts of her red dress.

She had chosen a more conservative one that only exposed the top of her shoulders and neck since all day long she had been meeting with staff merchants.

“Running an errand for me. He should be back any moment,” Raena replied, avoiding looking at Marden for as long as she could. When he didn’t say anything, she glanced at him only to replace him leaning on the door leading to the kitchen, muscles stretching the sleeves of his shirt as he kept them folded in front of his chest.

“Even better for me,” he smirked.

“Is there a reason you’re here or are you just looking for some free food?” Raena asked, moving past him through the door and heading toward one of the tables where she had been doing some of the paperwork earlier. She started gathering it in a pile, keeping her focus on the papers.

“You said you wanted to be kept in the loop on the progress of the renovation, so that’s why I’m here,” he replied, his steps taking him to her table.

He slid down in the chair nearby, draping his hand on the backrest. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of being alone with me, Lydia?” He chuckled, his eyes drilling a hole through her head while she continued to tidy up the table. “What kind of man do you think I am? Don’t worry, I’m patient. I also don’t need to force you into anything, you’ll yield to my charm sooner or later”

Raena couldn’t help but scoff, her eyes moving to look at him. His confidence was indeed amusing- she wondered if he’d be so cocky if he knew her identity.

“Is that so?” she laughed, raising an eyebrow. “What if I am immune to your charm?”

He reached out, catching her hand. Holding her fingers gently, he placed a k!ss on her knuckles without looking away from her eyes.

“No one is immune to my charm, darling,” he whispered, his breath tickling her skin. Raena held back another fit of laughter – he really was good, she had to admit it. That handsome face and ruggish appearance, that smoldering look and the intensity of his gaze truly would have made her weak in the knees if she hadn’t been surrounded by these types of men in the past few weeks. Kassian, Yulien, even Zender – they were all good-looking and intense in their own way.

While Kassian exuded danger and threat, Yulien had this aura of quiet authority mixed with a certain charisma that came from his looks. Zen, on the other hand, was like a shifter. Every time they were alone he was soft and sweet, but the moment they stepped into uncertain or possibly dangerous territory, his presence changed to one of a distinct threat that even men like Marden respected.

A dull pain surged from her finger and she flinched, focusing her eyes back on Marden, only to realize he had bitten one of her knuckles and was now watching her with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

“It’s very disrespectful to be spacing out while somebody is trying to seduce you, you know?” Marden said, bringing her hand back to his lips to k!ss the finger he had bitten. Just before his lips touched her skin again, the tip of a blade stopped a hair shy of Marden’s throat.

Marden froze, his body tensing as he looked down at the sword and then up at the man wielding it. Raena did the same only to realize Zen was standing between them, his eyes such a stormy gray color that even she shuddered. His expression was cold and unforgiving as if he was barely stopping himself from pushing the blade further.

“Hands off” Zen commanded in a low, threatening tone, and Marden obediently let go of Raena’s fingers, puling back in the chair with a forced smile. Zen let his sword linger for another few seconds, then lowered it +, but kept it unsheathed. After he was done glaring at Marden, he stepped next to close to Raena.

“It’s done,” he whispered in her ear, his eyes darting back to Marden.

“Your boy really doesn’t like me!” Marden chuckled as he returned Zen’s glare without hesitation.

“You’re both too much!” Raena sighed, shaking her head. “Please keep in mind this is a place of usiness. I don’t need unnecessary drama,” she looked at Marden and then at Zen, “or b***d to clean off the brand new floor. So behave and don’t make trouble for me.”

None of them responded and she sighed again, heading toward the kitchen. She heard the sound of a chair being pushed back, and then two sets of footsteps followed her. Raena strode to the back door leading to the narrow street behind the building, turning the handle and pushing it open. As her eyes landed on the group of curious eyes and nervous expressions outside, she smiled.

“Well, hello there. Who wants to make some money?”