Chapter 272: Someone to Cook For

Today was a monumental day. It was finally the start of the preliminary tournament. However, despite such a momentous occasion… I couldn't help but notice how… same-y everything felt. Classes still continued, for one. But the tournament did start, just not out loud.

In several of the practice chambers inside the main building, and sometimes in some of the training yard, I would witness a duel between two students, overseen by either an instructor or a faculty member.

And in class, some of my classmates either came in late or departed early, all with permission from the instructor. The reason? They were going to their matches.

So, under the flow of daily life, the tournament started with almost no fanfare. Hell, it felt like it didn’t happen at all at times.

That was until my time to shine was finally called.

…

During the lunch break, Attila and I were walking down the same hallway. She was heading for the cafeteria, while I was navigating toward my designated arena. I was holding and scanning a piece of paper in one hand while holding a bag in the other.

“Feyt, what’s there you readin’?” Attila asked, leaning in to sneak a peek at what I was holding. “Oh, you have a matchup soon?”

I nodded, carefully folding the parchment that listed my scheduled matches and slipping it safely into my pocket. “Yep. As soon as the bell rings.” I turned to her, voicing a curiosity that had been bugging me since morning. “You arrived a bit late to class today, didn’t you? Did you already have a match of your own or something?”

“Yep!” Attila gave a vigorous nod, a proud grin spreading across her face. “I fought a halberd-wielder today! He was a tough nut to crack, but I won!” She gave a small, confident flex of her arms.

“Oh, really? Congrats!” I said, offering a smile. “By the way, could you tell me a little more about how the match actually works?”

Even though I already got the general gist of the rules, and the full details really, there wasn’t anything wrong with getting a second perspective from someone who already had experience with it.

“Hmm?” She tilted her head slightly, tapping her chin. “There’s not much different from a normal sparring session, I guess. I mean, you get hit once, and you’re out. That’s about it. I ended up finishing my battle way too quickly to notice much else, honestly…” she said, her words trailing off, almost disappointed.

I lightly chuckled. “If that’s all you’re worried about, I’m sure you’ll do fine in the next rounds.”

That confirmed to me that the rules were pretty much the same as Clara had informed me. There truly was only one chance to win, one round to end it all.

I wasn’t sure if they decided on that format due to time constraints or something else, but it sure put pressure on every single fight looming ahead of me.

If someone were to get lucky, or used a dirty trick to get a hit in, there really wouldn’t be a chance to pay them back or learn from your mistake. The match would just end with the victor winning a point, and the loser, nothing.

I wonder how many points I need to get to the second phase.

As I was pondering about the rules once more, we reached a busy intersection in the hallway.

“I’ll be heading right from here,” I said, gesturing toward said hallway. “I want to get some stretching in before the match. You’re still heading for the cafeteria, right?”

Attila paused, looking at me with a slight frown. “Yeah, but… shouldn’t you eat something before you fight? Didn’t you say something like, ‘I can’t fight on an empty stomach’ a few days ago?”

“Oh, no worries there!” I grinned, lifting my bag slightly, revealing my lunchbox to her. “Leila already made me a lunchbox!”

“Oh,” Attila blurted out, almost sounding surprised. She eyed my lunchbox for a moment, humming, before turning to me with her usual smile. “Nothing to worry about then! Good luck with the match! I’ll see you soon!”

“Thanks! I’ll do my best.”

And with that, Attila and I parted ways. Without wasting any time, I made my way to the practice chamber. I arrived to find it utterly empty. Not a single faculty member nor an opponent to face.

I mean, I did come in half an hour early. All to have enough time to eat a small part of my lunch and have a warm-up.

—

Royal Knights Academy — Cafeteria

Today, I was having lunch with my friends as Carine again. But this time, only with Eve and Lionne. I heard that Villius and Clarissa were having their matchups around this time as well, and I had no doubts they were warming up at that moment.

Kyro apparently had already made a full recovery since the horse incident, but he too probably decided to warm up before his match for the day. The last thing I heard from him was “I’ve been stuck in bed for days straight! So I’ll train for days straight to make up for it!”

If that’s how his mindset worked, no wonder he was so jacked.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Normally, I would eat food from the cafeteria. I mean, they always had a nice selection of things, from nutrient-rich to basically oil slop. But today, I had resorted to my favorite. Leila’s cooking.

With the tournament fast approaching, I needed to maximize everything to give myself any advantage I could. And one thing I wanted to min-max was my dietary intake.

Sure, the cafeteria’s choices were plenty, but nothing is quite as customizable as a home-cooked meal. Well, dorm-cooked, to be precise. And to be honest, I couldn’t wait to eat today’s lunch.

It all started this morning; I had woken up early as Carine for once, all to oversee the exact macronutrients both of my bodies would be consuming today.

I had walked over to the servant dorms and knocked on Leila's door, catching her off guard in her quarters… or at least I thought so. Her face barely moved when she greeted me. Oh, and quick note: she was already dressed in a full maid outfit first thing in the morning, in her own room.

"Lady Carine," Leila said, her still as emotionless as ever. "You are awake an hour out of schedule. Is there an emergency?"

Why is that the first thing that comes to your mind?

I’m not that much of a heavy sleeper, am I?

“No. I simply wish to oversee our lunch preparations today,” I explained.

Silence stretched between us; I could almost hear the gears turning inside Leila’s head. Then—

“Very well.”

Without asking a single question, she stepped into the hallway and led me toward the main kitchen. When we arrived, the room wasn't entirely empty; a handful of other students’ personal servants were scattered about, drinking coffee and chatting loudly.

But the moment Leila and I walked in… the room cleared like nobody was even there. Mugs clinked against tables, chairs scraped back, and within ten seconds, we had the place entirely to ourselves.

“What in the—”

Leila didn’t seem to find the sudden evacuation weird at all. She walked straight to the counter, pulled out a cutting board, and reached for the ingredients.

"I was planning to make a standard chicken dish today," Leila said, her tone entirely matter-of-fact. "Please take a seat in the dining area. I will bring it to you for tasting when it is finished."

"Actually, I'll be helping you," I said, stepping up right next to her and reaching for a knife.

Leila stopped. Her hand hovered over the counter, and she gave me a long, intense look. For once, I felt threatened by Leila.

"Lady Carine. Cooking is my duty. Please put the knife down."

Leila had protested the entire time, practically begging me to sit down and let her handle it, but I couldn't just stand by.

"I cannot just stand by, Leila," I insisted, grabbing a bundle of vegetables. "If I want to ensure optimal physical performance for the tournament matches today, I need to know exactly what is going into these meals. It’s not that I don’t trust you to balance my meals perfectly, but I want to be independent once in a while. You understand, don’t you?"

Leila stared at me for a few long seconds, her expression completely unreadable. "If you are unsatisfied with how I balance your meals, you only need to tell me, Lady Carine."

I shook my head. "It's not that. Just pass me the eggs."

What followed was a silent tug-of-war. Leila protested the entire time, not by yelling or arguing, but through pure, relentless diversion.

Every time I reached for something, she was already trying to take it from my hand gently. Every time I picked up a vegetable to chop, she would try to slide a pre-chopped pile into my path, trying to get me to sit down.

But I held my ground. I chopped the veggies, seasoned and prepped the eggs, and eventually packed the lunchboxes. After all was said and done, I personally closed the lids on both of the identical containers. A small sense of accomplishment filled me.

Then, I handed one of the boxes to Leila. “Please deliver this to Feyt as soon as possible. He will be having a match at noon today, and I doubt he’ll have time to hit the cafeteria. I wouldn’t want him to fight with an empty stomach.”

Leila took the box gently with both hands, staring down at it for a moment. When she turned back to me, something in her demeanor felt profoundly solemn.

“I see now why you were so determined about this, Lady Carine,” she said, her voice steady as always. “Rest assured, I will deliver this box to Sir Feyt safely.”

“Thank you, that’ll be appreciated.”

…

And that was how I got my hands on my lunch for the day. The moment I opened the boxes basically simultaneously as Feyt and Carine, I was already analyzing the layout. The rice was perfectly packed, the chicken was lean, and the rolled eggs were sliced into clean, uniform pieces.

Excellent work, me.

Lionne’s eyes lit up as she leaned forward, staring intently at the neatly arranged compartments. “Lady Carine? You brought your own lunch today?”

Beside her, Eve tilted her head, inspecting the vibrant colors of the freshly chopped veggies and perfectly rolled eggs. “That seems like quite the filling meal.”

“Indeed.” I gave them a composed nod as Carine. “I personally portioned and planned it. I designed it for pure energy, considering I’ll be having a match later today.”

And one soon enough.

“Wait… does that mean you cooked it yourself?” Lionne gasped, almost as if it was a world-shattering revelation.

Before I could correct her and explain that it was mostly Leila, a loud, energetic voice cut through the rowdy noise of the cafeteria.

“Hey! Sorry I’m late!”

Attila had arrived. Ever since our joint-training sessions, she had become an occasional guest at our lunch table, much to my chagrin. Every time she showed up, Lionne would welcome her with open arms, and today was no exception.

“Attila! Perfect timing!” Lionne beamed, practically vibrating with excitement. “By the way, did you know? Lady Carine actually cooked her own lunch today!”

Attila slid into the empty seat beside Lionne, pulling over her cafeteria tray with her choice of meat-focused meals, but the moment her eyes wandered over to my lunchbox, she froze instantly.

Attila’s eyes widened. She slowly looked up, her eyes darting between my face and the lunchbox, before a small, knowing smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“Oh, did she?” Attila said.

“Yes! I never thought Lady Carine could cook,” Lionne gushed.

I raised a hand slightly, stopping Lionne before a new rumor could spiral. “As I was about to say, this was mostly cooked by Leila. I am by no means skilled enough to prepare a dish of this level on my own.”

“Man,” Attila muttered. “Must be really nice to have someone to cook for you!”

Indeed, I am truly glad to have Leila on my side.

And with Attila now settled into the group, our lunch continued in relative peace. I was preparing myself for Attila to talk more about me, Feyt, in front of Lionne… but it seemed she held off on it for the day, much to my delight… and Lionne’s disappointment.

We eventually finished our meals, cleared our table, and went our separate ways.

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the break, I entered the Honors classroom again as Carine, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Eve and Lionne.

At that exact same moment, the heavy wooden door to the practice chamber swung open. I carefully placed my empty lunchbox inside my bag as Feyt, adjusted my stance and prepared myself to warm up and introduce myself to my opponent.

The preliminary rounds were officially starting.

It was time to finally begin my tournament journey to the top.

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