Chapter 288: Kitchen Romance

Vlad grabbed the apron from the hook and stepped behind Chloe, whose hands were busy chopping vegetables on the cutting board.

Although she had only cooked once or twice a week back in the village, her movements were still as skillful and swift as Elaria’s.

Vlad carefully draped the apron over her front, making sure not to interfere with her busy hands. He slipped the upper strap over her head, letting it rest around her neck, before reaching around her waist and tying the two loose ends into a neat knot behind her back.

Chloe felt her back press against his broad chest as he leaned closer. His mischievous hands found their way around her abdomen, and he rested his chin on her shoulder.

The knife in her hand stopped mid-motion, her breath hitching at his touch. "Vlad... I’m holding a knife. It’s dangerous," she murmured in a low voice.

"But I want to hug you," Vlad sighed, slowly withdrawing his hands from her abdomen. He was about to step back when she immediately grabbed his hand.

"You can hug me," she said, guiding his hands back to the centre of her tummy. "But keep them in one place."

"Okay." Vlad nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

Chloe picked up the knife again, but her movements were no longer the same as before. Her speed had practically been cut in half. And why wouldn’t it be? The man she had loved for so many years was caressing her, not as a member of his family, but as his lover. The fact that Vlad was actually making the first move made it all the more exciting for her.

After all, mostly, she was the one to make the first move, whether during their date in the city, their study sessions where she tutored him while sitting on his lap, or the moment she had offered herself as his lunch.

Knowing that Vlad wanted her just as much as she wanted him sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach.

Once she finished chopping the vegetables, she needed to grab the other ingredients from the bag sitting on the opposite side of the counter. However, she was hesitant to ask because Vlad would have to step back to let her move away from her spot.

She wanted him to keep holding her.

"What do you need?" Vlad asked, clearly noticing her hesitation without even looking at her face.

"I need the spices from the bag," she replied, placing the knife beside the cutting board.

The moment those words left her mouth, the paper bag of spices appeared before her, held by an arm of nanoparticles that had emerged from Vlad’s back.

"Here," Vlad said softly. "You don’t need to move. I’ll bring you everything you need."

Chloe took the paper bag. "Using such a high-grade artifact for flirting," she remarked with a hiss, though her tone betrayed her admiration.

When Vlad had first revealed his Black God Armour to Chloe, she had been quite surprised by its numerous applications beyond mere protection. Naturally, Vlad had told her that the mysterious benefactor had gifted him the armour.

It wasn’t a lie. The Legacy System was his benefactor, after all.

"I’ll take that as a compliment," Vlad replied in a boastful tone.

Chloe laid out the star anise, dried chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns from the paper bag. She was about to ask for a pan when another arm of black nanoparticles picked one up from the utensil stand and placed it on the stove.

"Aren’t you overdoing it?" she asked, mildly surprised.

"I’m only being helpful," Vlad said against her shoulder, his hands still resting exactly where she’d told him to keep them.

She poured in the oil, and once it began to shimmer, she added the spices. Their sharp, numbing fragrance filled the kitchen. Her wrist moved almost instinctively, pressing, flipping, and scraping the pan in short, rhythmic strokes until the spices turned dark and glossy. A nano-arm delivered garlic to her right hand, followed by the bean paste, which she pressed into the oil until it turned a deep red.

For the next half an hour, Chloe’s arms moved in a graceful dance, skillfully stirring the ingredients while the multiple arms sprouting from Vlad’s back moved around the kitchen like an octopus, fetching her whatever she needed the instant the words left her mouth.

---

"Mmm, the aroma is incredible," Vlad exclaimed, taking a long sniff, his chin still resting on her shoulder.

Given Vlad’s shamelessness, Chloe wasn’t sure whether he was talking about her or the fragrant steam rising from the large pot on the stove before her.

She decided it must be the latter.

"You can let me go now," Chloe murmured, a hint of shyness in her voice. He had been holding her for half an hour.

To her surprise, instead of stepping back, Vlad kissed her soft cheek and whispered, "You’ve worked hard."

He finally removed his hands from her waist and continued, "Take a seat. I’ll set the dining table."

At this point, Chloe couldn’t even utter a word. Her heart still hadn’t settled after his prolonged embrace, and now he had delivered another critical strike.

She quickly hurried out of the kitchen and took a seat at the dining table outside.

Vlad merely smiled at her flustered retreat. All but four of the nanoparticle arms withdrew into the ring on his finger. The remaining four grabbed the pot, the bowls, and the spoons before carrying them out of the kitchen.

He placed the steaming pot at the centre of the dining table, followed by the bowl and spoon. The rich aroma of spices filled the dining area, making Chloe’s stomach rumble softly.

"What’s that sound?" Vlad asked, glancing at her with a teasing smile.

"Nothing!" Chloe immediately retorted, her cheeks flushing.

Vlad chuckled as he sat beside her and served the food into their bowls. The two soon began their meal, and the moment Vlad tasted the dish, his eyes lit up.

"Damn, Chloe! This is delicious!"

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she took a bite of her own food.

"Hmm, it’s good," she murmured before taking another bite, then another. Soon, like the little gremlin she was, she stuffed her mouth until her cheeks puffed out, completely absorbed in devouring every last morsel in her bowl.