The Guardian Chef

***(Lilith's POV)***

"Here you go Lilith." said the baker giving me a large bag full of bread "they make 1 silver and 5 copper Vahkel"

"Thanks, Thabit." I thanked him by giving him the money and receiving the envelope "but am I wrong or has the price increased lately?"

"You notice that huh?" he asked me with a sigh "The king got tired of the raids of the bandits and therefore ordered the army to deal with them."

"I thought there were tensions at the border"

“Not anymore… or at least not on Yedal's border. Thanks to the return of the sovereign's niece, the two kingdoms have strengthened their friendship. Which is good." Arryn has returned home safe and sound. I'm happy for her. “However, the shipments have a cost and so they had to temporarily raise taxes. According to a collector friend of mine, we are talking about a couple of seasons."

"I see. I bet that wheat and commodities were the most targeted."

“Yeah... but our King is wise and has decided to set a tax also on luxury goods so as not to make the people weigh all the expenses. Also because this year's harvest was not very abundant."

"I see."

Raising taxes to fill the state's coffers is a common practice, but one must always be careful about which ones it has raised. The most commonly affected are those on necessities as they are substantially cheap and therefore it is possible to slightly inflate the price without weighing too much on the finances of ordinary people. However, as in our case, targeting nobles is also a wise choice as a ruler earns nothing from impoverished or indebted people. The problem with the nobles, however, is that they always turn up their noses when it comes to spending money to pay taxes. Even in Deshatia, I had to initiate such policies to ensure that we were not in deficit and the only time I had to use force to collect was when some nobles blinded by greed turned deaf ears.

"Thanks for the information Thabit."

"Do not mention it. See you soon."

It has been 2 weeks since Graeval and the Hero's party crossed swords. During this period, life went smoothly and business was booming. The bandits have no longer been a problem as words have spread that the village is protected by Guardian. The only ones who show up now and then are the monsters that inhabit the forest. But we talk about really rare cases. For the rest, apart from this slight increase in taxes, there was nothing sensational.

It was so quiet it was almost boring. So Graeval suddenly asked me "Why don't we close for a while and take some time for ourselves?". In other words, he wanted to have the honeymoon that we couldn't do three years ago because we didn't have enough money to afford it. But since the Moonlight has been doing big business lately thanks to the temporary presence of Graeval's childhood friend, now we can finally afford it. The only problem was that we didn't have a destination yet.

On the southern coasts, there is a nice temperature and I have heard that it is possible to swim without problems. Or there is also Lake Leowich to the north, a destination for many couples in love due to the wonderful landscapes and sunsets. The thermal baths in the town of Edosall west from here are also a good idea as it is the perfect season to go to the spas.

I opened the back door and placed the bread bag on a cabinet that was to my right, closing the door behind me. Once I took off my cloak, I headed towards the kitchen with the bag, and after putting the bread in place, I saw that Graeval was sitting in the room absorbed in reading a letter. Absorbed... and with a serious expression that also showed a hint of concern.

I went behind him and hugged him from behind

"I'm back," I told him, kissing him on the cheek

"Welcome back..."

His tone was low. Quite different from the happy one with which he usually greets me.

"Something wrong?"

In response, he held up the letter he was holding as if he wanted me to read it too and so I did:

Dear lord Guardian,
let me introduce myself: I am the 19th ruler of the Thirus Kingdom, Edward Calsay Belmont.
I'm writing to you to be able to express my sincere apologies for the behavior of my subjects and which led to a clash. Furthermore, I am also writing to express my sincere thanks for having resolved these incidents.

(...)

Even if in these lines I cannot fully express my sincerity, at the same time you have no way to object or correct my statements, so I would be sincerely grateful if you could meet me at the royal palace. To enter, just show the document I have attached to this letter.
During our meeting, we will be able to better clarify the respective positions and at the same time agree on possible rewards.
I hope for your positive response.

Edward Calsay Belmont

I looked up from the letter and immediately our eyes met. We both knew what King Edward wanted with that letter

"A summons to the palace, huh?"

"He moved sooner than expected..." Graeval began with a sigh "apparently... the court is still on edge and it seems that it wants to remove this tooth immediately."

"Thabit told me that the King has deployed some forces from the Elven border to deal with the bandits."

"I bet he wants to ensure that goods can move freely without running into too many problems."

Ever since the end of the war with my people and the consequent dismissal of many army personnel, crime has spread especially in the peripheral areas. Even here in Fago, many gangs of criminals and brigands have come, but they never had the chance to get out of the forest on their legs. Graeval and I took them out as soon as we found them. So personally speaking they were more of a nuisance than a problem as it was for the rest of the kingdom: the raids of the bandits have often affected many routes and thriving trade routes and now that it is winter, although less active, their raids against poorly guarded villages continue. The deployment of the army against these gangs is excellent news for many.

"Definitely." I confirmed. “And this was only possible thanks to Arryn's return to Yedal. It seems that the relationship between the two nations has become stronger."

"Happy to know."

“However, even if this call is real, there is no note of obligation. He was also very humble with the tone."

"You would have done it too." Graeval began standing up. “After all, I'm a monster capable of taking down a dragonkin with my eyes closed. Any man in his right mind wouldn't like to blow the fire of destruction if he met a monster like me."

"You are not a monster." I said taking his face forcing him to look at me “You are my husband. You're just a little bit stronger than the others, that's all. Fufufu"

"Thanks, Liltih." he thanked me by giving me a kiss

"What do you intend to do with the convocation?"

“I have no reason to accept... as I don't even have any reason to refuse. It's just that..."

"You have a bad feeling... right?"

"Ever since the messenger brought me the letter... I have the feeling that if I don't go something terrible could happen, something that could affect our lives."

He explained to me how his divination ability works: the farther he looks, the more unreliable the prophecy becomes. However, forebodings are instinctive and reveal themselves even when he doesn't use his power... the power which he has always used to protect this village and our happiness.

"So, I think we've decided on our honeymoon destination." I said stroking his face

"You want to come as well? It's dangerous!"

"These 3 years have been too, don't you think?"

"......Alright then. However, we will not have our honeymoon in the capital." he said taking my hand gently "It's just a detour that we were forced to take along the way."

He kissed me again... and longer. I couldn't do without this sweet euphoria and the more our lips had joined and our tongues danced, the more I felt the need to give myself to him... the need to carry his offspring in my womb.

“Hey! Soon we will open!! Furthermore don't do it in front of me!!!"

Here she comes the killjoy Goddess. Aphy, in disguise of a fictional Rohnya, stood between the two of us. Reason enough to get hit on the head by both me and Graeval.

BONK!

""WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO APPEAR AT TIMES LIKE THESE?!"" We scolded her together

"Ouch!!" she said crouching down and holding her head

"The atmosphere is now ruined..."

"Kukuk-!" *Thud!* "Ouch!!"

For some reason, Aphy had made the victory sign, and realizing it, Graeval had hit her a second time with a swollen vein on his forehead

"I'm sorry Lilith."

"Don't worry..." I began kissing him on the cheek "we will resume tonight."

"*Sob* What were you talking about before?" Aphy asked sobbing

"Why don't you find out for yourself o mighty Aphy!" Graeval said as he walked away

"I beg you! Don't call me like that!!"

As Aphy made her morning supplication with my husband on his way to the kitchen, I thought for a moment about what we just said. Although it will be more dangerous than in this village, the chance of me being discovered in Cuding is not low. We will have to be careful, especially me, once at the palace.

Speaking of the palace... who knows how little Arryn is now?

***(Arryn's POV)***

Although it was winter, there was a cool temperature and on this particular day, there was also a fortuitous clear sky. After all, even if it is not particularly cold, near the coastal areas the rains are certainly not a rare phenomenon.

The Zidrash household is famous for holding small Tea Parties in their mansion in Silesera, during this period all the noble houses are invited to participate. Usually, being a family of Counts, they mainly invite lineages of an equal or superior class to theirs, but this time they also invited minor nobles for two simple reasons: the abundance of crops and economic one of this year, and to welcome back to a particular person who has been called the guest of honor of this Tea Party... that is me

“Welcome back lady Lianelis. We thank the spirits for you have returned home safely."

"Thank you for the thought and I ask your forgiveness for the inconvenience, Count Zidrash."

“*Sigh* Your sudden kidnapping has been a major blow to all the households of Yedal. But now that you're back, we can breathe a sigh of relief."

"Unfortunately, by order of the King, I will not be able to participate in any function."

"Of course. After all, Your Majesty your uncle cares a lot about you..."

Even if using different words, it was always the same old story. Since my return, the life I led before my kidnapping had practically returned to normal. Both by order of my parents and by order of my uncle, I stayed home to rest and recover as when I was a prisoner, they kept me docile and weakened by absorbing the spiritual energy that I usually receive from the spirit with which I entered into a contract, and preventing me the manipulation of mana.

Participation in parties of this type has also been postponed for some time and only recently have I been permitted to attend. Or rather, this is the first.

After various greetings of convenience, I was invited to have a cup of tea with my other peers whom I have known for a long time. I could almost say that I have known them since childhood

“It's good to see you healthy again Arryn. Welcome back!"

"We felt bad when we..."

"... learned of your disappearance."

"Thank you Thalia, Artin, Saphielle." I thanked them and then took a sip of tea “I found myself in a nightmare all of a sudden. But I'm happy to be back." I said smiling

“It must have been a horrible experience. For 3 months at the mercy of who knows what monster."

"Yeah... but I was lucky."

They are right. For 3 long months... I was helpless and used as a toy by those bandits to satisfy their carnal instincts... especially recently by their leader before the arrival of Guardian... no, of Graeval. Many would have killed themselves after such an experience.

Surprised? I had confirmation of the true identity of Guardian, shortly after he saved me a second time from Lady Ludmilla's alleged childhood friend. We elves are particularly sensitive when it comes to the perception of mana. Already that night when I was under the influence of I doesn't know what drugs, I had perceived a presence that possessed no trace of mana... like a completely white circle on a painted canvas. But when Graeval was introduced to me, I felt the same emptiness in him. I will be young, but I'm not stupid.

"Absolutely."

"We have  to thank the royal family of Thirus for saving you."

"And above all the Saint, the Hero's wife."

“Lady Sarity? No. To tell you the truth..."

“Wasn't it the Saint? So... maybe the Hero?!"

“““Kyaaa! How lucky!!””” all three said together

Here we go again. Since Lord Jack Lingxin came to this world, he has been at the center of discussions among the young noblewomen of many states and when he took a tour to the neighboring countries of Thirus to pay his regards, he made a dent in the hearts of many... including the three of them and, I must admit, even I was infatuated. Very often, when we got together, we imagined what our life might have been like if we were his wives.

And since they made that scream they have done nothing but resume that speech. But I...

"Sorry if I interrupt your fantasies, but it wasn't even the Hero, lord Lingxin who saved me."

“““Huh?! So who was it?!"""

When asked, Graeval came into my mind. His kindness, his paternal and protective character, as well as his ruthlessness and coldness. Every single feature of him came back to me, causing my heart to race slightly. It was automatic to put my hands together and smile. Given the warmth I felt on my cheeks, maybe I was also blushing. When I looked into their eyes, I saw them both surprised and embarrassed at the same time.

"Guardian."