“Hahaha, looks like I really have made myself some enemies.”

Lin Ge grinned mischievously and sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

He wasn’t completely unaware of it, but hearing it straight to his face still felt very different.

It’s like how some people always say they’re good people. Who knows what they’re really like?

That’s how undercover missions work, after all. Apart from the person himself, no one knows he’s a good guy.

Just like Lin Ge. No one else would ever understand what was going through his mind as he lazily slacked off.

“All right, all right. Let’s stop arguing and worrying about all that. Have an apple first, and I’ll grill you some fish in a bit.”

Lin Ge pulled an apple from his clothes and held it out to Alice.

“I don’t need it. I’m not hungry.”

Alice gave him a cold look, hugged her knees to her chest, and edged farther away.

She’d sooner starve to death or jump in a river than touch a single thing this man offered her.

“Fine. If you won’t eat it, I will.”

Since she clearly wasn’t accepting his kindness, there was no point in insisting.

Lin Ge wiped the apple on his sleeve and took a big bite. Sweet, sticky juice burst into his mouth. It was a little tart, but still pretty good.

Just looking at it was enough to make your mouth water.

Mm, Alice was drooling… and quite a long trail of it, too… Come to think of it, she hadn’t even had breakfast because she wanted to reach her goal sooner. What a mistake.

“Mmm, this is delicious. Apples are just right for this season, don’t you think?”

“How would I know?!”

It was almost as if he were deliberately trying to make Alice angry.

Alice was in a particularly foul mood, too.

Lin Ge chomped through one apple after another with gusto, while Alice watched hungrily.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

Lin Ge must’ve had some ridiculous luck, because in just a few minutes, he’d caught three huge, plump fish.

He swiftly and skillfully scraped off the scales, bled and gutted the fish, then skewered them on branches.

The fish weren’t even on the fire yet, but Alice could already smell their delicious aroma.

Mmm, they smelled so good~~

“Mmm~~, that smells great. Want one?”

Smoke rose from the fire, and before long, the distinctive, savory aroma of grilled fish drifted through the air, tempting everyone’s taste buds.

Lin Ge picked up a perfectly grilled fish and offered it to Alice.

“I! Am! Not! Eating!”

Alice shouted each word separately. She’d said she wouldn’t eat, so she wouldn’t. She was a woman of principle.

How could she fall for a scoundrel like Lin Ge’s trick?

If she took even one bite of that fish today, Lin Ge would probably tease her about it for the rest of her life.

She’d rather just die than let that happen.

She was a woman of principle!

She wouldn’t accept a handout from this man.

“All right. If you won’t eat it, I won’t force you.”

Lin Ge sighed.

With a sorrowful look, he gazed at the plump, golden-brown fish in his hand and sighed to himself:

“I never thought anyone would turn down something this delicious. What a shame. What a shame.”

He shook his head, then eagerly took a bite of the fish.

In an instant, the fish’s aroma spread across their lips and teeth. Eating it was a treat, but even watching from the sidelines as a mere spectator was a different kind of enjoyment…

Damn it, it really does smell so good~~~.

She watched one whole fish turn into a whole fish skeleton, then watched the three fish dwindle down to just one.

Alice’s craving grew with every fish that disappeared… Mmm, she really wanted a bite.

“Burp. I’m full.”

After polishing off two fish, Lin Ge rubbed his round belly, got to his feet, and stretched.

“I’ve been sitting so long my back’s about to snap. Want to go for a walk and help digest all this?”

“Go by yourself. I’m not taking a walk with you.”

Alice gave a cold, distinctly tsundere snort.

She turned toward the lake. She absolutely wasn’t going to talk to this man again.

“All right, then. I’m off.”

Lin Ge waved and jogged away from their destination. At last, the world fell quiet again.

All that remained was Alice, the fire crackling away, and one grilled fish…

Alice stared at the fish and swallowed, her throat dry. She shifted her bottom a little to the side, then twitched her nose and sniffed.

Well, would you look at that.

People always say you can’t judge a book by its cover, and that couldn’t be truer.

The fish smelled pretty good. She just had no idea how it tasted…

“There’s nothing wrong with just smelling it, right…?”

Her gaze dropped to the golden-brown grilled fish. Alice’s disobedient, deceitful little hands picked it up before she could stop them.

She twitched her nose and gave it a gentle sniff.

Mm, it smelled pretty good from a distance, and even better up close!

If she just tried a little…

“No, no! I said I wouldn’t eat it. How could I break the vow I made? No! Absolutely not!”

Shaking her head frantically, Alice gritted her teeth and fought to resist with all her willpower.

Resist.

Resist

Resist a little longer…

And then…

“Smack, smack, smack… Mmm, this fish is pretty tasty. Maybe I could let him be my cook from now on.”

In the end, she still couldn’t hold out.

But it wasn’t her fault. That careless guy had left such a delicious fish lying around. If this happened, it really wasn’t her fault.

The man who’d left it lying around was the one to blame!

It didn’t take long for her to happily finish the grilled fish. Alice let out a satisfied little burp. She was full.

A mug of ale would’ve made it even better!

Well, that was only wishful thinking. The city’s residents were still struggling to get enough to eat. Where would she find the spare money for luxuries like that?

“That guy still hasn’t come back.”

She waited a little longer, but Lin Ge still didn’t return. Alice glanced at the fish bones she’d left behind after devouring the fish.

Things had come to this, so she might as well go all the way. She’d just say she’d left ages ago. If this happened, it was his own fault for not cleaning up.

Heh. I really am a little genius.

She got to her feet and secured her sword. Now that she’d eaten and drunk her fill, it was time to get back to work!

Some things might truly be fated, but Alice still planned to try again.

From the moment she’d picked up a branch as a child and secretly taught herself swordsmanship, she’d been going against fate. What she was doing now was simply fighting harder against the raging current.

Unfortunately, reality was cruel…

She suffered another Waterloo, facing the exact same outcome as before.

And on top of that, she happened to run into Lin Ge afterward and had to endure another round of his merciless “mockery” and “underestimating” her…

“All right, all right. Forget about that stuff. I found a really nice mountain nearby. Instead of wasting your time on something pointless, why don’t we go climb it together, my beloved City Lord wife?”

“Y-y-y-you… You’re unbelievable! Don’t assume everyone’s like you. I’m not giving up!”

“Come on, don’t push yourself so hard. It’s much nicer to live as you please. Besides, I don’t think those things are all that difficult. Like you said, you can manage them if you just try a little harder.”

Lin Ge patted Alice on the shoulder, his expression completely sincere.

Little did he know, that only stirred up Alice’s competitive spirit even more.

Alice pointed at him and shouted:

“Easy?! Fine! If you’re so sure, go do it yourself! If you can’t, then go explain things to His Majesty at once and get him to rescind the order!”

“And what if I can?” Lin Ge froze, then asked in return.

“Then I’ll become your real wife, and I won’t interfere with anything you want to do from then on!”

“Ohoho, you said it, my dear wife~~~”

A smug smile appeared at the corner of Lin Ge’s mouth. He licked his lips, savoring the memory of the fish. It looked like today really was his lucky day!