The Guardian Chef

***(Jack's POV)***

I remember it like it was yesterday. But most of all... I remember her.

*****

"... ack... Jack... JACK!"

I woke up suddenly. Still half asleep, I turned to that familiar female voice, and there she was: white skin, platinum blonde hair, and her emerald green eyes.

"Lara...... another 5 minutes..." I said closing my eyes again

"No."

With that statement, she took off the blankets, making me feel the cold you feel every winter morning. Now awake thanks to that sort of cold shower, I sat on the bed scratching my head and yawned. Then I glared at Lara.

"It's useless for you to look at me like that." she began slightly amused "If I don't do this we'll be late for school."

“Aaaaah. Yes yes, I'm coming." sighing I got up and went to the bathroom.

After I washed, dressed, and had breakfast, I went out with her. It was cold and the landscape around us was covered with snow. Some people headed to the workplace, to a meeting, or just went home, and there were also students like us who headed to school

"... that's how Co**** solved the case."

"You always liked detectives stories, didn't you Lara?"

“I love them… even though this series has lost a lot of impacts lately. *Sigh*... what a pity."

"Ahahah... I'm sorry."

"You must not." she said smiling "After all, you're not the author"

*****

That was the last discussion I had with my childhood friend... no... with the first and only person I ever truly loved, before coming to this world.

And now, in front of me, there is a woman who looks like her to the point that, if she were the same age as me, it could be her. Seeing it rekindled a feeling that I thought was extinct.

***(Graeval's POV)***

Lara? I wondered perplexed. Look my wife's name is Lilith. And then... who the hell is Lara?!

Jack was happy, and that was demonstrated by the stupid smile on his face. Probably, this elusive Lara is an acquaintance of his, but from what I can see, both my wife and the others were perplexed

“It's you, isn't it?! Were you also summoned by Aphy?!"

"Um... I think you confused me for someone else..."

Hey! Hands off from my wife!! I was trying to keep calm but I doubt there is a man on earth who can stand the sight of one who seems to be hitting on his woman as soon as he sees her. The only reason I don't blow his heart is that he hasn't done anything 'serious' yet and Lilith seems to feel a little disgusted with him, even if she didn't show it.

"Come on Jack sit down." Sarity finally intervened separating them "I don't know what happened, but she is Graeval's wife, Lilith."

"Wife?!"

"Yup. My wife." I said confidently and then turned to Lilith "I see you found the roses."

“It wasn't easy. They also told me to come by the end of autumn, in case we want to be sure to find them."

"Haha... my fault." I apologized massaging the back of my neck "but I came up with the idea this morning so..."

"*Sigh*... next time you will wait for the right season all right?" Lilith sighed as she handed me the basket of roses.

“Sorry. But trust me it will be worth it." I said sniffing a rose

The fresh, fragrant smell of that flower wasn't very strong, but it was still good. With an instinctive smile, I went behind the counter and started cooking.

Even though this recipe came to me thinking back to an old story from my previous world, it was still worth a try.

I had prepared the shortcrust pastry in advance as it keeps easily, as well as an apple jam. Now it was time to prepare the filling.

I detached each petal of the roses and after washing them I put them in a pot full of water to create a fragrant syrup. While it was being created, I took the apples and cut them into thin slices, and when the syrup was ready I let them rest by immersing them in the red liquid. The time it took to cook the jar-shaped shortcrust pastry and the apple slices were ready. Spreading a light base of apple jam on the bottom and the inner walls of the base, I began to lay the slices of apples that had remained soaking creating the same shape as a rose and as a final touch, I brushed the apples with more syrup of rose.

To conclude everything, I placed the work in the center of a small plate, and around it, I put a little syrup and honey to give it color.

"Lilith. Could you help me take the dishes to the tasters?"

"Immediately dear."

***(Sarity's POV)***

We were all surprised by Jack's reaction. We never expected Lilith to look like someone he knows. Even now he doesn't take his eyes off her and... I don't like it.

"Ouch!"

he gasped when I gave him a pinch. Seeing me irritated, my husband gave a nervous chuckle to try to stave off the embarrassment, but neither with me nor with the others had much effect. I sighed.

"I never imagined that Sarity's childhood friend's wife would be so beautiful."

“Ara! I'm flattered if you say so, lady..."

“Ah, forgive me. My name is Ridel Leame, you can also drop the formalities."

"Thank you. Anyway, yes..." Lilith began turning her gaze to Graeval "nobody expected it. Me neither."

"Even you?" I asked slightly surprised Now that I think about it, I never asked him how they met

"See Sarity, I had arrived in Fago for some unforeseen circumstances and personal problems."

"I bet you had a lot of suitors on your heels."

"Ahahah... we can say so." she said scratching her cheek "I had it to the point that I was forced to leave my house... I am embarrassed to confess that I had nothing when I left." her cheek was now flushed with embarrassment.

"How did you get here?" Emilyn asked

“On foot after many adventures. I had to procure food by improvising and haven't had the best of experiences being outdoors. It turned out that I passed out from hunger in the woods nearby and it was there that I met him." her gaze was lost in the void and in a nostalgic way she continued “When I woke up I was at his house, he offered me food and even a roof over my head. At first, I didn't like him at all, but he never complained about how badly I treated him and he always spoke to me with an open heart. It was the first time in my entire life that someone approached me without hiding anything from me and respecting my wishes for privacy about my past.

He showed me a whole new world and helped me to the point that I have an everlasting debt to him. But as I said he never complained, he got angry when I did something wrong and taught me how to fix the mistake. I'm not exaggerating if I could have called him my father at the time. Fufufu "

I'm a woman too, but I found her giggle adorably.

However, her statement is true. Even when we were children, he has always shown maturity, patience, and wisdom that is not suitable for that of a child... at least when we were alone. Come to think of it, such an adult behavior was strange.

“We were always together as if it were the most natural thing in the world and it didn't take long for me to feel something for him, which eventually resulted in true love. When I decided to declare myself as if waiting for nothing else, he invited me to a candlelit dinner and there he confessed himself stating that it was love at first sight... that single statement helped me to understand why he was so tolerant of me, but I was happy and wanted nothing more than to be by his side forever."

"And so you got married..."

"We have been married for a year now and every day my husband continues to make me fall in love with him and our life together..."

Adorable. That was the only word that came to mind after seeing her with that lover's look. And although I already considered her a pretty girl, seeing her like that made her even more gorgeous.

"Lilith. Could you help me take the dishes to the tasters?"

"Immediately dear." she answered going immediately to him

With light steps, she went in front of the counter where she took the small plate with the dish that Graeval wanted us to taste, showing a surprised expression and then smiling. When I turned around, I saw that Jack was staring at Lilith and there was both sadness and envy in his expression. Could this Lara be the reason? The fact is that he laid eyes on someone else's wife, and was jealous of him right now. I gave him another pinch which served to bring him back to us, then we'll make sure we lecture him.

"Here you go"

"Oh... my... goddess..."

In front of us, there was a red rose. Inside what looked like a vase made of shortcrust pastry, there was a rose and I could smell the delicate perfume typical of the flower. We all were surprised.

"What is that?" Emilyn asked surprised

“An experimental dessert. A rose..." Graeval began handing a plate with the same cake to Lilith "meant for the queen of a man's heart."

"Graeval..."

Red like that flower, Lilith accepted the dish. Taking it, she brought it to her mouth and bit a small piece of cake. Her eyes widened and then she stared back at Graeval but with a childish and reproachful expression at the same time.

"Stupid." she affirmed looking in another direction as Graeval smiled sweetly at her

"Can I have one too?!" Ronhya broke in looking at the sweet

"Ruining this moment......" Graeval had a swollen vein on his forehead "There is nothing for you."

"Buuuh... Graeval stingy."

"Shut up killjoy." he scolded her by flicking her on the head

"Ahem..." clearing her throat to recover from the embarrassment Lilith handed the cake to Ronhya "You can take a piece of mine if you want."

“Thanks, Lilith! I love you!"

"Yes yes, as you want."

By now interested and at the same intrigued by the taste of that cake-like everyone present, we take a bit.

..................

I felt the crunchiness in my mouth that gave it a wonderful sensation and at the same time, a fragrance blossomed penetrating my nose and reaching my head. It almost seems to me to dream.

"An apple dessert?!" Ridel asked surprised

"Exactly. Only, instead of glazing it with normal syrup, I created a variant using the flower represented."

"So those roses...!"

“Exactly Tilly. Those roses were transformed into a syrup, where the apple slices took a long relaxing bath, soaking up in the scent of the roses without losing their sweetness and crunchiness." Graeval explained as everyone looked at him in surprise

"Really... but where do certain ideas come from?" I asked looking at him in exasperation

"It depends. They can come from mistakes, from wanting to try something new or simply out of boredom."

"Boredom?"

“Since it's the most suitable season, I've made a lot of apple-based pies, but monotony can be counterproductive. So I decided to reinvent the apple pie and after several experiments, this was the solution."

"You are an artist." Ridel complimented him

"Nah. I simply like to cook. Moreover, this cake has a particular meaning."

"Meaning? Such as?" I asked curiously

"It seems she forgot about it but..." he began looking at Lilith who turned red again and looked down "today is our wedding anniversary."

"Look, I hadn't forgotten..."

With that shy statement and red cheeks, Lilith took Graeval's face and kissed him. When she parted from his lips, she was even more scarlet than before and hid her face by resting it on his chest. Graeval began to stroke her head with a smiling face.

"This is not exactly a suitable season for weddings, but I couldn't and above all, I didn't want to wait." Graeval began to tell “With the complicity of Tilly and Tarkart, I had her prepare the dress in a hurry, drew up a menu, and prepared an apple-based dessert. Even though it didn't turn out as perfect as this cake, Lilith smiled at me saying 'I love this cake'. So, what better way to celebrate our anniversary than with an apple dessert? And if we add the fact that her bouquet was a bunch of red roses..."

"Stupid..." Lilith murmured

"*Sigh*... how romantic." Ridel said, taking the face that had turned slightly red from the atmosphere that was created.

It was a beautiful situation, sweet and above all sacred. But for some reason, it bothered me. Knowing that he had made this cake just for this occasion... I felt as if some animal had bitten my stomach and I also felt a pang in my heart.

I took another bite of the cake. The taste of apples and the fragrance of roses came back to invade the palate, but I also felt warm, enveloping sensations and for some reason, the clear toll of silver bells and the softness of a loose dress.

I don't know what to feel anymore. I just felt a terrible pain in my heart. Why should I be jealous?

***(Graeval's POV)***

After consuming the cake along with a good cup of tea, Tilly, Tarkart, Jack, and his wives left the restaurant thanking me for the dessert.

Oddly, Lilith was glued to my arm and didn't want to leave me.

"We're not home, you know?"

"It's your punishment for the embarrassment you caused me..." she began puffing out her cheeks "but, thank you... for the pleasant surprise."

I kissed her on the forehead and rested my head on hers. That was one of those moments that you never want to be interrupted. But of course...

“Kuuuh! Keep playing lovebirds even in my presence... I want to do it too!!!"

I think you already know by now, but Ronhya is Aphy. Now you will ask yourself: what the hell is the Goddess who manages this world doing in a restaurant? And above all... why is she a waitress?!

As you have already understood about her personality, Aphy is very stubborn and despite asking her to go back to her place she flatly refused, clinging to me at every opportunity. It was impossible to ignore it as it could have been a source of annoyance for my clientele and therefore a negative note for my business. Reluctantly, I suggested hiring her as a staff member while I asked for another favor from Sarity's parents to give her a home address. Even if she insisted on moving to our house, I would never compromise on that. I have no intention of ruining my intimate moments with my wife. As before, she had opposed but somehow Lilith managed to convince her. When I asked her how she did it, she simply replied "a secret between women"

............

I should hope so!

The service continued throughout the evening and despite some messes made by Aphy, no one complained......... when the eye rests at a certain point, men are very 'instinctive' in the end no? Ultimately, the clumsy waitress often and willingly has a positive influence in business.

Trouble aside, Lilith and I closed the restaurant and started to head for our home, but it's been about halfway through the evening service that I've been getting a certain look on me... and especially on Lilith. And at this moment we are also being followed. Looking at Lilith, she gave me a simple nod of her head, a symbol that it was time to deal with it.

We turned into a secluded and uncrowded street. With my power, we hid together in a veil of darkness, blending in with everything around us.

We heard hurrying footsteps and then two hooded figures enter the street, one a little higher than the other. Given how they were dressed I could not distinguish their features, but it seems that they had it with us.

"Let's try a peaceful approach," I whispered in my wife's ear

Nodding, Lilith began to whisper a spell, and subsequently, a black wall appeared in front of the two figures who were left displaced.

"It's not polite to follow people." I began by coming out of the veil of darkness "what do you want from us?"

The individuals drew their swords because of the surprise and warned themselves. I still couldn't see them well, but I'm sure their gaze fell on Lilith. How can I find out? I can be a veeery jealous husband sometimes. I was about to ask what they wanted from Lilith, but one of them, a man, preceded me

“My Lady Lilith Stilno. I am happy to see that you are fine!" he exclaimed

At that exclamation they knelt before her, uncovering their faces at the same time, revealing their demon nature.

First the hero and now my wife's ex-subordinate demons... something is happening here...