When Pride Burns

"There's a strange smell…"

Charlotte muttered as she sniffed the air, her nose twitching slightly as she tried to identify the source of the scent. After removing her classic coat, her laziness became even more apparent her short black dress hugged her body comfortably, accentuating her figure.

Leonid shook his head for a moment, then sighed and pulled the pan away from the stove, placing it on the table with impatience. In a monotonous motion, he pulled the hair clip from his head, letting his silver strands fall over his forehead as if surrendering to the cruel fate of cooking.

Disappointed, he approached Charlotte and lifted her into his arms without warning. Her necklace trembled, a promise of love, before settling once more against her collarbone.

"Hey… what are you doing?"

She murmured lazily, but she didn't try to escape from his grasp. In truth, she was too sluggish to even open her eyes. He placed her gently on the dining table, then rested his hands on either side of her, lowering his head onto her shoulder as if in need of some comfort.

"I'm frustrated."

Leonid mumbled in a low voice, sighing again, as if his frustration had become part of his very existence. Just moments ago, he had been filled with a chef's pride, only for it all to crumble because of the stove.

"Frustrated about what? I don't understand, what happened to you?"

Charlotte yawned lazily, resting her head against his. She wanted to sleep, despite her desire to talk to Leonid and figure out what had happened and the reason behind the burnt smell lingering in the air.

Leonid didn't answer. He remained silent as Charlotte's chestnut locks covered part of his silver hair, blending together softly under the orange sunlight streaming through the window, as if they were one.

"If something's bothering you, you can tell me. I'm all ears."

Charlotte tilted her head slightly, rubbing her head against his until their strands intertwined completely.

"I'm just frustrated."

Leonid lifted his head and looked at her, his silver locks now tousled because of her, yet he still carried an air of cold authority even with his disheveled appearance.

In truth, Charlotte wasn't in much better shape. She had just woken up and hadn't even washed her face yet, making it hard for her to keep her eyes open.

"Alright, I get it. You're frustrated. But why?"

The moment she uttered the word "why", Leonid felt a sting in his pride, a bitter taste in his throat. How could he tell her the truth now? He thought for a moment and decided that lying might be the only way to preserve his dignity.

"Just a silly reason."

He said indifferently before quickly changing the subject.

"Anyway, are you hungry?"

He straightened his posture and crossed his arms over his chest as if regaining his confidence.

"I—"

Charlotte began to respond, but Leonid silenced her by pressing the back of his index finger against her lips, speaking with exaggerated arrogance.

"Forget the question. Of course you're hungry."

Her brows furrowed as she tried to open her eyes to argue, but in the end, she let it go because he was right. She was hungry.

In fact, just moments ago, she had been having a pleasant dream when a delicious aroma had reached her nose only for it to quickly turn into the scent of something burning.

After a moment of thought… Could it be that Leonid burned something in her house while she was asleep? She wondered to herself, furrowing her brows in concern, then spoke in a low voice as Leonid returned to the kitchen.

"Leonid… you weren't smoking in my house while I was sleeping, were you?"

"No."

He replied coolly as he retrieved the plates, carefully picking out the salvageable portions of his burnt dish. It was supposed to be a vegetable soup, but now it was just vegetables cooked in a small amount of seasoned broth.

He looked at the result and muttered in satisfaction.

"It still looks delicious…"

"What did you say?"

Charlotte tilted her head, but she hadn't caught his words clearly. Ignoring her question, he placed two plates on the dining table, then returned to her and gently lifted her off the table.

"I didn't say anything. Now, let's eat."

"Hmm… the smell is nice~"

Charlotte murmured drowsily, clinging to his shirt for a moment as he set her down, then letting go and heading to the kitchen to wash her face before returning to the table.

Leonid, who had stopped mid sit, widened his eyes slightly, secretly watching her with hidden tension. He was afraid she'd notice the burnt pan still sitting on the table.

But, fortunately for him, Charlotte didn't see anything.

Perhaps thanks to her habit of not paying much attention to her surroundings.

"Thank you~!"

Charlotte beamed, picking up her fork before taking a good look at the dish Leonid had prepared.

She took a bite, and her dark eyes lit up warmly, even though the sweet taste was unfamiliar.

"This is delicious!"

"Really?"

Leonid furrowed his brows, resting his head on his hand before quickly smirking with feigned confidence.

"I mean… of course it is."

Luckily, Leonid had carefully selected the good parts of the vegetable soup for Charlotte's plate, and his temporary chef skills had served him well.

Silence filled the room as Charlotte ate each bite gratefully. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed a meal like this, and for some reason, her appetite was unusually strong.

As for Leonid, he simply watched her, ignoring the plate in front of him. In his eyes, true chefs didn't eat their own cooking they admired their achievements.

And his achievement was watching Charlotte finally eat.

After finishing her plate, Charlotte slowly leaned back in her chair, picking up a napkin and dabbing at her lips before looking at Leonid.

"Thank you."

She smiled and thanked him again.

"No need to thank me. Honestly, I'm just glad you liked it."

"Well, it tastes sweet… kinda strange, but still delicious~!"

"Sweet?"

Leonid blinked for a moment, then picked up his spoon and took a bite of his own dish. The first taste was fine, but the second…

The sugar overpowered the flavor before turning into a burnt bitterness.

He had used sugar instead of salt. This was unbelievable.

Leonid wanted to spit it out, but he endured the taste and swallowed it, then tossed the spoon aside and rested his forehead on the dining table, silently groaning.

Charlotte watched his reaction, then stood up and leaned over the table after pushing her plate away. She tapped her finger against his head.

"From Charlotte to Leonid, are you okay?"

She kept tapping his head like a woodpecker, adding,

"I mean… you don't seem like yourself."

She furrowed her brows as she stared at him, while Leonid let out a deep sigh and said,

"I'm frustrated… and I hereby officially retire from cooking."

"Retire from what? But I liked your dish!"

"That's enough."

Leonid lifted his head and gently pushed her hand away before running his fingers messily through his hair.

"I won't cook anything ever again. That's my final decision."

"Why?"

Her question was nothing more than a sulky complaint. She pursed her lips and pulled back to sit in her chair, absentmindedly fiddling with the edge of the table with her fingers.

"Well, it's your choice… but I'm happy that someone cooked for me after such a long time."

"Cooked for you after a long time?"

Leonid raised an eyebrow, smirking sarcastically.

"What nonsense is that? You're talking as if your family never cooked for you."

"Hmm…"

At the mention of her family, the life drained from Charlotte's expression.

For a moment, a flood of memories she never wanted to recall surged through her mind.

She remembered waking up, stepping out of her room to find her family gathered around the breakfast table without her. When her father noticed her, he would ask her to join them, but her mother would coldly refuse.

"Charlotte didn't prepare anything, and she can cook for herself later. Now, let's eat."

Every time, her mother repeated the same words. Even when Charlotte put in the effort and cooked for them, the dishes were taken from her hands.

"You're right."

A dry smile formed on her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. She mocked herself in silence but Leonid didn't miss it.

He shouldn't have brought up her family.

With a quiet sigh, he suddenly said,

"Forget it. I take back my decision."

Charlotte's fingers stopped tracing the table, and she lifted her eyes to him.

"What do you mean?"

"I won't quit cooking."

He said it coldly, trying to mask the softness in his voice.

"But I will train."

He looked into her eyes, which gleamed like glass under the light, then added nonchalantly,

"And you will be my test subject… my official taste tester."

"You're not trying to kill me with your cooking, are you?"

"Maybe I am. Why not?"

Charlotte immediately burst into laughter.

It was hilarious.

She was happy with him.