DISCLAIMER: The author's imagination and passion are the only sources of inspiration for this novel, which is a work of dedication. Parallels between these pages and the past or present may be apparent to some readers, but they are completely coincidental. You are free to interpret this art anyway you see fit, and it is meant for your enjoyment.
Officially, the "Suitor's Gauntlet" was in operation. By dawn, the Hylde Manor was a strange junction of three different periods. While Ji-Hoon's smart tent buzzed with the sound of a high-end air purifier, Leo had set up a "Command Center" in the library, his monitors shimmering with data streams from the nearby dimensions.
Leo declared, "The first challenge is Provisioning," as he stood in the middle of the large courtyard. He put a brand-new lollipop in his mouth. "In every romance, the way to a person's heart is through the stomach. The rules are simple: create a meal that represents 'Home' for Reinn. No magic, no modern AI assistants—just raw effort."
Ji-Hoon appeared overconfident as he adjusted his cufflinks. "I have a private chef's memory bank stored in my cloud. This will be a landslide."
Giywon said, holding his chin high, "A Prince does not cook," but there was a hint of fear in his eyes. "A Prince provides the finest ingredients the land has to offer!"
"And a Duke knows how to survive. A meal is not about lace and silver; it is about sustenance and warmth," Dyierrean continued in a hushed voice, sharpening a small paring knife with horrifying accuracy.
The kitchens of the estates turned into a theater of absurdity.
The royal pantry had been taken over by Giywon. "Home" meant a feast worthy of a coronation, he had decided. But now, with no staff to tend to the fire, he was having a furious dispute with a pile of firewood.
"Why will it not ignite?" Giywon hissed, his golden hair slightly singed. "I am the Sun of the Empire! Obey me!"
Ji-Hoon was going through a different problem across the room. After Leo "hacked" his tablet, the automated cooking apps were turned off. Right now, Ji-Hoon was gazing at a raw potato as though it were a sophisticated piece of malware.
Ji-Hoon mumbled, "There is no 'slice' button," as he prodded the potato with a silver fork. "Samantha, this is a gross misuse of human capital. I should be delegating this to a sous-chef."
The only person who appeared calm was Dyierrean. He had disregarded the expensive drinks and the exotic spices. Rather, he sat in the corner and peeled root vegetables with the same concentration that he applied when skinning a deer in the wastes of the north. The soup his mother had prepared before the war was claimed "Home" to him; he had never told anyone about these memories.
The three guys made their "offerings" in the garden as the sun rose to its highest point. Leo and a clipboard-wielding Eyldion served as the unofficial judges while Reinn sat at the head of a large stone table.
Giywon offered a dish of... Something burned and black. He said, "It was meant to be a pheasant stuffed with truffles," as soot covered his face. "But the fire... it was more aggressive than I anticipated. However, I caught the bird myself. I wanted you to have the very best of my land."
Reinn first glanced at the scorched bird, then at Giywon's burned eyebrows. A mature, gentle warmth blossomed in her chest. The fact that a guy who had never touched a hearth in his life had burned his royal hands in an attempt to feed her was more important than the food itself. "It smells... adventurous, Giywon," she remarked as she boldly took a tiny taste.
Ji-Hoon displayed a plate of sashimi that was expertly prepared and sliced. "I couldn't find a stove that met my standards," he said, "so I used the cold-press technique. It represents the modern world—clean, efficient, and expensive. It's the life I can give you, Samantha. No smoke, no mess."
Although the dish was flawless, Reinn sensed the distance it signified as she sampled the chilled fish. It wasn't a supper for a soulmate, but rather a business partner.
At last, Dyierrean set a plain wooden bowl in front of her. It was a hearty, rustic stew made with herbs and venison. It wasn't "fine dining," but there was a sense of security in the steam rising from the bowl. In the midst of a blizzard, it smelled like a hearth.
"I dreamed of this smell when I was in the Mirror World. It's not a feast. It's just... what keeps the cold away," Dyierrean remarked, his eyes meeting hers with a raw passion.
Reinn picked up a spoonful. Hours of painstaking boiling were evident in the meat's softness and the richness of the herbs. This was a mature love, the kind that only needed to be steady and profound rather than ostentatious.
"The scores are in," Leo remarked as he looked at his tablet. "Giywon gets 10 points for effort, 0 for fire safety. Ji-Hoon gets 10 for presentation, 2 for 'soul.' Dyierrean takes the round for—"
Leo's tablet abruptly sounded a low-frequency, piercing alert. The sky above Hylde Harbor took on an intense, deteriorating purple hue.
Leo mumbled, "Uh oh," with wide eyes. "The Pirate King I mentioned? He didn't wait for his turn in the gauntlet."
Stone and ivy flew as a huge cannonball, burning with green ghostly fire, whizzed through the air and crashed into the manor's outer wall. A deep, booming chuckle that sounded like clinking gold and breaking waves came from the port.
"REINN HYLDE!" the voice yelled. "I HEARD YOU'RE COLLECTING HUSBANDS! I'VE COME TO ADD AN EMERALD FLAG TO YOUR COLLECTION!"
Reinn got to her feet and reached for the dagger she carried at her thigh. As soon as their protective instincts took control, Giywon and Dyierrean were by her side, forgetting their competition. Even Ji-Hoon, who took a sophisticated "defense baton" out of his suit jacket, appeared angry.
"Leo," Reinn spoke in a cold, authoritative tone. "Who is that?"
Leo typed, "That's Captain Killian 'The Kraken' Thorne," in response. "He's from a Dark Fantasy Seas genre. He doesn't follow 'Suitor Rules.' He follows 'Plunder Rules.' And he just declared the Hylde Manor his new flagship."