Cooking broke the deadlock.
And over the course of eating,
Megrie came to know the three men standing before her.
They all lived together in this house.
Aaron was the captain of the city's guard.
A man bound by duty, rules, and responsibility.
Chino was a woodcutter—
and a hunter as well.
His strength came from the forest, his meals from what he could gather or catch.
Kai, the homeowner, was a landlord.
Several houses passed down through his family provided him with enough rent to live comfortably without working.
After the last bite was gone and the tension fully faded,
Megrie made a decision.
"I can cook for you," she said calmly, looking at all three of them.
"But I have conditions."
The men exchanged glances.
"You provide the ingredients," she continued.
"All of them."
"And," she added after a brief pause,
"what happens here stays here."
She met their eyes one by one.
"No one can know that I come here to cook."
The kitchen fell silent again.
Aaron was the first to frown, clearly weighing the implications.
Chino scratched his head, already thinking about hunting routes and supplies.
Kai leaned back slightly, his gaze drifting over Megrie in quiet assessment.
She was painfully thin.
Her clothes were old, worn, and far from flattering.
To be honest—
She wasn't beautiful by this world's standards.
Or so they thought.
(In truth, Megrie was anything but ugly.
Beneath the hunger and exhaustion, her features were delicate and striking.)
Still, appearances mattered little in the face of one undeniable fact.
Her food was irresistible.
They wanted to eat it again.
For the sake of good meals—
No, for the sake of that taste—
None of them hesitated for long.
"Fine," Kai said first.
"As long as you keep your word."
"I'll bring meat," Chino added immediately.
"Game, fresh."
Aaron sighed quietly, rubbing his temple.
"…I'll make sure nothing leaks."
Just like that, the deal was made.
Megrie would cook.
They would supply the ingredients.
And her presence here would remain a secret.
A simple agreement.
Yet none of them realized—
This was not just a bargain for food.
It was the beginning of something
that would slowly, inevitably, change all of their lives.