Chapter 78: Rest and recuperate.
As soon as Matsushita Yuki was teleported over, she immediately looked at the butler.
Easter smiled, blocking Matsushita Yuki's view. "No rush," he mouthed.
Was East unaware of the butler's surveillance? No, he knew better than anyone. But what did it matter? Was there anything he couldn't let others know? His players were all quite capable; there was nothing he couldn't show.
At that moment, East thought that he would realize a day later that one should never speak too definitively.
Upon Cai Cai's arrival, she immediately took over the kitchen. When it comes to food that goes into our mouths, you can never be too careful.
Easter glanced at Nana with concern.
“Don’t feel guilty, little one. He’s enjoying it,” Yunmu said.
Easter, "I just feel like it might not be a good idea."
"What's wrong with that?" Yunmu asked. "This is the task he took on. Besides, he doesn't need to stay in the kitchen all the time. He can stay for a while when he wants, and go out for a walk when he doesn't. That's perfectly normal."
Didn't you see? How many times has she encountered Cai Cai on the battlefield? Sometimes, Cai Cai's appearance always comes at her most awkward moment.
“Your Majesty, don’t dwell on these trivial matters. What’s more important is tomorrow’s meeting,” Matsushita Yuki said rationally. “You need to rest and recharge now.”
Easter: "I understand, thank you for your concern, I'm sorry to trouble you again."
"We're all family, little one, don't be so formal with us." Yunmu waved her chubby little hand, speaking with great generosity.
A warm glow shone in Easter's pale pink eyes, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye seemed to move, displaying its unparalleled presence at that moment.
The players who were going up the stairs together were stunned, their eyes fixed on Ister. Their king was handsome, they had always known that. Their king had a beauty mark at the corner of his eye, and it was a very good one. They had always agreed on this. But today, at this moment, they found that something seemed a little different.
Easter stopped in his tracks, looking bewildered. "What's wrong?" He raised his hand to touch his cheek. "Is there something dirty on my face?"
Instead of staring at the roasted sweet potato for a while, he looked away first, saying, "The color has become lighter."
Easter asked, "What color?"
“Now that you mention it, it’s true,” Yunmu slapped her forehead. “I was wondering why something seemed a little off. Turns out, the color of Zai Zai’s beauty mark under his eye has lightened.”
East's beauty mark at the corner of her eye was a deep, almost black red. It was so dark that at first glance you would think it was black. But if you looked closely, you could see the red in the details. But now it was different. The bright red beauty mark at the corner of her eye was so eye-catching that it was hard to look away. It was fine if you didn't notice it, but once you did, you couldn't take your eyes off it.
"Holy crap, it's like it has a magical power to attract people." Junye couldn't help but swear as he looked away with difficulty.
"That's a bit strange," Meimei murmured. She'd been traveling with him for a week, how come she hadn't noticed? Could this be the change that started now?
East unconsciously touched the corner of her eye, her delicate fingertips touching it precisely, as if they were stained with blood, eerie and strange, with an inexplicable and eerie attraction.
Easter lowered his hand. "Let's go upstairs first, it's nothing," he said with a smile. "Have I become unattractive?"
"If this isn't good-looking, then what is?" Chunye, a straightforward and honest guy, spoke up, perfectly capturing the sentiments of all the players present.
“Then there’s no problem,” Easter concluded.
The players followed Ister upstairs in a daze. Had their questions not been answered? Who cares, as long as it looks good, that's all that matters.
Easter went into the room alone. The players were in the entertainment room next door. Those who didn't want to play in the entertainment room and wanted to fight monsters could arrange for other players to take turns. The players who were chosen were the ones who would accompany Easter to the meeting and banquet tomorrow.
The first thing East did upon entering the room was to call out to the system, "System, did you notice when it changed?" He didn't quite believe it was just a simple change.
After players raised the issue, the system started rewinding, eventually stopping at the day of the public beta launch.
"Was it the day of the public beta?" East had a guess in his mind. After the first "Source" entered his body, he gained a strange ability similar to increasing favorability. At that time, he suspected it, and now he was even more certain.
"Yes," the system replied, "the changes that occurred after the 'Source' entered the host's body are strange because you and I had both ignored its existence before. Moreover, its presence was often extremely weak; this cannot be considered a habit, it is abnormal."
“A mirror,” Easter said. He had never paid much attention to his appearance and had never noticed anything unusual about it.
The systematized mirror appeared before Easter. Easter examined it closely, his brow furrowing involuntarily. He hadn't noticed it until now, but upon closer inspection, it was rather...unpleasant. Who needs this charm boost? Wouldn't it be better to be a quiet, unnoticed bystander in the crowd? Who wants to be the center of attention?
Easter looked away in annoyance. Should he be thankful that it would restrain itself and reduce its presence?
Lying in bed resting, East couldn't help but mentally rant, "What are they thinking? In this world, strength is clearly more important than charm, so why keep trying to make him more charming? Besides, he already has a girlfriend. What? Do they want him to be a heartthrob and create a love triangle? Forget it, do you think he's capable of handling something so sophisticated?"
But he overlooked one point: the people affected never had any desires whatsoever.
...
Easter slept for two hours, and when he woke up it was just time for dinner.
Cai Cai had already prepared tonight's dinner. He brought all the ingredients himself and didn't use any of the ones provided here. He washed all the pots and pans several times and tested them with a testing system to make sure they were free of toxins.
Easter came downstairs. The players were sitting cross-legged on the living room floor playing cards, while six human envoys sat on the sofa watching, behaving themselves properly and showing no particular interest.
East rubbed his forehead. Spending so much time with the players, he often forgot that he also had human subordinates who needed his attention.
Yunmu threw down the cards in her hand, walked up to East and called out, "Baby?" Why are you standing there in a daze instead of eating?
"Don't worry, Cai Cai has everything prepared." Matsuue Yuki noticed the look in Esther's eyes.
“Don’t thank us anymore, we’re tired of it.” She predicted Easter again.
Easter closed his mouth, smiled, and said gently, "Okay, I got it."
Matsushita Yuki took two large steps back with a "thud," displaying such a loss of composure for the first time. "Your Majesty, didn't I tell you not to speak to us in that tone?" she said, utterly heartbroken. "We don't want a romance that transcends time. Stop trying to seduce us with such ambiguous gestures."
East, "..."
East, "..."
What did he hear? Tell him quickly that there's something wrong with his ears.
"Pfft, Sister Xue, you seem to have scared the little one?" Yun Mu had no sense of being a "mother" at all, and laughed heartily on the side.
East gave Yunmu a wistful look.
"Don't scare the little one," thankfully, there was a kind-hearted Cai Cai who came to the rescue. "I was wondering why they hadn't come yet. Turns out they were delayed here. If they don't go to eat soon, the food will get cold."
Easter breathed a sigh of relief and ran quickly behind Nana. When Matsushita Yuki told lame jokes, it was both terrifying and chilling.
Matsushita Yuki feigned complete innocence, turning to look at Rubu Kao Digua who was approaching, and asked, "What's wrong with the King?"
Instead of chuckling, the roasted sweet potato chuckled, "Is teasing the king really that interesting?"
Matsukami Yuki shrugged. "Seeing him act like an adult, I couldn't help myself."
“She’s twenty years old, so she can’t be considered a child anymore,” Meimei said, not feeling unwell.
"Really?" Matsukami Yuki asked in return.
Meimei was unlucky. "..." Fine, even she herself couldn't convince herself of what she said.
During his escape, East made sure to invite the six envoys to the restaurant, which showed considerable compassion.
There was food prepared for seven people on the table.
After East sat down, he gestured for the six people who were still standing there to sit down as well, and then turned to ask Cai Cai, "Aren't you going to eat?"
“Baby, don’t worry about us. We won’t let ourselves suffer,” Cai Cai said. “Eat up, there will be dessert later.”
Easter then began to eat dinner, which consisted of vegetable and meat soup, a steak, two croissants, and a salad to cleanse the palate.
The food was delicious in every way, from its color and aroma to its presentation. Ordinary food became incredibly tasty after Cai Cai's touch, as evidenced by the fact that the six envoys ate without even looking up.
After dinner, the awkward atmosphere between the emperor and his ministers eased somewhat.
"You don't need to be too reserved. Just do your jobs well." Easter isn't some kind of devil; after all, they were all carefully selected. What's the point of being so timid and cautious?
East lowered his eyes. He had been here for less than half a year and hadn't been assimilated to that extent yet. He chuckled to himself. People were almost treating human life like dirt, so there was no need to deceive himself anymore.
“We will, Your Majesty.” The one who spoke was one of the two women, named Himena, who was around thirty years old and had a gentle and kind demeanor.
Her story is legendary. She was once the unloved youngest daughter of a minor noble family. Yearning for the life depicted in folk tales, she rebelliously ran away from the arranged marriage when forced to marry into another family. Disguised as a man, she wandered for nearly ten years. When she was twenty-six, she had the confidence and strength to return home after reconciling with her past self. However, her family had already fallen into ruin. She bought back her former manor and started a literacy class there, open to anyone regardless of their social status. She also took in many orphans on the manor. If it weren't for her excellent business acumen, she might have been dragged down by the manor.
Easton admires people like that, so her arrival this time is purely for gilding her resume. With such outstanding business acumen, she should be put to good use.
The other five, while not as legendary as this woman, each had their own strengths. All six of them will be of great use in national affairs in the future.
Easter smiled slightly. "Do your best. I have faith in your abilities."
The six men, who had all appeared to be very serious, blushed with excitement upon hearing Esther's words. They felt that Esther had helped them out of their low point, and they were almost there. Esther had shown them great kindness, and they were determined to serve His Majesty the King with all their might.
Cai Cai stepped forward with a tray, in which a swaying pudding was in a porcelain teacup. "Try it, this is something I just made."
East stepped forward to help Cai Cai, saying, "You should also get some rest."
Cai Cai asked blankly, "It's just cooking, is it tiring?"
East, "..."
What's wrong with him today? He's always being left speechless by his players.
A bite of the smooth and sweet pudding instantly soothed East's wounded heart, and he took a moment to give Cai Cai a thumbs up, "Delicious."
Cai Cai sat down beside him, scooping out pudding. "I'm glad you like it." He felt extremely satisfied. Seeing his little one eating so happily made him incredibly happy too. How could he possibly be tired? He wished he could make even more for his little one.
East used to be a very boring person. He had very low material desires and couldn't express love or hate. He just felt that anything was fine, anything was acceptable, and it didn't matter. But now, he can say that he has things he likes.
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