The next day, dawn had only just broken. The sky was perfectly clear, not a cloud in sight.
Luke pushed himself up in bed and stretched hard, letting out a long, satisfied sigh. That sleep had been ridiculously refreshing—like he'd paid back every hour he'd missed over the last two days.
The only downside was that he was thirsty. He glanced at the cup on the nightstand. Empty.
Luke yawned and dragged himself out of bed anyway—then, out of habit, silently thought:
"Check in."
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining skill: Blinding Flash (automatically mastered to LV3)]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Common Skill Upgrade Card]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining an Intermediate Profession Rank-Up Card]
[Detecting learnable skill: Blinding Flash. Learn it?]
"Learn it."
Luke had the distinct feeling that he didn't even need the system's explanation—he already knew what it did.
The next second, all the information about Blinding Flash poured into his mind.
After he processed it, he wasn't surprised at all.
Blinding Flash… was exactly that. A blinding flash.
The way it worked was to compress your mental focus into a single point, then release it in an instant—producing a burst of white light that could blind an opponent on the spot.
The higher the level, the stronger the flash.
Luke thought about it for a moment. So… basically a flashbang.
Useful? Sure, a little. Just not that much.
His eyes shifted to the second reward—the Common Skill Upgrade Card—and he hesitated briefly.
Wind-Channeling Swordplay was already LV5, so a common upgrade card wouldn't work on it anymore. No further improvement for now.
That left four other common skills:
Gecko Wallrun LV3, Prestidigitation LV3, Godspeed Tracking Arrow LV3, and the newly acquired Blinding Flash LV3.
Of course, in terms of actual practicality, Prestidigitation and Blinding Flash could mostly be ignored.
Gecko Wallrun and Godspeed Tracking Arrow, though—both of those were genuinely helpful. They improved his combat power in real ways.
After thinking it over, he decided to use the upgrade card on Gecko Wallrun first.
All things considered, movement mattered more to him right now.
[Common Skill Upgrade Card used successfully. Congratulations to the host: Gecko Wallrun has increased to LV4 (Fluent Mastery)]
A wave of reinforcement surged through him. With Gecko Wallrun reaching Fluent Mastery, Luke would be faster—and at this point, he was basically a legitimately skilled climber.
This check-in gave him three rewards total.
And one of them was an Intermediate Profession Rank-Up Card.
It could be used on profession skills below LV7.
Right now, Luke only had two professions: Cooking and Crafting—both LV6.
LV6 (Outstanding) was already a high level of proficiency. Every step beyond that was a true leap.
If we're talking pure usefulness, Crafting was probably more valuable.
So Luke, without hesitation, chose to upgrade Cooking.
He had high standards for quality of life. Food mattered—simple as that.
Three meals a day were non-negotiable.
And making food that tasted amazing was genuinely useful.
Lately, Luke had realized his earlier thinking was completely wrong.
He'd once thought: I'm a prince—am I really supposed to cook for myself?
But once he actually started cooking, he realized he should've been doing it all along.
Those few days when he'd been short on money had forced him to notice just how absurdly good his cooking really was.
Ever since he started cooking personally, his tastes had gotten picky.
Before, he could throw together breakfast or eat out and call it a day—especially since upscale restaurants still had real skill.
But now?
Now his own food tasted too good. For a while, he could barely stand eating what other people made.
It was honestly annoying.
That was why, when Luke didn't feel like cooking, he'd occasionally teach Yurna Doer a few tricks—so she could handle it.
[Intermediate Profession Rank-Up Card used successfully. Congratulations to the host: Cooking has increased to LV7 (Peak Perfection)]
In an instant, a massive flood of cooking experience poured into Luke's mind. He could feel his skill undergoing a fresh qualitative shift.
Just that single level-up took him a bit to fully absorb.
After dealing with the system rewards, Luke strolled to the wall calendar hanging nearby.
"June fifteenth, huh."
He fell quiet for a moment. It really had been a while since he arrived in the capital.
If he counted the days… wasn't his monthly check-in coming up soon?
He couldn't help wondering what he'd get then.
He left his room and went downstairs.
Hearing movement, Yurna Doer opened her door and stepped out. "Your Highness, should I make breakfast today?"
"I'll do it," Luke replied, then added, "Go pour me a glass of water."
"Yes."
Yurna Doer nodded and turned to leave.
Luke rubbed his chin and slipped back into thought.
Waking up thirsty was normal, but at that moment you never wanted to get out of bed. That was when a maid's value really shined.
But was there a way for Yurna Doer to get the message instantly?
Something flickered through his mind, but he couldn't quite catch it.
He gave up, turned, and headed for the kitchen.
For breakfast, he planned to make a pot of warm vanilla rice pudding. He'd bought a lot of ingredients yesterday, and his bag still held plenty of rare fruits from his check-ins—more than he could finish anytime soon.
He could pick a few that worked well and mix them in.
An hour later…
Lux showed up.
Like she'd timed it down to the second—Luke had just set a full "premium" pot of vanilla rice pudding on the table when she arrived.
She sniffed the sweet aroma in the air, looked at the glossy, perfectly finished pudding, and nodded in satisfaction. "Good thing I came prepared."
Luke lifted his head, surprised by the energy on her face. "Prepared how?"
Lux grinned. "I made sure to show up extra hungry!"
Luke: "…"
Okay. That was… thorough.
He swallowed the polite "Have you eaten?" he was about to say.
There was no point asking.
She was clearly here to mooch breakfast.
Luke watched as Lux jogged into the kitchen, grabbed a big bowl and a ladle, then came back and sat down—completely at home—waiting to be served.
Luke was speechless all over again.
This is basically your house now.
He ladled her a huge portion. Lux still wasn't satisfied. "Another scoop."
Luke glanced at her. "Can you even finish that?"
That instantly annoyed Lux. She huffed. "Questioning how much I can eat is the same as questioning my character. Stop talking and give me another scoop!"
Luke sighed. "Fine."
"What are you sighing for?"
"Nothing."
He still gave her another scoop.
For some reason, Luke suddenly felt a little sorry for Miss Crownguard.
With how much she could eat, why was her tiny frame still… not developing at all?
Where was all the nutrition going?!
Lux didn't notice Luke's sympathetic look. Her entire focus was locked on the carefully cooked pudding.
Forget taste—just looking at it made it seem ridiculously good.
She couldn't wait. She scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and put it into her mouth.
Sweet without being cloying, warm and smooth. The soft grains practically melted as she chewed, and the add-ins were tender and comforting, rich without being heavy.
After that first bite, Lux felt like she'd been elevated to a higher plane.
No exaggeration—one spoonful made her feel like every breakfast she'd ever eaten before had been a waste.
A few more bites in, her stomach felt warm, and energy spread through her limbs.
Good. Really good.
Lux didn't even have time to praise it—she finished the entire bowl in one go, then licked her lips, still wanting more.
"Not bad. You've earned this lady's approval!"
Lux patted her belly and leaned back in the chair, utterly content.
Luke didn't even respond. He just ate in peace.
Being ignored didn't bother Lux at all. She stood up and started her after-meal "walk," wandering around the house.
She drifted here, drifted there…
Then she noticed the Red Delicious apples Luke had bought yesterday. Her eyes lit up, and she asked eagerly, "So when are you making those candy apples you mentioned?"
Just the word candy was already a serious temptation to someone who loved sweets as much as she did.
This time, Luke answered without looking up. "Whenever I feel like it."
"And how do you feel right now?"
Lux scooted over and sat beside him, her bright eyes blinking as she stared at him expectantly.
Luke shot her a look. "Right now I feel like quietly drinking a few more spoonfuls of my pudding."
"Oh."
Lux nodded and behaved—at least for a moment.
Luke sipped slowly.
Lux got bored again, stood up, and ran outside into the courtyard.
She seemed to start playing with the water-powered fan.
Hearing the noise, Luke didn't bother stopping her.
After he'd eaten and drank his fill, he went outside and found Lux sprawled on his rocking chair. The chair swayed back and forth, and she had her eyes closed in bliss while the water-powered fan whooshed a cool breeze nearby.
When she noticed Luke approaching, she opened her eyes. "This rocking chair is great. I'm getting one of these someday."
"Go ahead and keep rocking," Luke said.
Even though she'd stolen his spot, he didn't care.
He'd slept a full night. He wasn't in the mood to lie down anyway.
So he washed his face, brushed his teeth, then leisurely picked up a watering can and walked to the small patch of land he'd cleared in the courtyard.
He sprinkled water over it.
Inside were seeds for Smoky Earl Grey Tea. Normally, Yurna Doer handled it, but when he had free time, Luke liked to check on it himself.
Not long after, Kahina arrived.
They'd agreed to meet last night, so she left home right after breakfast.
The door was open. As soon as she stepped in, she saw Luke watering the plants and Lux lying on the rocking chair.
The two didn't bother each other at all. It actually looked… strangely harmonious.
The spinning water-powered fan caught Kahina's attention. She walked closer and asked curiously, "Is that fan driven by water?"
She noticed the water looped around the courtyard in a cycle, which was why it could keep spinning nonstop.
"Try it," Lux said, having had enough of lounging. She stood up and offered Kahina the rocking chair.
Kahina lay back. The chair swayed gently. The patio umbrella overhead blocked the glare, and the breeze coming from the fan was cool and pleasant.
"How is it?" Lux asked.
"Really comfortable," Kahina said, eyes closed, feeling the chair's motion—steady, soothing, almost hypnotic.
"Wait here, I'll be right back!"
Lux suddenly remembered something and dashed into the living room, heading straight toward the basement.
Sure enough, a moment later she came back out holding two bowls of scooped ice cream.
Luke glanced over and then looked away.
He couldn't help it—he'd promised them "all-you-can-eat" ice cream for a week.
Kahina sat up and looked at the neat round scoops. "What's that?"
"Ice cream. Try a bite," Lux said, handing her a spoon.
Kahina took it, carefully scooped a small bite, and eased it into her mouth.
Her first impression was the cold—refreshing and bright.
Then the sweetness and creamy softness hit, instantly conquering her taste buds.
Kahina's eyes lit up. "That's so good!"
Her gaze drifted toward Luke watering the plants. She didn't need to guess—Your Highness must've made it.
Lux was happily eating her own serving now.
The two girls chatted cheerfully while they ate, the atmosphere light and warm.
A little while later…
Fiora arrived.
She didn't look much different from yesterday—new outfit, even colder and more refined in aura.
But Luke still sensed a subtle difference.
He glanced at her twice and casually asked, "Didn't sleep well?"
Fiora paused, then smiled faintly. "Why do you ask?"
Luke smiled back. "You just look… tired."
"Do I? Maybe I didn't rest enough," Fiora said, her pretty face still wearing that gentle, controlled smile.
Luke was holding a small pair of shears, trimming a shrub he didn't like the look of, and spoke as if it were nothing.
"I made a pot of vanilla rice pudding this morning. There's still some left, and it hasn't cooled down yet. Kahina said she already ate breakfast, but I think you should have a little. It'll help with fatigue—and it's good for a few other things, too."
"Alright."
Fiora had already eaten breakfast, but watching Luke's back, she changed her mind.
She could definitely eat a bit more.
Yurna Doer brought the pudding out. It still gave off a soft warmth, but it wasn't hot enough to burn—perfect temperature.
Looking at the nicely finished bowl, Fiora sat quietly, scooped up a spoonful, and tasted it.
Her blue eyes brightened slightly.
Just like Luke said—once it settled in her stomach, she suddenly didn't feel as exhausted.
She stared at the bowl for a moment, and the smile at the corner of her mouth didn't fade again.
This pudding warmed the body… and warmed the heart.
Before she realized it, the bowl was empty. Fiora looked up and asked, "Is there more?"
Luke answered casually, "Yeah. It's in the kitchen."
Fiora stood up, clearly intending to get another bowl.
And over there, Lux heard the conversation, rubbed her stomach, and instantly decided, "Nope. I'm getting another bowl too!"
Because it really was that good.
She sprinted toward the kitchen like she was afraid she'd be too late and miss out.
Seeing that, Kahina—who had been full earlier—also rushed toward the kitchen. "Then I'll have another bowl too!"
Only now did it hit her: if she didn't eat Your Highness's pudding, it would feel like such a waste.
So… she was committing.
Full or not, she was eating.
The remaining pudding suddenly became the hottest commodity in the house, getting "raided" in turns by all three girls.
Before long, it was completely divided up.
Watching the scene, Luke let out a shamelessly self-satisfied sigh.
"Maybe… this is just what real skill looks like."
If he entered any "top chef" competition, wouldn't he easily take first place?
And Cooking at LV7 was already like this. Luke didn't even dare imagine what it would look like if he pushed Cooking all the way to LV9.
Cooking at LV7 also came with bonuses from the skill itself now.
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