At the dinner table, Alice introduced herself without waiting for William to do so.
“Mr. Smith, hello, I am William’s female cousin Alice…”
female cousin?! ｂ𝚍ｎｏｖ𝚕．ｃｏｍ
Fortunately, William had been through enough situations to maintain a calm smile on his face.
His disciple pretending to be his cousin? Was this a betrayal, a total disregard for the master-disciple relationship?
“Oh! William’s cousin! Please come over more often, and next time you can come to my house for dinner.” Nathaniel was secretly pleased upon hearing Alice’s introduction. It seemed she wasn’t William’s girlfriend as he had assumed; it was a misunderstanding on his part.
It appeared that William had a wealthy cousin. If she turned out to be a good person, perhaps he could consider entrusting Evelyn to him.
Without hesitation, Alice smiled and replied, “I will definitely visit more often. After all, I worry about William living here by himself. You know how boys are when they live alone – not very good at tidying up the house. If he had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.”
Of course, she said this primarily for Evelyn’s benefit, to confirm that William was single and to prevent any misunderstandings due to her presence. She was only considering her master’s best interest.
“William, your cousin really cares about you, coming over during the holidays to clean up and cook for you.” Nathaniel seemed to accept Alice’s explanation, thinking she came to clean the house and that the meal was prepared by her, since he had seen Alice carrying dishes when he arrived.
William nodded without elaborating further, pleased with this explanation. With a smile on his face, he looked at Alice and said, “Cousin, thank you!”
His smile held a deeper meaning, and Alice felt a cold sweat forming on her back. But the words were already spoken, and all she could do was say, “It’s no problem, it’s what I should do. Let’s eat and chat.”
Evelyn, on the other hand, didn’t think much of it. It was her first time visiting, and she was feeling somewhat reserved. She smiled politely and remained quiet throughout.
“So you must be Evelyn, right? I’ve heard my cousin talk about you quite often.” Alice was also surprised when she saw Evelyn. She hadn’t expected her to be so beautiful and elegant. Even as a woman, Alice couldn’t help but feel envious.
Evelyn, not wearing any makeup and dressed in a simple T-shirt, looked adorable and gentle. Her features were harmonious, and her eyes were full of vitality, clean and pure.
Hearing Alice’s words, Evelyn didn’t know how to respond. William talked about her often?
They hadn’t known each other for long. Why would William talk about her so much?
Unable to listen any further, William gritted his teeth and asked, “Do you even know her name?”
He was upset about being portrayed as some kind of infatuated fool who couldn’t stop talking about his crush.
Yes!
That’s the word – infatuated fool!
A new term William had learned.
Alice, however, wasn’t embarrassed at all and said, “These dishes were all prepared by William. Go ahead and try some.”
She served some chicken for Evelyn and said, “Evelyn, you should come over more often. Try this chicken and see how it tastes.”
“William made this?” Evelyn hadn’t known that William could cook. After tasting it, she couldn’t help but say, “William, you’re quite the cook!”
“Of course,” Alice chimed in. “My cousin here is quite the chef. If there’s anything you want to eat in the future, just ask him to make it. To be honest, he made all the dishes on this table. I just helped out a little.”
“Really?” Evelyn was even more surprised. The table was laden with abundant and exquisitely presented dishes. The Poulet aux Herbes de Provence alone was a masterpiece in terms of color, aroma, and taste.
William nodded. At times, he found himself in a dilemma. As someone who had lived for an unknown number of years, was he really going to fall in love with a young woman in the prime of her life?
“William, impressive culinary skills! Even better than those Michelin 5-star chefs!” Nathaniel began to praise him. He was increasingly satisfied with the young man, especially after hearing what William’s “cousin” had said. Clearly, the boy was interested in his granddaughter but was too shy to admit it.
Regardless of whether or not William had cooked the meal, he was handsome, had a good character, and seemed to have a decent personality. That was enough.
Everyone enjoyed the lunch amid laughter and conversation. Once the meal was nearly finished, Alice took the initiative to clear the table, and Evelyn followed suit.
William and Nathaniel shared another drink, agreed to meet for a game of cards at two in the afternoon, and then wrapped up the gathering.
After Evelyn escorted Nathaniel back, Alice emerged from the kitchen, ready to leave.
“Don’t you have anything to explain to me?” William said expressionlessly. This woman was brazen. She had initially agreed to pretend to be his friend but, once seated at the table, had claimed to be his cousin. Then she had continued talking, confusing the narrative and leaving strange impressions.
Such a disciple, according to his past rules, would be expelled from the apprenticeship, or at least punished with half a month of confinement.
“Master!” Alice pouted, looking at William with a pitiable expression. “I did this for your sake!”
William remained unmoved. He stared at her and said, “Let’s hear your excuse!”
“I…” Alice was momentarily at a loss for words, but then her eyes narrowed and she said, “You saw it too. Evelyn’s grandfather began to scrutinize me as soon as he entered. Would he believe me if I said I was your friend? And what female friend brings you food to cook early in the morning?”
“You cooked? You helped?” William raised an eyebrow. She had stood there like an idiot the whole time. He had set the table himself. She had only served the food and yet claimed to have helped?
“I didn’t say I cooked,” Alice responded. “Didn’t I say the dishes were made by you, Master? I’ll have to visit frequently in the future, right? If I say I’m a friend and come often, aren’t you afraid Evelyn and her family will misunderstand? Of course, the identity of a cousin makes more sense.”
“Why did you say I often mentioned her?” William continued to stare coldly at Alice. If she were a man, he would have beaten her up by now.
“Well, Master, you don’t know about this,” Alice began. “For girls, if you like her, you should give some hints. Say some ambiguous things, let her go back and guess, and let her imagination run wild. Then she’ll become interested in you.” In addition to reading medical books, Alice loved romance novels. She could tell William wasn’t skilled in romance.
William chuckled, “I suppose I should thank you, then.”
Alice grinned, “No need to thank me. You really cook well, Master. Just call me when you’re making a meal, and I’ll come mooch some food.”
“Heh heh! Those two medical texts by Celsus, copy them a thousand times and hand them over to me by tomorrow!”