### Chapter 166: Long-Awaited Dessert
Crackling—
The firewood in the fireplace was snapping, making quite the racket in the warm, peaceful room, which was only second to the sound of me devouring my food like a ravenous beast.
Honestly, I wasn’t even hungry…
I haven’t had that old ravenous feeling for ages, thanks to the Abyss’s influence. If I overexert myself even a tad, I’m tormented by that maddening hunger that makes you lose your mind. Gone are the days of gluttonous nightmares; I eat now just because I want to, because I enjoy it. Since I left the Eastern Continent, it’s been all about savoring good food.
And today is no different.
Not hungry…
But seriously, how long has it been since I last tasted such delicious sweets?
It must’ve been half a year, maybe even a year…
Ever since the disaster began two years ago, a shadow has been looming over everyone in the Western Continent. The ongoing wars have exacerbated the situation. Traveling from Silgaya to the Valen Empire, it was nearly impossible to find a town with ample supplies.
How many commoners have lost their land already, fighting tooth and nail for a morsel of food? How many merchants have gone bankrupt after their goods were seized, ending up on the streets, freezing and starving to d*ath? Shops in the towns have been desolate, and food prices are sky-high. As for sugar, that luxury has become something even the nobility struggles to obtain…
I honestly can’t remember the last time I had sweets.
Yet this morning, here I am in the war-torn Black Fort, enjoying long-craved donuts, honey cakes, and cream puddings… a whole feast of desserts!
What a huge surprise!
I had intended to have a serious talk with this “Fake Victoria,” but now I’ve entirely forgotten what I wanted to say, my focus entirely on eating.
After a full day and night of siege warfare, while I’m not exhausted to the bone (in fact, I’ve hardly lifted a finger), I’ve been running around the city, flitting between various battlefields, worrying about all sorts of things. My mind has been in a constant state of tension.
By the time late night rolled around, I was starting to feel a bit drained—not from fatigue, but from a foggy brain that struggled to focus. If only I could get my hands on something sweet, that would be bliss— and bam, suddenly sweet treats appeared!
As I pushed open the door and saw the table overflowing with food, I could almost feel that sensation called “happiness” wash over me again. Even that blonde girl suddenly looked more pleasant. Without a second thought, I plopped down at the table, not caring who set the food out—my mission was to sweep all of it away first.
Anyway, no one was stopping me…
The woman, still in her sleepwear and unkempt hair, was eyeing me from across the table. Normally, I’d ignore her, given my good mood, but she kept staring at me with an increasingly annoying expression—alright, maybe I did just eat her breakfast, but seriously, how can she eat so much? Isn’t she going to explode?
“Is it good?” she asked with a smirk halfway through.
“Uh…”
I mumbled out an answer, too stuffed to speak properly. One hand clutched a donut, the other a fluffy cake. It felt like the more I ate, the better it got… I seriously haven’t eaten like this in ages.
“I knew you’d come to find me, so I had someone prepare this for you.”
…Huh?
I paused mid-chew, glancing at her in slight surprise.
“What?”
She met my gaze, blinking innocently: “Not to your liking? Not satisfied?”
Not that…
I can’t even begin to express how satisfied I am.
But—
“Li Suo Li… gulp. Specially, made for me?”
I finally swallowed the mouthful and fought the urge to stuff another bite in my mouth, asking her, “It was Victoria who told you, right? Where’s all this food from?”
Duh, it was obvious she must’ve asked Viki what I liked to eat—except she’s not in the city anymore, meaning Viki had set this up before she left?
Did she even predict when I’d return?
That’s a bit much…
“The food? You mean this table full of sugary delights? Of course, it’s ingredients carried by the royal palace guards!” She rolled her eyes, looking at me as if I were dense. “The Queen herself is on the battlefield. How could she not bring along the palace chefs? If you finish and still want more, I can have them whip up more for you.”
“But…”
But Viki doesn’t eat sweets! Why would her kitchen be preparing donuts and cakes? Shouldn’t they be loading up on green, leafy veggies instead… oh.
Suddenly, a light bulb went on in my head.
My thoughts hung on the tip of my tongue but didn’t come out.
Viki…
She’s never been some all-knowing oracle; she just thinks ahead and prepares for every possible scenario, always.
She…
“Oh dear~”
The woman gazed at me, her lips curling up as if struck by a revelation. She dramatically covered her mouth, her tone ridiculously exaggerated: “I get it! I get it! I wondered why wouldn’t she want sweets and yet bothered the Sword of Kanli to gather sugar and honey wherever she goes… I thought she was worried about me, wanting to give me cake! Who knew… sigh~”
With a sudden dramatic sigh, she buried her face in her hands, peeking at me through her fingers, her big eyes blinking between the gaps. “Love, it truly is that infuriating sweetness that intoxicates the heart…”
“Ahem!”
I nearly choked on the donut: “Are you asking for a beating?”
“I’m jealous.”
Seeing my temper rising, the woman quickly put on a pitiful expression, letting her hands drop. “Look at me, dragged out of the palace to be a scapegoat. I came willingly, treating her so well, yet I’ve never had this kind of treatment…”
…Whatever.
I sensed that if I let her ramble, I could sit here all day without getting any useful information.
“Where’s Viki?”
I decided to cut to the chase, even though there were still desserts to finish: “I just got word that the Ethanbel army is moving towards Moon Mountain Gorge in full force. The reinforcements we came from the west encountered scouts, but they said Her Majesty is in Baihao City…”
I paused to wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and looked at her earnestly. “I know the queen they’re referring to is you. So, what are you all up to?”
The woman listened obediently, then opened her mouth to respond, but I interrupted her: “Don’t tell me useless stuff! Time is short; I don’t have the energy to play games with you.”
“I know, I know…”
The blonde girl immediately pouted, frowning and muttering, “Who says I’m a little fool? I’m fierce, you know… Ouch!!”
I whacked her on the head to shut her up, her forehead immediately reddened from the smack, and she winced, crying out, “Why’d you hit me? I didn’t mean to keep things from you! I had someone fetch Lady Catherine, but they haven’t arrived yet! Why are you so anxious? I’ve even prepared donuts for you. You’re eating happily and still hitting me… Stop!”
Seeing that I was about to hit her again, the blonde quickly caved: “Let me tell you something! Her Majesty has held off most of the Fourth Knights Order’s reinforcements. Otherwise, Baihao City would have faced the most severe counterattack starting today…”
