Chapter 230: The Terrifying Cooking

Chapter 230: The Terrifying Cooking

Once the participant list for the mecha competition was revealed, Spears officially called an end to the grueling special training.

With the date and place set for their next meet-up, he gave all the students a much-deserved week off.

"Uncle Marlone, we’re heading out," Arix and Drexel said as they exited the training base. They offered to drop Deanna and her brother off at Marlone’s place on their way home.

"Why the rush? Stay and have lunch with us," Marlone replied, smiling warmly.

Arix and Drexel shared a quick, silent glance, both recalling the "lunch" Marlone had once packed for them.

That meal was etched in Arix’s memories—so unforgettable it could only be compared to the horror of Sister Gwen’s cooking.

It didn’t take long for the siblings to politely refuse. "No thanks, Uncle. We’ve got other plans, so we’ll just head home."

The fear of Marlone’s well-meaning hospitality sent them scrambling into their Lev, speeding off as if their lives depended on it.

Watching Arix and Drexel vanish in an instant, Marlone assumed they were just being polite, not wanting to inconvenience him.

With a chuckle, he turned to his newly adopted kids and said, "Deanna, Marceau, you two haven’t eaten yet, right? Come on, let me show you what your dad can whip up."

Both Deanna and Marceau suddenly felt a wave of dread, recalling the urgency with which Arix and Drexel had fled just moments earlier.



They didn’t need to think too hard to realize that Marlone’s cooking might be... well, questionable.

Deanna’s eyes darted around before she put on her sweetest, most thoughtful smile. "Dad, you just got back too. Isn’t it a bit much to ask you to cook? How about we just order some pizza instead?"

Though Marlone was thrilled to be called "Dad" for the first time, he still gave them a serious look and said, "No pizza! You deserve something better after the traning."

Touched by how much Marlone cared, Deanna couldn’t argue anymore and just hoped her gut feeling was wrong. Maybe Arix and Drexel had something urgent to attend to, and that’s why they left in such a hurry...

Meanwhile...

The fleeing siblings finally breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts calming down after the close escape.

"Should we warn Deanna and Marceau?" Arix asked, her voice tinged with sympathy as she tried to settle her nerves.

"No need. I already gave them a heads-up while we were making our escape. But whether they manage to get out of it... well, that’s another story," Drexel said, shivering at the thought of Marlone’s culinary creations.

Marlone’s cooking ranged from bad to downright terrifying.

The merely bad dishes were somewhat manageable—you could choke them down if you had to. But the truly awful ones...

Stuff like jellied eels, liver and blood pudding, deep-fried insects, raw chicken sashimi, pickled eggs, and blood sausage...

"Ugh..." Drexel almost lost it again just thinking about the time he was forced to drink worm soup.

Arix felt nauseous too, remembering her unfortunate encounter with the green pea and ham soup.



It wasn’t just the taste—it was the aftermath. After drinking it, she discovered the green chunks were actually peeled caterpillar proteins.

For three whole days, everything Arix looked at seemed like it was crawling with bugs, and she couldn’t stomach a single thing.

She dropped several pounds before she finally started feeling normal again—a clear testament to just how dangerous Marlone’s cooking could be.

Seeing Arix’s pale face, Drexel felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He had forgotten to give her a heads-up earlier, and it nearly cost Arix a meeting with God too soon.

"Sis, we really need to find Uncle Marlone a wife who knows her way around a kitchen. It’s kind of sad that he’s stuck eating his own cooking every day," Drexel said, poking fun at Marlone’s cooking skills, then immediately felt a little bad for the guy.

Marlone was well aware of his cooking skills, but he never let anything go to waste. He’d stash the leftovers in the fridge and make sure to finish them himself.

The more Drexel thought about it, the more he pitied Marlone. ’Why is this bothering me so much?’

Arix nodded in agreement. "You’re right! We should definitely find someone. If we come across the right person, we’ll set her up with Uncle Marlone."

"True, but let’s not rush it. There’s always someone out there more desperate than we are," Drexel said with a sly grin.

Arix didn’t need any further explanation; she knew exactly who Drexel was talking about.

Besides Deanna and her brother—who were likely having a rough time right about now—no one else came to mind.

Still, there wasn’t much Arix could do for them. Poor Deanna—Marlone was her dad now, after all. His affection might be overwhelming, but at least it wasn’t dangerous.

Arix tried to suppress a smile.

Their home wasn’t far off, so it didn’t take long for Arix and Drexel to arrive.



"That’s weird. Mom usually waits for you at the door," Drexel said, raising an eyebrow when he noticed the empty entrance.

Typically, their mom would have been standing by the door, eager to greet Arix the moment she arrived.

Arix glanced at Drexel and teased, "What’s the matter? Are you so grown up now that you still need Mom to welcome you home?"

"Ha! That’s you, not me," Drexel shot back, not missing a beat.

The two kept up their playful banter as they headed toward the house.

But when they walked into the main hall and still didn’t see Fleur, Arix began to feel a bit puzzled herself.

It was strange—Mom wasn’t one to go out often.

"Mr. and Miss Kering, you’re home! Lunch will be ready shortly. How about some appetizer while you wait?" Evelyn, the Kering family’s maid, said as she set two bowls of dessert on the hall table, smiling warmly at them.

"Evelyn, have you seen Mom and Dad?" Arix asked, curiosity piqued.

"They have gone to the Empire," Evelyn replied, uncertain but giving her best guess.

"The Empire? What would Mom and Dad be doing there?" Drexel asked, a bit distracted, not realizing that his sister already had a hunch.

Arix, on the other hand, had a pretty good idea. Cassian had mentioned they were working out the details for the engagement. Her parents were probably in the Empire to finalize those plans.