At noon, A Luo was back on duty. She went into the kitchen early, washed her hands, and started cooking.
Really, she had only her own excellent cooking to blame. In just a few days, she had spoiled the Spiders' palates.
They had clearly left Meteor City behind, and professional cooks were already handling their meals, yet three Spiders still insisted on squeezing every last bit of value out of their child laborer to satisfy their appetites.
By the time A Luo had painstakingly prepared a lavish lunch,
the three Spiders upstairs finally sauntered down at the summons of their personal little cook.
Since she wanted a favor from them, A Luo introduced the dishes for lunch while serving all three of them tea and water.
She was practically more attentive than a server at a five-star hotel.
While A Luo was running herself ragged, Granny Heidi, the innkeeper who had kindly lent them her kitchen, came downstairs and saw the scene.
"Mr. Chrollo Lucilfer! Oh, my goodness! What are you making your daughter do?"
Yes, you heard that right. As Class A wanted criminals in the Hunter World, Chrollo and the others were so brazen that they had not even changed their names while traveling.
When Granny Heidi first lent them the kitchen, she had assumed the adults were not used to the food at her inn and wanted to cook something more to their tastes.
That was why she had lent it to them without giving it much thought.
But never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that they would sit around enjoying ready-made delicacies while making their young daughter do all the work!
Oh!
Fine!
She admitted that little Lola had already asked to borrow the kitchen, saying she wanted to make some desserts for that so-called cousin of hers to placate his bad temper.
Heidi had assumed it was just a little game between children and had thought nothing of it.
Now that she had seen A Luo waiting on the adults in her family with such practiced, meticulous care, Granny Heidi's brow drew into a deep frown.
"Oh, my goodness! What am I seeing? And you in particular, Ms. Pakunoda, forgive me for speaking plainly. As little Lola's mother, how can you just sit there and let Mr. Lucilfer treat his own daughter like a child laborer?"
A Luo: "..."
The Spiders: "..."
The atmosphere in the dining room instantly froze.
Lola's eyes darted around as she rapidly worked through her little scheme.
She had already guessed that the boss had come to this town for some particular purpose... and Chrollo had even deliberately changed out of that fur coat that practically screamed villain.
Since he had chosen to change clothes, they could not be all that eager to be recognized.
In other words, exposing their identities as villains too early would probably interfere with Chrollo's plans or objective.
Besides, after breakfast today, Feitan had hurried out without even stopping to deal with her, as though he were searching for something.
A Luo was betting that, until they found whatever they were looking for, they probably would not want their true identities exposed.
Should I test my theory?
Before the three Spiders could react, A Luo suddenly turned with a sob and threw herself into Granny Heidi's arms.
Then the little girl clung to the old woman's legs and began tearfully complaining:
"Granny, Daddy and Mommy don't love me. Boo... hoo... They keep forcing A Luo to cook for them, and they make A Luo make their beds and do the housework too. If I make even a little mistake, they hit me. Poor A Luo!"
After her tearful complaint, the little girl added credibility to her story by showing Granny Heidi the old scars on her arm from her matches at Heavens Arena.
After seeing them, Granny Heidi's face darkened with fury.
"Mr. Lucilfer, we do not welcome beasts who abuse children here. If you keep treating your daughter this way, I will call the police and tell them that you people are abusing a child! I will make sure you are driven out of our town and save this innocent little girl!"
Machi and Pakunoda looked at A Luo, trying to warn her with their eyes not to stir up trouble.
Machi even mouthed a promise to Lola: as long as she behaved and did not cause trouble, she could move into Machi's room tonight.
With Machi there, Feitan would not be able to do anything to her again.
A Luo was just about to agree when Chrollo set down his chopsticks, leisurely wiped his hands, and rose to address Granny Heidi.
"Mrs. Heidi, there is something you do not know. In our Lucilfer Family, everyone must master cooking skills on par with a national chef's before reaching adulthood. Only then can we bribe the giant beast guarding the exit to our family estate with food and gain our freedom! That was how I left my homeland back then and met A Luo's mother."
At that point, committing fully to his performance, Chrollo actually turned back to look at Pakunoda with a face full of tender affection.
"Because of this tradition, A Luo must also start honing her cooking skills at a very young age... As for those old scars on her body, alas! This child is simply too mischievous. They are all fake scars she made with little tricks to win your sympathy and use you to get a few days off. She just does not want to keep cooking."
Heidi eyed the man before her dubiously.
"The Lucilfer Family? Why have I never heard of any family with such a strange rule?"
Chrollo continued lying without batting an eye.
"Because we come from a distant country an entire continent away from here. It is perfectly natural that you have never heard of us."
To back up his story, Chrollo pulled up Lola's sleeve and pointed to a spot where a piece of fake skin was visibly peeling away.
"Look, ma'am. This is nothing more than fake skin A Luo stuck on with glue. Surely you believe me now?"
A Luo: "..."
What was going on?
When had that thing suddenly appeared on my arm?
And how was this bastard Chrollo so good at making things up? He had spun that whole story on the spot in such a short time.
What a waste of talent, not becoming a screenwriter!
Granny Heidi looked at A Luo.
"Is everything your daddy said true?"
A Luo was just about to shake her head when she felt a chill settle over a vital spot on her body.
At the same time, Chrollo's quiet warning sounded beside her ear.
"My dear daughter, even if you do not want to cook for us and would rather take a little break, you could simply tell Mommy and Daddy. Why put on this whole performance and drag an innocent person into it? A Luo, you have truly disappointed me..."
What did Chrollo mean by that?
Was he threatening her with the old woman?
Still, this was enough. Having gotten her answer, the little girl chose to back down without hesitation.
"I'm sorry, Granny Heidi. It was all my fault. I lied to you just now."
The old woman looked at the little girl before her and sighed.
"A Luo, as long as you recognize your mistakes and correct them, you are still a good child."
She patted Lola's shoulder affectionately, then turned back to Chrollo with an apologetic expression.
"I am terribly sorry, Mr. Lucilfer. I believed the child without checking the facts and misunderstood you. But we all want what is best for the children, don't we? I'm sure you can understand. How about this? I will give you twenty percent off your lodging for these next few days, as a small apology for my rudeness just now."
Chrollo smiled.
And so A Luo could only watch as the boss won Granny Heidi over with acting worthy of an Oscar.
Once they had sent the old woman away,
Lola felt the killing intent. She looked up to find every Spider greeting her with a dangerously cold smile.
Before you continue