“You’ll be staying here from now on. Follow me.”

“Okay.”

Yu Mi followed behind the butler, Wutong, as they walked through a dark, dim corridor.

The walls looked like they were made of stone, as if carved out from inside a mountain—like an underground maze. On both sides, rows of oil lamps flickered, giving off an eerie feeling, as if assassins truly lived in the shadows.

Yes—she had finally succeeded. With her cooking, she had won over every member of the Zoldyck family and officially became one of their head chefs, responsible for preparing meals for the main family.

Yu Mi was so excited that she immediately used her newly issued work phone to call the village chief and share the good news.

It was her first time using something called a “phone,” and she wasn’t very familiar with it yet, so Wutong had helped her dial the number.

When she left the village, the chief had given her his number, saying she could use it if she succeeded.

Of course, she didn’t tell him the job advertisement had been fake—he would have been heartbroken. Fortunately, things turned out well. By pure chance, she had become the Zoldyck family’s personal chef.

“We’re here.”

Lost in her thoughts, Yu Mi didn’t notice when Wutong stopped.

He stood in front of a door and said to the girl inside, “Let me introduce you, Canaria. This is your new roommate.”

Then he turned to Yu Mi. “From now on, you’ll share a room with her. If you need anything, you can tell her.”

“Okay, thank you very much,” Yu Mi said gratefully.

“You’re welcome. You’re part of this household now.” Wutong adjusted his glasses. “Alright, I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.”

With that, he left in a hurry without waiting for a response.

“He’s the head butler, so he’s responsible for everything concerning the main family and the staff. He’s very busy,” said the girl called Canaria, who had appeared beside Yu Mi at some point. “I’ve already heard about you. I’m Canaria, an apprentice butler. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello, I’m Yu Mi. Nice to meet you too. Please take care of me,” Yu Mi replied warmly.

She looked at Canaria. The girl seemed about the same age as her, with dark skin and reddish-brown natural curls tied into several thick braids on top of her head, almost like octopus tentacles.

“Let me show you the room,” Canaria said gently.

She patiently introduced everything. Although they shared the room, it was quite spacious, and each had enough personal space. The only downside was that there were no windows—no sunlight at all—which Yu Mi found slightly uncomfortable.

Aside from that, the job was perfect.

High salary, light workload, and attractive employers—it was great in every way.

The Zoldycks were paying her an annual salary of 20 million jenny before tax. There was a one-year probation period, and after that, her salary would increase.

Her main responsibility was simply to prepare meals for a family of ten.

Even then, she didn’t have to do everything alone—the original head chef would still handle daily meals. Yu Mi only needed to prepare a few dishes of her own each day. Plus, food and lodging were provided. Compared to her previous life, this was heaven.

Not to mention, although the Zoldycks were assassins, every member of the family was good-looking—especially the long-haired employer who had kindly allowed her to stay.

Only now did Yu Mi learn that he was actually the eldest son of the family, Illumi Zoldyck.

However, when Canaria heard Yu Mi describe Illumi as “kind and beautiful,” she fell into a strange silence.

“What’s wrong, Canaria?” Yu Mi asked.

“Nothing.” Canaria shook her head, but before she could continue, Yu Mi’s attention was suddenly drawn to the laptop on the table.

“Canaria, is this metal box the thing called a computer?” Yu Mi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Canaria blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected her new roommate to have never seen a computer before.

But thinking about it, it made sense—Yu Mi came from a small village and had never been exposed to modern technology.

“Yes,” Canaria said with a smile. “Do you want to try it?”

“Can I?” Yu Mi asked shyly.

“Of course.”

Canaria opened the laptop, turned it on, and began showing her how it worked.

“Can I search for recipes on it? The village chief told me that on something called the internet, you can find any information you want.”

“Yes, I’ll help you.”

Canaria’s fingers moved quickly across the keyboard. Soon, a food forum appeared on the screen.

“This is a place where food lovers share recipes and experiences,” she explained. “You can learn from them or ask questions. You can also share your own recipes if you’d like.”

“Wow, Canaria, you’re amazing! This looks great!” Yu Mi said excitedly.

There were countless recipes, along with pictures and videos. Yu Mi felt like a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar—overwhelmed with happiness.

She had definitely come to the right place. Her cooking skills would surely improve here.

Happiness was contagious. Even Canaria, who was usually calm and expressionless, couldn’t help but smile slightly at Yu Mi’s joy.

“I’m glad you like it. I’ll have someone bring you a computer later.”

“Thank you, Canaria! Really?” Yu Mi asked, both happy and shy.

“Of course. It’s part of your work benefits.”

Canaria felt a little embarrassed herself—no one had ever praised her like this before.

Working for the Zoldyck family required constant vigilance and tension. There were rarely moments of ease, and praise was practically nonexistent.

The family members were cold—except for Young Master Killua.

At that thought, Canaria’s eyes dimmed slightly.

“Canaria,” Yu Mi’s cheerful voice broke her thoughts, “can you tell me more about the Zoldyck family? I just arrived, and I don’t know much—especially their food preferences.”

“…Alright,” Canaria hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll tell you what I know, but don’t repeat it to others.”

Strictly speaking, servants weren’t supposed to discuss the family. But Yu Mi was a chef—she needed to understand their preferences to cook better.

So, Canaria shared what she knew.

Every member of the Zoldyck family began training at the age of three, learning assassination techniques. By six, they could accompany others on missions. Once experienced enough, they could take on assassination jobs independently.

The family also had a training institute that selected talented orphans from around the world and raised them from a young age, teaching them various skills.

Canaria herself was one of the best, already promoted to apprentice butler at a young age. Becoming a full butler like Wutong was extremely difficult—many never achieved it in their lifetime.

The Zoldycks were very strict with their staff.

Yu Mi also learned that Canaria was actually younger than her, despite appearing so mature.

There were also employees hired from outside, like gatekeepers and workers handling chores such as feeding the family’s dangerous beasts or cleaning up intruders’ remains. But they lived at the base of the mountain and were not allowed to go up.

Only those trained from childhood were permitted near the main family.

That’s when Yu Mi realized just how ridiculous it had been for her to boldly come up the mountain after seeing a fake job ad.

Her face turned slightly red at the memory.

“You’re really amazing,” Canaria said sincerely. “You’re the only outsider allowed up here. Your cooking must be exceptional, or Master Illumi wouldn’t have recommended you.”

Yu Mi felt embarrassed. “I was just lucky… Master Illumi is kind. He gave me this opportunity.”

After all, back in her village, no one dared eat her “eco-friendly dishes” that turned faces green—except dogs.

“They’re truly a kind and beautiful person!” Yu Mi added gratefully.

But again, Canaria fell into an awkward silence.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Mi tilted her head. “Don’t you think Master Illumi is very good-looking?”

That flowing black hair, tall figure, delicate features—there was a unique and androgynous beauty about him.

Canaria was startled and quickly covered Yu Mi’s mouth.

“Don’t say things like that,” she whispered nervously, glancing around. “There are surveillance devices everywhere. Never talk about the young masters outside.”

“Oh… okay,” Yu Mi nodded. “But even compliments aren’t allowed?”

“No,” Canaria said seriously. “We’re not allowed to fall in love. Not with coworkers—and definitely not with the young masters.”

“Ah… you can’t fall in love?” Yu Mi was shocked.

“No.”

“What happens if you do?”

“…You die.”

“Alright… I won’t say it anymore,” Yu Mi said.

She hadn’t meant anything by it—she just wanted to show gratitude. Maybe she could do that through cooking instead.

“So, what do they like to eat?” she asked.

Canaria relaxed a little. “Young Master Killua likes sweets. The master prefers Eastern cuisine.”

Yu Mi understood that “Eastern cuisine” referred to Chinese cooking—which happened to be her specialty.

No wonder they kept her, even with the green-face side effect.

“And Master Illumi?” she asked. “I want to cook something to thank him.”

Canaria shook her head. “I don’t know. He’s the hardest to read. Be careful.”

Yu Mi didn’t catch the warning.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “If Killua likes sweets, maybe Master Illumi does too. I’ll make a dessert.”

Night fell over Kukuroku Mountain, cloaking everything in darkness. It was eerily silent.

Suddenly, a scream rang out—then abruptly stopped, as if cut off mid-play, sending chills down the spine.

In the back mountain, a green-faced corpse lay on the ground, its heart missing. Strangely, there was no blood—only a faint green glow emanating from the wound.

Three figures stood nearby.

Their faces were also green.

“It doesn’t seem very effective for wounds like this.”

“It can repair, but not regenerate.”

Illumi, whom Yu Mi believed to be kind and gentle, held a fresh, beating heart in his hand. The blood vessels on it faintly glowed green.

“It hasn’t even realized it’s no longer inside the body.”

“Then dispose of it,” Silva said. “There are plenty of people willing to die. Let’s keep testing her ability.”

“I’ll handle it.”

Illumi gently clenched his fingers. The heart exploded into a mist of blood and vanished.

“Your hands have returned to normal?” Zeno asked.

“Yes, Grandfather. It seems the effect lasts about twelve hours.”

“Good. I don’t want to go out killing tomorrow with a green face.”

Illumi raised his still-green face and said calmly, “I think it would be more terrifying that way.”

Zeno: “…”

“Anyway, I’ll leave this matter to you,” Silva said. “Continue testing her ability.”

“Yes, Father. I’ll go first thing tomorrow,” Illumi replied, a strange glint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

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