Noel could only grit his teeth when he realized that his plans didn't work against her. He never knew that the Noel in the previous life had utilized all that strategy to trick her.
In the end, Noel built the tent while Anna cooked their dinner.
While he was building the tent, the aroma from Anna's dish was carried by the wind to his nose. It was a sweet and warm smell that somehow incited his stomach.
"…" Noel was surprised by the reaction of his stomach and even slapped it a few times as if it had embarrassed him. When he glanced at Anna, the latter felt his gaze and chuckled. It was clear she was laughing at his reaction.
Still, he couldn't help but remember all the meals until now. Compared to the meal in the barrack or the barely edible meal he cooked in the previous test, this meal was far too peptizing.
In fact, the smell alone could reach the professional chef in the Ardagan House.
'How can she be this good? She is a noble lady, right? A noble lady should only learn about etiquette… There's no way she's allowed to go to the kitchen. Even if she is an eccentric woman, she should be too occupied with her training.' Noel had so many doubts in his mind, but the smell didn't lie.
Anna took out two bowls and poured the soup she made into them before extending one to Noel. "Here you go. Oh, wait. Wash your hands first in the lake."
"…" Noel bit his lips. Although he didn't want to admit it, the food managed to tempt him.
The soup had a yellowish color. It was filled with Demon's meats that were similar to that of an animal's meat. There were some potatoes scattered around and Anna even prepared a hard bread for him. A hard bread was usually used for survival because they could last longer and if you poured boiling water into it, the bread would be soft enough for easy consumption.
However, this hard bread actually matched perfectly with the soup. In fact, the soup gave the hard bread a flavor.
Noel couldn't say anything and simply went to the lake to wash his hands. After that, he took the bowl and stared at it for a while.
Anna couldn't help but chuckle, looking at Noel's silly reaction.
"Surviving in the wild might be top priority, but why don't you make it more enjoyable? I know that we can't play around, but having a good meal should be a standard. With a good meal, you can get a good sleep and a refreshed mind.
"That's why learning how to cook is necessary when surviving in the wild." Anna made a smug smile. She trained hard to learn cooking because Noel once trapped her in the wild.
It was a torture because the taste of the meat was bad. When she returned, it turned out the demon's meat had one of the best flavors. She simply couldn't process it.
After that, she learned how to cook despite everyone telling her to focus on the training. And it seemed that her training had paid off.
Noel, who had a sharp mouth, couldn't even say anything to her after tasting the food.
"Wait a minute. We're in the middle of a competition, right? Shouldn't I make you just an edible food instead of a good one? This way, you will be under a lot of stress and I can win easily." Anna smirked.
"!!!" Noel's body trembled. However, he didn't want to show any weakness, so he snorted and said, "I don't care. As long as I can eat and have energy to fight for tomorrow, I don't really care."
"Heh." Anna was amused by Noel's question. It was clear that his body's reaction was the honest one. She then saw Noel's bowl was almost empty. It was because he ate too quickly so that he didn't need to make an excuse later.
Seeing this opportunity, Anna then scooped another spoonful of soup and said, "Here you go."
"I don't need it." Noel shook his head, rejecting the soup because it might show that he was too reliant on her.
"Is that so? I'm full with what I have and it's not like I can use it for tomorrow's breakfast. I guess I'll just throw it away."
"!!!" Noel widened his eyes and shouted in anger. "How can you throw it away? Do you know how many people are starving in the fort? Have you ever gone around the fort to see those people? You shouldn't waste food!"
"I can eat it even if I'm full." Noel harrumphed.
"Then, here you go." Anna smiled and poured the remaining soup into his bowl.
Noel hurriedly ate the food while Anna kept chuckling as if she had just won.
She secretly took a peek at Noel and muttered inwardly, 'Because of his hatred to me, he can't be honest to me because it means showing his weakness. His reaction is really cute.
'The Noel in my memory was annoying and troublesome. Compared to him, the current Noel was too cute. How can such a difference exist?
'Well, that's obviously because of me. Even though I suggested it, my father and the royal family had made an agreement before that. Hence, my suggestion was useless. I ended up becoming the sacrifice.
'Looking at this matter again, our relationship isn't that bad. It's just a misunderstanding. Noel should hate my family instead of me…
'In that case, let me raise Noel a bit more so that he can help more people in the future. After that, let's solve this hatred.'
Anna had her plan in mind, knowing this was the best outcome that she wanted to achieve.
"What?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows after Anna stared at him for a few minutes.
"Nothing." Anna smiled and pointed at his clothes. "Put the bowl there. I'll wash them later. Also, you might want to use and dip that pearl again later so that it can purify the water."
Noel thought for a moment and nodded. He would take advantage of it too, so he had no reasons to refuse her request.
"In that case, you should wash yourself first. I'm going to sleep first because I need to wake up early to prepare the breakfast."
Noel agreed again as he saw Anna entering the tent nonchalantly.