[BL]Hunted by the God of Destruction-Chapter 255: Ramen again

Chapter 255: Chapter 255: Ramen again
The city had changed while they were gone.
Snow layered the sidewalks like sifted sugar, and the trees along the long private drive leading up to the mansion were bare. The sky outside the wide kitchen windows was the washed gray-blue of cold weather that wasn’t quite ready to storm.
Inside, the air was warm. Someone had already adjusted the heating system for Elias’s comfort the moment they landed, Victor didn’t announce it, but the staff knew the routine. Elias liked the house warm now. Not hot. Just enough that he didn’t shrink into himself.
Victor left the dining room only after making sure Elias finished eating. He brushed a hand once through Elias’s hair before heading toward his office. The door shut quietly behind him.
His work had gotten heavier.
Numen Corp’s Executive Oversight—Internal Affairs Division
wasn’t a desk job. It meant Victor reviewed the activities of lower executives, handled loyalty breaches, enforced internal compliance, and occasionally reminded entire departments that the company belonged to him in the ways that mattered.
Some days it meant conference calls.
Some days it meant people disappeared.
Today was call-heavy; from the sound of it, Victor’s voice was low and clipped through the door, measured and professional compared to the softer tone he used with Elias.
Elias wasn’t worried; he was a god and clearly was good at what he was doing anyways. He on the other side ignored his new duties assigned by Ego with the confidence of a man that didn’t fear anything anymore. He was responsible for overseeing some of the research projects in Numen Corp and until now, he didn’t have much to do. Fortunately it was the partner’s quarter of work, while he and his team had the task of helping with reviews. Easy.
"And where are we going?" Ashwin asked while following Elias through the mansion.
"I’m going to the kitchen; you... do your job." Even if he didn’t want to admit it out loud, he missed Ashwin, Robert, and Adam. Not Ego and Ruo, though. They could wait.
They walked down the back hallway, the one with the tall windows and the muted Persian runners that softened each step. The mansion was quiet in that particular way large buildings become quiet: sound existed, but far away. A distant vacuum. Someone closing a drawer. The low murmur of Victor’s controlled voice through a closed door.
Elias paused at the corner.
Ashwin paused because Elias did.
"Still doing your job," Elias said without looking back.
"Always," Ashwin replied, still half a step behind him. "I’m not invasive. I’m present."
"That’s what invasive people say."
Ashwin didn’t bother disputing it.
They entered the kitchen.
It was bright and warm. A pot simmered on the stove. The chefs, two of them today, were standing stiffly, trying to look useful without actually interfering. One had a chopping board in front of him, not chopping anything.
Elias walked past them without slowing, opened a cabinet, and pulled out a pack of instant ramen.
Both chefs took a quiet breath at the same time.
Ashwin leaned against the counter, not saying anything, but his expression was that of a smug man. He had the same personality as Victor, just tamer.
Elias filled a saucepan with water, set it on the stove, and waited. He didn’t look embarrassed. He didn’t offer an explanation. He didn’t have to. He was pregnant and hungry and that was that.
One of the chefs finally broke.
"Sir, if you’d like something..."
"No," Elias said. "This."
The chef nodded, hands immediately clasped behind his back like he was being inspected by a general.
Ashwin’s voice was mild. Too mild.
"Should I inform Victor that the heir is requesting..."
"No," Elias said, cutting him off.
Ashwin didn’t finish the sentence, but the smirk on his face finished it for him.
Elias didn’t rise to it. He tapped the edge of the saucepan with the chopsticks he’d pulled from the drawer. The water hadn’t boiled yet. Patience, however, was not a virtue Elias cared to pretend about today.
"Why are you still here?" Elias asked, stirring the water as if it would bubble faster.
Ashwin shrugged with the kind of elegance that said he could dodge bullets and still look good doing it. "You could trip. Or burn yourself. Or faint dramatically, like last time. I’m just here for the headlines."
"I did not faint dramatically."
"No, you fell sideways into a display case and refused help until you were horizontal and scolding a medic. Very stoic. Very theatrical."
Elias didn’t respond. He poured the noodles in as the water began to boil. The steam rose in gentle curls, fogging the edge of his glasses for a moment.
The scent of cheap salt and broth filled the air, aggressively artificial but warm and familiar. It cut through the delicate aroma of whatever stock the chefs had been simmering before Elias hijacked their kingdom.
One of the chefs cleared his throat. "Sir, if you require an egg or garnish..."
"I have snacks," Elias said, not even turning around. "And I don’t need validation."
Ashwin tilted his head, watching as Elias poured the finished noodles into a bowl and added a flick of chili oil from the pantry like a chef presenting a crown jewel.
He handed the chopsticks off to Ashwin with a motion that was both subtle and smug. "You’re carrying it."
Ashwin blinked. "Am I."
"Yes," Elias said. "And the snacks. And the tea."
"You’re aware I’m not a butler."
"You’re aware I’m pregnant," Elias replied sweetly. "And the last time I carried something, Victor made the threat list grow by three departments."
"...Fair."
Ashwin sighed like a man burdened by the whims of fragile royalty, then picked up the tray that now had tea, snacks, and a bowl of ramen sitting with the reverence of holy cargo.
They left the kitchen.
The hallway to Elias’s favorite sitting room was a quiet stretch of pale oak flooring and soft lighting, broken only by the gentle hum of distant wind at the eaves. The house was warm, a calm warmth that made the snow outside seem like someone else’s problem.
Ashwin walked a step behind, because of course he did.
Elias walked like he had done absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Because he hadn’t. The world just hadn’t adjusted to him yet.
"You know," Ashwin said lightly, "somewhere out there, there’s a team of security analysts wondering why I’m balancing spicy broth and almond crackers instead of tracking potential threats."
"They should be grateful," Elias said, pushing the sitting room door open. "I’m giving them a break."
The door clicked shut behind them.