The cavern was smaller than the last, its jagged walls pressing inward as though the earth itself were trying to keep them hidden. Faint streaks of luminescent minerals in the stone cast an eerie, soft glow, giving just enough light for Aeliana to make out her surroundings.
“This’ll do,” Luca said, his tone casual as he dropped his pack to the ground. He stretched briefly, rolling his shoulders as if the day’s battles had been no more than an inconvenience.
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Aeliana sank down onto a flat rock near the wall, her limbs trembling slightly from the strain of the relentless pace they’d kept. The oppressive air of the strange land felt marginally lighter here, but exhaustion weighed heavily on her.
As the quiet settled in, the faint, metallic tang of blood filled her senses, mingling with the earthy scent of damp stone and the sharp musk of sweat. Her gaze flicked to Luca, who had propped himself against the opposite wall, his blade resting at his side.
The blood smeared across his clothing and skin stood out starkly in the dim light. Some of it was his, but most of it belonged to the creatures he had cut down earlier.
Aeliana’s nose wrinkled slightly at the smell, but she said nothing.
‘At this point, I’m used to it,’ she thought, though the thought made her chest tighten. She longed for clean water, for a moment to scrub away the grime and filth that clung to her skin, but that was a luxury she couldn’t afford.
The water they had came from Luca’s spatial storage—a finite supply that he rationed carefully. It wasn’t something she could waste on herself, no matter how much she craved the feeling of being clean.
Her gaze lingered on him, tracing the faint scratches on his arms and the deeper wound near his shoulder. He didn’t seem to notice them—or if he did, he didn’t care.
“Are you… okay?” she asked hesitantly, her voice breaking the silence.
Luca’s dark eyes flicked to her, his smirk faint but present. “Yep. This is nothing.”
Aeliana studied him, her amber eyes narrowing slightly. He leaned back against the wall, his posture relaxed, as if the blood staining his clothes and skin didn’t bother him in the slightest.
‘It must be something normal to him,’ she thought, her fingers brushing absently against the fabric of her cloak. The idea unsettled her, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
Luca tilted his head slightly, his smirk widening as if he could read her thoughts. “What? You look like you’ve got something to say.”
Aeliana shook her head, looking away quickly. “It’s nothing,” she muttered.
“Uh-huh,” he said, his tone laced with amusement.
She clenched her fists in her lap, her chest tightening as her gaze drifted back to him. The sight of him—so calm, so unbothered—sparked a strange mix of emotions within her.
Frustration. Admiration. Resentment. Gratitude.
‘How can he act like this is normal?’ she wondered, her teeth grazing her bottom lip. ‘Doesn’t he ever feel it? The weight of all of this?’
But the memory of his smirk in the heat of battle, his calm assurance as he carried her through danger, answered her question.
Luca lived in a world she couldn’t fully understand—a world where blood and danger were constants, where survival demanded more than just strength.
And yet, somehow, that world seemed to suit him.
Aeliana exhaled slowly, her amber eyes flicking toward the scattered supplies near Luca’s pack. A faint determination stirred within her, pushing back against the fatigue that clung to her limbs. Without a word, she stood, brushing off the dust that had settled on her cloak.
Luca cracked one eye open at the movement, his dark gaze following her as she stepped purposefully toward the supplies. “What are you doing?” he asked, his tone casual but curious.
“I’m making the meal this time,” Aeliana replied, her voice steady.
His brow arched, and the faint smirk on his lips deepened. “Oh? And here I thought you were enjoying the fine cuisine of yours truly.”
She turned to face him, her hands on her hips. “No offense,” she said dryly, “but I think I can do better.”
Luca leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees as he regarded her with playful amusement. “Better, huh? Bold words for someone who’s been sitting back while I’ve been keeping us alive.”
Aeliana’s gaze hardened. “I don’t want to stay back like this all the time,” she said, her voice gaining an edge of conviction. “Let me do this. At least this.”
For a moment, Luca said nothing, his dark eyes studying her with an expression that was almost thoughtful. Then, as if unable to help himself, his smirk widened into a full grin.
“Well, little missy,” he said, leaning back with a lazy stretch, “what exactly do you think you can whip up in a place like this? You know how to cook, or are you just going to set something on fire and hope for the best?”
Aeliana’s eyes narrowed, her mouth twitching as a spark of irritation flared in her chest.
‘You bastard…’ she thought, the corner of her lips curling upward in a faint, defiant smirk. ‘Let me show you how it’s done.’
Luca might not know it, but she wasn’t just some helpless girl. Her father, the formidable Duke Thaddeus, had ensured she was prepared for survival, even in dire situations. While she may not have been trained as a warrior, she had absorbed enough lessons from her family to hold her own.
And most importantly, she was a gourmet.
A gourmet that can’t cook….What kind of gourmet would that be?
She knelt down near the supplies, her movements deliberate as she began sorting through the ingredients Luca had stored in his spatial storage. Most of it was simple—dried meats, hard bread, and a few preserved herbs. Nothing luxurious, but more than enough for her to work with.
“You just sit there and watch,” Aeliana said, her voice calm but laced with a quiet challenge. “I’ll show you what someone who knows what they’re doing can make.”
Luca chuckled, folding his arms as he leaned back against the wall. “This I’ve gotta see,” he said, his tone brimming with amusement.
Aeliana’s amber eyes flicked over the ingredients spread before her, her mind already dissecting the possibilities. Her gaze lingered on the dried meats, but it wasn’t them she was truly focused on—it was the memory of the monster meat Luca had prepared earlier.
‘Monster meat,’ she thought, her lips pressing into a thin line. The texture, the complexity of its flavor—it was unlike anything she’d eaten before. She hadn’t wanted to admit it at the time, but it was profound, bursting with a richness she hadn’t expected.
Stewing it would bring out the best of those flavors, she concluded. Raw seared meat is fine in a pinch, but I’d rather make something that doesn’t remind me we’re in a place like this.
She glanced briefly at Luca, who was still leaning back against the cavern wall, his smirk firmly in place as he watched her. His dark eyes gleamed with curiosity, but she ignored him, focusing instead on the task at hand.
Thankfully, Luca seemed to have thought ahead when stocking his spatial storage. Among the supplies was a small pot—something she hadn’t seen him use but was now silently grateful for.
‘What kind of man carries a pot and doesn’t use it?’ she mused, a faint twitch of amusement crossing her lips before she pushed the thought aside.
She placed the pot carefully over the small fire she had built, pouring a measured amount of water from one of Luca’s canteens. The liquid bubbled faintly as it began to heat, and Aeliana set to work preparing the rest of the ingredients.
The monster meat came first, its unusual marbled texture catching the flickering light. Aeliana handled it with precision, her movements deliberate as she cut it into even chunks.
She reached for the preserved herbs next, her fingers brushing against the dried leaves and spices as she considered her options. While it was tempting to use a generous amount to elevate the flavor, she knew better than to waste their limited supply.
Just enough to enhance the taste, she thought, carefully pinching a few dried sprigs of thyme-like herbs and sprinkling them into the pot.
The scent of the bubbling water began to shift, taking on the faint aroma of herbs mingling with the air. Aeliana added the meat next, watching as the chunks began to soften and release their juices into the broth.
‘Slow and steady,’ she thought, her gaze steady as she stirred the mixture with a careful rhythm. Cooking like this required patience and precision—qualities she prided herself on, even now.
Behind her, Luca’s voice broke through the quiet. “You’re taking this pretty seriously,” he said, the teasing edge in his tone unmistakable. “Didn’t think you’d be so… methodical.”
Aeliana didn’t bother looking at him, her focus fixed on the pot. “That’s because you don’t know what real cooking looks like,” she retorted smoothly, her voice calm but laced with subtle challenge.
Luca chuckled, unfazed. “Fair point. Still, I can’t help but wonder—what’s got you so motivated? Trying to impress me?”
Her hand stilled briefly, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Hardly,” she said, her tone clipped. “I just refuse to eat something as… uninspired as what you made earlier.”
“Ouch.” Luca placed a hand over his chest in mock offense, though his smirk never wavered.
Aeliana turned back to the pot, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. The stew was coming together nicely, the rich scent of the monster meat blending with the subtle notes of herbs and spices.
‘This will do,’ she thought, her chest swelling faintly with satisfaction.
For the first time since she had entered this twisted, oppressive land, she felt a small spark of normalcy—a reminder that even in the bleakest of places, there were still moments she could claim as her own.
And as the stew simmered, Aeliana resolved to show Luca exactly what it meant to do something properly.