“Phew… I’m telling you, this really feels good.”
Muxuan lay sprawled on the ground without a shred of dignity, staring up at the dim sky and the even deeper, darker heights above as her thoughts drifted.
The cool breeze brushing against her face was indeed very comfortable.
“So, Your Highness, why are you the only one resting while I’m the one doing all the work?”
Qiansitelin grumbled as she looked at Muxuan lying on the ground.
The campfire before them emitted a faint glow.
Her hands constantly flipped the fish she had just caught; by now, it had turned golden and crispy.
Drops of oil seeped from the surface, accompanied by a constant *sizzling* sound.
“It’s not like I know how to do it…”
Muxuan scrambled to a sitting position, stealing a guilty glance at Qiansitelin.
However, she was quickly drawn in by the aroma of the grilled fish.
“It smells so good!”
Clutching her empty stomach, Muxuan couldn’t help but let a bit of drool escape from the corner of her mouth.
One of her small hands reached out restlessly toward the fish still roasting over the fire.
“Don’t be in such a hurry, Your Highness~”
Seeing the little paw stretching toward the fish that was still raw on one side, Qiansitelin smiled and gently swatted it away with her free hand.
“How could you…”
With her hand swatted away, Muxuan let out a dissatisfied whimper.
She glared at Qiansitelin with puffed-out cheeks before staring longingly at the grilled fish on the rack.
“I still need to add a bit of salt~”
Muxuan was about to reach out again, only to be stopped by Qiansitelin once more.
“Add some cumin!”
Subconsciously, Muxuan shouted the words.
The moment they left her mouth, she realized something was wrong — they only used salt here.
“Nature?”
Seeing Qiansitelin’s confused gaze, Muxuan realized she had misspeaking.
Since the other girl seemed to have misunderstood the term, she could only bite the bullet and explain, “I wanted to… experience the taste of nature…”
“Pfft.”
Qiansitelin couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“In that case, Your Highness might as well eat it raw,” she teased.
“The taste of nature would be much stronger that way~”
Muxuan instantly wilted, even the cowlick on top of her head drooping down.
‘Is she joking? There’s no way I can eat that raw!’
For Muxuan, who was accustomed to cooked food, eating raw wild vegetables was barely acceptable, but eating raw meat was truly a death sentence.
She couldn’t stand that kind of taste.
Thinking this, she looked at Qiansitelin again with those pleading eyes.
Qiansitelin smiled helplessly and handed the already grilled fish to Muxuan before turning to process the next one.
Gripping the wooden skewer and looking at the steaming grilled fish dripping with golden oil, Muxuan couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.
She carefully gripped the edge and took a bite —
“Ah! So hot!”
Her small hands flailed, and she huffed air out of her mouth as tears even began to well up in her eyes.
Seeing this scene, Qiansitelin finally couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Once her little Highness relaxed, she was truly silly and adorable — simply too cute.
“You’re not allowed to laugh!”
Hearing the laughter, Muxuan puffed out her cheeks, her face turning slightly red as she pointed at Qiansitelin indignantly.
‘How embarrassing…’
“Fine, fine~ Your Highness, I’ll stop laughing. But you should be more careful when you eat…”
Qiansitelin spoke dotingly, looking at Muxuan with a helpless expression.
“I know! I don’t need you to remind me!”
Muxuan said somewhat petulantly.
She turned her gaze back to the grilled fish, spreading one hand slightly as Lightforce began to envelop the fish from her palm.
Just as it was about to touch the food, a crisp *thwack* sounded in the next second.
“Ow!”
The pain from the top of her head startled her, and the newly condensed Lightforce instantly dissipated.
“What was that for!”
Clutching her head, Muxuan looked at Qiansitelin unhappily.
“Your Highness~ grilled fish doesn’t taste good once it’s cold. You have to eat it while it’s hot~”
Qiansitelin was still processing the fish, but her gaze never left Muxuan.
The soul of grilled fish lay in the aroma when it first came off the fire and the golden, crispy skin that hadn’t cooled down yet.
Muxuan curled her lip and gave a muffled “Mm.”
She brought the fish to her mouth, blew on it twice, and then carefully took a bite.
“Delicious!”
To her, it was the ultimate delicacy.
The breeze blew gently, and the grilled fish gradually became warm.
If she weren’t afraid of a fish bone getting stuck in her throat, Muxuan probably would have devoured it greedily.
Qiansitelin’s skills were truly beyond reproach.
While praising her in her heart, Muxuan quickly finished the fish.
She licked her small hands, which were stained with a bit of oil, an expression of lingering desire on her face.
Just then, another wave of aroma wafted over.
Muxuan’s eyes fixed directly on the second fish that had been grilled to a golden crisp.
Qiansitelin originally wanted to tease her little Highness again, but seeing Muxuan’s “ferocious” expression as she bared her teeth, she could only shake her head helplessly and hand it over.
By the time all the fish caught from the stream were eaten, Muxuan finally patted her round little belly with a satisfied and content expression.
“Qiansitelin… what do you think a world without the Eerie Calamity would be like…”
Muxuan gazed at the sky, her voice sounding a bit tired yet still carrying a hint of curiosity.
“Hmm… I can’t say if it would be good or bad, but it would definitely be much better than this world.”
Qiansitelin actually gave it some serious thought before speaking slowly.
She still had secrets in her heart that she couldn’t speak aloud…
If it weren’t for this damn world, she could have stayed with her little Highness forever…
“I heard you mention it before… Elves living in forests with the Sacred Tree as the main vein, Giant Dragons living on the Sleeping Island high in the sky, the Blood Clan… and that Muxuan Flower you talked about…”
Muxuan murmured softly, “I really want to go see them…”
Qiansitelin fell silent.
She knew very well that even more terrifying things existed high in the sky.
Since the Muxuan Flower grew in the air, it was almost impossible for it to remain unaffected.
She also looked up at the sky.
The pillar of light that seemingly pierced through the Black Mist actually stopped after reaching a certain height.
Further up was something even more horrifying — an endless, deep darkness.
*Huu — Haa —*
Steady breathing came from beside her, pulling Qiansitelin’s thoughts back.
Muxuan had fallen asleep without her noticing.
Seeing the cute sleeping face of her little Highness, the worry on Qiansitelin’s face quickly vanished, replaced by a gentle smile.
‘I was planning to go take a bath with Her Highness, but that’s clearly not going to happen now…’
After using a cleaning spell to tidy Muxuan’s body, she carefully picked her up and slowly walked into the house.
Her steps were light and steady.
When Muxuan was gently placed on the bed, she even let out a cute *migu* sound.
Qiansitelin stood by the bed, silently watching her for a long, long time.
Indeed, Muxuan hadn’t slept properly for several days; she must be exhausted now.
Even with the support of Lightforce, she couldn’t overcome the lack of rest for such a long period.
She stood by the bed for a long time before finally kissing Muxuan lightly on the forehead and slowly leaving.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. When everything is over, I will accompany you…”