Wishing you success

Vivian instantly poured a cup of water.

Luna snatched it and gulped it down desperately.

Only after a long while did she catch her breath.

She stuck out her little pink tongue, panting, tears pooling in her eyes as she looked at Lucia.

“Mommy…”

Her voice carried a sob, the babyish tone hoarse.

“This dish… is so spicy…”

Spicy?

Lucia blinked, completely bewildered.

“I didn’t add any chili… I used a pale green powder that smelled nice. The head chef said it was for flavor…”

Vivian immediately picked up the open seasoning jar nearby, dipped a finger in, sniffed, then tasted a tiny bit.

Her face lit up with realization and helpless amusement.

“This is blaze-petal powder!”

“It’s a hundred times hotter than normal chili. You’re supposed to use just a speck on the tip of a toothpick!”

“You dumped in a whole spoonful?!”

“Blaze… blaze-petal powder?”

Lucia was utterly lost.

“The jar looked exactly like the herb one… I thought it was some fancy spice…”

“Haa… haa… so spicy… waaah…”

Luna was still fanning her tongue, face scrunched up pitifully.

“Even spicier than the candied hawthorn Auntie gave me last time…”

Vivian hurriedly fetched iced fruit juice.

“Here, drink this. It’ll help.”

Luna hugged the cup and chugged several mouthfuls.

Finally she let out a long breath.

But when she looked at Lucia again, there was unmistakable, animal-like fear in her eyes.

Vivian also caught something odd.

“Candied hawthorn from an auntie was spicy? Which auntie?”

“Um… I think it was Auntie Lucia.”

Luna tilted her head, recalling.

“A few days ago on the street, she gave Luna a string of red, shiny candied hawthorn. She said it was super sweet…”

“But after Luna ate it, my tongue went numb and spicy for a really long time.”

The little girl pouted, feeling wronged.

Vivian was speechless.

That ice-cold banshee probably couldn’t tell the difference between human sweet syrup and some magically stimulating extract that looked similar…

Then Luna cautiously glanced at Lucia.

“Mommy…”

She whispered.

“Mommy’s cooking… is really special.”

She tried hard to find a compliment, but “special” paired with those teary, traumatized eyes didn’t sound convincing at all.

Vivian looked at her daughter’s forced maturity and finally couldn’t hold it in.

She burst out laughing with a “pfft.”

Lucia’s ears turned crimson; she wanted the ground to swallow her whole with holy light.

“I’m sorry, Luna…”

She scooped her daughter into a hug, face full of guilt.

“Mommy didn’t mean to…”

“It’s… it’s okay…”

Luna patted Lucia’s cheek like a little adult.

“Mommy tried really hard!”

Then she added in a tiny voice.

“But… next time let Vivian-Mommy cook, okay…”

Vivian doubled over laughing.

“Hey, Luna!”

Lucia flushed with embarrassment and urgency.

“Just you wait! Mommy will definitely learn! Next time I’ll make something super delicious!”

“Mhm, mhm!”

Luna nodded vigorously, but her big eyes clearly screamed doubt.

“Exactly, exactly.”

Vivian finally stopped laughing, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, and added fuel to the fire.

“Practice makes perfect. Even a blind cat finds a dead mouse eventually, right?”

“You two—”

Lucia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

In the end, Vivian didn’t let the kitchen staff remake dinner.

She rolled up her sleeves and took over the humble stove herself.

With practiced movements she restarted the fire, heated the pan, chopped ingredients, and stir-fried.

Soon a real, mouth-wateringly fragrant dinner appeared on the stone table.

A pot of melt-in-your-mouth demon-beast meat stew with rich gravy.

A plate of vibrant, crisp lightleaf greens.

And a steaming pot of creamy, fragrant mushroom soup.

Vivian smilingly served them both.

“Come on, eat.”

She cheerfully picked up her spoon and attacked the perfectly safe-looking soup.

“Thank you, Mommy!”

Lucia happily did the same.

“Hmph.”

Lucia scooped a spoonful, still a little indignant as she looked at the normal food.

“I will master demon cuisine! Just you wait and see! Next time I’ll blow you away!”

“Yes, yes, we’re looking forward to it.”

Vivian gave her a mischievous smile and placed some food in her bowl.

“But before your next experiment, can I taste-test first?”

“For safety, of course.”

“Vivian!”

“Hahaha—”

The tent rang with laughter.

Though Lucia’s cooking today had been a “disaster,” this warm atmosphere was a rare moment of peace amid Vivian’s busy days.

Vivian watched Lucia pouting yet soft-eyed beside her, and Luna eating happily.

Her heart filled with calm, overflowing happiness.

After dinner, Luna was tucked in and fell asleep.

Vivian and Lucia sat outside with a pot of soothing herbal tea, enjoying the rare quiet night.

“Vivian…”

Lucia cradled her warm cup and suddenly spoke softly, a trace of self-doubt in her voice.

“Do you think I’m pretty useless?”

“Why would you suddenly think that?”

Vivian looked at her in surprise.

“I can’t even cook a proper meal…”

Lucia hung her head.

“I want to help you, but… sigh. The only thing I’m decent at is the combat classes at the academy. Everything else is just average—or a huge failure.”

“Silly.”

Vivian set down her cup and gently took Lucia’s cool hand.

“Cooking is just a tiny part of life. Not knowing how doesn’t make you useless.”

“But…”

“And…”

Vivian smiled.

“I thought you were really cute today.”

“Cute?”

Lucia’s head snapped up, eyes wide.

“Yeah, all flustered and panicking—so cute.”

Vivian pinched her cheek.

“The former Hero of Light was always perfect, always strong.”

“But now you make mistakes, you fail, you show your vulnerable side…”

“That version of you feels more real.”

“And I like you even more.”

Lucia’s face turned red.

“Vivian, you…”

“What?”

Vivian teased with a wicked grin.

“Embarrassed?”

“N-No I’m not!”

Lucia turned away, but her ears were scarlet, and even the wings behind her fluttered a few times.

Truth be told, Vivian had been waiting for a chance to turn the tables on Lucia and get revenge for her past captivity.

Today was the perfect opportunity.

The two shared a smile; the air turned sweet and tender.

“However…”

Vivian suddenly said.

“If you really want to learn demon cooking, I can teach you.”

“But you have to promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“No more secretly using weird ingredients.”

Vivian said seriously.

“Next time, ask about every ingredient’s properties first, okay?”

“…Okay.”

Lucia answered softly, then suddenly looked up, determination shining in her eyes.

“I will learn! Just you wait!”

“Then I’m looking forward to it.”

Vivian smiled, raised her teacup like a toast.

“To your success?”

Lucia lifted hers too, clinking it gently against Vivian’s, a competitive smile blooming on her face.