Free Web NovelHalf a month later.
Fengxiang Town, that small border city, had already returned to its former liveliness. People coming and going once again treated the monster siege as a mere topic of idle chatter over tea.
Vieya was in the kitchen, attempting to cook.
She hadn’t had much to do these days, so she thought she might as well try personally preparing a meal for her daughter.
It was hard to imagine that cooking a simple dish of vegetables could turn into such chaos the moment she took up the spatula.
Sizzle!
Oil splattered everywhere with a violent hiss, making the slime girl flinch and tremble from the sting.
Right after that, she hastily reached for the pre-measured portions of salt and various seasonings she had prepared earlier.
In order not to make the food too salty or too bland, Vieya had meticulously organized everything in advance—lining up each seasoning in exact order, hoping to reduce the burden on her mental “CPU” when the time came to actually cook.
The black cat sat by the kitchen doorway, blankly watching as Vieya fought an intense battle of wits and reflexes with the ingredients and condiments.
Ever since they returned that day, Vieya had been like a completely different person. She no longer slept in until noon, she locked all her favorite alcohol away in the basement cabinet, and her tone when she spoke had lost that biting sarcasm. Though she still appeared cool and detached most of the time... the cat could feel that the warmth in her voice had grown noticeably.
Simply put, Vieya had become easier to talk to.
Not only did she spend all her spare time with her daughter, she even started studying cooking manuals on her own initiative.
It was strange enough to make one think they’d seen a ghost, but the cat hoped Vieya would keep it up a little longer.
Who would have thought?
In the past, if she meowed twice, she risked getting scolded.
Now, if she meowed twice, Vieya didn’t just refrain from scolding her—she even fried small fish snacks for her.
The black cat couldn’t help but lick her lips, tail swaying lazily as she continued to keep watch by the doorway.
Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps came from behind her.
She didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.
Blocking the kitchen entrance, she said,
“Little Demon King, the kitchen is dangerous right now... you’d better stay back.”
“Is Mommy learning to cook again...”
Jasmine peered in through the doorway, her head poking out, her heterochromatic eyes—bright and lively—darting curiously around the kitchen. freewebnoveℓ.com
Her gaze held both joy and worry. She was happy because she knew her mother was doing this for her— freeweɓnovel.cøm
and worried because last time Mommy added too much oil, accidentally set the pan on fire, then, in a panic, tried to pour water into it to extinguish the flames. The result, of course, was the fire blazing up even higher instead of going out.
Later, after reading several cooking textbooks, Mommy finally realized that when oil catches fire, you’re supposed to cover the pan with a lid to smother it.
“Hm? Little Demon King, where did you just go?”
“...I went out to buy some oranges. They’re really sweet, and cheap... I used the money I earned helping humans carry their luggage over at the convent.”
“Didn’t your mom give you lots of gold coins? Big and small ones too! If it were me, I’d just buy a hundred pounds of dried fish and spend every day lying around eating and sleeping,” the black cat said enviously.
Jasmine shook her head. “I want to learn to cook too... that way I can help Mommy in the future...”
“Tch, with those naturally defective arms and legs of yours? Better think of something else. Anyway, since your mom’s happy to feed us now, why not just relax and enjoy it, meow~” the black cat said, flicking her tail.
Jasmine said nothing, just shook her head stubbornly.
Inside the kitchen—
Having finally finished the last dish, Vieya let out a deep sigh of relief. A great sense of satisfaction welled up within her.
Heh-heh, next time she saw Flaviel, she’d finally have something to brag about!
The taste might not be perfect, but it was definitely edible.
Vieya took a small bite, her beautiful green eyes narrowing with contentment.
“Mhm... my cooking’s improved again!”
I really am a genius.
As she turned off the stove and lifted the lid on the perfectly cooked rice, Vieya began humming cheerfully.
“Mommy! Let me help you carry the dishes!”
Seeing that the fire was out, Jasmine ran over happily.
“Eh? Wait, wait! I’ve still got oil on me, don’t hug me—you’ll get stains all over your clothes again.”
“S-sorry!”
“...It’s fine. Since you’re here, help me take the dishes out.”
After washing her hands, Vieya reached over and gently ruffled Jasmine’s soft hair, smiling as she said,
“Remember to pack one portion into the thermal box before we eat. We’ll be heading to the convent afterward.”
Jasmine carefully carried one of the plates out to the table, then turned back curiously. “Are we bringing it for Auntie?”
“Lilian has hands and feet of her own. If she wants a meal, she’ll come over herself—and besides, she’s not at the convent today,” Vieya replied with a small shake of her head.
While speaking, Jasmine picked up another dish. This time, her curiosity only grew. “Then Mommy, who are we bringing the food to?”
“To one of my elf friends. She was injured some time ago and has been recuperating at the convent. I went to visit her two days ago—she’s doing much better now... still can’t walk yet, but she can talk and eat just fine.” Vieya explained while carrying the remaining dishes.
“I’ll introduce you to her later—she loves children.”
When all the dishes were set on the table, the black cat seized the chance to run over and cling to Vieya’s leg, meowing sweetly and incessantly.
“You’ve got your share too,” Vieya said, squatting down and helplessly patting the silly cat’s head. She finally understood why Flaviel had fired this creature.
Utterly lazy.
Still, as a house pet, it wasn’t half bad. Keen sense of smell, instinctively knew when to flee and find backup when things got tough, and surprisingly good at guarding the house.
“Meow! You really are the cutest girl I’ve ever seen! I misjudged you before, meow!”
Having never been treated so kindly before, the black cat actually felt a little emotional.
Bah, nonsense—I’m just repaying kindness, that’s all.
“Mmm... Mommy’s cooking «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» keeps getting better,” Jasmine said earnestly, not wasting a single grain of rice. It was hard to believe that a Demon King could eat so carefully.
“Hehe, I’m glad you like it.” Vieya’s heart swelled with satisfaction. She had started learning to cook just for this moment—for her daughter’s approval.
Next time anyone dared to say she couldn’t raise a child, she’d fight them over it.
Just wait. One day, she’d feed her daughter until she was round and healthy.
At that thought, a flicker of worry crossed Vieya’s mind.
As a half-human, half-demon child, Jasmine not only had congenital weaknesses, but had also grown up malnourished during her critical early years—spending most of her time alone in an empty room, either reading or staring into space, severely lacking social contact with peers.
Vieya began to fret. Would Jasmine’s physical development end up stunted because of this...?
What if, when she reached adulthood, she couldn’t make a single friend, turning into some kind of shut-in girl...
Or worse—what if, even after maturing, her figure stayed flat, and she never grew any taller?
Ugh, that’s way too cruel!
Suddenly, the food in Vieya’s mouth tasted like ashes.
“Mommy, I bought some oranges earlier...”
Jasmine stirred her rice with her spoon, then looked at Vieya with a hopeful expression.
“When we visit the elf sister later, can we bring her a few?”
