Chapter 190: Special sauce

On the steps, Erik sat down beside Meira and accepted the glass of fruit juice she handed him.

The two of them looked toward the grill. Runi was awkwardly flipping skewers of meat under Saraya’s instruction, her cheek still smudged with charcoal, Elowen’s scarf still wrapped around her neck.

"That cold rhythm," Meira said softly, only loud enough for him to hear, "was warmer today."

Erik did not answer.

"You promised me." She did not turn to look at him. "You will not approach it on your own."

"I remember."

Meira was silent for a while. Then she sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know you remember. I am just afraid that you will remember, yet still do it."

Erik gave a faint smile and did not make any further promises.

...

When the first skewers of meat turned golden, Laviana finally strolled over.

She held a small bowl and a basting brush in her hands. As she walked, she hummed to herself, exceptionally cheerful.

"Wait. Before we eat, we need to add a little seasoning."

She walked along the long table, brushing a thick, cloudy white sauce onto every skewer. Meira’s skewer. Elowen’s skewer. Felyn’s, Saraya’s, Vylana’s, Carmilla’s. Even Runi’s.

All except Erik’s.

Erik looked at the sauce. Then at the bowl. Then he saw what was beside the bowl, a small crystal vial that was now empty.

The very vial from that afternoon.

He held his head.

"Laviana... that is..."

"The most special sauce in the world." Laviana smiled as brightly as a flower as she finished the last brushstroke. "Limited edition. Freshly harvested this afternoon. Pure, with nothing added."

The entire table fell silent.

No one said anything. But nearly all of them lowered their heads at once to look at the skewers in their hands.

Meira was the first to speak. She cleared her throat and put on a serious expression.

"Medically speaking... it is highly nourishing."

"Mother!!!"

"I am telling the truth."

"Who would even eat that?!" Elowen’s face turned bright red as she quickly looked away. Three seconds later, the skewer in her hand was completely clean. Faster than anyone else.

Saraya and Vylana looked at each other, their faces equally red, then both took a very small bite at the same time. Felyn sniffed softly, and the cheeks beneath her blindfold turned pink. "This scent... is his..." Then she lowered her head and quietly ate every bite, unable to hide the curve of her lips.

As for Carmilla, she closed her eyes and chewed very slowly, savoring it with perfect elegance.

"Delicious."

The entire table turned to look at her.

Carmilla opened her eyes, calm as ever. "I am only speaking the truth."

Erik wanted to find a hole and crawl into it.

...

Runi looked at the skewer in her hand.

That scent. She knew that scent.

She took a bite.

The instant that flavor touched her tongue, the mark beneath her abdomen flared with scorching heat. Not the gentle warmth from inside the tower. Nor the waves of heat that had rolled through her in the car. It felt like someone had dropped a spark into the middle of her stomach, and the fire spread, racing up her spine and down to the tips of her toes.

The skewer nearly fell from her hand.

Memories of that night flooded back. The night she had knelt beside Meira. The taste she had swallowed. And from that night onward, this mark had awakened, refusing to sleep peacefully ever again.

She bit her lip tightly, lowering her face, both ears burning red.

At the other end of the table, Laviana rested her chin on her hand, her blue eyes narrowing into thin curves. Her gaze lingered for a long time on Runi’s lower abdomen, where beneath the thin fabric, a faint glow flickered with every breath.

No Contract. She only tasted it once. Yet the Succubus Mark has already awakened and is reacting this strongly.

Laviana glanced faintly at the man holding his head at the end of the table.

Darling. What exactly are you?

...

"Erik." Elowen had already finished her second skewer and stood with her hands on her hips. "My mother has eaten three skewers already. I have only eaten two. It is not fair!"

"I am a Healer. I need nourishment."

"I am a Healer too!"

"If you want more, get in line."

"You say that every time!"

"Stop fighting, you two." Laviana waved the brush. "I still have one reserve vial left."

Erik held his head for the second time.

Felyn felt around the table, found the cucumber from earlier, then threw it toward the sound of his sigh.

Smack.

It hit his forehead for the second time.

The entire garden exploded with laughter. Saraya laughed until she doubled over. Vylana slapped the table. Elowen laughed until she choked. Meira turned her face away, her shoulders trembling. Carmilla lowered her head to cover her mouth.

And Runi laughed too.

Not the frenzied smile of the being that had called itself Death on the battlefield. Nor a smile shaped millimeter by millimeter to imitate others. The corners of her lips merely curved slightly, naturally, like a flower just beginning to bloom in the night. Her eyes curved with them. The streak of charcoal was still on her cheek.

She did not know that she was smiling.

At the other end of the table, Erik was rubbing his forehead when he suddenly froze.

He saw it.

He watched that smile for a long time. He said nothing. Only the corner of his own lips, somehow, slowly curved upward too.

...

"Before I leave." Erik took a compact instant camera from his spatial bracelet. "Let us take a photo together."

"A camera?" Laviana curled her lip and stood, brushing off her dress. "Darling, have you forgotten what ability I have?"

She snapped her fingers.

Twelve translucent snake eyes shot up from beneath the trees, hovering in an arc before everyone, glittering beneath the lanterns like twelve drops of dew.

"Get in place. I will take it from twelve angles, guaranteed to look better than your iron box."

Everyone noisily gathered together.

Runi intended to step back as usual. But before she could, Elowen tightly hooked her left arm while Saraya took her right, pulling her directly to the center.

"Stand in the middle. You grilled the best today."

"I... only flipped three skewers..."

"Three skewers that did not burn! Better than Saraya!"

"Elowen!"

Carmilla stepped behind Runi and gently placed both hands on her shoulders. Her hands were warm and steady. Vylana helped Felyn stand close beside them. Meira stood to one side. Laviana leaned against Meira’s shoulder, got pushed away, then leaned against her again.

As for Erik, he knelt on one knee in the front row, leaning to one side and leaving a full space behind him for everyone else to appear.

"Smile!" Laviana said.

Runi did not know how to smile. Her lips pressed together, her body stiff.

Erik turned his head to look at everyone, then said very seriously:

"Felyn. Say that line from earlier one more time."

Felyn’s face went scarlet. "Erik!!!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

And amid that laughter, Runi’s lips curved upward again.

The twelve snake eyes flashed at once.

...

The light gathered in midair, condensing into a thin crystal photograph, clear and shimmering like a lake beneath moonlight.

Everyone crowded around to look.

Elowen was smiling so hard her eyes had narrowed into slits. Saraya was looking over her shoulder, her hair flying loose. Felyn had turned away, blushing. Meira was pushing Laviana’s hand off her shoulder. Carmilla wore a gentle smile. Erik knelt in the front row, looking back, a red mark from the cucumber still on his forehead.

And at the very center, held within everyone’s arms, was a girl with a streak of charcoal on her cheek, smiling.

Runi stared at the photograph for a long time.

"This..." she asked softly. "Is that me?"

"Yes." Erik answered. "That is you."

Runi slowly raised her hand and touched the corner of her own mouth. As though checking whether the thing in that photograph was real.

Elowen leaned closer, looked at the photograph, then turned to Runi with a frown.

"You still have charcoal on your face." She turned her head. "Carmilla! If you are going to wipe it off, why did you only clean half of it?"

"I did that on purpose."

Carmilla stepped over, already holding a handkerchief. She bent slightly and gently wiped away the remaining half of the charcoal streak from Runi’s cheek, her movements slow and careful, as though cleaning a precious porcelain cup.

"So that when she looks back at the photo," she said quietly, "someone will remember how happy she was tonight."

Runi stood still and let her wipe her face. The handkerchief was soft, carrying a faint scent of soap and flour. No one had ever wiped her face like that before.

"All done." Carmilla folded the handkerchief, then as if suddenly remembering something, reached out to untie the scarf around Runi’s neck and retied it into a neater knot. "Sir Erik is leaving early tomorrow morning. Wake up with me and prepare breakfast. I will teach you how to toast bread. I guarantee it will not burn like Saraya’s."

"I heard that!" Saraya shouted from beside the grill.

Carmilla smiled without answering.

Runi nodded faintly. "...Alright."

Laviana snapped her fingers again. The crystal photograph hovering in the air trembled, then split into several smaller identical copies, each one flying into someone’s hand.

Elowen caught one. She looked at it for a while, then without saying anything, shoved it directly into Runi’s hands.

"This one is yours."

Runi looked at the photograph in her hands. Then at Elowen. "But... this belongs to..."

"I will take another one. This one is yours." Elowen folded her arms and turned away, her voice a little sharp as it always was when she felt embarrassed. "Friends need a photo together."

Runi froze.

"Friends?"

"Yes. Friends." Elowen glanced at her. When she saw that confused expression, her pointed ears immediately turned pink. "What? You do not want to be? You pour tea for me every morning. When I complain, you listen and never argue back. And today, you grilled three skewers without burning them." She gave a huff. "If that does not make us friends, then what does?"

Runi did not answer.

She only looked at Elowen. Then at the photograph, where a girl stood in the middle, arms linked on both sides, with a pair of hands resting on her shoulders from behind.

She had been called many things. Most of them were not names.

But no one had ever called her a friend.

Something stirred softly in her chest again. This time, it did not feel like a bone caught in her throat. Nor like a spark. It was lighter, warmer, like the heat from that bowl of soup spreading slowly into her palms.

She did not know what to say. In the end, she only hugged the photograph to her chest and nodded faintly.

"...Mm."

"That is more like it." Elowen looked openly pleased, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her toward the grill. "Come on! There are still a few skewers left. If we do not eat them, Laviana will brush sauce onto them again!"

"I heard that, darling."

Runi let Elowen pull her away.

And this time, she did not count how many steps she took.

The lanterns swayed in the wind. The charcoal still crackled. Laughter continued to ring through the flower-filled garden.

And far away, at the bottom of a cold tower, something was still opening its eyes in the darkness.

Patiently waiting for It to return.

...

The party lasted until the moon rose high.

The charcoal in the grills had turned dark red. The last skewers lay cold on the racks. Saraya and Vylana sat leaning against each other beneath a tree, each holding a bottle of fruit juice as they argued about who had burnt more meat. Felyn rested her head on Elowen’s lap, while Elowen stroked her hair and yawned.

Erik held the instant camera and walked around the garden.

"Elowen."

Elowen looked up in surprise before she had time to fix her hair. Click. The photograph slid out of the camera slot.

"Hey! I was not ready!"

"That is what makes it beautiful."

Elowen puffed out her cheeks, snatched the photo away, stared at it for a while, then quietly slipped it into her pocket, her pointed ears turning pink.

"Felyn."

Felyn turned toward the sound of the camera and gave a faint smile. "Am I... pretty?"

"Beautiful."

Click.

Saraya quickly hid a burnt skewer behind her back. Click. Vylana stuck out her tongue. Click. Carmilla bowed with perfect etiquette, but Erik made her stand straight and smile once before she finally allowed her lips to curve. Click.

Meira was taking off her apron when she turned and glared at him. "Do not take one."

Click.

"Erik!"

Laviana lay stretched across a chair, propping up her head with one hand, her body curved into a seductive line. "It is my turn now, is it not, darling?"

Erik lowered the camera. "You can take one of yourself."

Laviana curled her lip and threw a cushion at him.

Each little photo was handed directly to its owner. Every photo held a face, a moment, a smile that needed no arranging.

When there was only one final film left in the camera, Erik raised his head and looked around.

Runi was not there.