Chapter 386: Domesticated Devil

[Music recommendation: Nicholas Bamberger - Flume]

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It was quiet when they arrived that afternoon, but the silence was soon filled with the occasional rumble from the sky as husband and wife ate their lunch, which Gavriel had thoughtfully prepared using his powers.

Well, technically, the caretakers had prepared the meals in advance and stored them in the refrigerator; all Gavriel had done was heat them up.

Still, Aliana found his effort rather endearing.

After swallowing a bite of food, she looked up at him. "So... I take it you have never cooked before?"

Gavriel met her gaze. "Not that I remember."

’Right... his memory...’ Aliana thought with a subtle nod.

"Are there things we can do while we are here?" she asked casually.

"I can think of a few..." Gavriel replied, his eyes fixing on her intently.

Her cheeks immediately warmed as she realised what he meant.

Clearing her throat, she quickly clarified, "I meant... activities."

A low, sinful chuckle rumbled in his chest, and he decided not to tease her any further.

"There are a couple of things we could do. We could hike to one of the many waterfalls here. There are also some ancient temples on Caya Island and a famous floating market on the other side of the island."

"That sounds wonderful. Let us cross them off one by one." Aliana’s interest piqued before she asked, "What about Cora Island?"

"We can go there before we leave..." Gavriel suggested.

Aliana thought that was for the best, preferring not to risk spoiling their trip if they discovered something unpleasant there.

’Keeping that for last is probably for the best,’ she agreed inwardly.

She looked down at her plate as a fun idea suddenly struck her.

"We can add one more thing to that list," Aliana said.

"What is that?"

"I do not see any dessert," she noted, meeting his eyes with growing excitement. "How about we try baking something ourselves?"

Gavriel’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, and Aliana clapped her hands together. "Yes! That sounds like something fun to try!"

Gavriel’s brows furrowed in mild hesitation. "Ana... I do not think I would be any good at it."

Aliana rolled her eyes playfully. "It is not as if I have ever spent time in a kitchen either." She leaned forward across the table, her smile widening. "Maybe we can both learn something together in the process."

Gavriel gazed into her eyes, which were practically begging him to say yes.

How could he ever resist that?

Letting out a resigned sigh, he leaned back in his chair. "Alright."

Aliana beamed. "Perfect!"

With that, she rose from her seat, making Gavriel’s brows furrow slightly. "You want to do it now?"

"Of course! Unless you’d rather go without dessert after the meal you just had," Aliana replied, tilting her head slightly.

Gavriel opened his mouth to argue, then promptly thought better of it. Unwilling to dampen her enthusiasm, he swallowed his objections and gave in with a quiet, "Okay."

Aliana smiled triumphantly. "That is what I thought."

She made her way toward the kitchen before pausing to look around with a small frown.

Gavriel, who was tracking her every move, asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Hmm... it seems I left my phone in my purse," Aliana murmured.

She walked back over to him and extended her hand. "We will just have to use yours." Pausing, she added, "Only if you are comfortable with that, of course."

Gavriel simply picked up his phone from the table and placed it in her palm. "I have nothing to hide from you."

It was a simple statement, but it struck a deep chord within her.

’Nothing to hide...’ Here he was, speaking with complete sincerity, while she continued to bury her own fears and insecurities like a coward.

Closing her fingers around his phone, she looked down at the screen. ’Gavriel Valentine... you do not deserve a coward for a wife. It is time I lay all my demons bare before you.’

Just as she reached that quiet resolve, Gavriel called out, "Ana?"

"Hm?"

Gavriel glanced at the phone in her hand and then back at her.

Aliana cleared her throat awkwardly. "Right... the cake." She grabbed his wrist and gently pulled him along. "Let us find a recipe and see if we have the ingredients."

Gavriel wordlessly rose from his seat and followed her as she babbled on.

"Oh, and by the way, you cannot use your powers in the kitchen. We are making this from scratch, so no cheating, alright?"

And just like that, she accomplished a feat no one else would have dared to attempt... convincing the feared devil to step into domestic life and bake. Hell would have surely frozen over if anyone from the Underworld had witnessed the spectacle.

Then again, this wasn’t for anyone else.

Gavriel would never have done this for anyone else, either.

Outside, thunder continued to rumble, signalling the arrival of a heavy downpour, but the storm did nothing to deter the two people inside the glass house as they battled culinary equipment.

The kitchen was filled with the occasional burst of Aliana’s laughter, her voice rising whenever she caught Gavriel reaching for salt instead of sugar, or when an egg smashed across the counter before reaching the bowl. She even caught the sly devil attempting to use his magic to crack eggs after missing the bowl for a third time.

"I saw that, Gav! No cheating!"

Aliana, however, was hardly in a position to criticise him.

Gavriel had to come to her rescue when she went into a fit of coughing after inhaling a cloud of flour, or when she splashed batter across the counter from stirring too aggressively, or when she dumped far too much cocoa powder into the mix.

It was an absolute disaster, yet neither of them gave up.

Amidst the mess and struggle, a deep sense of harmony settled between them... one that neither had ever experienced before.

By the time they finally managed to finish the chocolate cake, the two looked like a pair of homeless people who had been dragged through hell.

"I have newfound respect for all the cooks out there," Aliana muttered under her breath.

Gavriel hummed in agreement.

Turning to her husband, Aliana beamed. "But we did it!"

"We did..." Gavriel’s eyes softened as he looked at her.

After using his magic to clean up the kitchen, which looked as though a small tornado had passed through it, the two went to freshen up before returning to inspect their creation.

The cake looked less like a cake and more like a disfigured ball.

"I wonder if it is even edible," Aliana murmured, glancing up at Gavriel. "Would you like to try the first bite?"

"You go ahead," Gavriel replied with a deadpan expression, making Aliana feel like a test subject.

Knowing someone had to take the risk, she threw caution to the wind and carved out a piece with her fork before popping it into her mouth.

The moment she tasted it, she fell silent.

Slowly, she turned towards Gavriel, who raised a brow.

"How is it?"