Although Greg's public exposure of Lilith's hidden feelings had been intended to prompt the sisters to face each other honestly, thinking back on it now with a cool head, even if that action might have been effective, it had undoubtedly caused a tsundere girl like Lilith to suffer a social death right in front of everyone.
Thinking of this, an inexplicable sense of guilt arose in Greg's heart, making him feel that his method might have been overly blunt and crude.
Since she had come here in disguise, Greg decided not to expose her for the time being, leaving some leeway for both of them.
“Oh, so it's you, Lily.”
Releasing his hold, Greg stood up and scratched his head with a slightly awkward expression.
“I thought some blind thief had snaked into my camp. Sorry, I was a bit heavy-handed.”
“I-It's fine...”
Lilith scrambled up from the ground in a flurry, brushing the dust off her cloak. Her cheeks were slightly red, and her voice was much softer than before. Uncharacteristically, she didn't fly into a rage, instead admitting with some discomfort:
“I-It's my fault... I didn't tell you in advance that I'd come today, sneaking around like that... I was in the wrong too.”
Nightmare, who had just arrived at the edge of the camp, sat elegantly on a flat rock, her eerie green eyes scrutinizing the young boy and girl with great interest as a subtle atmosphere hung between them.
In her view, this was far more interesting than scooping out those slippery fish from the underground river with her claws.
Such interactions between humans—hesitant to speak, awkward yet probing—were always full of observational fun.
“Um... oh, right!”
Greg cleared his throat, doing his best to break the strange atmosphere lingering in the air as he picked the safest topic:
“Anyway, do you want to grab something to eat together? I've come up with a few new flavors for my cooking recently. The ingredients are all fresh, and the taste should... be more interesting than last time's skewers.”
“New dishes?!”
Sure enough, hearing this, Lilith's eyes lit up instantly, her previous embarrassment and complex emotions seeming to dilute quite a bit.
The simple meal of grilled meat skewers last time had opened a new door to gourmet food for her, leaving her full of anticipation for the even more interesting new dishes Greg mentioned.
Seeing her reaction, Greg secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, besides being tsundere, this Princess also had foodie tendencies; otherwise, he really wouldn't have known how to steer the topic away from that awkward incident earlier.
“OK, just wait a bit, I'll start preparing right now.”
Greg walked toward the crude stove built from rocks in the center of the camp and skillfully built up a small campfire.
From a cool cave nook nearby, he retrieved several prepped ingredients:
A few pieces of tender meat from some kind of underground lizard, pinkish in color with a delicate texture.
Several Parasol mushrooms gathered from the shadows of the second layer, thick and plump, exuding a subtle fragrance.
There were also some shellfish found by the underground river, as well as a few eggs from unknown birds.
For seasonings, he used a blend he ground himself from several aromatic mosses and mineral salts.
Moving swiftly, Greg first set a thin, flat stone slab over the fire to preheat and greased it with a bit of animal fat.
Using his pocket knife, he quickly sliced the meat into uniform thin pieces. They sizzled on the hot stone slab, their edges curling slightly and giving off a mouthwatering savory aroma.
He placed the Parasol mushrooms directly by the fire to roast; once they softened and oozed juices, he sprinkled his special spice mix over them.
He used a small pair of pliers to pry open the shellfish, revealing the plump meat inside, and set them directly on the slab to heat up with a pinch of salt, cracking the bird eggs onto the stone alongside them to fry into beautiful sunny-side-up eggs.
His movements flowed seamlessly, his control over the heat clearly experienced—not at all like a spoiled former young noble master.
Sitting on a rock lined with animal fur, Lilith rested her chin on her hands, her eyes glued to Greg's busy back.
No matter how many times she saw it, she still found it somewhat unbelievable.
The Greg Sass who was arrogant and domineering not long ago could now actually handle cooking so skillfully, crafting fragrant food in the most primitive way down in the depths of this dangerous underground.
Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.
Now, having shed his previous impetuousness and malice, he seemed to have transformed back into that bright and cheerful big brother from deep in her memories.
“But why on earth did he change into his current self again?”
“Is it really... for Dear Sister Vivian, whom he admires so much?”
The thought coiled around her heart like a cold thread.
Lilith shook her head gently and averted her eyes, unwilling to dwell on it further.
Her gaze fell upon the other side of the campfire, where a jet-black cat with eerie green eyes was lying lazily.
Why was there a cat... in the dungeon?
Did Greg keep it?
Although she didn't know where the black cat came from, fluffy little animals held a natural attraction for most girls.
Lilith hesitated for a moment, extending a slender finger toward the black cat and beckoning gently, trying to catch its attention.
However, the black cat merely raised its eyelids lazily, casting a thoroughly nonchalant glance at her with eerie green eyes that seemed capable of seeing through human hearts. Then, as if nothing had happened, it lowered its head and unhurriedly went back to licking the fur on its front paw, completely ignoring her attempts to play with it.
Lilith: “...”
I can't believe even a cat dares to ignore me in this dungeon.
The corner of her mouth twitched imperceptibly, but soon, a strange sense of relaxation replaced that slight touch of frustration.
Here, she was not the Second Princess carrying the kingdom's expectations and royal responsibilities, nor was she the genius magic girl focused on by everyone's gazes who had to be perfect at all times.
She could simply be Lily—a normal girl who had temporarily escaped those halos and shackles, sitting by the campfire waiting for food.
No etiquette that must be maintained, no gazes to be constantly mindful of, and even... no need to think about those complex sisterly relationships, family expectations, or her own awkward feelings for a while.
She felt as if she... had grown a bit fond of this place.
This rare, undisturbed peace and freedom.
But this ease didn't last long.
Her thoughts quickly strayed back, out of her control.
“But... if Greg's change really is because of his admiration for Dear Sister... won't me running over to his camp like this all the time be... too much of a nuisance? After all, I...”
She unconsciously curled up her legs, resting her chin on her knees while wrapping her arms around herself.
The flickering firelight dragged a long, lonely, swaying shadow behind her.
After a moment of silence, she spoke carefully in a voice that was almost imperceptible, asking the question that had been hovering in her heart for a long time:
“Um... Gre—ahem, Senior. Um... is Senior really... in love with Princess Vivian? Because... I heard about what happened that morning...”
Rate on N.U.
