It was a quiet morning at the estate of the Arkwright. Birds were chirping, cows were mooing, horses were neighing, the workers were doing their job and Seraphina sat in her office, enjoying this view.

But for some reason, her face is bright red.

Damn it. You're already in your mid-30s, so why are you shy about kissing him? She put her head down on the table, which made a small thud.

Ughhh, and I've been avoiding talking to him about that since. What am I? 15? A teenager? Ugh!

She turned her face to the stacks of documents and logistical plans.

Ahh, I also have to prepare for Onastin and make sure the delivery of the items to the royal capital go as planned. I already got Penelope and Evelyn on the school project, so what now?

She sighed,

Is Aric seriously not going to talk about last week? Doesn't he know from all his advanced Earth stuff that my time is not much…

She sighed again,

Why am I so hung up about this? I wasn't like this since…forever. Does this mean I am in love?

She thought about it and couldn't find a reason to deny it.

Hahaha…no. That can't be. I am not in love with him! I am just…interested in him. Different.

Her mind suddenly replayed a moment during their sleep where Seraphina was touching his back and how big it felt now.

STOP! OKAY! MAYBE I AM MORE THAN A LITTLE INTERESTED, BUT WHO CAN BLAME ME? ANY WOMAN WOULD FALL FOR HIM.

UGH!

Just as she was about to spiral into another naughty thought, a knock echoed through the room. Before she could respond, James burst in.

"My lady." he began breathlessly, bowing quickly before continuing.

"Lord Vay—er, Aric, I mean, is doing something… strange in the kitchen."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow, "Strange? What do you mean, strange? Be very specific with strange."

James hesitated as he was struggling to find the right words. "Well…he's using some sort of contraption unlike anything we've seen before. It's spinning and there are flames involved. Oh, and Darius is helping him cut potatoes into thin strips while he is mixing something in his bowl that smells strange."

Seraphina simply stared at him and was lost for words. She rose from her chair and strode toward the door. James hurried to keep up.

"What exactly is he making?" she asked as they rounded a corner with James.

"That's just it, my lady." James replied, "We don't know. But whatever it is, it smells incredible but also weird."

When Seraphina entered the kitchen, her jaw dropped at the sight before her. What had once been a traditional, albeit functional kitchen, had transformed into a modern marvel overnight. A big oven, a new fridge for meat and fish, a deep fryer, new pots, a wok, and a pan.

Aric was standing at the side, watching the boiler as it spun and cooked the meat. The marinated meat sizzling away in golden perfection, with piles of freshly sliced vegetables neatly arranged on cutting boards, accompanied by a big bowl of garlic sauce.

"Aric." Seraphina called out, her tone laced with both curiosity and suspicion.

"What in the world are you doing and what have you done to my kitchen?"

Thorin appeared behind Seraphina with a prideful look, "Aye, me and the lad made this. He was figuring out that spinny thing while I helped him renovate this. Looks good, doesn't it?"

Seraphina side-eyed him, "I mean, yes, it looks cool and I appreciate you not changing the aesthetics of it, but it's 8:00 in the morning. Why is he cooking?"

Thorin laughed as Lira joined in, too, "You'll see."

Darius hovered close by as he sliced the potatoes into perfectly fried pieces. He would pat them dry and deep fry them. The head chef learned how to do this in just one try thanks to Aric. Aric wiped his hands on a towel.

"Ah, there you are," he said cheerfully, gesturing toward the spinning contraption.

"Come see this, it's almost ready."

"Ready for what?" she replied.

Instead of answering, Aric grabbed a warm tortilla from underneath a towel and began assembling the shawarma. Thin slices of tender meat were layered onto the flatbread, followed by crispy fries, fresh lettuce, pickles, and onion. He didn't put the sauce in for now as he was cautious of overwhelming their taste buds.

He folded the tortilla skillfully, sealing the contents inside and grilling it. Once sealed, he wrapped the bottom part with parchment paper and gave it to her,

"Try it," he urged, "Tell me what you think. Oh, be careful touching it. It's scorching hot."

Seraphina stared at the unfamiliar creation in her hands. For several seconds, she simply held it, unsure whether to trust this bizarre concoction.

This seems like that sha…warma thing he was raving about weeks ago. It smells nice.

With a small sigh of resignation, she took a bite.

And then…

Silence.

She didn't say a word, and her silent chewing became audible as everyone who gathered now was waiting for a reaction.

Her shadow tendrils suddenly sprang to life, writhing ecstatically. Her lips parted in astonishment,

"This…" she said while taking another bite. "…is extraordinary."

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She took another bite and another. Aric panicked a little, "Sera, wait! You haven't even tried the best part yet! Wait."

She looked at him, confused, while chewing. He took a sauce bottle that was filled with the garlic sauce and squirted a good amount on the shawarma.

"If just now was good, this is divine."

She smelled the sauce and was a little surprised at how strong the smell was. But she trusted Aric and took a big bite.

She was silent for a long time before letting out a muffled moan.

Aric couldn't believe what he was hearing, "What?"

Ivy, too, was baffled by seeing this. [Did she just?]

Yep, I think she did.

Seraphina's face looked super happy eating it, and after a minute had passed, she finally spoke.

"That…was the best food I ever tasted. I may have let a sound come out, but I believe if any of you were to eat this, you too would fall to your knees."

Aric looked rather proud of himself as he made more shawarma for everyone. The more he gave, the noisier the kitchen hall was,

"OH MY GOODNESS!" Thorin said loudly. "This is better than any meal I know!"

"So…good." James said while chewing in satisfaction

More and more people expressed similar praise which boosted Aric's ego.

Bet you want it too, huh?

Ivy rolled her eyes as she manifested her own shawarma. Aric instantly recognises where it's from,

No…no! Not the-

[The cart down the street near your place? Yeah, I know where it is. I also know for a fact that it's your favourite.]

She bit it right into his face, [Ooo…the beef…so good. The spice, oh.]

Aric was immediately humbled, I hate you.

She took another bite, [You did it first.]

Seraphina grabbed Aric's hand, "When you're done, come to my office. Bring another set as well."

Aric nodded, and Seraphina let go of his hand to enjoy her food.

****************************************************

As Aric served the last person, he went up to her office with two plates of shawarma, garlic sauce, and fries on the side. He entered the room to see Seraphina pouring herself a glass of whiskey.

"I haven't seen you drink since your birthday." He said as he put her serving on the table. He put his serving on the table and sat down.

"Mhm." She chugged a glass down and poured another shot.

"You want one?"

Aric shook his head, "No, I'm good."

"So, you're not going to drink with your wife?" She teased while holding up the glass near his face.

Aric laughed a little, "You're blackmailing me now?"

"You did it with the king. I don't see why not? After all," She bent forward and placed the glass in his hand while maintaining eye contact,

"You're the one who taught me."

Aric felt nervous all of a sudden and gripped the glass while coughing,

"Anyways. Why did you want to see me?"

She sat back in her seat and crossed her legs, "There are some problems now. One is confirmed and something we can handle immediately, while another is speculation, but the source is from my teacher."

Aric became intrigued as he took a sip. "What's the speculation?"

"You're not interested in the confirmed one?"

"No, not really. If it's something we can handle immediately, I'll assume it's just business. If it's from the princess, that means something got her interested enough and warned us about it. I'm beginning to understand how she works as I get my ass kicked every evening by her."

Seraphina grabbed a fry with her fingers and ate it. "That's correct. Lira warned me about something dark. When we were going back from Ashwick, I felt slightly uncomfortable, but she could sense something sinister looming above us."

"Like it was watching us as we went back. She said she sensed the magic even from high up, and that's the reason she's here. She's keeping an eye on whatever or whoever that energy belongs to."

Aric chugged the whole glass and placed it down on the table,

"We have a demon again? Didn't we just kill an ancient demon?"

"If we go by that logic, you killed two of them while I killed a mixed breed."

"So the demons want revenge?"

She ate another fry, "Hard to say. I have never met or talked with demons before, until recently, but my teacher has. She said they're just like any other race. Maybe more prone to being violent, but they're just like any other race."

"They have their own economy, school, wares, and they collaborate with other species like the Orcs and Wyverns. They used to work with the elves, but since they felt betrayed centuries ago, most of them don't talk to anyone else. Maybe Lira, but that's it."

Aric put his elbow on the desk and palmed the side of his face as he thought,

"Hmmm, good news is we aren't certain what they want or if it's even a demon in the first place. The bad news is, we don't know what is watching over us. So what's the other business we have to handle?"

Seraphina grabbed the shawarma in her hands and started to eat. She swallowed first before speaking,

"That would be in Onastin. It is also the closest thing we have to an elf city. the population there is split evenly between humans and elves. The reason we need to go there is to set up a base over there for Midra as well."

She took another bite, "I'll assume you know where that is based on Vayne's memories and what he did."

Aric nodded as he ate a fry, "I know where it is. But it would take us weeks to reach there by horse, plus we just got back here."

"That's the life of being a noble, Aric." She dipped it in garlic sauce,

"I know you were just the average man back on Earth, but you decided to stay here as my partner for now. You have to travel a lot and meet with the people you govern."

"Hmmm." Aric munched a handful of fries, "Then, when do we leave?"

Seraphina set down her half-eaten shawarma, lips curling into a faint smile,

"When you tell me about that."

Aric froze, her words cutting straight through him. That…wha- Oh. That.

"I…uh…" He straightened up while hands twitched, "Er...I just thought we shouldn't bring up things that just happened in the moment…maybe you were just caught in the mood…"

She was in disbelief, So that's what he thinks? That it was nothing?

"You put me in that mood, Aric."

Aric's eyebrows shot up, his heart lurched at the way she said it. He searched her face for anything but found no hint of teasing.

"Aric," she pressed, "why do you always avoid me? Especially in moments like this. Are you scared?"

"Avoid?" His voice cracked slightly. "What are you talking about?"

She leaned back with a sigh, looking unimpressed, He always does this. He does something then then feels like he has to avoid it and acts like it's nothing.

Why won't he just admit it?

"Stop dodging the question."

He swallowed hard, "I…just thought that since you never asked, you didn't really care. Or maybe it didn't matter to you."

She was becoming frustrated, Does he really not see it? How could he think I didn't care?

"Why would you think that?"

"Because, you always look… cold. Like nothing ever phases you unless it's life changing. It's hard to tell what you're really feeling. That day when I saw you flustered… You pulled yourself together so fast. And then you just walked away."

The words hung between them. His fear of ruining something he didn't understand and her quiet anger that he couldn't see what was right in front of him.

Seraphina's gaze softened despite this. She tilted her chin up, fingers laced together as if steadying herself.

It's okay. It's okay. He was here when I wronged him. He's here now. I can't be like that to him.

"If we want this to work," she said softly, "we have to be honest with each other."

"Tell me, did you want to kiss me?"

Aric's chest tightened. She's really asking me this?

His gaze met hers, "Did you?"

She stood up and her cheeks started to turn red, but she didn't look away, "I… wouldn't have minded it."

"...Neither would I."

The air between them tightened. For a moment, nothing existed but her parted lips, the way his hand twitched as though reaching for her. Seraphina leaned the faintest bit forward, expecting her lips to be met by his. But the moment stretched too long and both of them immediately looked away.

She retreated to her seat, clutching her shawarma as a shield.

"My breath smells like garlic," she muttered. "So, probably not the best idea?"

Aric's laughed nervously, "RIGHT!...R-right. Bad breath isn't ideal."

Why didn't I just go for it? Aric thought, staring down at the half-eaten shawarma.

She was waiting… but what if I ruined everything?

What if I'm just imagining this?

Seraphina bit into her shawarma, though the taste barely registered now.

He wanted to…right? Then why didn't he? Did I say something wrong or am I the only one hoping for more?

Their gazes flicked toward each other then away again. They ate in silence, hearts pounding far louder than the crinkle of paper wrappers.

They avoided looking at each other but both of them carried the same thought,

I wish I had been braver.

Evelyn was spying on them through the small crack in the door,

"Can you both just KISS already!?" She whispered,

"You both obviously want each other!"

She facepalmed and walked away from the door after being there for another five minutes, just staring at them eating their food in silence,

"I need to think of a way for them to just kiss each other. My lady deserves to be happy and I am going to make that happen."

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