Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

Chapter 239 -: 238 Gratitude.

One day passed, and Julius and Rosalina had settled into a temporary camp atop the hill overlooking Timber Wood Village. It was now the second night since their arrival.

The air carried a slight chill. Rain had poured heavily across the region the previous night, leaving the earth damp and dark.

The scent of wet soil drifted through the breeze, mixing with the smell of grass and distant pine forests.

Thick gray clouds blanketed the sky, concealing the crimson moon that usually painted the landscape in shades of red.

Two tents had been erected near the hilltop. Julius had originally intended to set up only one, but circumstances had quickly convinced him otherwise.

The second tent housed Kavin and Jasmine.

More specifically, it housed Kavin, Jasmine, and a smell so horrifying that Julius suspected it could be classified as a biological weapon.

The tent had been sealed thoroughly with multiple layers of barriers. Despite that, faint traces of the odor occasionally escaped whenever the wind shifted direction.

Fortunately, the transformation process was nearing completion.

Unfortunately, neither Julius nor Rosalina had any intention of checking on their progress before absolutely necessary.

Julius valued many things in life, his appetite happened to be one of them. The past few days had not been pleasant.

Although awakeners could endure hunger far better than ordinary people, surviving and eating well were two completely different experiences.

They had spent weeks traveling through remote forests and mountains before reaching civilization. During that time, their meals had consisted largely of whatever beasts they managed to catch.

Unfortunately, Rosalina possessed standards.

Extremely unreasonable standards.

Julius still remembered the conversation.

"We have food," he had said while holding several freshly roasted wolf legs.

Rosalina had stared at him as if he had personally offended every ancestor in her family line.

"You forced me to eat those chewy wolves in the Lone King’s Tower," she had replied while crossing her arms. "I am not eating that garbage again."

The fact that she had eaten them anyway was completely irrelevant. The point was that she had complained the entire time.

As a result, both of them had ended up skipping several meals while searching for something better.

Thankfully, their suffering had finally come to an end. A campfire crackled softly beneath the cloudy night sky.

Julius sat beside it while slowly rotating a metal rod over the flames. Three whole chickens were skewered through the rod, turning steadily above the fire as their skins roasted to a beautiful golden-red color.

Fat dripped onto the burning wood with soft sizzling sounds. The aroma alone was enough to make a grown man emotional.

Julius had acquired the chickens earlier that afternoon from the village chief’s property. The seasonings had also somehow found their way into his possession.

Naturally, this was a complete coincidence.

A truly remarkable coincidence.

The delicious scent spread through the campsite, causing even Julius to swallow unconsciously.

Beside him sat Rosalina. Or perhaps "staring predator" would be more accurate.

Her eyes had not left the chickens for nearly twenty minutes.

She sat with her knees pulled slightly together, her entire focus fixed upon the roasting meat as if she were attempting to cook it faster through sheer determination.

A loud growl suddenly emerged from her stomach. The sound was surprisingly aggressive.

Julius glanced at her.

Rosalina glanced back.

Neither of them acknowledged what had just happened.

A moment later, her stomach growled again.

This time even louder. Rosalina immediately pointed toward the middle chicken.

"That one’s done."

"It isn’t."

"It is."

"It needs another minute."

"It doesn’t."

Julius sighed. Starvation had apparently transformed a noble lady into a professional negotiator.

Eventually he relented and pulled the middle chicken from the rod before handing it over.

The moment it entered Rosalina’s hands, any remaining traces of elegance vanished.

She tore off a leg without hesitation.

The anticipation in her eyes resembled that of a starving traveler discovering food after wandering through a desert.

Considering their recent circumstances, the comparison wasn’t even that inaccurate.

The crispy skin crackled as she bit into it.

Juices immediately flowed from the meat.

Her eyes widened. A look of pure bliss spread across her face.

The expression was so genuine that Julius found himself smiling.

Bathed in the warm glow of the campfire, Rosalina’s shiny black hair reflected golden strands of light. The flames danced within her eyes, making them sparkle as she happily devoured her meal without the slightest concern for appearances.

All those years of noble etiquette training had apparently retreated from existence the moment food became involved.

Strangely enough, Julius found her far more charming this way.

A beautiful woman enjoying a simple meal beside a campfire felt far more real than the arrogant noble lady she used to pretend to be.

Life really was wonderful sometimes....

Feeling unexpectedly grateful for existence itself, Julius grabbed one of the remaining chickens and tore off a leg.

The moment he bit into it, a rich blend of spices spread across his tongue. The skin was crispy, the meat was tender, and the seasoning had soaked perfectly into every bite.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

There were moments in life that transcended words.

This was one of them.

A deeply satisfied smile slowly appeared on Julius’s face.

After everything they had endured over the past weeks, he arrived at a conclusion that was both objective and undeniably correct.

He was an excellent cook.

And it was without doubt.

After all, he had spent years preparing for moments like this in his previous life.

Looking back, his mental state back then had been questionable at best.

He had enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

His parents had left behind a considerable inheritance, and although he had foolishly donated a ridiculous portion of it to that shameless author, enough still remained for him to hire servants and never touch a kitchen if he didn’t want to.

Yet he learned to cook anyway....it wasn’t because he enjoyed it nor had he needed it.

And certainly not because he possessed some hidden passion for culinary arts.

The reason sat only a few feet away from him.

Julius’s gaze slowly drifted toward Rosalina.

She was still eating happily beside the campfire.

A smear of sauce decorated the corner of her lips. Another small stain had somehow reached the tip of her nose.

Her attention remained entirely focused on the chicken in her hands as she continued eating with the enthusiasm of someone who had personally fought a war to obtain it.

The sight made the corners of Julius’s lips rise. Back then, he had known perfectly well that none of it was real.

Rosalina was fictional, the world she was in was fictional too. Everything existed only within the pages of a story.

Even so, he had spent countless nights imagining ridiculous scenarios. He imagined traveling with her, arguing with her, cooking for her, and sometimes he even imagined marrying her.

The thoughts were absurd, completely ridiculous if he say so himself, yet they had made him happy.

So he started learning how to cook.bHe learned dozens of recipes he would probably never use.

Part of him simply wanted to do everything he could for the woman he loved, even if she only existed inside a novel.

Looking back now, that version of himself would probably lose his mind if he could see this scene.

The woman he had spent years admiring from behind a screen was sitting beside him beneath a cloudy night sky.

She was real and alive.

And most importantly, she was happily devouring food he had personally cooked.

For a moment, Julius felt something warm settle within his chest.

It wasn’t excitement nor was it pride, it wasn’t even happiness, the feeling was much calmer than that.

It was simply gratitude.

Gratitude for being here, gratitude for receiving a second life, gratitude for every absurd event that had somehow led him to this moment.

A smile slowly spread across his face as he took another bite from his chicken. The food itself was nothing extraordinary, yet it tasted better than many luxurious meals he could remember.

Perhaps it was because of where he was sitting. Perhaps it was because of who was beside him.

For the first time in a long while, he felt no urge to rush forward. No need to worry about tomorrow. No desire to look back at yesterday.

Then, deep within his heart, a single thought appeared.

’Thank you, you terrible author. For once in your life, you actually did something right.’

His gaze drifted toward Rose for a brief moment before returning to his meal.

The smile on his face deepened ever so slightly, carrying an emotion he rarely allowed himself to show.

’You brought me to my Rose.’

For all the chaos, all the suffering, and all the ridiculous twists that had come before, he could not deny this one thing.

Standing here now, sharing this ordinary moment with her, made every impossible step along the way feel strangely worth it.