Kaya stared at him as if he had grown two heads, her expression flat and unimpressed. Then, in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, she said, "It’s used as a spice. You only add a few pieces depending on the quantity of at or food you’re cooking."
Veer froze, his eyes widening slightly. His lips parted as though a revelation had just struck him. He muttered, almost to himself, "Oh... so that’s why it tasted so disgusting when I ate it."
Kaya blinked once, then very slowly turned her head toward him. Her gaze was utterly blank, her voice dangerously calm.
"Wait." She let the word hang in the air like a blade. "Did you eat my garlics... raw? And in a bunch?"
Kaya was utterly in disbelief. Now it finally made sense—why the sll of garlic in their food was always faint, almost nonexistent. Normally, even when she only roasted or boiled it, the fragrance was strong enough to fill the air. But ever since Veer had been cooking, she couldn’t sll it at all. At first, she thought it was because she was sick. Later, she blad it on his lazy habit of just boiling everything.
But never—never in her wildest imagination—had she thought this idiot wasn’t even putting garlic into the food. He was eating it raw.
Her lips parted, but no words ca out. She just stared at him, speechless, like he had committed so unforgivable cri against nature.
.
.
.
For the next two days, Kaya refused to let Veer’s hands anywhere near her food. She cooked everything herself. Of course, she was no genius in the kitchen, and most of the ti the results were... tragic. She burned more als than she managed to cook, simply because she couldn’t control the fire properly.
One day, she tossed so at into a pot, added water, covered it, and—confident in her brilliance—went off to take a bath.
When she ca out, however, an unbearable stench hit her nose. The entire house was filled with the foul, acrid sll of sothing gone very, very wrong.
She rushed to the kitchen, only to find the at had not just overcooked—it had charred black, sticking stubbornly to the bottom of the pot. The sll was so disgusting that Kaya couldn’t even stand to remain inside the house.
And thanks to Kaya’s cooking, even the vultures that lived on the mountain had to abandon their roosts, fleeing with loud screeches as if they, too, had been poisoned by the smoke.
...
Kaya stood outside the cave, one hand covering her mouth, her face pale from the horrible stench still leaking out. Veer stood behind her with his arms crossed, his lips twitching as if he was holding back laughter. Finally, with a crooked smile, he said,
"Um... sweetheart... if you wanted to change the sll in our house, you could’ve told . I would’ve brought so scented flowers or herbs. But this—" he gestured towards the smoke-filled cave—"this thod is... quite unique."
Kaya lowered her head, embarrassed. It wasn’t really her fault. She had cooked in ssy situations before, but this soil stove was impossible to control. No matter how much she tried, the fire either went out or raged like a beast. She wanted to argue, but what could she even say?
On the ground, the sparrow tilted his head at her. Their eyes t for a mont, and then, with deliberate mockery, he clicked his tongue— tch, tch, tch.
His beady little eyes practically scread: Even I know better than you.
Seeing that mocking tch tch tch, Kaya’s anger boiled over. Without a second thought, she raised her leg and kicked the sparrow.
Thud!
The poor bird shot across the cave like a pebble from a sling, crashing into the wall before sliding pitifully onto the ground. A sharp crack echoed, and the sparrow let out a strangled chirp. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Did... did this human just kick ?
He lay there, wheezing, his small body trembling. If not for the herbs he always carried and the faint healing ability that ran in his bloodline, he would’ve died long ago at this demon’s hands. As it was, his bones still ached and he was certain he had lost a few years of life.
Gods above, what kind of creature was she? Forget "woman"—this wasn’t even a devil. She was a demon king in disguise.
Kaya didn’t even look guilty. She simply brushed her hands, as if she had just dealt with a piece of trash, and went back into the kitchen. But her "cooking privileges" ended that day. Veer and the others stepped in, deciding it was safer for everyone’s health—and lives—if Kaya didn’t touch the stove again.
It took nearly the whole day to purge the foul sll from the cave. Veer hauled in armfuls of flowers and herbs, scattering them everywhere until the air was choked with sweet fragrance. By evening, the stench was gone.
Still, when Kaya finally stepped inside, the mory of that burnt at hit her nose like a ghost. Her stomach lurched, and she pressed a hand to her lips. That stench—ugh. Even thinking about it made her want to vomit.
"Ugh ...".
Kaya covered her mouth and bolted outside, unable to bear it any longer. She stumbled to the corner of the cave wall, leaned against it, and bent over.
"Blegh...urkkk... ugh!"
Her stomach lurched violently as she vomited, one hand clutching her chest while the other gripped the cold rock for support. Each breath ca ragged, the aftertaste of the stench still choking her throat.
"Damn it..." she gasped between heaves, "that sll... it’s really disgusting... poisonous..."
Veer was at her side in an instant, his face pale with worry. He gently rubbed her back, his voice soft, almost pleading, "It’s okay, sweetheart. Breathe slowly... calm down, calm down. I’m here."
Kaya squeezed her eyes shut, trying to steady her breaths as Veer’s steady hand soothed the tremors running through her.
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