To say Aegon was dumbstruck would be an understatement. This proud genius who had such a calm and elusive aura, with refined elegance, was suddenly showing this nervous side to him. All because she couldn't cook.

It took him by such a big surprise that he couldn't even speak for a while, which seemed to have a negative effect on Liliana as she lowered her face further in shame.

'Damn! She's adorable!' Aegon couldn't help but chuckle lightly. 'Ah! I definitely got my genes from her.'

Liliana was very beautiful, mesmerizing even. But her beauty seemed unattainable, as if she stood on a high pedestal where none could reach her. And such a goddess was acting so adorable over a silly matter.

It really amused him to no end, but seeing that she was having some misunderstanding, he cleared his throat and said, "That's fine. I can cook, so I'll make something for both of us."

"You can?" Liliana exclaimed in surprise.

"Is it that surprising?" Aegon asked.

"N-No! It's just that I didn't expect it," Liliana's flustered face turned red. "I mean, you're amazing in so many things, so I expected maybe there are areas you're not good at. Like me."

"You don't need to feel shameful about it," Aegon smiled and said. "I love food, so I became a cook. Otherwise, I don't think I would have learnt cooking."

He stood up and said, "As you said, everyone has areas they aren't good at. I also have many, but I try to be versatile. You see, your main interest lies in the mysteries of the world, while I'm similar but different."

"How?" She asked, her earlier expression fading away.

"While I'm also curious about the mysteries, I'm more interested in learning everything the world has to offer," he answered calmly. "You like to unravel the past, while I want to explore the present. That's why I can be versatile."

"I see," Liliana muttered thoughtfully. "Yes, perhaps it's because my perspective has been limited. But it's not like I didn't try learning cooking."

"You did? And you didn't succeed?"

Aegon was once again surprised. After all, wasn't she a genius with perfect memory and a high IQ? How could she fail at learning cooking?

"Yes, well, even I don't know how it happened," Liliana pursed her lips and looked down at her hands. "I never planned to have kids, as they seemed troublesome to me."

"They are."

She chuckled.

"Yes, they are, but a trouble I'll gladly embrace. I realised it the moment I saw my first son's face. I wanted to do everything for him that my parents never did for me."

She clenched her fists and added.

"Handmade meals were one of them. I forgot about my researches and dedicated my time to become the best cook. I thought it'll be easy, but I was too arrogant. In my first try, I blew up the whole kitchen."

Aegon's lips twitched hearing that. "That's... impressive."

"And well, I was stubborn, but things didn't turn good. I blew up the kitchen seven times, burnt it down to ashes eleven times, and even froze it a few times."

"How do you even achieve that?" Aegon paused and shook his head. "Never mind. I also have a friend with the same condition, and all I'll say is... give up."

"A creator saying that?" She seemed confused by his reaction.

"I've dealt with him for a decade, so I know some things are just not for you," Aegon sighed in exasperation. "Anyways, I do think your son appreciated your efforts, right?"

"He took after his father, so that was a given," Liliana smiled lightly. "That boy became mature a bit too fast. I hoped for him to grow up like other kids, but I forgot he's an Augustus."

Aegon could see sadness flickering in her eyes, which made him a bit awkward, so he decided to change the subject. "So what do you want to eat?"

"Well, anything is fine, really," Liliana replied. "I'm not a picky eater, as pretty much everything tastes the same to me. Only Mom's handmade meals brought taste to me."

"Huh? You didn't taste Xiu's cooking?" Aegon asked in confusion.

"Xiu can cook?" Liliana asked in return. "Since when?"

"Hold up! Xiu couldn't cook before?" Aegon quickly asked, as he didn't even know this. "No way, right?"

"Well, I was never aware of that," Liliana said, as she also stood up. "She had people to spoil her, so I never saw her cooking. And her habits also gave people the wrong idea."

"Then I feel sorry for you," Aegon said, sighing. "You were so close to Xiu, but never actually tasted her cooking. That's such a sad reality because she's the best chef in this whole world."

"Such praise," Liliana smiled. "Perhaps she didn't know cooking before and only learnt it for you. When women become mothers, they do unexpected things completely out of character."

Aegon paused as he fell into thought. He actually found that theory very plausible, as he had seen firsthand how Xiu learnt and did so many things just for him.

He wouldn't be surprised if she learnt to cook just for him too. There was a reason why Aegon called her crazy.

Thinking of that, he smiled. "Maybe you're right. I am spoiled too."

"And you're proud of that," Liliana giggled. "Good. You should feel proud to have her by your side. You made her do things that past Xiu would never do."

Aegon smiled and said, "True. In any case, do tell me what you want to eat. Well, no monster meat, so something normal and vegetarian."

Monster meat was hard to digest, as it contained an enormous amount of essence. While cooking, some of it was lost, but usually most of it remained, and people had to manually refine or expel the excessive essence.

It was no big deal, or rather it was even helpful in the outside world. But the Domain made them mundane, meaning they couldn't deal with the excessive essence and would only harm themselves if they ate it.

Liliana understood it too, so she said, "The answer is the same as before. Make whatever you like."

Aegon nodded and went towards the tents. He had already set up a small kitchen beside them, as he knew he would need it. He could skip on many things, but not a good, delicious meal.

'What to make? Vegetarian... hmm, Indian cuisine. When it comes to vegetarian food, they're definitely my favorite. Alright, let's do this.'

When he began to prepare the ingredients, Liliana came and suggested helping. But he pushed her away, thinking of all the atrocities she committed against the kitchen.

There was no way he was letting her touch the kitchen.

So she just sat on the side while he prepared everything. He could feel her gaze on him, which made him a little nervous for some reason, but he shifted his focus back to the food.

It took a while to make everything, but he loved every second of it, so it felt like time didn't pass at all.

When everything was done, he served it on the table as they both sat on opposite sides. The delicious aroma of the various dishes mixed together, arousing his hunger.

Even Liliana seemed impressed with how many dishes he prepared in such a short time, and all of them looked very good.

Rubbing his hands, Aegon introduced the dishes to her.

"The first is Masala Dosa. Taste it with the sambhar and coconut chutney. Try it."

Liliana nodded and tore a piece of Dosa, eating it with sambhar. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed it as a light moan escaped her mouth.

"This is delicious! Fantastic!" She exclaimed in surprise. "How did you make it so good? It's not even juicy meat."

"That's where a cook's skills truly shine. They can make anything tasty," Aegon smiled, as he also took a bite of Dosa.

Liliana smiled as well and devoured two Dosas in no time. Aegon was of course happy to see that. Nothing pleased a cook like him more than seeing someone enjoy their meals.

"Try this next. It's idli. Beside it is dhokla. I also prepared Pav Bhaji and—"

He continued listing everything as Liliana enjoyed every single dish on the table. Emotions swirled in her eyes as she forgot all her elegance and truly enjoyed the food.

"Hmm! I've never heard of these dishes," Liliana said. "Do you know their origins?"

"Of course," Aegon replied. "I brought all of these recipes into this world."

"That's impressive," Liliana said, looking down at her empty plates. "Forgive me if I become addicted to this."

"Hehe, no problem!" Aegon grinned. "But I'll still recommend tasting Xiu's cooking. She's much better than me."

"Regarding that," Liliana hesitated at first, but then she stared at him and said, "Can we talk about this whole situation? About me being your blood mother? I can see you're curious too."

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