Vanilla Cake

"Xia Lun... you bastard, you're practically a bandit..." Aina's small hands tightly gripped the bedsheet, pulling it into two deep wrinkles. Her voice came in broken fragments, tinged with a mix of irritation, helplessness, and an indescribable hint of coy reproach.

Having worked from morning till night, Xia Lun could clearly feel his strength gradually returning.

Not much, but enough.

Aina had exercised restraint, after all—she hadn't given him too strong a dose.

As for the face and dignity he'd lost, Xia Lun naturally intended to reclaim them that very day. A gentleman seeks revenge without delay; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

"Oh? Is that so? A bandit?" Xia Lun pinched Aina's little face, tilting it upward, forcing her eyes—glistening with a watery haze—to meet his gaze. "Aina... have you forgotten what you did earlier? After treating me so egregiously, you still have the nerve to accuse me?"

"Did I really treat you so badly? I just did to you what you usually do to me." Aina said indignantly.

Xia Lun let out a dismissive chuckle, lightly slapping her cheek with the back of his hand in a flippant gesture. "Heh, what a sharp-tongued little mouth. If I didn't stuff something in it, it'd be a shame."

From somewhere, Xia Lun produced a tiny cake and shoved it into Aina's mouth along with his fingertips.

"Mmph..."

Aina, caught off guard, let out a muffled whimper. But the delightful taste on her tongue soon made her stop struggling. As she chewed, Aina's eyes lit up faintly—the rich flavor of vanilla cream melted in her mouth, soft and velvety.

"Good, isn't it? I asked Liyana to buy this from the finest cake shop in Olifundo earlier. The one who developed this new recipe is the continent's top pastry chef..." Xia Lun said thoughtfully, looking at his fingers now smeared with cream.

"It's acceptable." Aina struggled to keep her expression neutral and swallowed the delicious bite, though her tongue lingered at the corner of her lips, trying to capture every last trace of sweetness.

Xia Lun knew his wife had a sweet tooth—but ordinary pastries never met her standards.

Xia Lun squinted and asked, "Want more?"

"Is there more? Yes, I want some." Aina nodded, a hint of barely perceptible expectation in her eyes.

Xia Lun chuckled softly, then placed his hands on Aina's smooth shoulders and gently applied pressure to help her sit upright. This movement brought them closer together, close enough to feel each other's heartbeats.

"Xia Lun..." Aina couldn't help but roll her eyes, letting out a coquettish complaint. "You really resort to such childish tricks..."

Another piece of cake was stuffed into Aina's mouth. This time, she obediently parted her lips to accept it and nodded in satisfaction.

Once she had swallowed, she eagerly leaned in again, wrapped her arms around Xia Lun's neck, and pressed her lips to his.

The cake was indeed delicious, and Xia Lun could taste the rich vanilla flavor in Aina's mouth.

Beyond that, Aina's tongue carried a faint, subtle hint of spice. At first, Xia Lun thought it was just his imagination, but as he savored the kiss, the presence of that taste grew stronger—yet it didn't overpower, instead teasing him as if from a distance.

"It's mint! The cream in the cake has mint added!" Xia Lun suddenly realized.

This wasn't just an ordinary vanilla cake—it was a mint-vanilla cake!

The smooth vanilla brought out the slightly spicy, cooling sensation of the mint, creating a vivid contrast.

Xia Lun fell silent. As expected of the continent's finest pastry chef—their control over flavor was truly masterful.

"So delicious... I feel like I'm turning into a soft, fluffy cake." Aina licked the corner of her mouth.

Xia Lun nodded. Since Aina said so, he too felt as if he were becoming a vanilla cake.

"Xia Lun... how about we kidnap that pastry chef? Get them to keep inventing new recipes for us?" Aina squinted, suddenly voicing a rather bold idea.

"Aina!" Xia Lun said, his tone slightly reproachful. "You can't do things like that to satisfy personal desires."

"Then let me put it another way... how about we offer a generous sum to hire the pastry chef to work at our estate and serve us?" After thinking for a moment, Aina tilted her head and said.

"Uh... if they agree, I suppose that's not impossible..." Xia Lun rubbed his nose and replied, scratching his head.

Seeing that Aina had rested well now, Xia Lun's mind started wandering. He moved closer, pulling her into his arms, and began some affectionate little gestures.

"Stop it!"

Aina gave Xia Lun a headbutt, her skull knocking firmly against his chest with a crisp sound. Xia Lun winced and paused his movements.

Aina said disapprovingly, "Don't forget, we have things to do tonight."

Xia Lun was taken aback, looking confused. "Aren't we doing it right now?"

"Not this! You forgot the very thing you brought up yourself!" Aina struggled slightly in his embrace but didn't push him away. Instead, she freed one hand and swept it through the air, conjuring a water mirror that formed above them.

Inside the water mirror was the view of Mian's room.

Mian had already fallen asleep, but it was clear he wasn't resting peacefully. He tossed and turned restlessly in bed, as if caught in a nightmare.

Musen, the doll or item said to detect such things, remained silent on the desk, the fairy tale book lying atop it with no signs of activity.

"Mian's condition seems a bit off?" Xia Lun's expression grew serious, a trace of doubt crossing his face.

"You were the one who said he seemed to be hiding something from us." Aina waved her hand over the mirror again. The image within broke apart and twisted like spilled paint, then suddenly reshuffled.

The scene in the water mirror was no longer Mian's room in reality, but a bizarre, murky chaotic space. Here, there was no sense of up or down. Twisted bands of light writhed like veins, and fragmented images flickered in and out of existence like bubbles.

"This is..." Xia Lun's pupils contracted slightly.

Aina spoke slowly, "This is the place where Mian's consciousness currently resides—it should be his dream... no, this seems to be Aise's dream."

Mian was hiding in terror behind a massive meteorite, not far away, a frenzied Aise was locked in battle with countless bizarre-looking creatures of all shapes and forms.

Those creatures weren't very strong; Aise was slaughtering them with overwhelming force. But they appeared to have no reason or fear, surging toward Aise in an endless swarm.

"Haah... hahaha!" Aise let out manic laughter, completely immersed in this endless slaughter, reveling in the thrill of destruction and violence, not noticing Mian at all.

Outside the water mirror, Aina murmured in Xia Lun's arms, "Mian—he's peeking into Aise's memories."