Extra 2. Adam and Amarantha Introduction

***

Inside the carriage's space that belonged to Amarantha, silence prevailed. Adam, with his eyes closed, pondered his next steps, while Amarantha sat in the kitchen, gazing out of a small window.

"What should I do?" Adam wondered, realizing he didn't know how to communicate with this woman. At times, she behaved like a seductive succubus, other times cold, and occasionally, like a little girl. Her mood swings left him speechless.

He had only two clues:

1. She wanted to establish a base far from the capital.

2. She was interested in creating a city.

She had shown interest in supporting the city's creation and even offered security, which pleased him. However, he doubted whether it was genuinely necessary. Although Adam didn't sense any danger, he decided to be cautious just in case.

Days passed - one day, two days, three days...

On the fourth day, an unusual event occurred.

"Can you teach me how to cook?" she suddenly asked out of the blue.

Naturally, Adam was surprised, evident by his raised eyebrow and astonished expression. After a few seconds of contemplation, he smiled and nodded.

"Of course, no problem. What would you like to cook?" he asked, though he privately noted that he wasn't a particularly good cook. historical

Amarantha tilted her head to the side, thinking, and then sniffled cutely, which looked adorable. Then she lightly tapped her fist against her palm, as if she'd come to an important realization, and smiled charmingly at Adam.

"Fried eggs."

"..." Adam smiled, though his thoughts were somewhat amusing. "I thought she'd ask me to teach her a complex and elegant dish."

"Can you?" she asked, looking disappointed.

"Sure, no problem," Adam nodded, and then he asked her to follow him. "Let's move to the kitchen."

"Okay."

Amarantha nodded and followed him, resembling a duckling, which left Adam with amusing thoughts that he dismissed once they both reached the kitchen. Turning to her, he asked, "Just to be sure... you want a regular fried egg, right?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Alright, it's quite simple. First, you take a pan and pour some vegetable oil into it," Adam said, taking the steps he mentioned. "You should do the same."

"I understand," Amarantha took another pan and placed it on the stove, then poured vegetable oil into it. Adam smiled and nodded, but then his expression turned horrified when he saw her empty an entire bottle into the pan.

"Uh, actually, you didn't need that much. I usually pour in about two tablespoons of oil," Adam said, sighing at the waste of ingredients. "Let's start over."

"Um..." Amarantha poured the oil into the sink and took a tablespoon, filling it with vegetable oil before pouring it into the pan.

"Great, now you need to spread the oil all over the pan's surface," Adam said, smiling and rotating the pan in his hand to distribute the oil evenly. Then, he placed it on the stove. "Next, you should heat it on medium heat for 1-2 minutes."

"Oh, I got it," Amarantha nodded and turned on the stove, but she mistakenly set it to high heat, causing the oil to burn and the pan's bottom to melt.

"..." Adam put his hand on his forehead and sighed, feeling like he had aged a few years. He couldn't quite grasp this woman's logic.

"Listen..." he cautiously asked, frustration evident, "Have you never cooked or used a stove before?"

Amarantha turned to him, tilting her head, and then shook her head, replying, "No, of course not. I had personal chefs."

"Ugh... I see," he sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "But if you had chefs, why do you need to learn to cook? I mean, wouldn't it be easier to just ask them?"

Hearing his question, Amarantha snorted, expressing her disagreement. "No, they can't make what I like. Considering I don't need food, it's not a big deal, but... I love to eat!"

"I understand," Adam forced a smile and sighed. "Then let's start over..."

Amarantha smiled at him with a charming smile and nodded, grabbing another frying pan and repeating the first step. Two hours later...

"I've heated it!" she said triumphantly, while Adam wearily slumped into a chair.

"Wow... Bravo!" he dryly commented, feeling exhausted. "Damn, this woman tried to heat the oil for two hours, damn it..."

Although he was mentally drained, Adam found the strength to get up from his seat and continue the lesson. He retrieved eggs from Elfheim, which belonged to a wild creature resembling a chicken, but the size of an ostrich, so the eggs were equally large.

"The next step is very simple. You need to crack the egg—" Adam began to speak with a smile on his face, but suddenly, there was an explosion, and the eggshell and its contents flew into his face. "—s..."

"Oops... I'm sorry." Amarantha rushed to him, taking a towel and gently wiping his face with care.

When Adam's eyes opened, he saw Amarantha's beautiful face, which was so close that their noses were almost touching.

"Um..." For some reason, he felt awkward but managed to maintain a normal expression. "Thanks for taking care of me. Shall we continue, okay?"

"Huh? Oh, uh... yes, of course!" Amarantha responded after a few seconds of being in a daze, returning to the kitchen.

Two damn hours later.

"I did it!" came a loud cry as Adam wearily got up and finally saw a proper fried egg. He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Well done! Now you're a chef." His bright smile briefly surprised Amarantha, but she quickly recovered and responded with a sweet smile.

Moving the fried egg onto plates, Adam tiredly slumped back into a chair, watching Amarantha eat the fried egg he had prepared. Honestly, he had never felt so tired before, let alone spent so long making a fried egg.

But to be honest...

He enjoyed the time spent with her.

"Cutie..." he thought, observing Amarantha enjoying her meal with gusto, the portion being several times larger than usual.

***

On one of the days.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

That's the question Amarantha asked Adam as he returned from a meditation session. Hearing her words, Adam made a strange facial expression and tilted his head to the side, a habit he had developed because of Amarantha.

"I'm not against it, but... wouldn't that be a bit strange, don't you think?"

A man and a woman with no romantic involvement sharing a bed. Unless there was a force majeure, such situations would usually be interpreted differently.

"Though, not that I'm against it," Adam thought, throwing a glance at her seductive body but not lingering for more than a second.

Amarantha, it seemed, understood the meaning of his words but again didn't react strongly. She just shrugged and asked again, "So, can I or not?"

"...I'm not against it," Adam replied, pausing before answering.

"Great. I'll bring my pillow."

Amarantha smiled and hurried off to her room. Adam smiled and comfortably settled on the couch, contemplating his future city.

But there was one thing he hadn't considered...

His bed was small. It was a regular single bed. And because of this, in the dead of night, Adam distinctly felt...

Amarantha's seductive curves brushed against his gun. And only thanks to his mantras, he could keep his gun in a safe condition as he didn't want to leave a bad impression.

Swallowing hard, Adam admired Amarantha's beauty, or rather, her graceful back, where black hair flowed, and it smelled so nice.

And her large, well-developed buttocks... pressed closely against his junior brother, holding it in a firm grip, not wanting to let go. So... he had some thoughts about it.

"The world around me, the world inside me. I open my heart and allow myself to feel the calm and harmony that always exist within me. I realize that life brings various challenges and changes, and I am ready to accept them with wisdom and serenity," Adam began reciting the mantra silently. "As I breathe, I feel each inhale fill me with energy, and each exhale releases tension. My breathing rhythm allows my mind to stand strong in the storm and maintain clarity. At this moment, I accept myself and my emotions with love and compassion. I understand that moments of unease are temporary and pass. Calm and joy are my constant companions, and I can always turn to them within myself..."

He was... tense.

However, even in such a situation, under the influence of an unfamiliar comfort and a floral fragrance that surrounded him... he fell asleep like a child.

...

..

.

Although no morning rooster was crowing, Adam still woke up at seven in the morning, as if he had an internal alarm clock. Although he couldn't fully open his eyes, a strange feeling of weightiness didn't leave him.

So, when he did open his eyes, he was greatly surprised by what had happened.

"Um..." a quiet moan escaped when Adam's hand accidentally touched Amarantha's buttocks.

"What?" Adam was surprised.

Here's what happened: he was lying in his position, and Amarantha was lying on him, holding onto him tightly, like a koala, while two mountain peaks pressed against him, making Adam feel a range of emotions.

Therefore, he made a serious decision...

"Okay, whatever. I'll just enjoy this."

...he decided to simply enjoy it.

***

Currently...

Amarantha sweetly smiled at Adam, who slept with a relaxed expression. Close to him were women he was close to Elara, Elyra, Mary, Claire, and even Ekaterina, who usually woke up two hours earlier.

"My love..." She felt a strong surge of emotions and hugged him with her whole body, burying her nose in his neck.

Suddenly, Amarantha felt warmth on her forehead and realized that Adam was stroking her in his sleep, gently embracing her.

"Just like that day..." Amarantha thought about the day when she fell asleep with Adam in the same bed, and at midnight, he suddenly embraced her, greatly surprising the woman, and then began to stroke her.

On that day... Amarantha slept soundly. It was the first time in a hundred years that she fully immersed herself in sleep. There was no fear that someone would attack her in her sleep, that her subordinates would betray her, or that everything would suddenly change when she woke up.

She felt... happy. Very happy.

"And all of this is thanks to you, Adam," she thought with love, inhaling the scent of his body, which always brought her calmness and confidence in tomorrow. "You're my love... forever. And no one, never, for any reason, will take you away from me."

She smiled predatorily, and her eyes lit up brightly, while her breathing became heavy. An insistent desire grew in her chest, and the feeling of ownership surged within her.

But that's a story for another chapter...