Damien set up a cooking griddle, and since they were sitting on the balcony, it was a perfect place to cook.
He put up a table near the griddle to place all the ingredients on it and make it easier for Reva to cook. He doubted if Reva knew much about cooking since girls like her would be devoting most of their time to cultivation and other studies.
"Now, listen to each of my steps carefully." Damien guided her as she started to cook as per Damien's instructions.
Damien realized that she had absolutely no knowledge of cooking but was not surprised as there was no need for her to learn them when she got her own cooks to cook food for her.
He had to show her the simplest of steps, and when it came to slicing the meat, she applied too much strength and almost broke the table.
Damien chuckled, seeing her clumsy actions and was a fresh change from how she usually does things perfectly.
"That's not how you cut them. Why don't you let me guide you?" Damien asked as he offered to take her hand and guide her.
Reva saw that Damien was offering to take her hand to teach her how to cut the meat. She had ambivalent feelings about it but realized that she wouldn't get anywhere with the cooking if he doesn't teach her.
She slowly nodded, thinking that there was no other choice, and considered it as a friend trying to help her out.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Damien inwardly triumphantly smiled as he moved behind her back to hold both her wrists.
Reva's brows raised, and quickly turned around before his body pressed against hers, "What are you doing?" She doubtfully asked as she made him move away from her.
Damien showed an innocent expression, "What's wrong? I was trying to guide your hands. How else can I do it?"
Reva knit her brows and realized that there was no other way for him to guide her. But she knew that it would mean Damien would be pressing against her body and was reluctant about letting him do that.
She already let him touch her wrist, so she thought it didn't matter if he only used her wrist to guide her. But what she didn't expect was that she would have to be in his embrace literally so that he can guide her hands.
Thinking about such thoughts evoked some unfamiliar emotions in her heart. She couldn't imagine a man almost hugging her even though it was not really one but to teach her.
She even felt uncomfortable thinking about a man hugging her, but when she pictured Damien hugging her from behind, she strangely didn't feel uneasy.
There was something about him that made her feel at ease and a sense of trust towards him despite not knowing much about him. This was the first time she felt these kinds of things towards someone, no matter how illogical it seemed nor why she was even feeling them.
Only recently that, whenever she looks at his eyes, she feels as if it was not just weeks ago she met him. She wanted to know why she was feeling like that and was very curious about it.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Reva sighed and said, "Okay, but don't try any tricks. Otherwise, I will—"
"Relax, Reva." Damien waved his hands as he interrupted her, "I am your friend. Why would I try any tricks? All I want is to teach you how to cook your favorite dish your mother used to make for you. Don't you believe me?" He asked with an earnest expression.
Reva squinted her eyes and said as she turned around, "Okay. I believe you. But no need to press your body too much against me."
Damien smiled as he moved closer and slowly pressed his body lightly against her back as he held both her wrists.
"Damien, you are too close." Reva felt her heart beating faster just as Damien pressed his body against hers. She felt fidgety, and her body tensed up, feeling his touch, making her body stiff.
She didn't know why she was feeling this edgy and felt that such reactions were foreign to her. Her mind and heart were not one that easily got disrupted. Still, now with just Damien pressing against her body, even her calm and cool heart got easily unsettled.
Damien softly chuckled and whispered in her ears, "Relax, Reva. Don't be nervous. You can trust me and follow my lead. Just focus on what's in front of you and clear your mind. I will make sure you can feel the taste of your mother's food again."
Hearing his reassuring words, Reva focused, and her heart slowly became as tranquil as water while shifting her focus towards the meat in front of her.
But still feeling Damien's warm breath and his face almost touching hers, her body didn't completely loosen up. Unknowingly, her hands were a bit jittery, but Damien gently pressed on her hands to make her feel at ease.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})He slowly moved her hands towards the meat as he showed her how to cut them into neat and perfect slices.
However, Damien got a bit distracted smelling the beautiful fragrance from her body as if he was smelling the sea breeze. It was like his mind and body were getting freshened up just by her fragrance.
But strangely, that fragrance caused some evocative emotions in him, which befuddled him not knowing why.
He could also see her exquisite skin up close, which was so white and smooth, devoid of any follicle that not even a simple imperfection was present on it.
He was sure that no man could ever resist her, especially after how good she smells when standing close to her. He was thankful that he had a strong will. Otherwise, he was sure he would have fallen for her deeply like a lovestruck fool.
Damien guided her, and Reva's hands were a bit clumsy as she unconsciously tensed up her body a lot of times but slowly got used to it and calmed down her body completely.
If anybody saw the two cooking like a couple, then not only the people in the Xeton Empire but the whole continent would have their eyeballs popped out seeing such an unbelievable scene.
A powerful, mysterious, respected, and sacred daughter of the Xeton Empire was allowing her disciple to have close body contact with her.
Even after ignoring the status difference between them, what would the Xeton Emperor think if he heard his daughter was letting a man, that too her disciple touch her?
No matter how much of a genius Damien was, he would be lucky not to have his head cut off. And if the emperor let him off, he would still attract the anger and jealousy of other princes and young masters who literally worshipped Reva.
How could they sit still after knowing Damien was taking liberties with Reva?
Being guided by Damien, Reva felt that she was getting the feel of it, cutting the meat carefully without cutting at awkward angles, or putting in too much strength.
Damien slowly leaned his head forward and gently rested his chin on her shoulder, which startled Reva. She could even feel his body pressing against her back which made her feel his warmth spreading across her body.
"Don't lose focus, or you might cut it the wrong way," Damien instructed just as Reva twisted her head, feeling his chin on her shoulder. When Damien rested his chin on her shoulder, her heart suddenly sprinted as she could feel a part of his face touching hers.
Reva wanted to tell him to take his chin away from her shoulder. But seeing his serious expression and how he was earnestly trying to teach her, she thought that he must be doing it out of necessity and not because he was trying to take advantage of her.
She had seen the foolish expressions of men when they had lecherous thoughts in their mind upon seeing her. No matter how much they tried to hide them, she could notice them. But on Damien's face, there was no such expression and was as clear as his eyes.
Now when seen from the back, it almost seemed like Damien was intimately hugging Reva.
"Wow, you are cutting them beautifully, very good." Damien complimented her as he guided her, making her distract her from her thoughts.
But unknowingly, Reva's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she desperately tried to control her confused heart silently.
Damien smirked inwardly, seeing that things were going as planned.
