"Mmm..."

Luke stretched his arms and let out a long yawn before slowly opening his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a familiar figure standing nearby, carefully folding the bedsheet.

Laila froze briefly after noticing he was awake.

Then, in a quiet voice, she asked,

"Do you want to sleep a little more?"

Luke shook his head lazily. "Nah. I’ve slept enough."

His gaze slowly traveled over her appearance before he asked,

"So dressed up this early? Going somewhere?"

Laila nodded with a smile.

"I’m going to visit a friend and ask how she prepares clay for pottery." She hesitated for a second before adding softly, "You told me I should try doing something, so..."

A faint smile appeared on Luke’s face.

Without saying anything else, he simply extended an arm toward her.

Laila blinked in confusion at first.

Then realization dawned on her expression.

Carefully setting the folded sheet aside, she slowly approached the bed with hesitant steps before lowering herself beside him.

The moment she did, Luke’s strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against him effortlessly.

A quiet breath escaped her lips.

He had apparently sweated a little while sleeping, and the mix of warmth, sweat, and his natural scent instantly surrounded her senses.

There was something strangely overwhelming about the masculine fragrance clinging to him.

It made her thoughts grow hazy.

Made her heartbeat restless.

A faint warmth slowly spread across her cheeks as his hand gently moved along her back and hers rested on his chest.

Then Luke asked softly near her ear,

"Tell me honestly, Laila... do you genuinely want to do pottery?"

His fingers brushed slowly across her back.

"Or are you only doing it because I told you to?"

Laila answered honestly,

"I actually do like making pots. It’s the only thing that feels... right to me." Her fingers lightly tightened over the fabric of his shirt. "Something I can do properly without ruining or wasting it."

Luke nodded faintly at her response.

"Then why hesitate so much?" he asked. "Look, I’m not telling you to work because I need you to earn something." His hand gently patted her back. "I just don’t want you sitting alone all day, drowning in thoughts about your past."

Laila lowered her gaze quietly.

Luke’s voice softened further.

"I know what happened to you wasn’t something easy to endure." His fingers slowly brushed along her back again. "But if you stay trapped in that phase forever and never allow yourself to look ahead..." He sighed faintly. "Life will eventually start feeling empty. Slow. Exhausting."

Laila gave a small hum in understanding.

Truthfully, perhaps it was because of Luke’s presence... or maybe the constant care and support from his mother...

But during these past two days, she hadn’t really thought much about Caleb at all.

And realizing that left her strangely conflicted but relieved

Still, Luke was right.

She couldn’t continue drowning in old wounds forever.

Not when the people around her were trying this hard to help her stand again.

"I understand..." Laila murmured softly. "But since it’ll be my first time preparing the clay, I might end up wasting some toras." Her voice grew quieter near the end. "Is... that okay?"

Luke looked down at her.

Her round eyes carried both hesitation and quiet pleading, making her look far too adorable.

Honestly, compared to the sharp-tongued girl who used to glare at him and throw curses whenever he spoke, this softer version of Laila was infinitely more pleasant to deal with.

A faint grin appeared on his face.

Leaning closer, he briefly pressed a kiss against her soft lips before answering,

"Yeah. That’s completely fine."

Then his expression turned slightly more serious.

"Just don’t let anyone scam or trick you."

Laila immediately nodded.

"I don’t trust anyone when money is involved, so don’t worry."

Luke let out a quiet chuckle.

Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out a small pouch before placing it into her hands.

"There are twenty toras inside. Will that be enough?"

Laila’s eyes widened slightly.

"This much?" she asked hesitantly. "It’s more than enough."

Her friend had told her she’d only need around five to get started.

But Luke simply closed her fingers around the pouch.

"Keep it." His thumb lightly brushed across her hand. "And use it however you need."

Then he added soon after,

"Even if you somehow waste every single tora, it won’t matter as long as you actually learn something from it... and enjoy doing it."

Laila smiled in response. "I definitely will."

Then, before Luke could respond, she suddenly leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

The very next second, she hurriedly pulled away and rushed out of the room almost as if fleeing the scene of a crime.

Luke blinked in surprise.

Then a faint chuckle escaped him.

This girl was definitely getting bolder lately.

Not that he disliked it.

Honestly, having his morning brightened by the brunette this early already made him feel like the rest of the day was going to turn out fairly well.

Slowly rising from the bed, Luke stretched his body and rolled his shoulders lightly.

He already had a rough plan for the day.

First, he’d head into the forest.

Hunt a little.

Gather useful herbs along the way.

And afterward, he’d meet Gary to properly understand the current situation of the village.

From what Luke had observed so far, there was a high chance the barter hub wouldn’t be operating anytime soon.

After all, most of the village funds would naturally need to be redirected toward repairs and reconstruction after the recent damage.

Still, Luke wasn’t particularly worried about the barter hub shutting down.

He had the System.

And compared to ordinary barter trading, the rewards and gamma points it provided were significantly more valuable than simple toras.

Even so... I still need more money, he thought inwardly.

At the moment, he only had a little over four hundred toras left.

For someone who preferred keeping a large reserve prepared for emergencies at all times, that amount felt uncomfortably low.

Which meant hunting would be his primary focus today.

Of course, he couldn’t completely neglect potion-making either, especially since he planned to enter the dungeon soon.

After all, he had recently acquired a new weapon he was genuinely eager to test out.

"Ah, you’re awake."

A familiar voice came from behind him.

Luke turned around and found Monica standing near the doorway.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked as he approached her. "You looked a little down yesterday."

Monica’s lips curved naturally at his concern.

No matter what, he always seemed attentive toward her condition.

"I’m completely fine now," she assured him gently. "It was only a bit of fatigue."

After getting a full night’s rest, she had recovered almost entirely.

Luke looked at her seriously and said,

"Still, don’t overwork yourself today. Sometimes your body weakens before you even realize it can’t keep up anymore."

As he spoke, he gently cupped Monica’s cheeks, making sure she paid attention to every word.

Monica blinked a few times before giving a small nod in understanding.

Then suddenly—

"Luke, ah..."

A hesitant voice came from the doorway. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Ginna stood there awkwardly, her eyes darting between the two as if worried she had interrupted something intimate.

Monica turned toward her first.

"What happened, Ginna?"

The older woman quickly shifted her attention toward Luke.

"Someone came to meet you," she explained. "It’s... actually the chief’s mate."

Luke’s brows rose instantly.

The chief’s mate?

A faint smirk slowly formed on his lips.

Did that noisy bitch seriously come knocking on his door herself?