She hesitated for a moment, then slowly pulled her hand back. "Okay."

Luan carefully cut the plant from its stem, holding it upright so the liquid inside wouldn’t spill. Roxanna watched closely, her eyes full of curiosity. "It really looks like it’s filled with water," she said softly. "But maybe we should pick it tomorrow, so we don’t have trouble keeping the water inside the petals."

Luan looked at the water pouch plant in his hand, then nodded. "You’re right. We can come back here tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ll remember this place."

Just like Calen, Luan had a very sharp sense of smell, so he could remember places just by their scent, even after leaving them for a long time.

"But it would be such a waste to throw this plant away..." Luan paused for a moment, then suddenly drank the water from the plant.

"Luan!" Roxanna quickly grabbed his arm, trying to stop him, but she was too late. He had already finished it. "Why did you drink it so suddenly?!"

[Why do cats always eat things they’re not supposed to eat?!] she complained in her mind. [No wonder curiosity can kill the cat!]

Luan let out a small laugh. "Because I know it’s not poisonous." He held the empty plant toward her. "I smelled it first. There’s no poison. But I still wanted to try it myself before letting you taste it."

Roxanna stared at the plant for a moment. Then she let out a small breath. "O-Oh... I see. Maybe curiosity doesn’t always kill the cat."

"It does," Luan said calmly. "But only the dumb ones. And I’m not one of them."

Before Roxanna could say anything, Luan lifted another water pouch plant toward her. "Here. Try it."

Now that she knew it was safe, Roxanna didn’t hesitate. She leaned closer and let him pour the water into her mouth. She had expected it to taste plain, but instead, it was sweet and a little cold.

Her eyes lit up. "It tastes amazing!" she said, her smile wide and bright. She quickly took the plant from his hand. "I can’t believe I can drink something like this here!"

If she had to describe it, it reminded her of vanilla syrup with ice, the kind she used to enjoy on hot summer days. That was why she felt so happy because she never thought she would taste something like this in the primitive world.

"Is it really that good?" Luan asked.

Roxanna nodded eagerly, her eyes shining. "Yes! Yes! If only you could visit my old world, I would take you to try so many sweet drinks and snacks there. Even this plant could be a great dessert!"

Luan smiled as he watched her. Seeing her this happy made him feel at ease. At least her heart wasn’t filled with worry anymore.

"We can bring more of these water pouch plants and store them in the cold box," Luan said. "We can do that, right?"

Roxanna nodded again. "Yes, we can do that!"

After that, they decided to pick the blue tornless roses, then set up a tent in a place that felt safe enough.

"The forest isn’t that safe, so I’ll stay awake and keep watch tonight. You can sleep inside the tent," Luan said calmly. He sat near the entrance, with a stone axe resting beside him.

Roxanna, who had just been about to lie down, paused. She sat up again and moved closer to him. "What if we take turns? In that way, you can rest too."

Luan smiled. He reached out and gently stroked her cheek a few times. "Don’t worry, my wife. I’m used to staying awake for days when I’m in the forest. Besides, you need more rest now that your pregnancy is starting to show."

Luan lowered his gaze to Roxanna’s belly, which had begun to grow as she was nearing two months pregnant.

To be honest, it wasn’t very big yet, but it was enough to make some things harder for her to do.

"Still... I don’t think it’s good for you to stay awake for two days," Roxanna said softly. She sat right beside him, resting her head on his shoulder while holding his arm. "You didn’t sleep yesterday, and now I dragged you back into the forest."

"It’s not a problem," Luan replied. He took a blanket and carefully wrapped it around her so she wouldn’t feel cold. After all, they couldn’t make a fire because it would attract the demon beasts nearby. "Cyrus is in trouble. Of course I’ll help him."

Roxanna stayed quiet for a moment. Her pink eyes rested on their hands, which were still intertwined. "Luan."

"Yes?" he answered right away.

"Actually... I’m a little scared," she admitted softly. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Luan shifted closer so he could face her better. "What’s wrong? Is it because the forest feels too dark?"

Roxanna gave a small shake of her head and let out a light laugh. "No... it’s not that." She lowered her gaze again. "It’s about Cyrus. I’m afraid the Sky Tribe might capture him... and I won’t be able to protect him."

Luan gently pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and holding her against him, sharing his warmth in the cold night air.

"That won’t happen," Luan said softly, trying to reassure her. "I promise." He paused, then added, "And besides... Cyrus isn’t the type to get caught that easily."

Roxanna stayed silent after that, leaning into him as his warmth slowly eased the tension in her chest. The forest around them was dark and still, filled only with the soft rustling of leaves and the distant cries of night creatures.

"But what if..." she started, then trailed off.

Luan gently tightened his hold on her. "Hey," he murmured, lowering his head slightly so his voice was closer to her ear. "You trust him, don’t you?"

Roxanna hesitated, then gave a small nod. "I do."

"Then trust that he’ll be fine," Luan said simply. "Cyrus is strong, and he knows how to survive those jerks."

===

As the sun slowly rose, soft light filtering through the trees, Roxanna opened her eyes. It took her a moment to realize what had happened, she had fallen asleep while leaning against Luan.

Her back and waist felt a little sore, but she had slept well. Being in his arms had made her feel safe... safe enough to forget everything else.

"Morning, love," Luan greeted gently as soon as he noticed she was awake.

Roxanna quickly sat up straight, her eyes widening with guilt. "Oh no... I fell asleep!" she said, her voice a little panicked. "I was supposed to wake up in the middle of the night to take over your watch!"

Luan just smiled, calm as ever. "It’s fine. You needed the rest."

"But you stayed awake the whole night!" Roxanna frowned. "That’s not good for you."

"I told you, I’m used to it," he replied lightly. "And nothing happened. It was a quiet night."

Luan gently brushed Roxanna’s hair into place before standing up first. "Let’s gather the rest of the ingredients and head back before the sun gets too high."

Roxanna was still a little worried since he hadn’t slept, but seeing that he looked fine, she chose not to argue. She took his hand and stood up beside him.

After packing up the tent and eating some jerky, they made their way toward the cliff. Their plan was to collect the transparent mushrooms first, then pick the water pouch plants on their way back.

"See that?" Luan said.

The two of them lay on their stomachs near the edge of the cliff, carefully looking down. Roxanna leaned forward slightly, trying to spot what he was pointing at.

"They usually grow on the cliff walls," Luan explained. "And since they’re transparent, it’s easier to find them during the day than at night."

Roxanna narrowed her eyes, trying to focus. At first, she couldn’t see anything but rough stone and patches of moss.

"I don’t see it," she admitted softly.

Luan shifted a little closer beside her, careful not to push her too near the edge. He pointed downward. "Look there, near that crack in the rock."

Roxanna followed his finger, staring harder this time. "Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "I see it!"

Now that she knew what to look for, the mushroom slowly became clearer. It was almost invisible, blending perfectly with the cliff, but the way it caught the sunlight made it faintly glow.

"That’s amazing..." she whispered.

Luan smiled faintly. "I’ll have to climb down a bit to get it." He added, "You can wait here."

Roxanna wanted to follow him, but she stopped herself. She knew she had no experience climbing cliffs, and there was a high chance she would only slow him down.

"Alright," she said softly in the end. "But be careful."

Luan gave a small nod, then moved closer to the edge.

Roxanna stayed where she was aa he began climbing down. Her hands rested on the ground near the edge, her fingers curling slightly as she followed every step he took.

"Please be careful," she murmured again.