On top of the stuffed veggies, which are apparently called ‘lidulae’, there are some fried artichokes and flatbread with freshly picked olives, and cheese.

They are not complex dishes, but they are tasty, filling and, above all, this stupidly-beautiful woman made them for me.

“So, what’s the plan with the two businesses?” she’s biting on one of the artichokes and I find my treacherous heart wishing that I could switch places with the artichoke.

“I think I’m going to propose something very different. I like both Clodia and Camilla and I would like to keep them as friends. However, they are clearly at war with each other. I have enough recipes for both, honestly. And… I want my own bakery. I don’t think I fit either place that well. I like working with Flaminia and I could see myself working well with Camilla, but… I roll a different way. I’m more laid back, relaxed.”

“So, you want your own thing?” Lucinda raises an eyebrow and flashes a mischievous smile at me. “They are not going to like that, you know?”

“I was thinking of giving both of them recipes fitting their respective bakeries and asking for enough money to start my own little bakery.”

Lucinda chews on the artichokes with deep intent, while her soapy fragrance comes to my nostrils. She smells like vanilla and lime, something you wouldn’t expect in a medieval world.

“They are not going to like that either, Joey. Why would they fund a competitor?” she asks with a frown.

“Because I could take an investment from a third part, not give them anything and run them both into the ground,” I say while basically inhaling a stuffed lip—whatever they are called.

Lucinda chokes on the artichoke.

Bad pun, I know.

I slice a piece of the flatbread and I’m surprised by how savory it is. I expected it to be quite plain, to be honest. Instead, it looks like Lucinda mixed some spices, some oil, and something else in it. It’s similar to garlic bread in a way, but also very different.

“That’s a… ruthless and reasonable strategy,” she says.

Lucinda is clearly surprised I came up with something like this.

I mean, would I really run both bakeries into the ground? Hell no.

I’m too lazy for these power games.

But will they poop their pants a little once I get this fierce woman to threaten them with it? Oh, yes.

“You know, I’m not a kid,” I laugh, “I don’t like being mean, but I think that my offer is more than reasonable. I will explain to them how much of an edge they will get. In return, I’ll open a small place of my own that I can manage however I want and make a living out of it. I was even thinking of hiring Stan if he’s up for some work.”

The last part slips out of my lips involuntarily.

An awkward silence falls between us.

She’s definitely noticed me behaving weirdly after she basically behaved like a cold witch.

Camilla’s words ring in my head.

“So, you wanted to seduce a heartless nutjob whose biggest fetish is learning new spells and crushing others with her wit and power, right?”

“Then, said nutjob behaves like the nutjob she is, and you are surprised?”

I shouldn’t have been surprised.

I really shouldn’t have.

But I can’t help thinking that everyone is secretly a wonderful person, that they just have the best part of them buried under the callousness that life has built around us. I want to believe that there’s something in our soul – a part greater than our weak flesh – that points in the direction of good and bad.

I know that Lucinda is a ‘heartless nutjob’, but, if I have to be honest, I’m still in love. She has this special spark, the way that she looks at me – earthquakes seize my heart. It’s like knowing there’s something buried deep down in the earth, something extremely precious, but also extremely hard to reach. Wouldn’t it steal the sleep from your nights?

“I’m sorry about what I said, Joey. I didn’t really mean it. It’s just… I can’t understand these people. I wish I could do something. I even tried. I don’t like to see poor people out on the street wasting their life. And it makes me bitter that there’s nothing I can do. I was really bitchy when we talked about Stan and the homeless people.”

So, the figurative dam in my heart that was holding back my personal love tide for Lucinda finally bursts. It had started cracking as soon as she came back, but now it’s completely open.

I’m not sure if this is just a political game to get on my good side.

But I don’t care.

This proud woman just apologized for her behavior. She recognized her mistake and—

“I really like you, Lucinda,” I blurt out.

Smooth, Joey. Very smooth.

“You are an interesting Human yourself, Joey.”

For a second, our eyes cross with the intensity of a glowing red furnace. A moment later, though, we look away, blushing.

Man, this dreamy-soapy-bubbly-stupid-elven romance…

This is going to end up in a disaster, isn’t it?

What can come out of our relationship? Isn’t she leaving for the Nine Towers Academy at some point? Should I even ask? I think that if I asked, she would probably get the wrong idea about my intentions; and by ‘the wrong idea’ I mean exactly the right idea.

Meaning, I want to marry her, have children, and a nice, cozy house.

We can dabble in some magic, sure. I have an ultimate relic here, she doesn’t even need to go to any stupid academy to learn the best magic in the world, does she?

But something tells me it’s not that easy.

I can’t tell her about the book.

I’m star-struck, but I’m not that stupid. I know that the book could cost me my life. People would kill me a thousand times over to put their hands on it. And even if Magister Mulligan warded it against theft and so on, I’m pretty sure that someone would be able to tear it away from my stiff, dead and cold hands.

I need more info on Lucinda before I completely open up to her. I’ll have another talk with Augustus tomorrow. I have no idea how to get to him, but Lucillus might know something about him. The [Mage] guy seems a rather conspicuous presence in Amorium, and he’s apprenticed to some big-shot guy, isn’t he? Therefore, it should be relatively easy to track him down.

“Oh, Lucinda,” something comes to my mind. “I’m struggling a bit with the first Cantrip, I’m not getting something. Would you mind showing me how you do it? I know it’s a bit unusual to ask someone to do it, but it would go a long way in helping me—”

“I’ll do it,” she cuts me off abruptly. “I’ll show you anything you want.”

My face naturally assumes a foxy grin.

“Well, that’s good to know,” I say with a sneaky smile.