"But the thing is... I don’t even know what I’m missing," Azul stated quietly. "You can remember your old world, but I can’t even remember anything about my past."

As the conversation grew heavier, Roxanna decided to put her mission aside for a while so she could comfort her husband.

"Azul... what’s the last thing you remember?" she asked gently. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

His eyes shifted restlessly. He looked lost—confused, even a little scared—like he was trying to grab onto something that kept slipping away.

"I’m not really sure," he admitted after a while. "My memories are blurry... but I can see myself walking on a beach. And then... suddenly, I’m in the middle of a forest, and Loba caught me."

There was a big hole in his memory, and no matter how hard Azul tried to fill it, he couldn’t.

He felt hopeless, like there was a wall in front of him, preventing him from moving forward.

As he tried to find a way past that invisible wall, Azul grew even more panicked, like he was drowning in muddy water. He leaned forward, gripping the edge of the table tightly just to steady himself, his breathing turning uneven.

"It’s okay... it’s okay," Roxanna said softly.

She reached for his arms. She stroked them gently while whispering soothing words. "If you don’t know, then that’s alright. You don’t have to force it." She continued, "You can take your time. I’ll be here with you, okay? I promise I’ll help you remember your past."

Her voice was as soft as silk, so soothing that Azul was able to stop dwelling on the thoughts in his head and slowly steady his breathing.

"Sorry... I’m sorry," he whispered. He dragged a hand over his face, still trying to make sense of everything, even though nothing felt clear yet.

"It’s alright, Azul," Roxanna whispered softly.

She leaned closer and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. "It’s normal to feel like this when you can’t remember something important."

Azul took a slow breath before hugging her back. He pulled her closer, one hand gently stroking her back as he rested his face on the top of her head, breathing in her soft, flowery scent.

"If there’s anything you want me to do, just tell me," Roxanna said softly. "I’ll help you, no matter what."

[Even if he wants to have sex just to calm his mind, I won’t mind either.] Roxanna thought.

Azul couldn’t help but chuckle softly. He kissed the top of her head, then said, "Just stay like this with me for a while. That’s already more than enough."

Roxanna blinked several times, not expecting that her husband wouldn’t ask for anything more than a hug.

"Alright..." she murmured.

Azul tilted his head slightly, resting his cheek against the top of her head, holding her close like he didn’t want to let go.

Roxanna gently tightened her hold on him, her fingers curling slightly against his clothes as if to remind him that she was really there.

"You’re not alone, you know," she whispered. "Even if you can’t remember anything... you still have us."

Azul didn’t answer right away.

His arms stayed around her, like he was afraid that if he loosened his grip, something would slip away again.

"I know," he said at last.

He closed his eyes, letting himself lean into her warmth. The thoughts in his head were still messy, still unclear, but they didn’t feel as overwhelming as before.

His hand moved slowly up and down her back. He stayed like that for a while before finally letting go of the hug.

"Alright!" Azul said a little louder, a small smile returning to his face. "I’m really fine now, so we can continue cooking!"

Roxanna lifted her face so she could look at him closely. "Azul... if you’re feeling too sad, it’s okay if we delay it for a while. The voice inside my head doesn’t give me any time limit."

Azul gently patted the top of her head, then bent down slightly so she wouldn’t have to look up too much just to meet his eyes.

"I’m really fine now..." he said, then paused as if something crossed his mind. "What do you call someone who teaches others?"

"Teacher!" Roxanna answered right away. "But in my old country, we don’t usually call them that directly. You can call me Miss Roxanna instead!"

Azul let out a quiet chuckle. "Alright then... please teach me how to cook, Miss... Ro-xa-nna."

He said her name slowly, breaking it into pieces on purpose, like he was teasing her.

Roxanna blinked rapidly, then turned her head slightly to the side as she spoke in a half-serious tone. "In my old country, a teacher can’t date their students, so you have to behave properly right now!"

Azul froze for a second, then let out a soft laugh. "Is that so?" he said, clearly amused. "Then I guess I’ll have to be a very obedient student, Miss Roxanna."

"Good," she said, trying to keep a straight face, even though her lips were already starting to curl into a smile.

She clapped her hands lightly. "Alright, alright! Let’s continue our lesson!"

Roxanna went back to teaching Azul, showing him how to tell the difference between spices just by their smell and texture. She even made small holes in the corners of each package so they would be easier to recognize.

"Now that you know how to tell them apart," she said, "let’s pick the best spices to rub on the meat!"

Azul leaned closer, picking up one of the spice packets and bringing it near his nose. "This one smells stronger," he said, frowning a little as he tried to figure it out. "Is it good?"

Roxanna nodded. "Mm, that one’s good, but don’t use too much. It’s pretty strong."

He nodded seriously, as if this was something very important. Carefully, he took a small pinch and sprinkled it over the meat.

Roxanna watched him for a moment, then smiled. "You’re doing well," she said. "See? Not that hard, right?"

Azul glanced at her, then back at the meat. "It’s easier when you explain it like this."

"Of course," she said proudly. "I’m a great teacher."

Azul chuckled softly. "Yes, Miss Roxanna."

They continued side by side, adding spices one by one. Roxanna said, "Now we need to rub the spices around the meat."

Azul nodded, following her instruction, but after a while she realized there was something wrong with the way he rubbed the meat.

His fingers moved slowly, too slowly, even. When they brushed along the split in the meat, the motion felt... deliberate.

Roxanna held her breath. "Azul," she said. "Why are you doing it like that?"

Azul didn’t stop. His fingers pressed in a little deeper, then slid back, as if he was testing the texture rather than just seasoning it.

"I’m following your instructions," he replied calmly, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "You said to rub it properly."

"T-That’s true, but... you’re doing it wrong!" Roxanna said, her face flushed red.

"T-That’s true, but... you’re doing it wrong!" Roxanna said, her face turning red.

[His fingers look just like when he—] she cut her own thoughts off, her face heating up even more. [He’s definitely doing this on purpose... Is he sure he doesn’t want to do ’that’ right now?]

"Really?" Azul smiled. "Then maybe you should guide me more closely, Miss Roxanna."

She took a deep breath before finally placing her hand on top of his. "You just need to rub the surface of the meat. There’s no need to try to dig into it!"

Azul wanted to tease her even more, but then he stopped when he heard—

Grrr...

Roxanna’s stomach grumbled so loudly that it echoed through the kitchen. She froze for a second before quickly covering her stomach, as if that could somehow hide her embarrassment.

[I just ate so much fruit, so why am I still this hungry?!] she cried in her mind.

"T-This is because of our baby!" she said in a hurry, trying to defend herself. "Yes, that’s right! Our baby really loves to eat, so it makes me want to eat all the time!"

Azul looked at her, then slowly lowered his gaze to her stomach. Before he could say anything, Roxanna spoke again, even more flustered, "T-This is your baby, so the big appetite comes from you!"

Instead of getting offended, Azul just laughed softly. "Alright, alright... you’re right," he said, playing along. "I am a glutton."

He bent down slightly, his expression softening as he looked at her stomach. Then, in a much gentler voice, he spoke, "My baby, are you really that hungry?" Azul murmured, his voice soft and warm.

Roxanna stiffened, her face turning red all over again. "H-Hey... don’t talk to my stomach like that," she said, clearly flustered.

Azul didn’t look up right away. Instead, he gently placed his hand over her stomach, careful and light.

"Then you should eat properly," he continued, still speaking as if the baby could hear him. "Don’t bully your mother too much."

Roxanna’s lips parted slightly, caught off guard. "I’m not being bullied," she muttered, though her voice had softened. "I’m just... hungry."

He chuckled, then straightened up. "Alright. Then we’ll cook faster."