32 Do You Want To Take A Bath?

The very next day, the still sleepy Nicholas and Sophie went out again after doing their chores to search for wolfsbane.

"Okay, compared to last night… we should get ready to stay out longer okay?" Sophie said. "Are you okay with camping if it doesn't rain? I think the storm last night should be the end, right?"

"We should bring food and water so we can go further, then," Nicholas agreed. "Maybe some supplies too, so we can cook food. I can hunt for us."

He hated his wolf form, but he couldn't deny that when he shifted he could take advantage of the heightened physical strength and speed.

"Okay. That sounds like a good idea." Sophie nodded.

The two of them packed enough supplies to last them for a couple of days and after that, both of them set out to the forest more prepared than before. This time, they were better prepared with food, clothes, even a small blanket to keep Sophie warm at night.

Sophie had learned to make jerky and bake bread when she was staying at her aunt's home. Nicholas helped her too with the cooking. The deer that Nicholas caught was made into jerky that could last them for a good while.

Then, they also made several loaves of hard bread that would be enough for the next four days.

Nicholas insisted he carried the heavy bag filled with their supply. He only allowed Sophie to carry a small pouch with some herbs and spices with her and a light woven basket which would be useful to collect wolfsbane and also caught fish. He said as a man he couldn't let a woman carry heavy things.

Sophie only smiled at his persistence. She was used to working hard, but she realized Nicholas didn't want her to tire herself, not while he was around. Somehow, this made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Nobody had shown they cared about her this much, except her late parents. This feeling almost felt foreign to her.

Finally, Sophie agreed and didn't try to bring heavy stuff while she was with him.

They both seemed to have headed in a good direction. In just two hours, they were finally able to find two flowering plants that matched the description on Nicholas' almanac that he brought.

"We finally found wolfsbane!" Sophie smiled brightly at Nicholas.

Nicholas wanted to smile, and he did it… but he coughed. "I think we will need a lot more than just that, Sophie. More wolfsbane, but I think we're going in the right direction, aren't we?"

The prince didn't want to explain the procedure of curing the lycanthropy curse. It involved him consuming a lot of these poisonous flowers and making his entire blood boil to reject the strain of blood and saliva given to him in the past.

"You're right, then we should keep moving forward." Sophie agreed with him. "We'll stumble into more plants if we head deeper for sure."

"Let's do that."

The two of them ventured into the forest and did their best to search for more wolfsbane, however, it seemed wolfsbane was really rare in Blackwoods because after finding those two wolfsbanes, in the next three days together, they encountered next to nothing.

"It's weird. Didn't the almanac say that wolfsbane is planted in big quantity in the borders?" Sophie asked Nicholas in confusion.

"Yeah… but that was decades ago. The almanac needs updating, apparently." Nicholas sighed. He cast his glance around them and narrowed his eyes to exert his lycan vision. With this power, he could have better vision than a mere human.

"I don't see wolfsbane around here," he sighed. "Perhaps those werewolf creatures have been working hard to get rid of wolfsbane from the borders. That's why now it's really hard to find them."

Sophie felt bad for Nicholas. She could see how much the man wanted to cure his condition, and she wanted to help him.

"So, what should we do now?" She asked Nicholas. Her face was filled with worry.

The man smiled and patted her back to calm her down. He said, "That's fine. We will find them. We just need to keep looking."

And so, they continued their exploration, deeper and deeper into the forest. Nicholas would hunt small animals for them to eat and Sophie happily cooked rabbits or squirrels he caught for them since she was a better cook between the two. They intentionally kept the jerky as supply in case they couldn't hunt fresh animal to cook. Today, they could eat fish when Nicholas found a river for them to get water to drink.

Sophie learned from her father how to catch fish using a trap basket she brought with her. Her skills impressed Nicholas greatly.

"I remember you could take care of yourself after your parents passed away," the man commented as he watched Sophie take the fish out of the basket. "I was so impressed back then, and I am still impressed now."

"Ahaha… well, this is a skill that is useful for peasants, because we cannot afford to always buy our food," Sophie replied.

Nicholas looked at the girl with gleaming eyes. He felt so touched whenever he remembered how Sophie took care of him eight years ago, despite being a child herself, and coming from such a poor background.

She had to fend for herself since she was young, and yet, the kindness of her heart made her accept Nicholas into her home.

She worked harder to provide for both of them because he was badly injured, and she even had to get more fish and mushrooms so she could sell some to the village and make money to buy some medicine for little Nicholas.

The man had vowed in his heart that once he had taken care of his own problem, he would make sure to pay back everything Sophie had ever done for him.

He would not allow her to work hard again. In fact, Nicholas would take responsibility for her.

"Your survival skills are great," Nicholas smiled. "I learn a lot from you."

Sophie only chuckled when she heard his praises. "You know, I just cook the meat you get for us. You are giving me too much credit. You see, without your hunting skills, we will both be eating berries and mushrooms for days. Even the fish are here because you found the water source for us. This river happened to have a lot of fish. So, it's your contribution. You did great too."

Nicholas didn't realize he puffed up his chest when Sophie praised his hunting skills. The way she spoke about it and looked at him made him feel so manly and cool.

Ahh… he loved being around her so much, that secretly he hoped they wouldn't find wolfsbane anytime soon. He wanted to spend time with her longer…

Nicholas offered to clean the fish since Sophie would be the one to cook it for them. Both liked this work distribution. Nicholas acted as the provider and Sophie as the manager.

Once the fish was ready, Nicholas made a fire while Sophie marinated the fish with salt and some herbs she brought from home. Then, she grilled the fish skillfully.

It tasted really good. Secretly, Nicholas felt the simple food she cooked was the best food he had ever tasted. It even tasted better than what the royal cooks made.

Nicholas always ate a lot whenever Sophie cooked them something. And this fish surprised him too because usually, he didn't like eating it. Fish was really low in the list of food he would eat.

Probably, if he had to, because there was no other food, he would eat fish. But today, as he took a bite from the fish Sophie cooked, Nicholas realized he actually liked it so much.

"You are a gifted cook," he complimented the grilled fish in his hand. He had eaten two fish and still craved for more. Luckily Sophie only ate a little, so there was plenty left for him. "I usually don't like fish, but this is amazing. You see me, I haven't stopped eating.. hehe."

Sophie smiled sheepishly at his compliment. She was just happy and relieved to see Nicholas could enjoy the food she prepared. She knew he came from a wealthy noble family and this initially made her feel worried that he couldn't adjust to her lifestyle.

Apparently, all her worries were unfounded. Nicholas thrived and liked their adventures together right now. Not once did he complain about anything at all.

This made Sophie feel happy and, secretly… she also wished they wouldn't find wolfsbane so easily.

"I'm happy we got fish today," Sophie said after she finished eating. "However, now I smell like one... ahahaha.."

She winced when she smelled her sleeves and realized the fish smelled stuck on her. Uff... she needed to wash up so the smell would go away.

Nicholas chuckled. He pointed at the river beside them and said, "Do you want to take a bath? We haven't had one in three days. It's good to wash up in running water."

Sophie turned to look at the river and thought about her options. She brought a change of clothes to wear after her current clothes were soiled or too uncomfortable on her body after many days. She could take a bath in the river as Nicholas suggested and change into a fresh set.

"You can wash your clothes too," Nicholas added. "I think we can camp in this area. Tomorrow your other clothes will be dry and you can wear them again. I think I will do the same."

Sophie fluttered her lashes and looked at Nicholas in a stunned expression.

What did he just say?

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Of course, Nicholas just innocently suggests Sophie take a bath in the river. It's for Sophie's own good, right? XD

Btw, I really love this chapter and didn't have the heart to break it. So I hope you like this long chapter.

I also commissioned chibis to an artist for Leland, Sophie, and Nic. You can see the sketches in the comment. Let me know what you think? ^^