My Fair Lady (Dark Cacao Cookie x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 39

HELLOOO! Just a quick note: next week there will be no chapter because of midterms (ugh...) However, I've concocted for you all a nice little chapter for this week, so sit back and enjoy! <3

The boiling water hissed furiously after a blue jelly berry was dropped into the waves. (Y/N) stoked the fireplace beneath the pot to irritate the embers, and she stepped back with sweat sheened on her forehead from the heat.

"This has been the first time in a long time since I've cooked. I'm warning you, it'll probably taste like cake hound droppings when I'm done."

"Well, I insisted on you cooking in the first place, so I'm more than willing to sit through whatever you make," Dark Cacao said, walking next to (Y/N) and inspecting the pot. "I should be grateful that we're going to eat something that's actually cooked after all this time eating berries."

"What about that rabbit you hunted for us?"

"That didn't count," he sarcastically shrugged.

(Y/N) stepped away while wiping off her hands from a tattered rag before she settled herself on the sofa, heaving a shallow sigh. "Honestly I never was the best cook growing up," she choked on the last words like a bitter pill.

A few moments passed where neither of them said anything.

"What happened?" Dark Cacao spoke up first.

"Hm?"

The prince approached her before squatting at her feet, closing the space between each other. She tensed a bit when he looked at her with a concerned expression. "(Y/N), what really happened? Why are you here?"

Her tongue went slack at the question. "I..."

No. He's going to know eventually. Just tell him. Just tell him. Just te-

"Look, I don't really care if you've stolen something, or commit tax fraud, or just wanted to leave to a new place alone, I won't feel any different for you," his eyes softened which made (Y/N) relax a little. "Just... don't tell me anything that would hurt me personally, I guess," he winked.

At first, (Y/N) expected herself to recoil from the conversation, her body and mind fleeing from any sort of reminders of her younger years. But, with much surprise for her, she felt somewhat of the opposite of what she braved herself before. The words formulated themselves together like a delicate string being woven through a spinning wheel.

"My whole life I've been forced to be something I wasn't, like my dough was being molded into some type of shape I could never obtain... I was exhausted with everything around me from the pressure. I had to get out of where I was to the point where I was going to leave so much behind. It's just..." shakily, she took a deep breath and bit her cheek, "I'm not who you think I am, Dark Cacao."

Glancing down, he chewed on his lip while he studied her words. That feeling of fear began to creep back up on her while she waited in the silence. His head bobbed microscopically. "And now we're both here, wanting to get away from the same monster chasing us," he whispered.

The prince's hand brushed the hair out of his face. "I'm going back to where I was, that period of time escaping my old life. History repeated itself and I'm terrified I'm only going to fail again," she said.

"Are you scared that I have to go through what you went through too?"

Realization struck her hard. Yes, how did she never see that? Why did she feel so awful dragging him into these things now aware that it was his own choice?

"(Y/N), this isn't either of our faults. We're ready to move on, to go somewhere where we can be where we can thrive off of ourselves. And honestly, we can find it," he chuckled gently. "Earthbread is only so big for the two of us, isn't it?"

She couldn't help but laugh at herself. "Why do I still worry that we'll never find a place to stay at where we're happy?"

"We're still in the thrill of the hunt, but in the end, we'll get a nice reward for our troubles," he took her hand and placed a lingering kiss against her knuckles.

(Y/N) smiled before smelling something strange clouding her senses. She took a deep inhale only for realization to strike once again.

"The stew!"

She rushed to her feet and swung the pot off the fireplace, the stew strangely thick and somewhat burnt from being left to cook for too long. Dark Cacao approached the rim of the nasty substance and scrunched his nose before saying, "I agreed to the terms and conditions. It'll have to do."

Her hand playfully swatted at him. "This is who you're going to be traveling with," she reminded.

"Oh, I'm traveling with a lovely cookie, not a lovely cook."

Word count: 787