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“Do you want to bake with me?”

Kilean looked confused, but he still nodded.

Naomi had known that hot chocolate with some cookies or a cake would have been ideal in this cold weather, so she had already planned on baking on her own while at the chalet and had brought all the ingredients she needed. At least, now with Kilean cooking by her side, she could keep both her body and mind busy.

He quietly helped her bake, a bit lost but following her instructions carefully. He didn’t talk, apart from occasionally asking her to repeat instructions, but the silence was comfortable between them. And under his serious and collected expression, Kilean seemed to be enjoying himself.

“My mom cooks to destress, and I picked up the habit from her,” Naomi told him. “However, I personally prefer baking. I have a thing for sweets.”

“Do you cook with others often?” he asked, rolling the dough into balls.

“Not really. While my mother loves cooking, she wants to do things her way. If we cook together, we always end up arguing,” she explained. “The only person I get along with in the kitchen is my brother. He’s a great sous chef. You are, too.”

Kilean gave her a small smile, almost embarrassed, and she couldn’t help smiling back, amused.

Later, Naomi laughed at the silly sight of the big krampus, holding a funny Christmas mug of hot chocolate in one hand and a cookie in the other. Kilean looked so confused by her amusement that she took a photo to show him.

“Okay, yeah, I see it,” he said, staring at her phone, as a corner of his lips twitched upward.

“By the way, I wanted to ask,” she started, putting her phone away. “You already ate my food more than once, so does that mean demons are fine with human food?”

He shrugged. “We don’t need to eat or drink at all, but I wanted to try.”

“Are you liking it so far?”

“Eating seems more complex than I imagined. Many flavors and textures,” he said, frowning as if he was thinking of words to express his thoughts. “It was okay. I think.”

Everything he said was always interesting, and Naomi was ecstatic knowing that his first experiences were thanks to her.

“Well, now I’m excited for you to try as many things as possible.”

“I’m curious,” he continued, feeding her excitement. “Making the food seems fun, too. I enjoyed doing it with you.”

Eventually, Kilean also helped her cook dinner, and they ate on the floor in front of the fire. Naomi could almost hear the voice of her mother nagging as she sat on the ground with the plate in her hand, but she and Kilean wanted to be cozy rather than formal, and her mother wasn’t there to see it. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, could it?

“How did you end up here? You mentioned earlier that this is not your house.”

“It was a friend’s. She died recently and left it to me,” Naomi explained. “I came to check it out. I didn’t even know she owned this place, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

Kilean looked around, nodding to himself. “It’s a beautiful house.”

Naomi smiled. “It is.”

She felt guilty for purposely omitting that she had thought about selling it, but she wasn’t sure if that guilt was towards herself for doubting her initial decision, or towards Kilean for not telling him the whole truth. Maybe not all her stays there would be this interesting, but now Naomi couldn’t help but wonder if she could really part with a house that made her experience something magic.

It was such a beautiful place, too—much more stunning than what Naomi had imagined. Now she desired to show this place to her friends and family, and have them share this beautiful scenery with her. Her mother hadn’t been happy about her inheriting this place, knowing she would be alone and far from everyone else. But if Naomi brought her here, she had a feeling her mother would change her mind.

Naomi likely wouldn’t be able to share about her unique encounter, however.

She eyed Kilean cautiously, eating quietly and looking at the fire. He appeared to truly enjoy the sight of the sizzling flames, which seemed to have a calming effect on him.

“Are humans allowed to know about you?” Naomi asked, too curious to resist.

“They already know, but they believe we’re just legends. It’s better that way, if I’m honest. If they all truly believed in us, they would try to fight us. While they wouldn’t be able to, it would still make our jobs more bothersome.”

She nodded, imagining that version of the world. “That sounds about right.”

He turned to her, his eyes apologetic. “It would be better if you kept my existence a secret. It’s for your safety, too.”