Chapter 182: Better Than You!
The market smelled of crushed leaves and sun-warmed earth, the air thick with the sharp, comforting scent of dried herbs, resin, and oil. Olivia moved through the narrow aisles, touching them and remembering her past day.
Her fingers brushing over bundles of rosemary, jars of crushed myrrh, and stacks of parchment-thin willow bark. Damon followed closely behind, no longer the cold, calculating duke but simply a man beside her, sleeves rolled up, hair falling a little out of place.
"How do you even tell which leaf is good?" he asked, holding up two nearly identical sprigs of thyme.
Olivia glanced at them and smirked. "The one in your right hand is fresh. The other’s been dried too long—it’s lost its oils."
Damon blinked, then handed over the fresher one like a lost child. His eyes wandered to the silent man behind them. If you would not look at him, you would forget he was here.
He did not speak, did not look at them and did not react to anything they did.
"Cyan... can you sort out the herbs with Damon. He did not have enough knowledge." the man nodded and walked to Damon. His hands moved with such precision that Damon wanted to push him out and lock the door.
She let herself laugh, soft and unguarded, the sound lost in the quiet bustle of the market. He watched her like it was the rarest thing in the world. Perhaps Cyan could stay for a longer period.
They ended up with baskets filled with everything she needed: clove buds, echinacea, dried rosehips, crushed yarrow, and rare roots that the northern nobles likely hadn’t seen in years. The old woman who ran the herb stall gave Olivia a respectful nod as they left, eyes lingering on Damon with curiosity, perhaps noting the way his hand brushed Olivia’s back when they walked while glaring at the other man.