This was a perfect meal!
Especially for Arthur, after all the interstellar adventures and confronting literal celestial threats, being able to eat a simple, comforting meal like this was, quite literally, the greatest happiness in life.
And watching the busy girl tidying up the dishes while stubbornly refusing his help, what could Arthur's gaze show besides tenderness?
All the tenderness in the world given to this girl would still be insufficient.
He had a Superhero Alliance, was a God of War of Asgard, and had countless incredible stories.
But this girl had only him.
...Only me.
He closed his eyes. He could never give up on this girl. Even without mentioning the depth of their feelings, just thinking about the possibility of losing her made his heart feel as if knives were cutting through it.
If the roles were reversed, if Lily were in Natasha's position... she would probably charge forward just as relentlessly, wouldn't she?
"My previous life... how many good deeds did I really do? Did I save the galaxy? Or the entire universe?"
As Arthur thought about it, he felt a sudden pang of self-doubt. He suddenly realized that maybe he didn't even deserve a next life.
He didn't know about his past life, but in this one... he had genuinely done a lot of saving.
When the girl came out of the kitchen, still wearing her apron, she turned and went into the bathroom, then came out carrying a basin of hot water.
She placed it right in front of Arthur and, hands on hips like a delicate little teapot, commanded: "Wash!"
The tone was thoroughly mischievous.
Then she squatted down and took off Arthur's shoes and socks, wrinkling her nose dramatically: "So smelly!"
"Really? I just changed them!" Arthur tried to grab the socks back to smell them, but the girl pressed his feet firmly into the basin.
The water was hot, and she immediately let go, looking up at him with the triumphant glint of a successful prank.
Seeing that look, Arthur quickly realized something and dramatically yelped:
"Hot, hot! Are you boiling pigskin or something?"
"Hmph, just boiling your big pig hooves... heartless!"
She glanced at his feet, only to find that not a single mark of redness had appeared.
The girl was speechless, helplessly staring at him: "Liar..."
Arthur also felt helpless. With his current body, he could probably perform some fancy trick while swimming in lava. A mere basin of hot water was nothing.
Even for an ordinary person, this temperature would only be mildly uncomfortable. Clearly, in her mischief, the girl had a boundary, she wouldn't truly hurt him.
"Fine... you annoying guy..." She got up, came close to Arthur, grabbed one of his arms, and tucked it into her embrace, covering herself with it. "Tell me, what happened this time?"
"Hmm... you probably won't believe it, but I might have saved the world again..."
Arthur smiled. "I only planned to step out for a bit, take a few team members, and see a different world. But then... an accident happened..."
He carefully minimized all the dangers in his story, recounting his cosmic adventures in the most casual, relaxed way possible.
But Lily, who was incredibly keen at picking up details, still felt a chill run through her body. Some things simply couldn't withstand careful scrutiny.
No matter how casually Arthur described it, she didn't believe him.
Even leaving aside the parts that couldn't withstand scrutiny, Lily could always spin her thoughts, imagining the worst possible scenarios for every single situation he vaguely mentioned.
It wasn't until Arthur said that he had returned to Earth with a group of people that Lily finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Patting her chest, she said: "You are back safely... I knew every adventure of yours was dangerous. Next time, you must be even more careful."
It was a simple, heartfelt admonition. She couldn't say more because there were places she could never reach, dangers she could never truly understand.
Any word might make Arthur hesitate at a crucial moment, and even the slightest hesitation could change the outcome of a cosmic battle. She knew that.
She was kind, beautiful, and intelligent.
Even if some places were beyond her reach, that didn't stop her from thinking about them. Her imagination might be unreliable, but it was all she could do.
All she wished was for Arthur to be a little more careful, just a little would be enough.
Then neither of them spoke.
One looked at the other in her arms; one looked down at the person in their embrace.
After less than ten seconds of silence, Arthur suddenly stood and lifted Lily into his arms.
Like a large doll, she offered no resistance; she had never thought to resist him.
"In this life, this world, even if I give everything, I will protect you."
Arthur hugged her with as much strength as he dared. He couldn't use too much force; she was delicate, cute, and he feared hurting her.
"Fool…" The girl lifted her hands and gently cupped Arthur's face. "As long as you are safe, that is the greatest protection for me."
No words followed.
The night had grown deep. The girl opened her eyes, gently freed herself from Arthur's embrace, and propped up her head, looking at the man sleeping beside her.
With a finger, she gently traced Arthur's features, carefully, stroke by stroke, as if trying to record every detail of him.
She looked at him with unparalleled tenderness.
Yet, she let out a quiet sigh: "That... girl called Natasha... who is she? I can't help but feel a little envious... envious that she can go on adventures with you, risk everything... and I can do nothing."
Looking at Arthur sleeping peacefully, a sweet smile appeared on her face. She rested her head back on his arm: "A woman's intuition is always so domineering and unreasonable... Even just a few casual words, but why do I feel that the girl likes you? And what... is your relationship with her?"
She shook her head with a self-admonishing whisper: "You should be satisfied! Your boyfriend is the greatest person on this Earth... no, the entire planet... no, the entire galaxy... no, the entire universe! And you are his girlfriend. What more could you possibly want?"
As she thought this, she suddenly laughed quietly and snuggled back into Arthur's embrace: "He said... he will give everything to protect me..."