For people who had stared death in the face mere hours ago, sitting down to a warm meal felt like a sin and downright impossible.
Especially for the first timers who had no idea that this was practically the norm.
"Son, is this really alright?" asked Duchess Amelia, whose eyes drifted across the spread before her with uncertainty tinged with awe.
Luca nodded a bit too eagerly to disappoint, but eventually, she had to relent when he made an excellent point.
"It's actually a good thing, Mom. We're trying to use up those that could go bad faster than the others, in case the ingredients don't stay as fresh here."
They weren't really sure about the characteristics of this dungeon.
But because they'd seen metal corrode, roots blacken, leaves curl into withered prayers—they weren't about to take chances.
And while the ingredients themselves would stay fresh for longer than usual, it was still better to do it this way until they were certain.
