Luca pushed himself out of bed with a grunt, making his way toward the small back room he had set up as a personal washroom.
A portal opened above his head at his command, and water cascaded down like a modern shower—one of the many conveniences he had introduced to the village.
It had been tremendously helpful for the elves as well, eliminating the need to haul buckets from the lake and providing them with unlimited clean water.
After quickly bathing and changing into fresh clothes, he emerged to find Leona waiting for him.
She had heard the news as well. Without a word, she stepped forward and began grooming him—smoothing his collar, adjusting his sleeves, and carefully tending to his hair.
When she was finished, he turned to leave—
"Wait, Luca. Hold on."
Leora's hand caught his arm. He turned back to find her gazing up at him with shy, watery eyes.
In her hands, she held a small package, carefully wrapped.
