In the two days since Euron's full confession, Ashara Dayne locked herself tightly in her room, never stepping out.
Occasionally, faint noises could be heard from inside, as if she were digesting the immense shock and sorrow alone in silence.
During these two days, only Arianne Martell, in her dual capacity as friend and heir to Dorne, entered and exited frequently, patiently accompanying and comforting her.
It wasn't until the morning of the third day that Ashara's door slowly opened. She walked out, looking thinner than usual. Her face was as pale as rain-soaked moonstone, and her once-bright eyes had dimmed, bearing obvious traces of fatigue and grief.
When she walked down the stairs and her gaze inevitably met Euron, who was waiting in the hall, her movements stiffened for a moment. But she didn't stop, nor did she say a word. She immediately turned her head away, directing her gaze to the empty wall or out the window, refusing to look at him again. She walked straight past him as if he were nothing but formless air.
In the days that followed, Euron Greyjoy used almost every method he could think of to make amends and win back Ashara Dayne's heart.
He personally dove into the cold deep sea where sunlight barely reached, searching dark reefs and caves just to gather giant pearls nurtured for centuries, resembling condensed moonlight—each one flawless, emitting a soft, precious luster.
He found rare, deep-sea red coral, its color fierce as coagulated blood, its branches magnificent and unique. He spent a great deal of time personally grinding and polishing it into a one-of-a-kind, dazzling necklace, every step imbued with clumsy apology.
He even used his unique connection with the deep-sea monsters, asking his "friends in the sea" to search the vast ocean and capture an extremely rare fish, almost legendary, with scales shimmering in dreamlike iridescence, presenting it to Ashara immediately.
Among his many attempts to please her, Euron even made a move he himself had never imagined—he put on an apron and personally stepped into the kitchen, displaying his long-forgotten culinary skills.
He once thought he would never again set foot in such a square inch of space unrelated to swords and schemes. Unexpectedly, to win back his fiancée's heart, the [Beginner Cooking] skill, long dormant and gathering dust in the corner of his skill bar, was forced to see the light of day again.
Euron knew Ashara loved Dorne's signature dish: Lemon Duck.
So, he specially selected the plumpest Dornish duck, stuffing it meticulously with desert dates, nuts, and various fragrant spices. He personally mixed the marinade and sauce, combining salt, freshly ground black pepper, sweet honey, fragrant olive oil, and the uniquely flavorful preserved lemons of Dorne, massaging the duck repeatedly to let the flavors penetrate fully.
Abandoning the convenient oven fire, he insisted on using fruitwood for roasting, believing it would impart a richer aroma to the meat. When this grand meal, condensed with heart and clumsy effort, was finally completed and served to Ashara by Euron himself, the "Son of the Drowned God" who had just conquered the Stepstones had several obvious smudges of soot on his face. This created a stark contrast to his usual cold and majestic image—both comical and touching.
Euron's rare appearance—apron-clad and face smudged with soot—immediately provoked a burst of laughter from everyone present. Prince Doran leaned back in his wheelchair, chuckling low and shaking his head. Prince Oberyn slapped the table without regard for his image, his hearty laughter almost lifting the roof. Most exaggerated was Princess Arianne, who laughed so hard she leaned back and accidentally tipped her chair over, only saved by the maid behind her, yet she still couldn't straighten up from laughing.
Amidst the laughter that almost burst through the hall, Ashara, who had kept her face tight and deliberately indifferent, finally couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth when her gaze touched Euron's disheveled yet earnest appearance. They turned slightly upward, sketching a smile mixed with a hint of helplessness.
Euron felt a bit embarrassed by the laughter. He coughed lightly to maintain his composure, pushing the plate of meticulously cooked Lemon Duck forward, his eyes holding rare anticipation. "Try it. How does it taste?"
Ashara picked up her cutlery and tasted a small bite with reserve. After chewing slowly, she gave a faint evaluation: "Average."
A bitter smile immediately surfaced on Euron's face. He defended himself, "I learned specifically from the best chef in Sunspear." As he spoke, he served portions to Prince Doran, Oberyn, and the just-recovered Arianne, finally cutting a piece for himself.
After tasting it carefully, he looked up with an expression that said 'It's clearly pretty good,' saying with matter-of-fact confidence, "I think it tastes quite good!"
Ashara put down her cutlery, furrowing her brows slightly, speaking with a hint of complaint. "I've never really liked this dish. It's too greasy."
Euron was stunned, blurting out subconsciously, "But Arianne clearly said this was..."
---
Before he could finish, Ashara interrupted him. She looked up, her gaze holding a bit of grievance and dissatisfaction, and glared at him. "That's Arianne's favorite! You didn't even figure out what I truly like to eat before cooking blindly. Hmph!"
In that soft hmph, beyond the complaint, there was a faint hint of coquettishness she hadn't even noticed herself.
Euron was instantly speechless, a flash of chagrin crossing his face. But he immediately asked humbly, his tone sincere, "My mistake. Then... tell me, what do you want to eat? I'll definitely go learn it."
Ashara looked at his earnest appearance, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes. She deliberately picked an extremely tricky Dornish specialty with high cooking difficulty, saying leisurely, "Fire Dragon Pepper Scorpion."
This dish was famous for its main ingredients—a type of scorpion inhabiting Dorne's red deserts, small but containing potent venom that required extremely complex processing to be edible, and Fire Dragon Peppers that could set the tongue ablaze. It was the ultimate challenge testing a chef's courage and skill.
Hearing this, instead of being scared off, the fire of eagerness ignited in Euron's eyes. He chuckled and agreed immediately, his tone full of confidence and promise. "Alright! Heh heh, no problem. I'll make that for you next time."
After Euron turned and left with that "Leave it to me" grin, Arianne leaned close to Ashara, nudged her with an elbow, and whispered with a laugh, "Hey, you're too mean! It's winter now; those venomous scorpions are hibernating deep under the sand layers. Where is he supposed to find them for you? You're clearly making it difficult for him on purpose."
Ashara raised her wine cup, took a sip, and revealed a light smile mixing a little revengeful pleasure and cunning. She replied airily, "That... is none of my business. Who told him not to even figure out what I like to eat?"
On the other side, the confident Euron soon encountered a huge problem while preparing ingredients. He first tried to pave the way with Gold Dragons, offering a high price of 1 Gold Dragon per venomous scorpion, but found no takers. So he doubled the price to 2 Gold Dragons per scorpion, yet still, no one was interested—not because people didn't love gold, but because finding Fire Dragon Scorpions in this season was too difficult, an almost impossible task.
Faced with this thorny reality, Euron's stubbornness kicked in. Since he couldn't buy them, he decided to catch them himself!
The "Son of the Drowned God" who had just conquered the sea plunged headfirst into Dorne's vast and sweltering red desert. Relying on his keen perception of life force and perseverance that wouldn't rest until the goal was achieved, Euron acted like a stubborn groundhog, digging deep holes one after another in the boundless sea of sand, trying to drag out the little fellows hibernating deep in the warm underground.
Arianne and Ashara stood side-by-side in the shade cast by the Shadow Tower, gazing at the tiny figure digging persistently in the desert. Arianne jutted her chin in that direction, her tone carrying a mix of teasing and pity. "Look, he's trying hard enough. With that look, I'm afraid no one would believe he's the Euron who can command sea monsters."
Ashara looked into the distance and sighed softly. Her tightly guarded heart seemed to loosen slightly with that sigh. She confessed in a low voice, "I... actually am not angry with him anymore." Her gaze became somewhat distant and worried. "I just can't help wondering, what will Princess Elia do in the future? And that child... the reputation of a 'bastard', no matter where, is never pleasant to hear..."
Arianne put an arm around her shoulder, trying to dispel her worries with a light tone. "Those matters, let them have the headache. Prince Doran, Oberyn, and Euron himself will handle it eventually. Alright, stop sunbathing here, let's go back." She pulled Ashara to turn around, glancing back at the desert once more with a laugh. "Looking at this setup, he'll probably have to dig for quite a few days to get enough."
Ashara, being pulled along, couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, her tone carrying a trace of helpless complaint but hiding a very faint heartache she didn't notice herself. "Just digging two for show would have been enough... that idiot, does he insist on getting enough for a whole pot? Truly stupid to death..."
Arianne reined in her joking expression, her tone becoming a few degrees more serious. She held Ashara's arm and whispered, "You absolutely cannot go soft. With men, especially men like him, once you give in, countless bastards and mistresses might pop up later."
Hearing this, Ashara's eyes widened instantly, and she blurted out subconsciously, "He dares!" Her tone was like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, fur bristling. But then, as if thinking of something, she turned her head and looked at her best friend—Dorne's most beautiful rose—with a scrutinizing gaze. Half-joking, half-serious, she warned, "You're right! So, you have to stay away from him in the future too. I don't want to share the same man with my best friend one day, hmph!"
Arianne was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter at her words, reaching back to tickle her. "Dream on! Who wants to share with you!"
The two girls laughed together instantly, playing and teasing each other. Like two desert flowers swaying in the shade, they walked away, carrying the vitality and petulance unique to youth.
Their relaxed and cheerful figures formed an incredibly sharp and comical contrast to Euron Greyjoy in the distant desert, face covered in dirt, tirelessly battling sand and venomous scorpions.