Shiya’s hand was held by Leonora as she led her to the carefully chosen date spot.
But the girl instead pulled her back.
“Let’s get some dessert first. My treat, and also a reward for you, the great hero.”
The girl raised an eyebrow at her playfully.
Shiya took the young lady’s hand in both of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, her maple-red hair quietly hiding the blush spreading across her earlobes.
Leonora brushed a strand of hair aside, but her heart refused to obey, thumping faster.
Still, she couldn’t resist a jab.
“Living in that rundown place, what money could you possibly have?”
Shiya didn’t like that at all.
She let out a huff and pulled out a small cloth purse that had been stitched and mended.
“Before Elena fired me, she gave me a full three months’ severance pay. That’s enough to make you, Miss High-and-Mighty, eat until you’re leaning against the wall and can’t walk because your tummy’s too full.”
Leonora completely ignored her last sentence.
The moment she heard “Elena” again, the smile on her lips immediately vanished.
“You wouldn’t take the money I offered you as compensation, but the minute you go to your dear sister Elena, you accept it without hesitation?”
Why does this girl have to compete over everything, even paying for damages?
Shiya tilted her head, obviously not understanding what had the young lady so upset.
“What kind of talk is that? Didn’t I just take one bill earlier as the repair cost for the table?”
“As for the princess’s three months’ salary, I’m only treating it as an advance. I’ll have to work hard to pay it back someday.”
Without thinking, she began drawing a line between herself and Elena in front of the young lady.
For a moment, as she looked into Shiya’s clear, earnest amber eyes, something clenched in Leonora’s chest.
No matter whether it was Elena or herself, even when Shiya was at her closest, she always maintained that sense of boundaries.
She wouldn’t make things difficult for them, but she absolutely refused to truly become part of their lives.
As if she were always preparing to leave one day, and until then, she never wanted to owe them anything.
“Alright, Miss, stop daydreaming. What would you like to eat?”
Saying that, the girl looped her arm through Leonora’s and led her to a seat.
Then she pulled out the chair opposite, smoothed the hem of her skirt as she sat down, picked up the menu, and waved it at her.
Soon, Ilya, who had already started her shift, walked over carrying a plate of small cakes.
“This is the manager’s apology for what happened earlier.”
The girl said that, and after Shiya gave her head a little rub, she went back to her busy work.
Shiya picked up the only fork on the plate and exchanged a look with the young lady.
“Should we ask that little one for another one?”
The young lady leaned back lazily in her chair.
Shiya looked at Ilya, who was already swamped with customers and running around nonstop, and shook her head.
She forked up a small cake covered in cream, raised her arm as smooth as white jade, and held it out to Leonora.
Then, as if coaxing a child, she said,
“Ahhh~~”
Leonora’s fur stood on end.
She straightened up, leaning away from the chairback, and glared fiercely at Shiya, who had one hand in a feeding pose and the other lightly cupping her chin.
“Are you treating me like a child?”
“No, I’m not.” Shiya’s lips curled into a faint smile. “I’ve just never seen the cute young lady eat before.”
The heat rushed to her cheeks at lightning speed, and it felt like steam was rising from the top of her head.
Leonora’s head spun.
She pressed her trembling lips together tightly, her chest heaving slightly.
After a long silence, she slowly let out a breath.
“Since you’re begging me so hard, I suppose Miss can accept.”
Just as Leonora parted her lips to take a bite of the little cake, the girl suddenly pulled the fork back.
The young lady bit air.
“Haha~~”
Shiya covered her mouth and laughed softly.
It seemed she had finally turned the tables for once.
Teasing this young lady, who usually loved to prank her, gave her great joy.
Leonora’s face darkened.
She was about to stand up and grab the girl by the ears to teach her the proper order of rank, when that sweet little cake was pushed back into her mouth.
For an instant, Leonora’s mind went blank, reveling in the rich cream flavor on her tongue.
“Is it good?”
The girl’s voice was gentle, her fine brows and eyes curving upward.
She deftly used the fork to pick up a piece of dark chocolate cake and brought it to the young lady’s lips.
Like a virtuous young wife, who, upon learning her husband had returned home exhausted after a long day of work, took it upon herself to care for his meals and daily needs, even feeding him by hand.
Leonora couldn’t answer Shiya’s question.
Because she had long since lost the ability to care whether the dessert tasted good.
All that remained in her eyes was the one person who treated her so tenderly.
It was a long time before Leonora finally shook herself out of that dreamlike daze.
Out of the corner of her eye, only the last piece of cream cake remained on the plate.
“Aren’t you going to try some yourself?”
The virtuous housewife aura on Shiya’s face instantly vanished.
She touched her own flat stomach, a little embarrassed.
“This stuff has too much sugar. Eat too much and you’ll get fat.”
As she said that, she subconsciously glanced at a certain young lady’s chest, her eyes carrying a hint of pity.
That cruel reality immediately sank Leonora.
Anger flared in her heart.
She picked up that piece of cream cake with her fingers and stuffed it directly into Shiya’s mouth.
“Then Miss is determined to make you exceed your sugar limit today. Don’t even think about leaving until you’ve gained ten pounds.”
But as her fingertips were lightly moistened by the girl’s warm, soft lips, Leonora suddenly realized what she was doing.
Her entire face became like clouds dyed by the setting sun, her white jade-like skin completely overtaken by a flush of red.
Leonora averted her gaze and quickly pulled her two fingers back.
A glistening thread of cream trailed behind, swaying softly in the air.
For a moment, they were both trapped in an awkward and ambiguous atmosphere.
Leonora picked up the white porcelain teacup, wanting to drink some water to calm herself.
The black tea in the cup, as if echoing its owner’s mood, rippled with panicked waves driven by her trembling fingers.
Some splashed out, wetting the delicate dress beneath her shawl.
Shiya lowered her head, hiding her expression.
But the tips of her ears, visible through her snow-white hair, were bright red, revealing the girl’s elusive thoughts.
In the end, it was Shiya who couldn’t hold out any longer.
She pushed herself up from the table and fled in panic.
“I… I’ll go to the restroom first…”
Her voice was so faint that Leonora almost didn’t catch it.
“Then I’ll go too…”
She stumbled halfway through the sentence, then unconsciously rubbed her fingertips where the lingering warmth remained, and realized how inappropriate that was.
‘Wouldn’t that be too much like pressing my advantage?’
For some reason, a ridiculous and bold thought suddenly popped into her head.
She felt that if she followed Shiya to such a private space right now, something even more blush-inducing was bound to happen.