“There!” He beamed, clearly pleased with himself, before climbing back onto his own chair.
He had to scramble a bit, his legs too short to reach the floor.
Without thinking much about it, I poured the man a cup of hot chocolate before serving scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausages onto his plate.
The aroma of sizzling meat mingled with the sweetness of chocolate, filling the small room with warmth.
Then I served Theo.
Finally…
Myself.
The man picked up his fork and took a bite of the eggs.
He chewed slowly, thoughtfully.
Then he paused.
His eyebrows lifted ever so slightly.
“Sorry,” I said, already anticipating the question.
“Theo refuses to eat eggs unless they’re cooked all the way through.” “They smell disgusting when they’re runny,” Theo declared between mouthfuls, his cheeks puffing out with the sheer volume of food he’d crammed in.
“They do,” I agreed, hiding a smile behind my cup.
The man said nothing.
He simply reached for another bite.
Then some bread.
Followed by more bacon.
I watched him quietly from across the table, studying the way he ate.
He’d reach out with his free hand, fingers brushing against the edge of the plate to gauge where everything was.
He’d bring the fork to his mouth carefully because he was blind.
Thank heavens, I’d made extra.
Normally, I only cooked enough for Theo and me.
Considering Theo ate enough for three people already, adding another hungry alpha into the house would’ve been a disaster.
I’d have to double my cooking, triple my shopping, and spend even more time in this tiny kitchen.
Thankfully…
Something had told me to make more this morning.
Theo continued talking between bites, jumping from one topic to another without taking a single breath.
He told us about Fifi and her new baby, about Dondon who’d moved to another mountain, about the squirrel he’d seen in the garden.
“Syly, jam.” Without looking up, I opened the jar and handed it to him.
“Thank you!” He spread a generous amount onto his bread before taking a huge bite.
Crumbs scattered across the table like snow, some landing in his lap, some on the floor.
He didn’t seem to notice.
Then he turned toward our guest, his eyes bright with curiosity.
“Mister, do you want some jam?” “No.” The man answered shortly before returning to his breakfast.
His tone was clipped, dismissive, as though the very suggestion offended him.
Theo placed the jar back on the table and immediately moved on to another subject, completely unbothered by the rejection.
“Today I’m going to visit Fifi,” he said happily.
“She just had a baby.” “Tell her I said hello.” “I will!” He beamed, his cheeks flushing with pride.
“She’ll be so happy if she hears that.
She always says you’re the nicest person she knows.” “I’m sure she will.” Just then…
The man across from me suddenly winced.
Theo and I looked up at the same time.
Mr.
Arrogant Alpha was staring at the cup in his hands.
His face had twisted into an expression of barely concealed disgust, his lips pressing together as though he were trying not to spit it out.
His brow was furrowed, his nose wrinkled.
“…Are you alright?” I asked.
He hesitated before answering, his fingers tightening around the cup.
“It’s just…” He glanced down at the cup again, though he couldn’t see it.
“I don’t like it.” I blinked.
Then I remembered.
Right.
Most adults preferred tea.
Or coffee.
Very few willingly drank hot chocolate.
“Oh.” I nodded slowly.
“So you don’t like sweet things?” “Not particularly.” He quietly pushed the cup farther away, as though distancing himself from the offending beverage.
His lips still held that expression of mild disgust.
“What do you usually drink?” “…Coffee.” I stared at him.
“…Of course you do.” Coffee.
The most expensive drink in the kingdom.
Imported from distant lands, roasted and ground with painstaking care, served only in the finest cups.
It was a luxury, a status symbol, a mark of refinement.
Favored almost exclusively by nobles and aristocrats.
Personally…
I thought it was disgusting.
It was dark and bitter.
And somehow tasted like someone had soaked seaweed in hot water.
Even worse, people insisted adding sugar ruined it.
Apparently bitterness was part of its charm.
The more it made your face pucker, the more refined you were supposed to be.
Ridiculous.
Honestly…it suited him perfectly though, he was dark and bitter.
And unnecessarily arrogant.
“Syly?” Theo tilted his head, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“What’s coffee?” I swallowed another mouthful of breakfast before answering.
“Something very dark, very bitter, and absolutely disgusting.” Theo’s face scrunched up like he’d bitten into a lemon.
His nose wrinkled, his lips pursed, and he shook his head vigorously.
“Then why would anyone drink it?” “I’ve been asking myself the same question.” I looked directly at Mr.
Arrogant Alpha.
He calmly met my gaze.
Well…
He would’ve if he could actually see.
“It’s a drink adults usually enjoy,” he said calmly, his voice carrying just a hint of smugness.
The corner of his mouth twitched, as though he were holding back a smirk.
…
I stared at him.
Did…
Did he just say that I was a child?
For once, I couldn’t think of a comeback.
Technically…
He wasn’t wrong.
Back at the temple, I was teased constantly because of my sweet tooth.
The priests would cluck their tongues and shake their heads.
The clerics would lecture me about setting an example.
The other nobles would whisper behind their hands and make comments about my “common upbringing.” According to them, respectable adults drank bitter tea and expensive coffee.
Not hot chocolate loaded with sugar.
I thought the whole idea was absurd.
Commoners enjoyed what tasted good.
Nobles endured things that tasted awful simply because someone decided they were refined.
Then the commoners copied them because they wanted to seem noble.
The entire cycle was idiotic.
Still…
I’d lost this round.
I quietly took another sip of my hot chocolate, letting the sweetness coat my tongue.
The warmth spread through my chest, comforting and familiar.
Fine.
He could have this victory.
Just this once.
Next time…
I wasn’t going to lose so easily.