Yun Yun was still burning with embarrassment.
Her stomach had betrayed her.
She had been moments away from completely losing herself, and then—grumble.
She wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Kaiser, on the other hand, looked like he had just won the lottery.
He strode back to the table, with plates in his hands filled with delicacies of all kinds. He placed them on the table, his tail flicking lazily, before coiling around and lifting Yun Yun up with ease.
"Wha—?!" Yun Yun yelped.
She expected to be thrown somewhere—but instead, she was placed gently onto Kaiser's lap.
Kaiser grabbed his utensils like nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Let's eat," he said cheerfully.
Yun Yun was stunned.
She was still sitting on his lap.
Their bodies pressed together.
His arm wrapped snugly around her waist.
And he expected her to eat like this?!
"Why am I sitting here?" Yun Yun finally croaked out.
"Because I like it," Kaiser said bluntly, taking a bite of his food.
Yun Yun felt steam escape her ears.
"You—!"
"Eat," Kaiser interrupted, plopping a piece of chicken into her mouth.
Yun Yun choked.
She had no choice but to chew.
And as soon as she did, her anger vanished.
The flavor—
The honey-glazed fried chicken melted in her mouth.
It was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and coated in the perfect balance of sweetness and spice.
She let out an involuntary moan. 'mhhhm'.
Kaiser froze.
Yun Yun realized what she had done.
Her entire face turned red.
"I—I didn't—!"
Kaiser grinned.
"So, you like it that much?"
Yun Yun wanted to disappear.
She quickly stuffed more food into her mouth to avoid speaking.
Kaiser chuckled.
The cub had joined them. Kaiser gave him a bottle of milk. Yun Yun got curious again and took the bottle. The cub growled. It's tail was wagging indicating that it was annoyed.
Yun Yun tilted the bottle, watching the liquid inside swirl.
"You said you made this earlier... How?"
Kaiser stuffed more food into his mouth.
"Mmph," he mumbled.
Yun Yun glared. She gave the bottle back to the cub who happily took it with both his front and back paws wrapped around it.
The cub let out a small chirp before going back to drinking.
Yun Yun sighed, deciding to let it go—for now.
They continued eating, the atmosphere surprisingly peaceful.
Despite her earlier embarrassment, Yun Yun had to admit—she was enjoying herself.
Kaiser's warmth, the delicious food, and even the playful cub—it was... nice.
Too nice.
Her thoughts wandered back to everything that had happened.
How did she end up here?
Not just physically, but emotionally.
She had been wary of Kaiser at first, but now… she felt comfortable.
Safe.
Maybe too safe.
She stole a glance at him.
His golden eyes gleamed under the warm lighting, his sharp features relaxed as he ate.
His tail occasionally flicked against her thigh, teasing her without him even realizing it.
Or maybe he did.
Yun Yun squirmed slightly, pressing her lips together.
She was falling into dangerous territory.
And worst of all—
She wasn't sure she wanted to escape.