Chapter 12: Be alert! Don’t lose face!

Helos quickly snatched the lunchbox:

“Who said I’m not eating it! Give it here!!”

She glanced at the exquisite lunchbox in her hand, then suddenly narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she looked at Julius:

“Wait… you didn’t poison it, did you?”

Julius’s expression instantly froze, and he reached out to take the lunchbox back:

“Give it back.”

“Oh, come on, I’m just joking~”

Helos nimbly turned aside to dodge him.

Seeing the young man still wearing a stern face, she immediately hugged the lunchbox tightly like a little beast protecting its food, but her movements suddenly grew gentle, as if she was handling some rare treasure.

With great care.

She cautiously lifted the wooden lid on top of the lunchbox, and an enticing aroma immediately wafted out.

The lavish breakfast inside made her swallow hard.

Golden, crispy bacon was neatly arranged, next to it were sausages fried to perfection, their surfaces glistening with a layer of oil.

A soft fried egg paired with toasted bread that was crispy on the outside and tender inside, with a few pieces of fresh fruit in the corner as decoration—the bright colors whetted her appetite.

To be honest, Helos hadn’t seen such a delicate breakfast in a long time.

At least, in her memory, since coming to this world, the food she had eaten since childhood never matched the word “delicate.”

Helos’s gaze lingered on the meat emitting that alluring fragrance, and her throat involuntarily moved.

In this world, all animals contained natural magic in their bodies, but her “Curse of Silence” constitution prevented her from absorbing this magic normally.

This caused her to suffer intense pain every time she ate meat.

“What’s wrong? Doesn’t it suit your taste?”

Julius looked at her confusedly as her movements suddenly stopped.

As a newcomer, he clearly didn’t yet know about the second miss’s special condition.

Helos quickly adjusted her expression and forced a calm tone as she grabbed her fork:

“Who, who said that! I’ll eat it right now to prove it!”

Her fingertips trembled slightly, and the bacon on the silver fork shimmered invitingly in the morning light.

The rich meaty aroma kept wafting into her nose, stirring the girl’s natural appetite.

Yet, the bite lingered on her lips, hesitating to be taken in.

Every time she resolved to bite down, memories of painful nights curled up in a corner of the bed, drenched in cold sweat, surged like a tide.

She stole a glance at Julius standing beside her.

Bathed in the morning glow, the boy’s figure looked exceptionally upright, and his dark eyes stared at her with a mixture of confusion and anticipation.

This was the first time someone had specially brought her breakfast.

Helos took a deep breath, and a flash of determination flickered in her pale violet eyes.

Get a grip, Helos!

No matter what, you finished high school in the Four Provinces of Mountains and Rivers, a real tough girl!

You can’t lose face in front of these otherworldly kids!

A little whole-body pain is nothing!

Give it all you’ve got!

She shut her eyes tightly and, like heading into battle, shoved the bacon into her mouth.

The moment her teeth pierced the crispy outer layer, the rich meaty flavor exploded in her mouth—a smoky taste mixed with the fullness of fat, far more delicious than the buttered bread she usually ate.

So savory! So savory!

God only knew how long it had been since she last tasted real meat!

Those dry breads and fodder, no matter how tasty, were pure torture to her taste buds after a while.

But the happiness was as fleeting as morning dew.

Before she could swallow the first bite, a familiar sharp pain slowly rose from her stomach, like countless tiny needles wandering inside.

Helos’s fingers unconsciously clenched the fork tightly, yet she forced herself to keep a calm expression.

Her face paled slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared at her temples.

The girl grabbed a piece of bread and bit down viciously, chewing exaggeratedly as if that could cover up her discomfort.

“Are you okay?”

Julius frowned, looking at the girl behaving oddly.

Her way of eating was less like a noble lady and more like a wildcat afraid her food would be snatched away.

Helos swallowed hard, forcing out an overly bright smile:

“I-I’m fine!”

She forced the remaining bread and fried egg into her mouth all at once.

Suddenly, she slammed the lunchbox forward toward Julius.

“You definitely haven’t eaten breakfast either!”

She blinked, her voice unintentionally rising a few octaves. “I don’t have a big appetite, so if I don’t eat the rest, it’ll go to waste, so…”

“Why don’t you eat it then?”

“That’s not right, is it?”

Julius looked awkwardly at the lunchbox, then glanced at Helos’s slightly pale face:

“After all, it was specially prepared for you…”

“Enough talking!”

Helos suddenly grabbed the silver fork and precisely skewered a glossy sausage.

She stood up abruptly, and before Julius could react, the fork tip was already at his lips.

“Open up!”

She ordered, a flash of undeniable authority in her eyes, “Eat it!”

Julius instinctively leaned back, his back nearly pressed against a tree trunk.

The sausage on the fork gave off a tempting aroma, but the girl’s forceful attitude left him even more bewildered.

After all, the Saint Knight Code didn’t teach how to deal with being force-fed by a noble lady.

Just as he was about to speak, Helos took advantage and stuffed the sausage into his slightly parted mouth.

The oily aroma instantly spread throughout his mouth, while the girl revealed a sly, triumphant smile, causing Julius to momentarily forget to chew.

“Hey, you have to bite the sausage.”

Helos tilted her head, silver strands slipping from her shoulder.

Looking at the stunned Julius, she couldn’t help but gently remind him, “You can’t swallow it while just holding it in your mouth like that.”

Julius snapped back to reality and hastily took the fork.

He mechanically chewed, his throat moving up and down, swallowing the sausage in just a few bites.

“How is it? Delicious?”

Helos leaned closer and asked, mischief twinkling in her eyes.

The boy instinctively nodded.

“If it’s good, then eat more~”

Without giving him a chance to refuse, she shoved the entire lunchbox into Julius’s arms, her slender fingers pushing his elbow, half-forcing him to finish all the remaining food.

When the last strip of bacon disappeared at Julius’s lips, Helos finally clapped her hands in satisfaction.

The boy stared at the now empty lunchbox, suddenly frowning.

Wait, something seemed off here.

He had come to deliver breakfast to Helos on Miss Eleanor’s orders, so why was he the one being fed now?

This girl really didn’t play by the rules!

“All right, you can leave now.”

Helos patted the boy’s shoulder, packed up the lunchbox, and handed it back to him.

“Remember to return the lunchbox.”

“Y-yeah.”

Only after watching Julius’s figure completely disappear from sight did Helos collapse back onto the hammock.

She curled up, her complexion visibly paling.

But a faint smile curved the corner of her lips.

That guy… actually is pretty interesting.