"..." Amelia tilted her head and silently stared at Lucas, slightly opening her mouth and releasing the chopsticks she had been biting.
This action was similar to when her elder sister fed her. It made her face fall slightly. When would she be able to see her elder sister again?
"Eat quickly!"
Lucas looked at the bite marks on the chopsticks and said with a smile, "These are chopsticks, used to pick up food."
"Hmm?" Amelia's green eyes flashed as she chewed the meat in her mouth. Why did it taste better than the meat her elder sister grilled? It didn't have that bitter taste.
In just a few bites, the chicken was finished. Amelia's ears twitched, and the fluffy feathers on the tips of her ears fluttered. Her green eyes were fixed on Lucas.
"Uh..." Lucas had just put a piece of cabbage into his mouth when he saw Amelia's gaze. He gently waved his hand and smiled bitterly, "Got it, I'll do it right away!"
This time, Lucas picked up a piece of beef, dipped it in garlic sauce, and held it out near Amelia's mouth. This time, she opened her mouth on her own to eat the meat.
"Hmm?" Amelia showed a slight expression of confusion. This meat and flavor were truly a first for her in her life.
"How is it? Tastes good, right?" Lucas said with a light smile, then raised his hand to pick more meat for the hot pot, but he saw that all the beast-eared girls were staring at him, with Annie even opening her mouth like a baby waiting to be fed.
"Slap!"
Lucas stretched out his hand and gently tapped the fox-eared girl's forehead, rolling his eyes as he said, "Behave and eat your food, no funny business."
"Uh... Young master is biased," Annie muttered as she touched her forehead, pouting. She then looked down at her chest and sighed, "I'm still small!"
"Yes, quite small," Mina added lightly, 'throwing in a jab' from the side.
"I..." Annie's fox ears perked up instantly. She picked up a slice of ginger and stuffed it into the cat-eared girl's mouth, rolling her eyes, "Mind your own business, eat your own food."
"Uh... pfft, what is this?" Mina chewed a couple of times and immediately spat it out, grabbing the water next to her to rinse her mouth.
"Ginger slices, they're really tasty," Annie said as she picked up some cabbage and started eating.
For some reason, the beast-eared girls didn't like eating ginger, with only Nicole eating it a little.
"Are you not eating? Fine, I'll eat it all." Ayesha said as she scooped some vegetables from the hot pot, piling them into her bowl, and then grabbed a handful of cabbage to put in.
"Ayesha, give me some." Helen quickly picked a few pieces of vegetables from Ayesha's bowl and handed them to the eager Hazel.
"Thank you, big sister." The deer-eared girl smiled sweetly and happily started eating the vegetables.
"Don't rush, there's plenty more." Nicole said as she used her spoon to press the vegetables into the soup, and casually picked up some chicken pieces to put in Lucas's bowl.
"Nicole is the best." Lucas said with a light smile.
"Whoosh!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, several pairs of chopsticks reached over with vegetables, and Lucas's bowl quickly became piled up like a small mountain. He looked at Hazel, who was lying on the table, using a fork to pick up a piece of cabbage, stretching her hand towards his bowl.
"Alright, everyone is best." Lucas's eye twitched as he held his bowl and accepted the cabbage from the deer-eared girl, casually rubbing Hazel's little head.
"Hee hee hee..." Everyone laughed as they continued eating, a lively and playful atmosphere filling the room.
Lucas always found these childish actions amusing. It was probably just the beast-eared girls showing how nervous they were around him.
Of course, there were also those with a cool demeanor, like Freya, who was battling with a chicken leg, and the somewhat slow-witted Ayesha, who was directly trying to pour her bowl over.
"Stop, you eat it yourself, I can't fit in here any more." Lucas said with a wry smile, watching the cow-horned girl immediately take her bowl back.
He turned his head and saw Amelia blinking her eyes, quietly staring at him with a look that said, "It's time for you to feed me." He smiled lightly and said, "Alright, I'll feed you now."
He picked up some vegetables and started feeding Amelia. This quiet girl was still so reserved, or perhaps, she didn't even know how to eat on her own?
After feeding her a few times, Lucas noticed that Amelia was now opening her mouth, waiting for him, just like Annie had done earlier.
"Would you like to try eating by yourself?" Lucas picked up a fork and gently handed it to Amelia, saying, "Use this fork to pick up the vegetables."
Saying that, Lucas moved half of the vegetables from his bowl into Amelia's bowl and placed the fork in front of her.
"..." Amelia lowered her head and glanced at the vegetables in her bowl, then raised her head to glance at Lucas. She reached out and grabbed the vegetables from the bowl, shoving them into her mouth.
Lucas's mouth twitched, feeling helpless. "You're not going to eat with your hands, are you?"
"Mm!" Amelia made a sound through her nose. Her mouth was full of food, and she was still holding a piece of chicken in her hand.
On Stone Pillar Mountain, being able to eat enough was already considered good. Moreover, her elder sister had wanted to save up gold coins to issue bounty missions, sending people to explore the icy, snowy mountain forests.
Some of the coins were also meant to buy bird-tribe beastmen that were being auctioned. In reality, life on Stone Pillar Mountain was very tough, barely enough to keep them from starving.
After all, tasks from the great nobles weren't so easy to take on. There were a few times when her elder sister nearly fell into traps. Those nobles were already starting to set up schemes to capture people.
In this way, lunch ended in a strange atmosphere. Lucas decided to have Mina teach Amelia some basic knowledge, such as how to use chopsticks.
In the afternoon, Lucas dealt with political affairs, such as the placement of the new slaves, the distribution of wheat, and management systems.
During this time, Lucas also had a conversation with Mina about Amelia's situation. This allowed him to learn more about Amelia's race, as well as the issue with her wings. After some thought, he concluded that it was caused by malnutrition.
Nighttime!
Lucas was sleeping alone tonight, as Mina had to sleep with Amelia. Less than five minutes after he laid down, he heard the door to his room being pushed open.
"Creek!"
The footsteps were very light. Lucas pulled back a corner of the blanket and saw Amelia standing at the edge of the bed in her nightgown, quietly staring at him.
"Uh..." Lucas blinked in confusion. What was going on here? He looked toward the door and saw Mina standing there, spreading her hands in a gesture of helplessness, her expression full of resignation.
"Really, can't I get any peace in the middle of the night?" Lucas waved his hand at Mina and then turned his attention to Amelia. He pulled back half the blanket and said helplessly, "Come on up."
"..." Amelia was stunned for a moment, staring coldly at Lucas. After a while, she crawled up and lay beside him.
Seeing this, Mina chuckled softly, closed the door, and walked away.
"So? Do you have something you want to tell me?" Lucas covered Amelia with the blanket as they hid under it together.
"Mm!" Amelia mumbled in a voice as soft as a mosquito's. She seemed a little uneasy with this kind of behavior.
"What do you want to say?" Lucas could feel Amelia's breath beside him.
"I... What kind of price do I have to pay for you to help me find my elder sister?" Amelia closed her eyes, her tone a little nervous.
"Price, huh? Just owe me for now. I'll have someone keep an eye out for your sister's whereabouts." Lucas said gently, recognizing how clumsy the girl was in searching for her loved one.
"Really?" Amelia's voice had a hint of excitement, perhaps because being under the blanket made her feel less closed off.
"Mm! Really!" Lucas softly replied.
"..." Amelia suddenly didn't know what else to say. She wondered if it was time for her to leave.
"Go to sleep," Lucas suddenly pulled Amelia into his arms and gently said, "You can reach the sky without wings too."
"..." Amelia's body stiffened suddenly. She was about to struggle, but when she heard these words, she froze. After a few minutes, her body slowly relaxed.
"Sleep now. Everything will get better." Lucas comforted her like a child, gently patting the girl's back.
This feeling was something he had never experienced before, like a father, and Amelia, who had been frowning, slowly relaxed, her brows easing as she closed her eyes.
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
250 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.