He sat observing her.
He observed her every move as she walked to the dining table, pulled a chair for herself, and sat poisedly, even without trying.
With his chin supported on his fist, he looked at her, his eyes following her hands, ready to strike if she dared to make a move.
"I prepared this food for you," Amelia smiled and raised her head to look at Cyrus.
She knew he had been observing her, and she expected that much.
"Did you poison it?" Cyrus spoke after some time, and Amelia's smile froze.
She didn't say anything and took a deep breath before chuckling.
She placed a portion of everything on her plate and tasted it before him, her eyes never leaving his as if she was provoking him to test her loyalty and question her intentions again.
Cyrus rolled his eyes before relaxing in his seat.
"You don't need to. We have chefs to cook and maids to clean," He said before he placed a portion of food on his plate.
He took the first bite of the food, visibly surprised at how good it tasted.
He moved his fork into the dish, wanting to see if it was any different from what he had daily, but it was the same dish.
He took a bite of the stuffed buns and paused.
The food was so savory and soft, and the texture and stuffing almost made it feel like it was melting in his mouth.
Even the aftertaste of the food left a lingering sensation of how good it tasted in his mouth, making his mouth water.
For the first time, he was eager to take another bite of food willingly, not because he needed to eat it to stay strong but because he wanted it.
Cyrus looked at the girl, wanting to see if she was expecting any praise from him. Was she probably cooking to get some kind of benefit from him?
However, to his surprise, she ate her food silently as if this was her daily routine, not even looking at him anymore.
He remembered reading about how she had prepared countless bento boxes for Killian, but the guy never ate anything she made.
Cyrus looked at the food with a bit of delight, not in the mood to complain anymore.
The complaining and complicated thinking can wait.
On the other hand, Amelia dropped the smile she was wearing constantly as she ate the food, her mind going to how Hannah reacted earlier and what she said.
Because of what she said, Hannah was likely to go to Killian and persuade him to help her escape or at least talk her into it.
And if that would happen, Amelia needed something more substantial to hold to dodge that.
While she can take Cyrus's name, it won't protect her for long, and Cyrus already distrusts her.
She will have to find and create a more substantial backing that would vouch for and protect her, even speak on her behalf, and explain why she can't return to the healer's community.
Amelia knew that she didn't need to play along with Hannah and Killian's tricks anymore. She wanted to take them down slowly and brutally, and for that, she would have to make them believe that she was still a pawn in their hands, just a pawn that was helpless and taken by someone else.
If the timeline served right and things go just like in her last life… the results should be out by now, and –
Amelia looked at her phone's screen, which lit up right then.
"I passed," she said, catching Cyrus's attention.
"Hmm?" He asked.
"My results are out, and I came first in the grade," Amelia said as if it was no big deal, probably used to winning academically or because she already knew the results from her last life.
"You don't look happy," Cyrus commented.
Amelia didn't say anything. She kept looking at the phone, her fingers clenching around the device ever so slightly.
What was there to be happy about? Even if she was an academic prodigy, it didn't change anything in her life, and she was still used thoroughly. She smiled self-deprecatingly.
She remembered how she was running in the forests when her results had come out.
She yearned to call her father and tell him she came first in the grade. But she couldn't turn her phone on, or the alpha king would've caught her. That was what she was afraid of at that time.
Amelia remembered going to the town and seeing her father celebrating with Hannah and Killian hugging Hannah affectionately.
The only person who bought a muffin to celebrate her marks was Marcos.
She had indeed gotten into the University where they allowed rogues to attend.
After two months of running, the alpha king later gave her permission to study, on the condition that she be not known by anyone and that they should not know about their relationship at all.
She failed her first semester because she arrived two months late and didn't interact with anyone, becoming a matter of mockery. Her father, who heard of her from Hannah, arrived and slapped her before the entire class, declaring her dead.
Amelia took a deep breath as tears welled in her eyes.
Cyrus raised his brows when he saw the vibes around her changing to depressing and hatred out of nowhere. However, he could also feel that the hatred wasn't directed at him.
"What now?" Cyrus asked after some time.
"Hmm?" Amelia asked, snapping out of her depressing thoughts.
"What are your plans?" Cyrus repeated the question.
"I don't know," Amelia said truthfully.
She knew the truth would be changing now that she had not run away from the alpha king, and things would be changing slowly, but this made things even more unpredictable for her.
Thus, she didn't know what her next move would be.
Should she wait for them to strike first or make her move, too?
"Do you want to study further?" Cyrus asked casually after dabbing the corner of his lips with the napkin once he ate.
"I don't have the resources," Amelia said honestly.
Cyrus stood from his place, turning to leave.
However, before exiting the dining room, he paused.
"Your husband has. The resources," he said without looking back before he left.
Amelia paused as she kept looking in the direction he left.
Was he being for real? Was he allowing her to study?
"I am so happy for you, Madam!" Miss Quinn rushed to her, and Amelia smiled widely.
"Do you think my irresistible charm made him say that?" Amelia asked.
Miss Quinn—"..." Madam, while we can see that you are extremely beautiful, it would be better not to be so delusional. Can you charm a monster just like that?
Miss Quinn wanted to add but kept her mouth shut.
"And don't forget my title. I don't want Mr. Valentino to scold you because you called me Madam. I am just a princess," Amelia said before she took two buns from the plate and walked out of the dining table, jumping with each step as she walked happily.
The chef, who thought their King would complain about the food, walked out when he heard no commotion.
"I told you to trust her skills, didn't I?" Miss Quinn said to the chef mockingly.
The chef scoffed before taking a bun and stuffing it in his mouth.
He was ready to critique the food she cooked and say that the king only ate it out of respect. However, all his critique flew out of the window as soon as he ate it.
He took another bite, almost choking on the bun, before siping the soup with wide eyes.
"This… this is amazing," The chef declared, and Miss Quinn grinned before she called a few maids working in the main palace to have breakfast.
They ate the leftover breakfast with big smiles on their faces.
"Miss Quinn, the food tasted so good. Can't you ask the Princess to cook more next time?" one of the maids asked.
"Hey, don't let the King hear it, especially the chef. Look at that old man," Miss Quinn said, and all the maids turned to look at the chef, who was sulking in the corner of the kitchen but still stuffing his food.
Everyone chuckled at his ashamed face before continuing their work.