Durandal took a bite of her macaron. The sweetness spread across her tongue, and she completely failed to notice the guarded look from Rita beside her. She only turned her head to look at Fu Lin, "Is your mousse good? Want to trade a bite and try it?"
Fu Lin had just taken a bite of the mousse. Hearing her, his movement paused, and he turned to meet Durandal's sparkling eyes.
Almost reflexively, he handed the mousse over. Durandal didn't stand on ceremony either, pinching the edge of the mousse with her fingers, she took a small bite. The slight bitterness of the chocolate mixed with the sweetness of the cream, richer and fuller than the macaron.
Rita stood to the side, watching the two of them share desserts. Alarm bells rang even louder in her heart, yet her smile on the surface remained perfectly composed, "As long as Lady Durandal likes it. If it suits your taste, I can make more for you later. Oh, and Mr. Fu Lin, please maintain a safe distance from Lady Durandal. If Miss Kiana☆ were to misunderstand something, that would be quite unpleasant, wouldn't it?"
'That's a blatant threat, isn't it?!'
How could Fu Lin not notice her intent? He took a step away from Durandal,
"Miss Rita, I think you're right."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Siegfried saw that little Star, who had just woken up, was frowning and starting to cry. He hurriedly bent down beside the crib, softening his voice to the extreme, even slowing his breathing by half a beat,
"There, there, don't cry, don't cry. Grandpa will sing you a song, alright?"
As soon as the words fell, he began humming to himself. The tune wandered completely off course, the pitch was disastrously wrong, and his rough voice wrapped around the badly off-key melody.
Everyone present couldn't help but frown, raising their hands to cover their ears, as if even the air itself trembled along with it.
Kiana☆ walked over to the crib, looking at her dad's utterly serious yet completely off-key singing. She was both exasperated and amused. Reaching out, she patted his shoulder and teased him, "Dad, if you can't sing, don't force it. If you keep this up, little star is going to be scared into crying by your singing."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Shigure Kira stepped forward, lifting a hand to straighten the corner of her clothes, confidence written all over her face, "That's right. When it comes to singing, it should be left to a professional, like me, "
The moment the word "professional" left her mouth, before she could even open her throat, everyone present seemed to reach some unspoken consensus. They swarmed in at once, some grabbing her arms, efficiently dragged and carried Shigure Kira straight out of the room.
The door was gently closed, cutting off Shigure Kira's indignant shouting from outside. The room instantly returned to peace, leaving only little Xing's faint, soft murmurs.
Kiana☆ took the baby from Siegfried's arms, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Let me do it. Little Star might be hungry."
...
After being fed, the baby leaned against Kiana☆'s arms, her tiny head gently rubbing against Kiana☆'s chest. Her eyes slowly closed, and a faint smile lingered at the corner of her mouth. Before long, she fell back into a deep sleep.
Kiana☆ carefully placed the baby back into the crib, tucked in the small blanket, her movements so light it was as if she were afraid of breaking a precious treasure. Turning to everyone, she made a "shh" gesture and lowered her voice,
"Little star fell asleep again. Let's go chat in the living room instead. Don't wake her."
Everyone nodded, tiptoeing their way to the living room. Siegfried walked at the very end, still turning back to glance at the baby in the crib, muttering softly, "This chubby little girl sleeps even more than Kiana☆ did when she was little. But she really is cute, just as expected of my granddaughter~"
As soon as they reached the living room, Rosalia sidled up to Fu Lin again and started pestering him, "Big Brother Fu Lin, you still haven't let us touch the cat ears just now. Change again, okay~ Just once!"
Liliya nodded along, keeping a straight face.
Bronya leaned against the armrest of the sofa, arms crossed over her chest.
A hint of teasing amusement flickered in her eyes as she spoke slowly, her tone laced with a bit of mockery, "Mr. Fu Lin, you're really popular. Surrounded by so many girls, it's quite the good fortune, isn't it~"
Fu Lin was just about to retort when he caught sight of Kiana☆ approaching out of the corner of his eye, carrying a plate of freshly cut fruit, with Rita following behind holding hot tea.
The moment she drew closer and heard the commotion in the living room, her gaze fell on Fu Lin, who was surrounded by the two girls. A trace of chill flashed through her eyes, barely perceptible.
Then, the pressure around her subtly sank, yet a gentle smile still hung on her face as she quickly stepped forward.
She raised her hand and lightly grasped the soft tips of Rosalia and Liliya's tails from behind. Her fingers applied just a bit of force, her tone still kind, yet carrying an undeniable sense of authority, "You two, stop pestering Fu Lin. Be good and go play somewhere else, OK?"
"Eeek, we got it!"
"Kiana☆ big sister is so scary!"
Rosalia shuddered lightly and immediately let go of Fu Lin's clothes, pulling Liliya back with her, her small face full of wariness.
Once Kiana☆ released her grip, the two of them bolted behind Seele like startled little rabbits.
Their hands clutched tightly at Seele's clothes as they hid behind her, trembling slightly, only daring to peek out with half an eye, timidly glancing over.
Fu Lin looked at the scene before him, both adorable and ridiculous, and a trace of suppressed laughter flashed through his eyes. Just as he was about to say something, Kiana☆ turned to look at him.
In the blink of an eye, the chill in her gaze completely faded, replaced by eyes full of gentle warmth. She lifted her hand and offered him a strawberry, "Fu Lin~ here, it's sweet. Try it."
Bronya, still leaning against the sofa armrest, had watched the entire sudden change in attitude clearly. She rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Tsk. Fu Lin~ Fu Lin~ Fu Lin~ How sickening. Idiot Kiana☆ changes her face faster than flipping a book."
Seele stood nearby, gently patting Rosalia and Liliya's small heads as she comforted them softly, though she couldn't help the smile rising in her eyes.
Fu Lin took the strawberry Kiana☆ handed him and lowered his head to take a bite. Then he looked up at her.
"It really is sweet. You try some too."
As he spoke, he picked up another strawberry and raised it to her lips.
Kiana☆ didn't refuse. She leaned down slightly and took the strawberry into her mouth, her teeth lightly brushing against his fingertips, carrying a hint of warmth.
Bronya, who had originally reached out to grab a strawberry from the fruit plate, her fingers already about to touch the stem, froze midair when she saw the two of them being so openly intimate.
The two of them acting so affectionately without regard for anyone else only made the "sourness" in the living room grow even thicker.
"That's enough, you two!"
At that moment, Fu Shi, puffed up with anger, and Fu Hua walked in from outside, immediately catching sight of the overly sweet scene. A wave of jealousy surged up at once.
She rushed forward, grabbed Fu Lin in one motion, and pulled him into her arms, wrapping both arms tightly around his arm, her cheeks puffed up like a round balloon.
Durandal sat on the sofa, watching the two people tugging Fu Lin back and forth not far away. Her brows knit almost imperceptibly, a trace of confusion flashing through her eyes, "What are they doing?"