Having walked around until noon, Zayden and Ren had already come across a few small animals, though none of them were on the list announced before the hunt began. They managed to kill some, while others escaped—mostly because Ren’s aim wasn’t as precise as Zayden’s. Yet, the general kept encouraging him to try again each time.
Whenever an animal was killed, they had to ring a bell to alert the guards stationed around the area. The guards were responsible for collecting the carcasses and recording them under the name of the hunter who made the kill.
"That cat earlier..." Ren murmured, still wondering where it came from.
Zayden, however, upon hearing the word, flinched. He slowly turned toward Ren, his gaze searching for the animal.
Ren blinked, watching the taller man freeze at the mention of the word cat.
"W-Where is the cat?" Zayden asked, his body stiff, eyes darting around as if expecting a beast to leap out from behind the trees.
Ren tried, truly tried, to hold it in but a small laugh still escaped from his mouth.
"I was talking about the monster from earlier," he said, shaking his head.
"Oh." Zayden’s face went red instantly. "Right." He turned away quickly, pretending to inspect the path ahead, looking out for any wild animals.
Ren tilted his head, still confused.
"You were fine when an actual monster lunged at us," he said softly, "but a cat makes you panic?"
Zayden stopped mid-step, jaw tightening.
"That’s different."
"How so?"
"They’re unpredictable," Zayden muttered, avoiding his gaze. "One moment they look harmless—then they pounce," his voice was slightly heavy, as if carrying the weight of his shame.
Ren bit onto his tongue, holding in another laugh.
"So do monsters."
Zayden glared over his shoulder, his cheeks pink from more than the cold. "You think this is funny, right?"
"A little," Ren admitted, smiling faintly. "I just never thought theGeneral who slayed a thousand monsters would be afraid of... fluffy creatures."
"Ren."
"Yes, my lord?"
He exhaled through his nose, clearly holding back a retort.
"Not. A. Word. About. This. At least don’t reveal it like Eiran did to of my servants once."
Ren laughed openly—truly laughed—for the first time in a long while. He had heard about Zayden’s fear of cats from Eiran years ago, but seeing it with his own eyes was another matter entirely. For someone so terrifying on the battlefield, he could be unexpectedly—endearingly—cute.
Zayden often called him adorable, yet did he ever realize that he was no less?
Ren hadn’t seen him near a cat before to know how serious the fear really was, but the simple fact that Zayden had fears, like anyone else, made him feel strangely closer to him than ever before. Mostly as a man who had lived in fear all his life.
And after those long years, Ren almost felt like he had found a small piece of happiness again. A friend he could lean on. And... trust that he wouldn’t abandon him for things beyond his control. Or take advantage of him like any other alpha he met in the past.
"Are you hungry?" Zayden asked, tying the horse to a nearby tree.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ren gave a small nod. He wasn’t hungry at all, but if Zayden was asking, it probably meant he was the one who needed to eat.
He walked toward the horse, unstrapping the white bag from its saddle. During the ride, Ren had held onto it carefully, making sure the food inside wouldn’t be damaged by the uneven paths or the horse’s movements.
"Can we settle here?" Zayden asked, already tending to a small fire.
Ren narrowed his gaze, a little confused as to where the fire had come from.
"Don’t look at me like I stole it," Zayden chuckled. "I cut the wood with this," he lifted his sword, then snapped his fingers—tiny flames flickered to life. "And lit it with this."
Ren gave a quiet nod and spread out a dark green cloth over the snow.
"Can we sit here without getting wet?" he asked, uncertain if it was a good idea.
"Don’t worry," Zayden grinned. "If you do, I’ll dry you myself."
He did not mean that. He did not.
At least, that’s what Ren tried to convince himself of—but his expression betrayed him. His brows furrowed, eyes fixed on Zayden with a look halfway between suspicion and disbelief. Did the General even realize how that sounded?
"Why are you looking at me like that now?" Zayden asked, shaking his head with a laugh. "Sit down and eat. The cloth can handle the snow. I made sure Suzanne packed the right one—I couldn’t let her ruin this."
Ren exhaled sharply through his nose, lowering his gaze to hide the faint heat rising to his cheeks. He should have known. Zayden probably hadn’t even realized what his words could have implied... and yet, his heart still refused to calm down.
"Ruin what?" he asked, hoping that changing the subject would ease his racing heart.
"Oh, nothing," Zayden replied quickly, pulling out a box from the bag. Then, after a brief pause, he took out the contents.
"Fried rice?..."
Zayden nodded, handing him a bowl with a pair of chopsticks.
"When did you...? Wait, did you make it?"
Zayden froze for a moment, debating which answer would work better. Last night, he’d overheard Ren mention wanting fried rice. Naturally, there couldn’t be anything better than giving him his favourite food on the day he planned to confess.
However... he hadn’t made it.
"Yes," he lied, forcing a grin—lips stretched, yet pressed tight as if afraid the truth might slip out anyway.
Ren stared at him, one eyebrow arched in disbelief.
"Really?" he asked, taking a mouthful of the food.
"Fine," Zayden groaned, finally giving in. "I lied."
The servant stayed quiet, chewing thoughtfully.
"As a human, you make it seem like it’s a sin to lie," Zayden continued, leaning back against the large tree with a proud grin. "But demons lie. A lot. And out of them all... I lie the least."
"I doubt you lie more than I do... Not that I am any better," Ren said with a faint, bitter smile. "I have no right to judge you."