He wished she would look up just once.
Seraphina detected that something was off with the atmosphere.
But she didn’t understand why, all of a sudden, everyone had stopped talking.
She looked up and glanced around, noticing that everyone’s expression was unusually silent.
Gideon focused on eating, Evan’s gaze was lowered, Kaelan stared at the clay pot, and Wyatt was looking at her from afar.
She was just doing what she was supposed to do.
Why did the atmosphere suddenly become so oppressive?
She quickly finished her soup.
Just as she intended to stand up and clear the bowls, Gideon came over, collected all the bowls, turned, and went to the water’s edge to wash them, without saying a word.
Seraphina never gave orders for them to do chores.
But if they wanted to help on their own, she never stopped them.
She never liked ordering people around and was not used to relying on others.
From childhood to adulthood, she had always been the one to quietly finish all tasks.
Even now, with them by her side, she still maintained this habit.
But she always felt that relationships shouldn’t be about taking, but about willing giving.
So, whenever they willingly shared her burdens, she never rejected it, nor did she make a point to thank them.
She simply accepted quietly, a trace of gratitude hidden in her gaze.
Wyatt watched all this in silence, saying nothing.
She wouldn’t actively ask for anything.
But neither did she push away anyone’s kindness.
This small detail, helped the tense string in his heart quietly loosen.
He had originally thought she would resist, would reject.
But she did not.
She accepted that portion of meat, also accepted the extra firewood quietly added.
Although she didn’t say anything, silence itself is a kind of response.
In that moment, he suddenly realized she was not cold-hearted.
As long as she’s not forced, as long as one waits patiently, maybe she’ll eventually learn to accept.
"Turns out, she’s not entirely unfeeling. As long as the method is right, she may not leave."
Seraphina squatted beside the durian, eyes bright, staring at the spiky shell.
Her gaze locked on that large durian.
The aroma subtly wafted out from the cracks, making her throat move, she swallowed a gulp.
She just took out a small knife.
Intending to cut it open, but suddenly her wrist was held by someone.
The durian was taken away by Wyatt.
"Want to eat?"
His voice was low, with a slight rising at the end.
Before she could reply, he deftly raised his hand, his nail lightly scratching the rough skin of the durian.
Crunch.
The shell split with a thin, long crack.
With a forceful press of his fingertip, a casual split, the durian’s shell opened with a sound.
A strong and unusual aroma quickly wafted around.
His long fingers cradled the durian, slowly offered it before her.
He asked lowly, "Like it?"
Almost immediately, she nodded vigorously.
She grabbed the durian, without hesitation, reached for the plumpest flesh and stuffed it into her mouth.
The sweet aroma exploded instantly at the tip of her tongue.
The flesh was soft and almost dense, melting upon entrance, leaving a lingering fragrance.
More fragrant than any durian she had eaten in the modern world before.
She squinted, a satisfied smile appeared on her face, the corners of her mouth lifted uncontrollably.
Wyatt watched her calmly, a subtle curve lingered on his lips, suddenly asked, "Tasty?"
"Mm!"
She nodded emphatically, her cheeks slightly puffed, as if unwilling to swallow.
"The taste is completely different from other fruits, strange but delicious."
She paused, looked up at him, a hint of mischievousness flashed in her eyes.
"But some people can’t stand the smell, you... wanna try?"
Before she finished speaking, Wyatt suddenly leaned forward, closer to her.
He was so close, she could feel his warm breath brushing her ear.
"Some people don’t eat it, so I’ll eat less."
The next moment, he lowered his head, his lips lightly touched her fingertip.
Her whole person stiffened, her heartbeat skipped uncontrollably.
The durian in her hand almost slipped and fell.
Luckily, she reacted timely, held it steadily.
She jerked her head up to look at him, not knowing when her cheeks turned a light shade of red.
But his eyes were full of mirth, the corners of his lips maintained that lazy arc.
However... just eating a durian.
How could he make it seem like flirting?
Could it be... his mating season hasn’t passed?
"How is it?"
She forced herself to stay calm, swiftly retracting her hand, but her fingertips still retained the warmth of his lips and tongue.
Wyatt raised an eyebrow, leisurely straightened up.
"Hmm, quite unique."
He paused, eyes deep with meaning.
"More fragrant than I thought."
A few beast husbands around couldn’t help but keep sneaking glances, their gaze darting between the durian and Seraphina.
After this scene played out, they couldn’t hold back any longer, they all crowded around.
Isaac was the first to come close, his violet eyes overly bright: "Seraphina, I want a bite too, can I?"
"Of course! Come on over, don’t be shy!"
Seraphina quickly pushed the durian in her hand toward the center, smiling, "Although the fruit’s smell is intense, but really addictive after one bite, you’ll definitely like it!"
Gideon was the fastest, he grabbed a piece of golden flesh and stuffed it into his mouth.
After chewing a couple times, his eyes instantly lit up, couldn’t help but exclaim loudly.
"Wow! Is this thorny fruit really edible?!"
He licked his lips, face full of surprise.
"More exciting than roasted meat!"
He always thought these thorny trees were only good for making weapons from branches.
Fruit was ignored by everyone, utterly unexpected that the fruit could be so fragrant and delicious.
Kaelan stood aside, hesitated a moment, gave Seraphina a discreet look.
Seeing her natural expression with no discomfort at all, then also reddening slightly, cautiously picked a piece of flesh, and put it in his mouth.
The flesh melted immediately upon entrance, sweetness followed the taste buds, sweet to the heart.
She involuntarily widened her eyes, then nodded slowly, her voice light but marked with astonishment.
"My goodness... it’s actually so delicious!"
Even though eating directly with hands, Evan’s movements were meticulous.
He leisurely took a bite, savoring the unique aroma and dense texture.
"The taste is quite unique, not bad. There’s a lingering sweetness, with a hint of milky flavor, indeed rare."
Isaac also took a piece, carefully peeled open the skin, revealing the plump flesh inside.
She took a gentle bite, her tongue immediately wrapped in the rich taste.
After finishing, she turned her head to look at Seraphina.
"Next time, if we come across these, let’s gather more and save them for you. What you love, I want to keep for you."
Seraphina watched them eating with joyful expressions, her face couldn’t help but show a smile.
She lowered her head to look at her fingers smeared with fruit particles, then at her companions sitting together.
Suddenly felt, that this simple happiness was especially precious.
Having someone to eat with really was much more enjoyable than eating alone.
She gestured towards the intact durian nearby.
"There’s another one here, shall we break it open and eat it together? After all, we brought it out; if it’s left too long it’ll spoil. Let’s consume it while fresh."
Without a word, Wyatt grabbed the durian from the ground, firmly cradled the base with one hand, drew the short knife from his waist with the other.