Chapter 53: ⁵³: scrambled eggs.

Kael’s POV:

I sighed as I felt my chest tighten at the mere thought of that possibility. " Nyx," I said quietly. "For now, I’ll simply do what she wants and that is keep her as my breeding vessel, she will fulfil my desires while I fulfil hers. She agreed to that agreement so I will act like the breeder I am supposed to be."

"For now that is the only thing and only thought between us."

"If she truly ends up carrying our child one day... and if I discover that she never had any hidden agenda against me..."

"I won’t kill her."

The words left my mouth before I had the chance to rethink them. I turned away from the window, my gaze unconsciously drifting back to Athena’s sleeping face.

"It’s a good thing she was the one who suggested keeping everything between us a secret. That will make it much easier to keep her identity hidden."

I let out a slow breath. "Besides, I don’t think things will ever go that far. I have a feeling that one of two things will happen."

"Either I’ll eventually discover the real reason she’s here or she’ll get over this ridiculous infatuation she believes she has for me."

"So..." Nyx spoke again, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You’re saying that even though you still suspect her...you’re going to keep seeing her simply because she’s the one who’s supposedly infatuated with you?"

I frowned. Why was he being so sarcastic?

That was exactly the situation. Nothing more.

"You really are a stubborn man, Kael," Nyx muttered with a scoff. "I can’t believe you’re my human."

I was just about to ask him what he meant... When a soft whimper interrupted my thoughts.

"No..." Athena suddenly cried out in her sleep. "This... this isn’t true!" She jerked upright, breathing heavily, her frightened voice hoarse as though she’d been screaming for a long time.

Without thinking, I rushed back to the bed.

"Athena." I sat beside her and instinctively took her trembling hand into mine. "Hey... It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re safe." I kept repeating as I gently rubbed her back, trying to calm her while she struggled to catch her breath.

Her panicked eyes darted around the room before finally settling on me. The fear in them slowly began to fade as recognition replaced the confusion. Relief washed over her face.

"What happened?" I asked softly once her breathing started to steady. I slowly withdrew my hand, giving her enough space to compose herself. "Did you have a nightmare?"

She lowered her gaze for a moment before nodding. "...Yeah." She forced a faint smile. "It was...just a bad dream."

I studied her carefully. A thin layer of sweat covered her forehead, and despite her attempt to appear calm, her hands were still trembling.

Whatever she had seen... It had terrified her.

"If you want to freshen up," I said, standing from the bed and pointing toward the bathroom connected to my room, "the bathroom is right there."

"I’ll make breakfast while you get ready."

She simply nodded before taking a deep breath. "Can I borrow some of your clothes to change into?" she asked quietly. "I... I don’t have anything else with me."

She was still sitting on the bed beneath my sheets, making me stop just before leaving the room.

"Yeah," I replied. "The walk-in closet is right beside the bathroom."

Without another word, she stood up. Gathering her long jet-black hair, she slowly twisted it into a loose bun. I felt like something inside me was getting twisted along with her hair as I took the sight in.

For some reason... I couldn’t look away.

As her hair lifted, her slender neck came into view. It was the first time I had ever seen her with her hair tied up, and the unfamiliar sight caught me completely off guard.

If that was not enough my gaze drifted lower. She was still wearing my T-shirt, the one I had given her after forcing myself away from her so I could regain at least a little of my sanity.

But now this T-shirt was the one making me lose my sanity. On her, it looked enormous.

The loose fabric slipped slightly over her shoulders, making her look even smaller than she already was, while the oversized shirt reached almost to her knees, her bare smooth legs looking like they were begging to get thrown over my shoulders.

I frowned at myself. What was wrong with me? Why was I feeling this way?

I had never thought I would ever look at someone’s legs like this like ever! Like I just wanted to...

"Weren’t you going to make breakfast?"

Her voice suddenly pulled me back to reality. I looked up. She was watching me with a raised brow, a few loose strands of hair falling across her face giving me an itch to go and tuck them away.

I quickly looked away. "Yeah." I cleared my throat. "Get ready quickly. You’ll have to leave before Louis wakes up." Without waiting for her reply, I turned and hurried out of the room.

"Just her infatuation, huh?" Nyx’s amused voice echoed in my head.

I stopped mid-step. For a second, I considered arguing with him. Instead, I shook my head and continued walking.

There was no point entertaining his nonsense.

---

A little while later, breakfast was ready.

It wasn’t anything extravagant. Just some freshly baked bread, scrambled eggs, grilled sausages, sliced fruit, and two steaming mugs of herbal tea.

Simple. But enough for the morning. I arranged everything neatly on the serving table just as I heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, I saw Athena walking toward me.

She had changed into one of my plain black hoodies with the sleeves rolled up to fit her arms, paired with a pair of black joggers secured at the waist with a drawstring. The clothes were still noticeably oversized on her, but they looked comfortable enough for the journey back.

"Thank you for making breakfast," she said with a warm smile.

Without wasting another second, she pulled out a chair, sat down at the table, and immediately started eating as though she hadn’t had a proper meal in days.

"Hmm..." Athena’s eyes lit up as she took her first bite. "This is so good!" She exclaimed with her mouth still half full, her cheeks puffed out with food, making her resemble a little bunny.

I couldn’t help staring at her. Who ate like that? She didn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest. Only after swallowing did she suddenly pause.

She looked around the table before raising her head toward me. "Wait... Where’s your breakfast?" Her brows knitted together as she looked around the table. "There isn’t any food for you."

I let out a quiet sigh, remaining where I stood as I watched her happily eating. What exactly was I doing? There I was... Standing in my own house. Making breakfast for a woman I barely knew till yesterday.

And somehow... None of it had felt strange until this very moment.

"I always have breakfast downstairs with Louis," I replied. "If I suddenly skipped it today, he’d find it strange."

I folded my arms. "And besides... It’s the only time we really get to spend together. He’d probably be upset and I don’t like making him upset."

Only after the words left my mouth did I realise what I had just done. Not only had I cooked breakfast for her... I had also casually told her something about my personal life. Something I never shared with strangers. But were we still strangers?

Before I could dwell on that thought any longer, I noticed Athena trying to suppress a laugh. The corners of her lips twitched as she quietly snickered to herself.

I frowned. "Why are you laughing?" Had I said something I myself didn’t realise?

She quickly shook her head, though the smile refused to leave her face. "Nothing."

She took another bite before answering.

"It’s just, it feels a little strange imagining someone like Louis Dreven getting hurt over something like that."

She shrugged casually while chewing her food her face still resembling a little bunny. The image of Louis being upset seemed to have clearly amused her.

I watched her in silence. This girl was too much, not only was she behaving so freely with me, the Alpha King of Starlight Empire, but she was not even bothered that she was openly making fun of my brother... Right in front of me.

Yet...For some reason... I wasn’t offended. Instead, I found myself wondering why she thought that way.

"You two don’t seem to get along very well," I said, genuinely curious.

The question escaped before I had time to stop it. Even though Athena had already made it clear that she had no interest in Louis... I still couldn’t erase the memory of seeing the two of them dancing together that night.

For some reason... That image still lingered in the back of my mind.