Chapter 41: Breakfast

As Star followed Druid and his friends to the dining area of the cave, he couldn’t help being astonished by the wonderful spectacle before him. It was a cave, definitely, but it was a furnished one, and surprisingly comfortable at that.

Within moments, they were already inside the dining area. Star had been doing a remarkably brave job of keeping himself under control despite all the delicious aromas drifting into his nose, but the moment he saw the sea of food laid out on the rock table at the center of the room, his guard completely crumbled.

In that moment, everyone around him, including Sarah and Zuru, became nothing more than background scenery. The roasted donkey meat, glazed with a rich sauce and garnished with herbs, caught his attention more than anything else. There were also roasted chickens, bowls of creamy porridge, freshly baked loaves of bread, meat pies, and platters of vegetables seasoned with herbs. It was a feast fit for royalty, but Star’s eyes had already settled on his favorite.

Meanwhile, Zuru, unlike Sarah, who was making a commendable effort to comport herself, was already demolishing a chicken leg. The garnishes had smeared across his cheeks, almost reaching his eyes, but he couldn’t have cared less. Funny enough, Sarah seemed to be the only one who felt the shame on his behalf.

"Hey, Star!" Zuru called the moment his eyes landed on him. "I was starting to get worried," he mumbled through a mouthful of chicken before licking his fingers with the satisfaction of a man who had never heard of table manners.

The others stared at him in horror, while Druid simply burst out laughing.

"Yeah, me too," Star replied flatly.

He turned towards Sarah, and their eyes met before she quickly looked away. "Hey," she croaked.

"Hey," Star replied.

Apparently, the awkwardness between them hadn’t settled in the slightest. Sarah still felt guilty about what had happened earlier, while Star was simply uncomfortable, unsure of how to behave around her without making things worse.

Fortunately, Star’s discomfort had a formidable rival. The donkey meat was sitting right there, and it happened to be his favourite. Whatever delicate emotional crisis threatened to unfold between him and Sarah could wait. The meat, however, was another matter entirely. He had no intention of allowing it to grow cold while he wrestled with his feelings.

"Well, why don’t we all settle down for breakfast, then?" Druid suggested.

Star didn’t even need him to finish the statement. He had already walked over to where Sarah and Zuru sat and claimed the remaining vacant rock beside Sarah.

Before sitting down, however, he carefully dragged the rock a little farther away from her, making sure there was enough space between them that he wouldn’t accidentally brush against her and frighten her all over again.

Sarah noticed and lowered her head in a deeper guilt.

The other three sat opposite them, with Kezara facing Star, while Druid took the seat at the shorter end of the table.

Honestly, things were awkward between Sarah and Star, but she still admired him. ’He actually has respect for himself, unlike my brother, who...’

Her thoughts died away instantly as she glanced at Star again.

His mouth was already stuffed full of donkey meat.

Sarah blinked.

Her admiration dissolved into sheer bewilderment as she stared at him, wide-eyed. ’When did he even manage to take that?’

The bowl of donkey meat had been sitting in the middle of the table a moment ago. Somehow, between sitting down and the end of her thought, Star had acquired a generous portion without her noticing.

Even the others stared at him in horror, as though he would eat them once he was finished with the meat.

Druid was the only exception. If anything, he found the whole situation amusing.

"You know, you seem to have changed quite a bit physically, but you still have the same character I remember."

Star paused mid-chew. "Hmm? Wh-why do you say that?" he asked, his cheeks wobbling with donkey meat.

Druid merely shrugged. "Well, let’s see. You still love donkey meat more than just about anything else, and you still eat like a maniac whenever you get your hands on it." He raised his brows meaningfully. "And then there’s the part where you escaped from the cuffs I put you in. You could have left, but no, you had to come back for your friends."

He shrugged again. "Still too kind for your own good. And still stubborn enough to put everyone else’s needs before your own."

Sarah’s cutlery came to an abrupt halt.

"Wait. You chained him up?"

Druid exhaled, his smile fading a little. "Look, I had my reasons."

"You told us he was fine!" Sarah protested, turning towards him with a disbelieving stare. "You said he was talking to your father!" She shook her head. "Was there even a father he spoke to, or did you just make that up to keep us from worrying?"

Even Zuru finally looked away from his food, and the fact that he was now more concerned about Star than his next bite of chicken said plenty.

Druid frowned, looking between Sarah and Star before settling his gaze on the latter.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Sarah nearly choked. "What?" she roared, her face instantly flushing crimson.

"Oh, boy," Zuru muttered under his breath. "You don’t go triggering a mother while she’s eating."

"Well, your words and actions leave me with little choice," Druid retorted. "Besides, it’s not such a big deal. Kezara here is my girlfriend. There’s nothing to be shy about."

Now it was Star’s turn to choke on his food. He looked up at Kezara, who had lowered her head towards her plate with an exaggerated interest in its contents.

"Well..." Sarah began. "Star and I are... are..."

Frustratingly, the answer suddenly felt much harder to give than it should have. Perhaps she was simply afraid of saying the wrong thing.

"...Are just friends," Star suddenly completed for her.

’Hmm’ Sarah glanced at him, shock and a faint trace of disappointment flashing through her eyes.

"Y-yes... we-we’re just friends," she stuttered, quickly picking up her cutlery and refocusing back on her food.

Kezara looked up at Star, surprise flickering across her face. For a moment, her fingers loosened around her cutlery, and she seemed to breathe a little easier before returning her attention to her plate.

"Well, I really thought you two had something going on," Druid drawled. "That’s too bad."

’That makes two of us,’ Zuru thought, already reaching for another plate, this time helping himself to a generous serving of honey-glazed roasted roots and a thick slice of bread. Whatever romantic complications were unfolding around the table, he had no intention of allowing them to interfere with breakfast.

"And to answer your question," Druid continued, "rumours are flying everywhere about Star. About being..." He paused and exhaled.

"About him being cursed. I only did what I did to find out if it was true, and it turns out it wasn’t."

That was enough to make Star finally look up from his food.

Sarah and Zuru exchanged uneasy glances, and even Zuru seemed to sever his bond with his meal, his appetite momentarily eclipsed by the gravity of Druid’s revelation.

Star picked up a napkin from the center of the table and wiped his mouth. Throughout the motion, his gaze remained fixed on Druid, but there was no anger in his eyes. Instead, he looked worried, almost afraid that the truth might frighten away the childhood friend he had only just found again.

"Well, it all makes sense now." Star said thoughtfully. "Those cuffs were only to make sure I was still me, weren’t they?"

Druid smiled. "And still as smart as I remember, too."

Zuru’s brows furrowed. "I’m afraid I’m not following."

Little Jeremy, who sat opposite them, cleared his throat. "Someone who’s cursed into becoming a demon can lose parts of themselves. Their memories, their judgment, sometimes even their ability to distinguish friend from foe. Putting Star in cuffs was simply a way to find out how sane he was and how much of himself he still had."

Now Zuru understood. Star had freed himself from whatever cuffs they had used because he was able to remember how to maneuver it. And also he hadn’t use brutal force of any kind.

"So freeing himself made you realize he hadn’t lost any part of himself?" Zuru asked gently.

Little Jeremy nodded.

"And now you think the rumours about him being a demon are all lies?" Zuru asked again.

"Pretty much," Druid replied.

But Star kept his head lowered. Things would have been much easier if he hadn’t already convinced himself that he wasn’t what everyone claimed he was.

’But I still have to tell him the truth. He deserves to know.’ His fingers tightened around the napkin. ’I can’t let what happened with Sarah and Zuru happen all over again. They accepted me without knowing what I really was, and look how badly things nearly went wrong. But Druid is different. He’s my childhood friend, and his father is the king. What happens if I tell him and he tells his father? What happens if the whole kingdom finds out? No one would willingly welcome a demon into their home, let alone their kingdom. And I don’t want to lose him, too.’

Druid, however, couldn’t ignore the sudden change in Star’s expression. "Or am I wrong?"

"Of course!" Zuru forced a bright chuckle. "I would never even travel with a demon in the first place. Would you, Sarah?"

"Haha," Sarah laughed weakly, avoiding everyone’s eyes. "I’d be crazy."

"Well, that settles it," Druid said. "I knew his uncle was a liar from the start. And I know Star is the Golden Phoenix."

Star slowly lifted his head.

"Except I’m not."