'Should I…?' Stella thought as she lifted the slice of cake she had cut for the man one was romantically interested in.
The tradition was old… older than half the nobles in the hall and she had always dismissed it as childish.
But tonight, for the first time in years, the custom felt strangely… intimate. She stared at the slice balanced between her fingers, then at the plate the maid hastily brought to her.
She placed the slice down, staring at it with an unreadable expression.
She hadn't expected to participate in this part of the ceremony at all.
She hadn't planned on choosing anyone. Yes, she had enjoyed the dance. Yes, she had dragged him with her for the lantern ceremony.
And yes, she did feel comfortable around him in a way she hadn't felt with a man in decades but none of that meant she should be giving her cake to a man nearly half her age.
'Meh… in the end, I shouldn't give my cake to a youngster.' Stella concluded with a quiet sigh.
