Night slowly settled over the capital.
From the windows of Allan's house, distant city lights shimmered across the streets like scattered stars. The loud chaos of the day had faded into a quiet murmur somewhere far away.
Inside the house, the dining table was covered with plates.
Aria stood beside it, staring.
Her eyes moved slowly from dish to dish.
Green leaves.
Long thin stems.
Round red fruits.
Soft white slices floating in clear soup.
Everything on the table looked like… grass.
She carefully picked up one of the leaves between her fingers.
"…Grass?"
Jennie froze for a moment.
Then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Grass? No way!"
She leaned over the table, wiping tears from her eyes.
"This isn't street grass!"
Aria blinked.
Jennie gently took the leaf from her hand.
"These plants are grown by people," she explained proudly.
"They're planted in clean soil, watered every day, protected from insects."
Jennie lifted the leaf toward the light from the window.
"The more care a plant receives…"
She smiled.
"…the more delicious it becomes."
Aria thought about this for a moment.
"…More care… more delicious."
Jennie nodded happily.
"Exactly!"
Then Jennie tilted her head curiously.
"Wait… have you never eaten vegetables before?"
Aria shook her head.
Allan, who had already taken a seat, adjusted his glasses thoughtfully.
"That makes sense."
He folded his hands on the table.
"Your former owner was a Wolfian noble, correct?"
Aria nodded.
"Wolfians prefer meat-based meals," Allan said casually.
"So your diet probably consisted mostly of meat."
Aria's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But it was enough for the room to grow quiet.
Her eyes lowered toward the table.
Somewhere deep in her memory, an image surfaced.
A long dining table.
Heavy silver plates.
Steam rising from freshly prepared food.
At the center of the table…
A large dish.
She remembered the shape first.
Two elegant horns.
Then the face.
Cooked.
The horns curved almost exactly like the ones Allan had on his head.
Aria slowly looked up.
Her eyes drifted toward Allan's horns.
Then she looked back down at the table.
No one said anything.
Jennie watched her quietly.
After a few seconds, Jennie suddenly stood up.
"Well!"
She clapped her hands.
"I actually prepared something special for you!"
She hurried into the kitchen.
Allan cleared his throat awkwardly and began rearranging the plates, pretending to focus on something important.
Jennie returned a moment later carrying another dish.
She placed it carefully in front of Aria.
A cooked fish.
"I made this for you," Jennie said.
Then she scratched the back of her head nervously.
"Don't expect anything amazing though."
She gave a sheepish smile.
"It's my first time cooking fish."
Allan quietly muttered,
"You burned the first three."
Jennie kicked his chair instantly.
"Stop revealing my cooking secrets!"
Allan exaggerated the pain, clutching his side dramatically.
"Violence! I am being assaulted in my own home!"
Jennie punched his shoulder again.
"Your home? I pay the grocery bills!"
Allan leaned back in his chair, pretending to collapse while laughing.
Jennie crossed her arms, but she was smiling too.
Aria watched them silently.
Allan overreacted to Jennie's gentle punches, groaning as if mortally wounded while clearly enjoying the attention.
The strange warmth in the room confused her.
People arguing.
People laughing.
Someone cooking food just for her.
These were things that didn't exist in the world she had grown up in.
She slowly picked up the fish.
For a moment she didn't eat.
Instead she looked at Jennie.
Then at Allan.
Then back at the plate.
Something inside her chest shifted.
Small.
Fragile.
But warm.
Finally, Aria took a bite.
And for the first time since leaving the courtroom…
She felt like she was no longer alone.