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The table was finally settling into something resembling normalcy.
Ren's father was sipping his tea in a dignified silence, his mother cutting her fruits delicately. Ren's sister sat across from them, chewing thoughtfully while the royal secretary scribbled something down nearby, likely calculating the damage control needed if the public ever found out how their morning began.
Ren, still recovering from secondhand embarrassment, reached for the breadbasket and pulled a warm slice to his plate. With a sigh of relief, he buttered it slowly and finally brought it to his mouth, craving something—anything—normal.
But then it happened.
Just as he took a bite, Shinomi leaned in—quick as a thief—and took a bite from the exact same piece of bread in his mouth.
It was shameless. Bold. Instant.
The whole dining hall froze.
Ren's jaw dropped, the bitten bread still hanging between his fingers. His face flushed red like a cherry blossom in full bloom.
His father choked on his tea, coughing once, then again.
His mother gasped and covered her mouth with a napkin.
His sister dropped her fork with a clang.
Even the royal secretary scribbled a line so fast and jagged it ripped through the paper.
Shinomi blinked, chewing innocently.
"…What?" he said.
Ren turned to him slowly, wide-eyed, stunned.
"D-Did you just… steal bread from my mouth?"
Shinomi suddenly realized what he'd done, glanced around at the stunned family, and immediately stood up, pushing his chair back with a squeak. He gave a deep, solemn bow.
"I sincerely apologize. I was possessed. My spirit made me do it."
There was a moment of stunned silence. Then Ren's father deadpanned to the nearest servant:
"When you bring food next time, leave everything at their door. We will not interrupt them again."
The sarcasm in his voice was thick enough to spread on toast.
Ren slapped Shinomi's arm with a hiss. "You idiot! You want to die again!?"
Shinomi winced. "Ow—sorry! I didn't think, okay?"
Ren's father fixed his gaze sharply on Shinomi, his eyes dropping for a beat to his lips, where the ill-fated bite had happened. The King narrowed his eyes.
Then, after a moment's pause, he closed his eyes, shook his head in pure exasperation, and muttered, "God help my kingdom."
Ren's mother cleared her throat politely, hiding a small smile behind her teacup. "Well… love does strange things to people."
Ren's sister just smirked and whispered to her mother, "Should we tell them you stole Dad's omelet the first week you were married?"
"Silence, child," her mother replied with dignity.
After a few minutes, the tension eased, and breakfast resumed, albeit with awkward glances and cautious chewing. Ren quietly shoved the rest of his bread into his mouth before Shinomi could lunge again.
But then Shinomi leaned closer and whispered with a pout, "Can I take you back with me? I miss your face already."
Ren rolled his eyes but blushed anyway.
"Don't you have soldier training today?" Ren asked.
Shinomi pouted more. "I know, but if I leave you here, I'll be depressed. I won't focus. I'll start a war by accident."
Ren's father, still sharp-eared despite everything, cut in dryly. "No, you won't be taking him back."
Shinomi straightened in his chair like a scolded student.
"You're going back to train your soldiers. I know if I leave him with you, you won't show up at all. You'll be 'training' under the blankets."
Ren choked on his tea.
Shinomi sat frozen, blinking. "…That's a little too accurate."
Ren gave his father a horrified look. "Dad!"
The King calmly took another bite of his food, pretending not to notice the growing steam coming from his son's ears.
Shinomi sighed dramatically and leaned toward Ren again. "Fine. I'll go. But only if you kiss me goodbye on the forehead."
Ren glared. "No."
"On the cheek?"
"No."
"…On the bread?"
Ren stared blankly.
"Don't push your luck," Ren's sister chimed in with a grin.
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