The glaring sun hung in the sky as the cold, northern breeze blew softly against the tents. It was morning yet it had felt colder than ever, traces of snow and ice still visible.
Inside An Sun's tent, three figures sat around a low squared table and ate from the dishes of food before them.
Rin blearily woke up that morning after a restless night of sleep, to be summoned to An Sun's tent. After getting dressed, Rin left and was met with the sight of dishes of cooked pheasant and boar set on the table.
Sitting comfortably at the table with his usual cup of wine, was An Sun.
Before she could question his reason for summoning her she heard him order, "Sit."
Uncertain of the situation, Rin did as she was told and sat on a cushion across from An Sun.
As she sat, Rin raised her eyes to stare at An Sun. But in the next second, the deep, magnetic tone of An Sun's voice said, "Eat."
And she did exactly that, leading to their current situation of eating breakfast together.
Silent through the whole meal, Rin only reached for the smaller pieces of meat and what was in front of her – never reaching for anything larger than her thumb.
Meanwhile, Manchu and An Sun were discussing their morning plans. Since they hadn't mentioned her, she made no move to join in on their conversation and merely ate.
As An Sun spoke, his eyes would occasionally glance toward Rin as he watched her noiseless and graceful movements.
Despite so much food in front of her, she only took the smallest or driest pieces of meat and chewed on them with an inscrutable expression.
The more he watched her the more his brows knitted together into a look of displeasure.
Munching on a piece of meat with glazed eyes, Rin was startled to suddenly see a pair of chopsticks place a massive, juicy cut of meat onto her plate.
Stunned, Rin looked up at An Sun who averted her gaze and drank his wine nonchalantly as if his previous actions never happened.
This time, it wasn't just Rin who was shocked silly, Manchu was as well - his eyes staring at the two in silence.
Sensing her eyes on him, An Sun's eyes shifted until his gray ones met her bright emerald gems.
"What?"
Rin parted her lips to speak, but nothing came out. What could she say?
Rather than speaking, Rin looked at An Sun with a slight smile and turned back to look at the big piece of meat on her plate.
If he generously gave her a large piece, who was she to question his actions?
Besides, who knew when such a moment would ever happen again.
Happily, Rin picked up the large piece of crispy pheasant with her chopsticks and shoved it into her small, rosy mouth.
Immediately, her plump, white cheeks enlarged twice their size and her eyes shone – a glossy trace of oil evident on her pink, puckered lips.
So tender and crispy!
Compared to the small and dry pieces she ate previously, the meat in her mouth was tender and juicy, oozing with delicious flavor and aroma. She didn't conceal the blissful and satisfied expression on her face as she ate.
An Sun with his head lazily plopped on his hand, watched Rin's expression in silence, the corner of his lips stretched upwards - but he suppressed it.
As he watched Rin eat, he somewhat felt it was strange he found the boy's plump, white cheeks and joyful expression to be almost…cute?
It was as if he was watching a cold strange creature melt at the taste of delicious food. An Sun conceals the charming smile on his face and sipped his wine.
Clearing his throat, he continued on with his conversation with Manchu.
"As I was saying previously…"
While the two men spoke, Rin chewed on her piece of meat. After she had finished chewing, Rin was surprised to be given another large piece of meat – larger than the last.
This time, Rin spoke up. "Lord An, although I'm thankful for your offer, I don't think I can eat anymore."
An Sun's brows knitted together as he looked at Rin's figure up and down.
"No wonder you're so small, you have the appetite of a child. Even if you're full you should eat more anyway, your body is too much like a woman's. A man needs more meat on his bones."
About to refute back, Rin suddenly froze. Recalling the scene at the hot spring, her body grew stiff. Lewd and scarring images flashed in her mind.
17 cm…
Rin's cheeks grew warm, and she quickly thrusts the piece of meat into her mouth and chews vigorously - her expression dark.
An Sun's sharp brows rose, but he was nonetheless pleased to see the boy eat. He turns away from Rin and continues to eat and drink his wine.