The cafeteria began to make a ruckus as Cadmus and Blair walked side by side.
He led her to his table, simply ignoring everyone's bemused look. No doubt they're wondering why the Mondragon heir was with the notorious Winifred. She, who did not only punch him in the face but also pushed him off the stairs, was casually strolling alongside him.
'Those were only rumors, though, and this is just charity…!' he stubbornly told himself.
'For my reputation! Or something!'
He was almost certain Blair would do something dumb like trip and spill her hot chocolate, but she surprisingly survived the trek to his table without breaking her poker face. His friends looked up at them as soon as they made it, and Cadmus noticed they didn't seem to be too shocked.
"Oh, how manly, Master Cadmus…!" Jamir sniggered.
"You're finally bringing a girl- Hey, wait, it's Winifred?!"
So, he'd just noticed it's Blair. The gall of him to make fun of him.
Irvin shot their friend a deadpan look while Russell let out a sigh.
"Got any problem, boys?" Cadmus asked.
Irvin shook his head. Russell kept quiet. Jamir still looked dumbfounded.
With that, Cadmus took his seat, Blair doing the same next to him.
They all stared at her 'plebeian' meal, which consisted of only a bowl of mushroom soup and some plain loaves of bread. Then, they looked at their 'aristocrat' lunch set, complete with chicken and pasta and macaroons.
"Commoners do really have it bad, huh?" Irvin blurted out.
He wasn't being demeaning. Just telling the obvious truth.
Instead of taking offense, she peered at their plates, and then, her expression changed.
"Ahh, you're so lucky... Blair? Not really... Ahh, I'm so cold and hungry... I might starve and freeze to death," she bemoaned theatrically, making sure to shoot glances at their meals all the while.
Cadmus's hand twitched. He then quickly forked a slice of chicken and practically tossed it on her plate. Cadmus scowled.
"I-I don't think I can finish it all! So, there! H-Have some!"
Blair's face brightened up. Russell, Jamir, and Irvin stared at Cadmus with stupefied looks.
They're probably wondering if he's going crazy or something.
"You're a very good kid, Your Highness! Thank you so much!"
The four boys were all struck dazzled by the smile that flashed on her face. One of them had needed a longer time to recover from the shock than the three others.
"Geez, our leader really fell for that commoner's cheap tricks," Jamir whispered to Irvin.
Cadmus was too distracted by his thundering heart to hear him. And with that, lunchtime went on. Blair was in the middle of savoring the hot chocolate that he bought for her.
The messy way she was drinking led to a round of teasing.
"You have a chocolate mustache, Winifred!" Irvin guffawed while pointing at Blair's face.
With an unamused expression, she wiped her lips using the back of her hand. He and the others made some gurgling noises, recoiling in exaggerated disgust.
"Ewww, use a napkin!" Jamir laughed.
Cadmus sighed deeply before offering his handkerchief. Blair gratefully took it and wiped her face again.
But it only made things worse, and now, she got chocolate stains on her nose.
Blair's eyes widened in confusion. This girl would really drive anyone mad. Cadmus let out a deeper sigh.
"What in the world is wrong with you, twerp?"
He suddenly grabbed the handkerchief from her and used it to wipe her nose. Blair blinked rapidly at Cadmus. He went as far as wiping her lips to get rid of the chocolate mustache for good.
"Wow," all three of his friends chorused, jaws dropped.
Then, Cadmus jumped.
Heat rushed up to his cheeks and spread through his ears. He had no idea why he'd committed such blasphemous inanity.
"I-I just didn't want to look at those nasty stains on your ugly face, dummy!" he exclaimed in a panicky haste, but the boys had a hard time buying it.
Cadmus badly wished that Blair had a friend.
That way, he won't have to look after her like this. She's just so dumb and cute and stupid and cute. For some reason, he felt the irresistible urge to take care of her.
'No, I don't! This is just charity! Charity, I say!'