Alister watched Cinder for a moment, initially caught off guard by her response, causing him to pause as he simply gazed at her.
Her playful tone, combined with the faint blush on her cheeks, intrigued him. He'd never seen her so flustered before.
Just as she noticed the look on his face, she raised her hand to clear her throat, composing herself and trying to act all calm and serious.
"It's good," she stated, her voice soft as she turned her gaze away, a touch of warmth still coloring her cheeks.
"I, um, actually like this delicacy."
"Chocolate..."
The way she admitted it surprised him. "Really? I didn't expect that..." he said, a playful smile creeping across his face.
Cinder glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her expression softening as she continued, "Perhaps humans aren't that bad after all."
