novelraw Chapter 709: The Most Adorable Lunch
Chapter 709: The Most Adorable Lunch
Cassius balanced the large tray in his hands, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. The dishes beneath the silver platter were his masterpiece—something he hoped would make Maria’s eyes light up the way he had been dreaming about.
Behind him, the kitchen buzzed with quiet admiration.
"Young Master, that’s incredible!" One of the women chefs breathed, peering over his shoulder. "I’ve never seen plating like that!"
Another chef nodded enthusiastically. "Please, Young Master, you must teach us. I want to learn how to make such creations out of food!"
Duncan, the head chef, was practically salivating.
"My lord, we could add these to the menu. A children’s section, perhaps? Or special occasion plates? The customers would go wild!"
Cassius waved them off, though he couldn’t quite hide his pride.
"Later. Right now, I have a date to attend to."
He carried the tray out of the kitchen, through the restaurant, and toward the garden where their table was waiting.
But when he arrived, the seat was empty.
Maria was gone.
He set the tray down carefully, frowning, and scanned the garden. Where could she have—
Then he heard the laughter.
A child’s high-pitched giggle, followed by the delighted shrieks of several other children. And beneath it all, a woman’s voice, warm and playful.
He turned toward the small play area at the edge of the garden—a patch of grass with a hopscotch board chalked onto the stone pathway and felt his heart clench.
Maria was there.
She was playing hopscotch with a group of children, her white dress fluttering around her legs as she hopped from square to square.
Her hair bounced. Her cheeks were flushed with exertion. Her smile was so wide, so genuine, so happy, that Cassius forgot to breathe.
One of the younger boys—maybe five or six—was watching her with intense concentration, his small fists clenched.
"You touched the line!" He accused, pointing at Maria’s foot.
Maria looked down, then back at the boy with an expression of exaggerated innocence.
"I did not!"
"You did! I saw it!"
"Even if I did." Maria said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "it was only my slipper. My foot didn’t actually touch. So it doesn’t count."
The other children immediately rallied to her defense.
"She’s right!"
"Only the foot counts!"
"The slipper doesn’t count!"
The boy’s face grew red. His lower lip trembled. He looked like he was about to burst into tears—but then he glanced at Maria’s beautiful face, at her warm smile, and he clearly decided that crying in front of her would be far too embarrassing.
Instead, he puffed out his chest.
"I’ll beat you!" He declared. "I’ll beat you fair and square!"
He launched himself at the hopscotch board, hopping frantically from square to square. But he was too fast, too eager, and his foot slipped.
He fell.
His hands hit the stone first, scraping his palms, and his chin smacked the ground. For a moment, he was silent with shock—and then the tears came.
Maria was at his side in an instant.
"Oh, sweetheart, it’s alright." She knelt beside him, gently examining his scraped hands. "It’s just a little scratch. See? No blood. You’re very brave, aren’t you?"
The boy sniffled, staring at her with wide, worshipful eyes. His earlier anger was completely forgotten, replaced by the dazed wonder of someone who had just been touched by an angel.
Other customers were watching too—mothers with soft smiles, fathers with approving nods.
The other children gathered around Maria, tugging at her dress, asking her to play again.
"One more round!"
"Please, lady, please!"
"You’re so good at hopping!"
Maria laughed, glancing toward the table where Cassius sat watching her. Their eyes met, and she gave him an apologetic smile before turning back to the children.
"Just one more." She said, and the children cheered.
Cassius watched her hop and jump, her dress swaying, her laughter ringing through the garden, and felt something warm bloom in his chest.
This was the woman he loved.
Not the saint. Not the sister. Not the symbol of compassion that the world had built up in their minds.
Her. Maria. Playing hopscotch with children, tending to scraped knees, laughing with her whole heart.
He could have watched her forever.
But eventually, Maria extracted herself from the children with promises to visit again, and hurried over to the table, slightly out of breath.
"I’m so sorry, Cassius! I didn’t mean to keep you waiting." She glanced back at the children, who were still watching her with adoring eyes. "I saw them playing hopscotch, and I remembered how good I used to be at it when I was young. I couldn’t resist joining in."
She bit her lip, looking down at her hands.
"You must think I’m so immature. Childish. Playing games when I should be—"
Cassius shook his head.
"Not at all, Maria."
She looked up, surprised.
"Any man who doesn’t appreciate a woman who’s good with children is a fool."
He then added, almost as an afterthought.
"Besides, I couldn’t take my eyes off you the whole time. The way you moved when you jumped..."
Maria tilted her head. "What do you mean? Did I make some kind of weird movement?"
Cassius’s grin turned mischievous.
"Just jump while looking down, Maria. You’ll see."
Confused, she took a step back, looked down at the ground, and jumped.
The moment she landed, she understood.
Her breasts—full, heavy, barely contained by the low-cut neckline of her dress—had not stayed still during the jump.
They had risen, fallen, and then continued to move, jiggling and swaying like they were made of jelly. It took several seconds for them to settle.
Maria’s face went crimson. She crossed her arms over her chest, covering herself.
"This is exactly why I prefer my sister’s robes." She muttered. "They’re modest. They cover everything. They don’t—" She gestured at her chest helplessly "—move like this."
Cassius shook his head.
"Even in those thick robes, nothing could hide your...size." He paused, then added with a wicked grin. "The movement would simply be less visible. Not invisible. Just...blurred."
Maria’s eye twitched.
She reached out and pinched his cheek, pulling hard.
"Ow! Ow! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!"
"Behave yourself." She said sternly, though her eyes were laughing.
"I’ll behave! I promise! Just—please—sit down. I’m starving, and our food is getting cold."
Maria glanced at the covered tray, then back at Cassius, and felt a small pang of guilt. He had been waiting for her. And now he was hungry.
She moved to take her seat—
And realized there was no seat.
Only one chair. The one Cassius was sitting in.
She blinked. "Cassius, where’s my chair? Did someone take it? Should I go find another one?"
"Unfortunately, Maria, the restaurant is completely overcrowded right now." He replied smoothly. "There isn’t a single spare chair available."
Maria glanced around again, frowning. "But...there are definitely chairs right there—"
"Those tables are already reserved." He said without missing a beat.
Then he patted his own lap with an innocent smile.
"So you’ll have to sit right here."
Her mouth fell open.
"How can I possibly do that?!" She gestured around them. "We’re in public! People are watching! I have a reputation to maintain!"
Cassius pointed at a nearby table. "Look. That girl is sitting on a man’s lap. It’s not a big deal. No one is judging."
Maria followed his gaze before looking at him in dismay.
"Cassius, that’s a little girl. Sitting on her father’s lap."
He squinted. "I can barely tell her age. She could be ten. Or twenty. It’s impossible to differentiate."
"She’s wearing pigtails and holding a stuffed bunny!"
"Youthful fashion choices."
Maria pinched the bridge of her nose. "You are impossible."
"And you are beautiful." He countered. "Now sit down already."
He patted his lap again.
But she didn’t move.
Seeing this, he sighed dramatically, letting his shoulders slump.
"I see. I see how it is." His voice dripped with exaggerated sorrow. "I carried a throne for you. I rented out an entire clothing store. I cooked this meal with my own two hands."
"And now, all I ask is that you grace my lap with your presence, and you refuse."
He looked away, sniffing.
"How pitiful I am."
Maria knew it was an act. She knew he was being ridiculous, manipulative, completely shameless.
And yet.
He had done so much for her today. He had been so kind, so thoughtful, so genuinely caring.
She couldn’t refuse him.
"Fine." She sighed as she sat down on his lap, carefully, primly, trying to put as little weight on him as possible.
She then looked at him with a stern gaze and said,
"You really are such a child, Cassius. The moment you don’t get what you want, you throw a tantrum."
Cassius didn’t respond.
He was too busy watching her settle against him. Her soft, generous butt spread across his thighs, warm and yielding, and he felt a deep, primal satisfaction.
Maria on the other hand expected to feel embarrassed. Humiliated, even.
She was a sister of the church, a woman of dignity, sitting on a man’s lap in public like some kind of...
But the embarrassment never came.
The moment she settled against him, a strange sense of safety enveloped her. His arms came around her waist, holding her gently but securely, and she felt like nothing in the world could harm her.
Not an army. Not a natural disaster. Not even the judgment of the goddess herself.
She leaned back against his chest, her head finding a comfortable spot against his shoulder, and let out a small sigh of contentment.
Then she realized what she was doing and sat up straighter, coughing awkwardly.
"Well." She said, trying to regain her composure. "What’s this surprise you’ve been hiding? I hope you don’t disappoint me since I have expectations for you and even sat on your lap."
Cassius grinned.
"Don’t worry. You’ll love it."
He grabbed the edge of the platter and pulled it away.
Maria gasped.
"Oh my God, Cassius!" She leaned forward, her eyes wide. "What are these? They’re so cute!"
The tray was filled with food—but not food as she had ever seen it presented. Every dish had been arranged into the shape of an animal.
A small orange cat made of shrimp tempura, its body curved gracefully, its tail a single curled shrimp.
A fluffy golden dog created from spaghetti and meatballs, the noodles forming its fur, the meatballs its paws.
A colorful parrot assembled from sliced fruits and vegetables, its wings spread as if about to take flight.
There were more—a rabbit made of rice balls, a fox from grilled fish, a bear from bread rolls—each one more adorable than the last.
"This is—this is art!" Maria breathed, her hands clasped together. "I don’t even want to eat them! They’re too beautiful!"
She looked at Cassius with shining eyes.
"How do you do this? Where did you get the idea?!"