After a brief conversation with Zeruel, Juna eventually came back to where we were.
Her arms were full—completely loaded, in fact—with various ingredients bundled together. Vegetables, wrapped cuts of meat, herbs I couldn't immediately identify. It looked like she had gone all out.
"I'll pay for that," I said instinctively, the words leaving my mouth before I even thought twice.
"There's no need," she replied right away, shaking her head. "You've already done more than enough for us. This is something I should be doing. I mean… this isn't nearly enough to make up for everything you've done."
"Honestly, there isn't anything that needs to be repaid," I said, keeping my tone calm. "I didn't really do anything special."
The moment I said that, she stepped closer. Too close. Close enough that I could feel her presence without even needing to look directly at her. Then, gently, she leaned forward and pressed her index finger against my lips.
It was a soft gesture.
A quiet one.
