His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 114

“Hm?” Lumina looked up at him.

Cedric didn’t repeat himself; instead, he simply bought the hairpin.

“Does it look pretty on me? I can’t see.” Lumina twisted around in front of the mirror, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of the pin in her hair.

Cedric ruffled her hair. “Is there anything you wear that doesn’t look good?”

Lumina tilted her head, giving him a suspicious, slightly bewildered look.

He seemed unusually gentle today, and even his words were sweeter than usual.

She tugged him toward another stall. “It’s your birthday—let me pick something for you, too.”

Playing along, Cedric glanced around. “Little money-grubber, what are you planning to buy me?”

“Anything you want. It’s your day—whatever catches your eye, I’ll get it for you.”

Cedric wandered through the bustling little shops but didn’t seem to find anything he liked. They ended up at a stall selling candied fruit skewers.

He paused. “How about one of these?”

Lumina’s heart skipped. She looked up. “Just that?”

“Just that.”

She went ahead and bought a skewer—glossy, ruby-red berries clustered together like tiny lanterns.

Cedric took it, his long fingers picking off a berry, tasting it.

Lumina watched him as if witnessing some rare spectacle.

He ate the berry slowly, methodically, and finally met her curious gaze. “Why are you staring?”

Lumina asked sincerely, “Don’t you think it’s too sweet?”

For someone so picky about food, she couldn’t believe he’d eat candied fruit.

Cedric took a sip of water, unbothered. “Not as sweet as I expected.”

Still, Lumina knew one berry was probably his limit. The rest would be hers.

She used to love these, could eat an entire skewer without stopping.

But now, after just two, she found them cloying.

She tossed the half-eaten skewer in the trash and turned back toward Cedric. He stood beneath a canopy of lanterns, the golden light outlining him in a soft, ethereal glow.

Suddenly, Cedric reached for her, pulled her close, and gently pinched her cheek. He lifted her chin slightly, then pulled a napkin from his pocket.

Lumina let him tilt her face toward his, gazing into his deep, steady eyes. For a moment, memories—real and imagined—flashed through her mind, so achingly familiar she almost wanted to cry.

She closed her eyes instinctively, expecting him to wipe the corner of her lips.

But the touch of the napkin never came.

Instead, she heard his low voice by her ear: “Open your eyes.”

Lumina did—and suddenly his warm breath brushed against her, gentle and sweet with the taste of candied fruit. The kiss began softly, then deepened, their lips and breath mingling.

Soon, two glasses of juice and two large bowls of ravioli arrived, the delicious aroma making their mouths water.

Lumina poured vinegar into her bowl, then into Cedric’s, but her eyes kept drifting to his glass of juice.

She was mentally calculating just how to slip the powder in.

Cedric, meanwhile, watched her quietly, tapping his glass to bring her back from her thoughts. “Planning to drink?”

“As if. I’ve got my own,” Lumina retorted, swirling her juice with a distracted air.

Cedric glanced at his phone, then suddenly stood up.

Lumina looked at him. “Where are you going?”

“Got a call.” He glanced at her, his gaze gentle. “If you’re hungry, go ahead—don’t wait.”

Lumina watched him step away to take the call. Perfect timing.

With few customers around and the owner busy in the kitchen, she seized the chance to pour the powder into Cedric’s juice.

Her hands shook so badly that some white powder scattered onto the table. She hurriedly wiped it up with a napkin.

Then she stirred the juice again and again, until it looked no different from her own.

When Cedric returned, Lumina had already eaten most of her ravioli.

As he sat, he saw her helping herself to his bowl, scooping up his poached egg, biting into the white, then tossing the rest back into his bowl.

Cedric huffed. “No manners, even in public.” He slid the egg yolk over to her side of the plate. “No picking at your food.”