Zhane was equally astonished to witness Leo’s adept control over his facial expressions, akin to Xavier’s acting skills. Meanwhile, Dave found himself in hot water with Hera’s stern gaze fixed on him. Gripping the spoon and bowl tightly, he felt his hands grow mmy with nervousness.
"Dear, I... I..." Dave struggled to exin himself, but each attempt was thwarted by Leo’s infuriatingly smug expression behind Hera. Frustrated, Dave couldn’t manage to finish his sentence. Sensing the tension, Hera extended her hand, silently requesting the spoon and bowl from Dave so she could take over feeding Leo herself.
Observing the situation, Dave raised the spoon and bowl out of Hera’s reach. "No, dear, I was momentarily distracted while feeding Leo earlier. But you need care too right now; let me take over. I can do a better job," Dave said, acknowledging his mistake but determined not to let Hera feed Leo again, he’d rather die than see her feeding him again.
Fortunately for Dave, Zhane intervened. He gently guided Hera back to her earlier position and reassured her, "Don’t worry, they are no longer kids and they are capable of handling it themselves." Zhane’s tone was stern, suggesting he was disinterested in the Leo-Dave situation. Implicitly, he conveyed that if Leo continued to act like a victim, he would appear immature in Hera’s eyes. Simrly, Dave risked looking immature and incapable if he couldn’t manage a simple task.
Leo and Dave felt like they had been admonished by Zhane’s words. Leo hadn’t expected Zhane to speak so firmly. The two were at a loss for words, exchanging nces and realizing that continuing their argument would only y into Zhane’s hands. Dave abandoned his mischievous behavior and focused on earnestly feeding Leo. Despite feeling ufortable being fed by Dave and wanting to escape, Leo remained still under Hera’s watchful gaze, ensuring he ate properly.
Hera smiled sweetly at both Leo and Dave, and they returned her smile with equal warmth, feeling as if their hearts were filled with honey, forgetting their earlier disagreement. As she silently observed them, Hera fought to suppressughter bubbling inside her. She was well aware of Leo’s impressive acting abilities, having been fooled by him once during the auction. Recognizing Leo’s subtle taunting of Dave, she also understood Dave’s cunning and mischievous nature, realizing they were engaged in a silent showdown.
Leo had effectively dragged her into their battlefield to aggravate Dave endlessly, and she yed along to bring an end to their conflict. However, she hadn’t anticipated Zhane lending her a helping hand in the situation.
Having been fooled by Leo’s acting skills once was enough; she knew he had full control over his expressions. Under normal circumstances, Leo wouldn’t appear aggrieved and pitiful. Knowing his temperament, she was certain he wasn’t that kind of person, leading her to conclude that he must be acting. Initially, when she heard him coughing, genuine concern washed over her, and her heartstrings were tugged when she saw his pitiful expression—not because she truly believed it, but because he looked irresistibly handsome, triggering a fleeting memory of the earlier incident.
Fool her once, that was her learning a lesson, fool her twice, shame on her for being stupid and easily swayed. Just like the saying fooled once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me for being so easily swayed.
In the end, it was Zhane who ended up feeding Hera her food, using his authority as a doctor and insisting she needed proper rest, leaving everything to them. Dave nced over at Zhane with envy. "Why does he get to y both sides to win over the beauty while I’m stuck feeding the brute?" Dave thought bitterly, consumed by jealousy. No matter how cunning he was, Dave always seemed to be outsmarted by his friends. The only sce he found was knowing Leo was equally struggling.
Athena, watching from the sidelines, secretly sniggered as she enjoyed the spectacle. She couldn’t help but recall Hera’s adamant deration about never having more than one lover, simr to how the original female lead had multiple lovers in the novel they now lived in. Hera had once passionately argued that such situations were unimaginable and impossible for her.
They often used the novel to poke fun at their own situation and discuss its storyline. Previously, Hera would im she didn’t believe the portrayal of the female lead in the novel truly reflected her. Athena, however, now found herself reconsidering that stance; Hera seemed to embody the female lead more closely than Alice did. The only noticeable difference was that the Alice in the novel fit the ’Mary Sue’ archetype—excessively kind and overly protected by the male leads to showcase their affection.