Alpha's Rejected Mate Returns as Queen
Chapter 757: The Suggestion

Chapter 757: The Suggestion

Yarin's POV:

I rested at home for a day, and in the evening, Eden, who had come home from school, visited me.

"I heard you were sick last night, Your Highness." he held a simple food box. "I saw the Queen and the King Consort taking care of you last night. I wanted to visit you too, but Aunt said I might disturb your rest, so she didn't let me come. This is a mixed fruit tart we made together in cooking class today. It tastes pretty good, you should try it."

I happily accepted the gift and thanked him, saying, "Thank you and your classmates too. I was actually craving something sweet. And don't be so formal, we're friends, right? Just call me Yarin. 'Your Highness' sounds a bit strange."

Eden pursed his lips, gave an embarrassed smile, and said, "Sure, Yarin."

We chatted for a while, and later Heller and Cynthia joined in. Eventually, we had dinner in my room.

"So... how did your date with Autumn go yesterday?" Heller asked with a mischievous look.

Eden jumped a little, flustered, and held his fork awkwardly, stumbling over his words, "What? Date? No, no, no, it wasn't a date. It was just... um, normal interaction between classmates."

"And we didn't go alone either. Autumn's girlfriends were there too. I, uh, I just helped them carry some shopping bags... yeah, that's it. They needed help, and I had some free time, so..."

Seeing him blush and stammer, I thought to myself that our guess was probably correct. Eden liked Autumn, and yesterday was indeed a date.

As expected, Cynthia, who understood girls better, said, "But Autumn only invited you, a guy, right? She might want to go out with you alone, but you'd probably be too shy to agree, right? Let me guess, yesterday, Autumn's girlfriends were always leaving space for you, going to buy drinks or trying on clothes in the changing room, right?"

Eden thought for a moment, nodded, and his ears were so red they could have dripped blood.

"That's right. If she just wanted to thank you, there wouldn't be any taboos for Autumn. Of course, she could openly invite you out alone. Her using her girlfriends as a cover actually implies something!" Cynthia analyzed seriously, looking more professional than a relationship expert on a TV show.

"... Really?" Eden asked in a hushed voice. "But maybe it's better to be cautious about these things. After all, Autumn didn't say anything, and it might seem presumptuous for me to guess that she likes me. It could be impolite and awkward if I go beyond friendship boundaries and make inappropriate moves. So, I think I'll wait a bit before doing anything... yeah, wait and see..."

"Of course, you're right to do so," Cynthia commended. "Jumping to conclusions often leads to a mess. Plus, you and Autumn will be spending a lot of time together, and love isn't the only connection between you two.

"However, if you really like Autumn, you better seize the opportunity!! Now that Kris is gone, the bully standing between you two is no longer there. This also means the bully standing between Autumn and her other pursuers is gone. If you hesitate and let someone else win her over, you'll have no place to cry later."

Heller chimed in, "And you know what boys your age are usually thinking. If you're not careful, Autumn could get hurt in a relationship with the wrong person!"

I just watched them give advice to Eden without getting involved. This atmosphere was heartwarming, friends gathering to help each other. It was such a joyful thing, and I hoped this moment would last forever.

There was coconut pudding in my bowl, and I thought about Kara and Lily.

The departed and the lost, I wondered where Lily was now. Since that day, we hadn't been in touch. Had she ventured out of the Lycan territory? After arriving at Jasper, did she have identification? Was she safe and secure? Was she hungry? Was she being mistreated?

I really wanted to contact her, but I couldn't. Lily said her phone might be monitored by her mother, so she stopped using it. I lost the only way we could communicate. All I could do was pray for her safety, and for her to have a free and happy life.

"Hey, Yarin, why are you spacing out again?" Cynthia nudged me, signaling for me to snap out of it. "We're discussing whether Eden should invite Autumn over to our house. What do you think?"

"That sounds good. It's lively with more people. Uh, I mean, inviting friends over is a sign of progress in relationships, as I recall from the bits and pieces I learned when watching romantic operas with Cynthia. If Lady Charlies agrees, we could have a party and invite more classmates. This way, your invitation to Autumn won't be offensive, and she'll be more likely to agree."

Cynthia gave me an appreciative look for my input.