Her Rebirth.

Amelia could feel her face heat up. She hadn’t expected things to go this badly, and most importantly, she hadn’t expected Kai to come back so early.

Wasn’t the cafe suppose to close by 9pm?!

Seeing Kai look at her, flabbergasted, made her feel even more embarrassed. Maybe she should have just ordered takeout instead of even trying.

Kai walked to the kitchen, his appalled expression still in place.

"What were you trying to do?" he asked.

Amelia looked down with guilt.

"...Cooking."

Kai looked at the black moss in his frying pan as well as the seething vegetable water in his pot.

His gaze flickered between Amelia and the food.

This abomination was the result of her cooking?!

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t even surprising, she had probably never stepped foot in a kitchen before.

Well, he did appreciate the effort. However, while he was hungry, he did not feel like cooking anymore. The sight before him sucked away whatever urge he had previously to cook. He was probably just going to eat out.

"I am sorry," Amelia whispered.

"Don’t worry... at least you tried," Kai said in the most polite way possible.

There was an awkward silence between them, then...

Grrr

Amelia’s stomach grumbled.

Amelia froze as her face flushed further, it was already beet red.

She gritted her teeth.

Damn you, accursed stomach, embarrassing me further!

At this point, Amelia wished the ground would just open up and swallow her. She had never gotten so embarrassed twice in a row in both lives!!.

Kai’s gaze fell to her stomach and then back up.

Seeing her embarrassed expression, Kai became a bit amused, a smile tugging at his lips. A fleeting thought passed through his mind.

She is quite cute.

Kai, still amused by her reaction, shoved his hands into his pockets. "Come on. Let’s go get something to eat."

Amelia quickly nodded. "Yes, please." Happy he didn’t push the matter any further

.....

Kai parked his small Toyota along a busy street, the neon glow of shop signs reflecting off the windshield. The air was filled with the scent of sizzling meat, garlic, and spices, making Amelia’s stomach grumble again in anticipation.

She looked around the busy street. Despite it being nighttime, it was still buzzing with energy.

On the street were vendors trying to attract customers, as well as chefs in open stalls expertly flipping skewers over open flames, tossing noodles in woks, and serving steaming bowls of soup to hungry customers perched on plastic stools.

She turned to him, puzzled. "Here?"

Kai leaned back against the car, watching her reaction carefully. "You have a problem with it?"

Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she actually felt disgusted by this place. She was Amelia Cosgrove, after all. Even though she may not have been the most favored, she had still lived the life of an elite.

While he would have taken her to a fancier restaurant, he was really craving the beef noodle soup from here, so...

Amelia’s eyes gazed around, absorbing it all.

She had only eaten street food once when she had snuck out in her past life to attend the Festival of Life. While the nobles celebrated in the palace, the commoners celebrated in the streets, and as a curious teenage girl, she had snuck out because their festivities just seemed so much more fun than the ones held in the palace.

She had gotten a chicken kebab, and while it wasn’t as tasty as what was served in the palace, it still had a different feel to it.

And now, standing in the middle of a bustling street, surrounded by the smell of open-fire cooking and different kind of spices, she felt a similar thrill.

Kai watched as Amelia’s lips curled into a small, curious smile. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Not at all. I’ve never eaten street food before, so I’m a bit curious."

Kai raised a brow slightly. "Never?"

"Yeah."

At least Amelia Cosgrove hadn’t.

Kai smiled softly at her. "Well, now you’ll get to taste it."

Without another word, he led her to a small roadside restaurant, where a middle-aged man greeted him warmly.

"Ahh, Kai, it has been a long time."

Kai gave him a respectful nod.

"I’ve been quite busy, Uncle."

The man shook his head in understanding. "We can all get busy at times. What food do you want? The usual?"

Kai gave him a short nod before glancing at Amelia.

"Pick whatever you want."

Amelia scanned the handwritten menu taped to the wall. After a moment, she looked back at him. "I’ll have what you’re having."

The man laughed and tugged Kai by the shoulder. "Young love, eh?" He then pushed them to an empty space. "Sit down. Your food will be served shortly."

Kai frowned slightly but did not comment.

The two of them sat down, and a few minutes later, two steaming bowls of beef noodle soup were placed in front of them along with two glasses of water.

Kai quietly watched her reaction as she took her first slurp.

And then her entire face lit up.

"This is amazing!" she said excitedly.

Kai blinked in surprise. "You like it?"

For some reason he was scared that she would look down in spite at it. At most, all he was expected was a neutral expression but seeing her excited expression tugged something within him.

Amelia nodded enthusiastically, taking another mouthful before speaking again. "It’s so much better than all those takeouts I used to order."

He chuckled "Well, yes it is"

Kai watched as she ate with abandon, her usual guarded expression replaced by something almost childlike. Her eyes sparkled with delight, her lips curved into a genuine smile, and the way her cheeks puffed slightly like a hamster as she chewed—

For the first time in a long time, he found himself enveloped in a warmth, the feel of enjoying a meal with another.

Maybe this fiancée of his wasn’t so bad after all.