Betrayed, I Knocked Demon Lord's Door - Chapter 67: Chapter 67

Leon was a little annoyed that he couldn't find Caitlyn in the office.
But after snagging a photo, his mood improved, and he immediately told Dewayne to delete all the pictures from Niamh's phone.
Then, thinking it over, he realized he didn't really have any reason to expect Caitlyn to just stay put in her office and wait for him to come back.
So, when he finally saw Caitlyn again, he sulked for a bit, but after taking the oversized thermos from her, he just went ahead and took her hand.
Honestly, the thermos looked way more natural in Leon's hands.
When Caitlyn held it, she really did look like a kid heading out on a school trip.
Caitlyn stared at Leon's hand gripping hers, her expression complicated. When she glanced over at Germaine and caught the amusement in her eyes, her mood got even more tangled.
She found this feeling truly weird.
Germaine squinted at the two of them, deciding to stir the pot a little more. "Lord Radford, holding Lady Caitlyn's hand again, huh? Wasn't it always because the cafeteria was crowded and you were worried she'd get jostled? But the hallway's wide open today—so why are you holding onto it so tight?"
Leon shot her a look, then let his gaze settle on Caitlyn, who was frowning slightly, lost in thought. After a pause, he said, "We're heading to the cafeteria soon. Can't I just do this in advance for practice?"
"For practice, huh..." Germaine couldn't help but laugh at how he could really come up with anything.
Then she turned to Caitlyn and asked, "What do you think, Lady Caitlyn?"
Caitlyn snapped out of it, glanced at the thermos in Leon's other hand, and mumbled, "He's a brute. If he tried anything at this distance, I'd have a hard time stopping him..."
Germaine clicked her tongue, sounding a bit exasperated. She pondered, 'These two lovebirds are just unbelievable...
'But honestly, their reactions are a lot more interesting now—there's not even a hint of resistance. Giving Lady Caitlyn a little nudge like this should really help things along...
'Man, I'm really working overtime for their love life. I've been playing wingman, giving them a push, even acting as their therapist... Don't I deserve some credit for all of this?'
In the cafeteria, Leon gently pushed Caitlyn into a seat, all gentlemanly, and offered to get her lunch.
Caitlyn met his eyes for a few seconds, then silently handed over her meal card, letting him handle it.
But when Germaine looked over, full of hope, all she got was a cold, dismissive glance from Leon.
Germaine scowled and followed after him, wondering, 'What's his problem? Why's he looking at me like that?
'Seriously? After everything I've done for you two, you can't even grab me a meal?
'Fine, just keep your head buried in Lady Caitlyn's arms and never come up for air!'
As they lined up, Leon glanced back to make sure Caitlyn wasn't watching, then shot Germaine a look, signaling her to follow him.
Germaine was confused for a second, but quickly caught on.
She'd already heard from Arwen that Leon had been secretly learning to cook behind Caitlyn's back and was specifically told not to spread it around.
Sure enough, Leon headed straight to the kitchen and brought out the food he'd prepared earlier.
Meanwhile, he asked, "You've kept it warm, right?"
"Don't worry, Lord Radford! Everything's nice and hot!" Keith called out loudly, looking much more energetic.
Leon nodded, dished up the food, and headed out, not forgetting to tell Germaine, "Pick whatever you want from the kitchen. My treat."
'Okay, maybe he's not completely heartless after all.' With that thought in mind, Germaine quietly gave up on the idea of tripping him up behind his back.
Back at the table, the gorgeous Caitlyn wasn't bothered by a single soul.
Pretty much everyone at Ekavine City knew this dazzling goddess was strictly off-limits—she was basically the private territory of some terrifying guy.
Anyone bold enough to sneak a photo would mysteriously vanish by the next day.
No one with half a brain would dare mess with her. And as for that terrifying guy? Everyone was on the same page, even if no one said it out loud.
It was that low-key, totally unremarkable teaching assistant of Caitlyn's—Leon.
He was the only guy always around Caitlyn, and there were endless rumors about how close they really were.
Even online, the only things about Caitlyn that stuck around were little stories featuring her and Leon—just from those, people could guess a lot.
Leon set down the plates, trying to play it cool. "I had the kitchen make these just for us."
Caitlyn glanced up at him and whispered, "You really didn't have to go to all that trouble... The kitchen staff must be super busy right now. If you wanted something nicer, we could've just gone to a restaurant. Spending a bit more isn't a big deal."
Leon went quiet.
Noticing his downcast eyes, Caitlyn suddenly felt a little guilty and quickly added, "But... since you already had it made, I'll eat it all. Besides, it actually looks really good."
"Yeah! Try everything!" Leon's eyes lit up again, his feelings written all over his face.
Germaine shook her head, a little exasperated.
She couldn't help but think, 'Honestly, I don't even need to play matchmaker—these two are bound to end up together sooner or later, right?
'At most, they are just a bit awkward together now... Damn, for all they look like leaders of their own camps, they are really just a couple of shy kids.
'I just couldn't help but worry about them...
'Really, none of these insanely strong people are actually normal.'
They started eating.
Leon kept sneaking glances at Caitlyn as she ate, feeling a bit on edge.
Caitlyn calmly worked her way through every dish in front of her, making sure to try a bit of everything, thinking to herself, 'Seriously, does that goofball across from me really think I can't tell? He obviously slipped in something he made himself, just to see how I'd react.
'I have absolutely no idea why he has to make it so complicated—he cooks for me openly at night anyway.
'But since he wants to play this little game, I'll just play along to the end.
'Putting Germaine's teasing aside, I do agree—Leon really does need a little warmth and, well, care.
'He takes such good care of me; even someone as cold as me can't help but be moved...
'When he needs it, I should give him some emotional support too. That's what good friends do!'
Leon asked eagerly, "So, how is it?"
"It's delicious—just like always... but it does feel a little special today." Caitlyn chose her words carefully, trying to praise Leon without letting him know she'd caught on to his little scheme.
Leon pressed, "Is there any dish you think is especially good, or maybe one you don't like? I'll let the kitchen know for next time!"
Without saying anything, Caitlyn's hand, hidden on her lap, quietly clenched into a fist.
She just couldn't figure out why he had to go through so much trouble for all this.
Caitlyn kept her cool, hesitating for a moment before picking up her fork and pointing at the dish she guessed Leon had made.
At the same time, she narrowed her eyes, watching Leon's face out of the corner of her eye for any reaction.
Sure enough, his eyes wavered, and he swallowed nervously.
Caitlyn thought excitedly, 'That totally gave himself away. Yes! Nailed it in one—like we're totally in sync... Wait, no, who's in sync with him? This is all Germaine's fault, always saying such weird stuff. Now my brain's a total mess, and I'm starting to act all strange...'
Caitlyn deliberately hovered her fork over the other two dishes, but she sharply caught the way Leon's expression flickered with concern when she paused over the first one.
'As expected of Lord Caitlyn, I can hide my thoughts and still pick the right answer! I really am a genius!' She couldn't help but feel complacent.
"This dish..." Caitlyn's fork landed on the chicken broth Leon made. Leon instinctively held his breath.
She said, "It's just average..."