Page 209 of The Wishing Game

But while Rhea and Maros are behaving reverently in his presence, Thea is white as a sheet, her body trembling lightly as fear makes its home in her features.

Oh, God. She's scared he might be here to reveal her secret.

I stealthily grab her hand under the table, squeezing tight as I give her a comforting look.

She smiles sadly at me, her entire countenance dejected.

Damn you, Ze.

"Commander Azerius, what brings you here? We were not expecting you," Maros notes.

Ze doesn't acknowledge him as he surveys the dining room until his gaze lands on me. His jaw hardens, his eyes gleaming dangerously.

"Balthazar," he calls out, his voice thundering. All the while, he doesn't take his eyes off me as he lifts his hand, awaiting something.

A small man appears from behind, a leash in his hand, which he passes over to Ze.

He grunts, pulling on the leash to reveal the cutest brown cow I've ever seen. Striding into the room, he rounds the dining table, coming right toward me.

Everyone is staring at him dumbfounded, especially as he stops in front of me, extending the leash toward me.

"For you," he nods.

My lashes flutter in confusion.

"What?"

When I don't take the leash from him, he grabs my hand and places it in my open palm.

"It is for you."

"I don't understand." I frown.

"It is a cow," he mentions, his lips compressing.

"I can see it's a cow, but why would you give me a cow?" I ask, still confused.

"It is a cow from your world. For you. To eat."

I stare at him in disbelief.

"You... You brought me a cow?"

"A good cow." He nods. "It was the most expensive cow in your world."

A chuckle echoes in the room, and I look over to see Wyn holding her hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing. There's a mix of amusement and bewilderment in the reactions around the room, but I can only share the latter as I have no idea what might have prompted this display.

I sneak a glance at the cow at the same time as she opens her mouth to release a loudmoobefore coming forward to lick my hand.

A smile pulls at my lips at how cute it is, and I bring my hand to the top of her head to pat her.

"You like it?" Ze asks as he pushes his chin up, his lips curling around the corners.

I don't reply. I have nothing to say to him. But since he brought me this cutie, I can't say no to her.

"You." He points to a staff member on the sidelines. "Take this to the kitchens and have them prepare it for her," he commands.

My eyes widen, and before I know it, I pull the cute cow into my arms, hugging it as I give him a death stare.

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