Caitlyn's POV
"While I understand that he might not have wanted to reveal his true feelings in front of Kaisa, the coldness evident on his face at that moment was too pronounced."
Back in the room, Leona was still upset about Talon's indifference.
"Perhaps he has his reasons."
I sighed inwardly, reiterating the words I used to reassure myself.
"But he can't be like that. Maybe he's using such an excuse to deceive you. After all, didn't he end up going to Kaisa's room?"
Seeing that I was still defending Talon, Leona couldn't help but roll her eyes at me, and her words pierced me like a needle in the heart.
"I'm sure Talon isn't like that."
"I think you're simply blinded by love right now," Leona remarked, shaking her head gently before rising abruptly. "Whether he's like that or not, I don't think we can keep waiting. That would make us too passive. And the last time we saw Kaisa, I could sense that she counted as our arch-enemy. If we leave it like that, I'm perturbed that Talon will change his mind in the end."
"Then what?" Leona's words fueled my sense of urgency, and worry crept into my heart.
"I think we still need to focus on understanding Talon's character. If the two people don't share the same heart, they'll inevitably drift apart."
Leona made a valid point, and I nodded in agreement.
"So tell me, does Talon have any hobbies or interests? After all, you and Talon have been together for so long; you must be the one who knows him best, giving you the biggest advantage."
A smile slowly appeared on Leona's face, as if I had declared an early victory in this battle against Kaisa in her plan.
"I... I don't know," I admitted, shaking my head with a determined expression.
"How is this even possible? The two of you have been together every day before. While it's impossible to know everything, you should at least be aware of some messages about Talon."
Leona looked at me with a shocked expression, as if trying to confirm the truth of what I said from my expression.
"Well, I've thought about it carefully, and it seems that I really don't know much about Talon. Maybe I am indeed a less competent mate."
I pursed my lips, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Uh, well, I do have an idea, though."
"What?"
I shot up to look at Leona.
"If you want to capture a man's heart, you first have to capture his stomach."
"What do you mean?"
I couldn't help but frown.
"No man will reject a woman who is a great cook. Just think about it when he comes home exhausted after a long day out and suddenly realizes that you've made a table full of delicious delicacies. That's definitely going to make his heart flutter for you."
Leona, with an amazed light in her eyes, danced around and shared the wonderful picture she had in her head.
"But I can't cook."
I could clearly feel a black line floating across the top of Leona's head when I said that.
"That's okay; I'll teach you. We can start with the easiest."
Leona said through gritted teeth and a forced smile, as if she too was on the verge of breaking down.
"Caitlyn, believe in yourself. It's not that hard; just hold on a little longer."
Although Leona was confident in me at first, the smile on her face slowly got a little strained as she witnessed me fail for the umpteenth time.
"I'm sorry, Leona. I'm probably not really very good at cooking."
"Caitlyn, you mustn't get discouraged at this point. Just imagine the look of relief on Talon's face when he's able to taste the pizza you made for him with your own hands. He'll definitely be heartened by what you've done."
"Okay." I took a deep breath, nodded toward Leona, and geared up for another round of attempts. Eventually, I nodded in satisfaction as a rich aroma wafted out of the oven.
"Come taste my handiwork; you're the first to enjoy the food I've made with my own hands," I invited Leona.
Her eyes flashed with a hint of complexity as I presented the steaming pizza to her. Leona picked up a slice of the cut pizza, examined it for a moment, took a small, gentle bite, and closed her eyes.
"It tastes okay, doesn't it?" I looked at Leona expectantly.
"I can't say, but maybe Talon will like the taste; after all, it's food that pours your love," Leona responded. Her words gave me confidence, and I grabbed the food, rushing impatiently toward Talon's room.
"Ms. Caitlyn, what are you doing?" By the time I reached the door, I happened to see Bard coming out of the house, his eyes resting on the pizza in my hands.
"It's a pizza I made myself, and I wanted Talon to try it," I responded excitedly to Bard, already imagining the smile on Talon's face after tasting my creation.
"Alpha would be happy to taste the food you made, except now Alpha Kaisa is in there, and she brought the cake she made," Bard said with a bitter smile and some helplessness.
Before Bard's words left my mouth, I could vaguely hear bursts of laughter coming from Talon's room, which made my heart sink. I took a deep breath, then slowly pushed open the door to Talon's room.
"Caitlyn?" Surprise immediately appeared on Talon's face when she saw me come in. Instead, my eyes lingered on the delicate strawberry cake that lay on the table, a work of art compared to the somewhat unbearable pizza in my hands.
"Did you make this yourself?" Talon greeted me warmly, walking straight towards me before picking up a slice of pizza in his hand.
"Looks like Ms. Caitlyn seems to be cooking for the first time, huh?" Kaisa clasped her hands to her chest with a light smile on her face.
"None of your business," I choked back a little indignantly, and Kaisa shrugged undeniably.
"I didn't know what flavors you like, so I put in some extra ingredients," I said as I watched Talon's face.
Talon picked up a slice of pizza and was about to stuff it into his mouth.
"Slow down!" Kaisa suddenly interrupted Talon's movements.