Sweet as Immortal Flat Peaches

"Sorry about today!" Lucy Luan said, flashing a sheepish grin. "I totally dragged you into this mess out of nowhere."

"Me?" Sean Shaw raised an eyebrow, his voice cool and teasing. "How exactly was I the one getting dragged in?"

"Princess Quinn Xiao, of course!" Lucy said, rolling her eyes. "When she accused His Majesty the Celestial Emperor of playing favorites, she shot you the nastiest glare!"

Sean Shaw just stared, expressionless. "I didn't notice."

"Alright then... So, what brings you here?" Lucy asked, her tone casual.

Sean Shaw, looking all mysterious, pulled a peach from his sleeve and offered it to her.

"Huh? What's this?" Lucy blinked in surprise.

"I had the Eternal Wishfish swipe a Drake Abyss Flat Peach from the royal orchard," Sean admitted, flashing a mischievous grin. "It's for you."

Lucy pointed at him, totally scandalized. "That Eternal Wishfish is a miracle worker! It can restore shattered Soul Cores—and you sent it to swipe a peach!?"

"I... just wanted you to taste what a real Drake Abyss Flat Peach is like," Sean mumbled, half-embarrassed.

Lucy took a deep breath, snatched the peach, and said, "Fine! I'll try it. But you can't use the Wishfish like this again—doesn't it have a limited number of times?"

Sean Shaw nodded, a faint smile on his lips.

The peach was spotless. Lucy took a bite, tasted it, and nodded. "It really is better than the peaches from Peach Blossom Haven—juicier, and the flavor is fresher, too."

"Do you like it?"

"Even if I do, you're not allowed to send the Wishfish to steal more!"

"What I mean is, when the peaches are harvested, Father Emperor usually gives me a few. I'll bring some for you then."

Lucy’s bright eyes sparkled as she grinned. "How many can you get?"

"I can ask Father Emperor for extra," Sean replied.

"Then, when you get them, let's secretly hold a Drake Abyss Flat Peach tasting banquet for a few of us," Lucy suggested. "Sound good?"

Sean looked at her and nodded.

Whatever she said, he found good.

"By the way, did you only steal one?"

"Yeah. The others weren't ripe—only this one was ready."

"Then I'll split it with you."

Sean considered and nodded.

Lucy split the peach in half.

One half was the piece she'd already bitten, a little smaller.

The other half was untouched, a little bigger.

Lucy handed Sean the bigger piece.

Unexpectedly, he took the smaller half—the one with her bite mark—and bit into it.

"Hey!" Lucy cried.

"You eat the bigger one," Sean said, taking another bite.

He was tall, with a big mouth; in two bites, he reached the spot Lucy had bitten.

Lucy was about to say something, but seeing how calm he was, she held back.

She felt something strange in her heart and, for some reason, couldn't say anything.

"Hurry up and eat! Don't let Adrian Drake find out, or he'll make a fuss."

Lucy laughed, "I'm not that fragile—you don't have to go out of your way to comfort me!"

"I'm not comforting you—I just wanted you to taste a Drake Abyss Flat Peach from Dragon Abyss."

"What, trying to help your sister prove that Dragon Abyss peaches really are tastier than those from Peach Blossom Haven?"

Sean fell silent, seeming a bit upset. "Why do you always bring her up? I just wanted to see you enjoy eating..."