Chapter 7
To think he’d spoken such nonsense about a lady who’d shown such care…
It felt like the chivalrous spirit he’d sworn to uphold with pride at his knighting ceremony had vanished into thin air.
“I need to apologize to the lady right now!”
Clutching his hair in anguish, Clian spun around. He gave Knox a quick bow and dashed into the hallway.
“I’ll be right back! Please forgive my rudeness!”
Watching Clian disappear like the wind, Knox lowered his gaze to his hand. Staring at his open palm, he carefully clenched it, as if grasping something.
He vaguely recalled the cold sensation from last night. A warmth-infused coldness that had dispelled a horrific nightmare in an instant.
It was distinctly cold, yet it felt warm.
Letting out a small, hollow laugh, he opened and closed his fist repeatedly. The fleeting sensation of that small hand lingered, teetering on the edge of memory.
If I could touch it again…
Startled by the impulsive thought, he quickly shook his head.
It was an astonishingly reckless notion, even for him.
Slowly raising his gaze, he looked at the clumsily made thick quilt and the cold fireplace. Likely the work of the same person.
A strange, unfamiliar emotion began to creep over him.
It was hard to define this new feeling. Realizing that made it even more disorienting.
“…”
But after some thought, it started to make sense. The unfamiliar emotion was akin to the nagging discomfort of a fishbone stuck in his throat from carelessly swallowing a bite as a child, subtly irritating and impossible to ignore.
Was it simply because her actions were unpredictable? Or did it feel like… she knew something?
That can’t be.
If not that, then what?
Nothing was clear, but one thing was certain: he might end up staying at the Viviwood mansion longer than expected.
* * *
“I’m sorry, my lady!”
Dayna glared at Clian with icy eyes.
What? Rundown mansion resources? Immature and greedy beyond her station?
She could tolerate insults about herself, but not about Stella.
“Just go.”
Dayna crossed her arms and turned away. Clian scurried to face her again, speaking quickly.
“I’m truly sorry. I spoke carelessly without knowing the mansion’s difficulties.”
“To speak so carelessly without knowing, seems the Duke of Betelgeuse has chosen an ill-suited aide.”
“You’re right. I’m that lacking. As an apology, I’ll be your aide for the day instead of the Duke’s! What should I do first? Move this? Or head to the kitchen to cook?”
“What?”
“I may not look it, but I’ve lived with a picky older brother for years, so I’m quite confident in my cooking!”
Despite her sharp words, Clian seemed unfazed, rolling up his sleeves. Watching him boast about his culinary skills with a cheeky grin, Dayna couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“What kind of cooking can you do with the meager ingredients we have?”
“That’s my specialty! Creating something from nothing! Just wait—I can make anything with the right tools!”
“Go ahead and try, then.”
Dayna laughed again as she replied.
At first, she’d misunderstood him, but Clian seemed warmer and kinder than she’d thought. Thanks to him, she’d laughed a little.
It was probably the first time she’d laughed out loud since Stella left.
Guiding the enthusiastic Clian to the kitchen, Dayna thought briefly.
Having people in the mansion might not be so bad.
…But she soon changed her mind.
“Clian, you’re a liar.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Didn’t your picky brother get mad at you?”
“He did. A lot.”
The dish Clian had boldly prepared was, in a word, disastrous. It couldn’t even be called food.
Staring at the unrecognizably charred meat, Dayna let out a hollow laugh.
After all his big talk, I even brought out the precious frozen meat…
“This is inedible. I’d better make something new.”
“No need, my lady. I don’t want to trouble you further.”
Knox, watching them from across the table, spoke up.
Dayna, about to stand, paused awkwardly and looked up.
When he was lying pale in bed, she hadn’t noticed, but sitting upright at the table, he had an impressive physique.
He didn’t look like an injured patient at all, healthier, even, than Clian beside him.
Wow, impressive.
…Should I not say that?
Snapping out of her daze after staring at his broad shoulders and solid chest, Dayna stood up.
“No, you haven’t fully recovered yet, Duke. You should eat something edible.”
“Then this isn’t edible…”
Clian’s sad mumble went ignored.
Moving to the kitchen adjacent to the dining room, Dayna opened a high cupboard and pondered.
Let’s see, something quick and simple… Oh!
Deep in the cupboard, she spotted a glass jar of dried fusilli. With some milk recently brought from the village and dried wild herbs, she could whip up a simple pasta.
Smiling, Dayna reached for the jar.
“Ugh.”
But it was out of reach.
Suddenly, she thought of Stella. Taller than Dayna, Stella would effortlessly grab things from high places, though only when Dayna begged with a sheepish smile.
Ugh, sometimes I miss Stella so much it hurts.
Shaking off the bittersweet thought, Dayna stretched upward again.
“Ngh…!”
Too short!
Even on her tiptoes, stretching her short arms as far as she could, the jar only slipped further back as her fingertips brushed it.
Please…!
Just then, she heard footsteps behind her, followed by a sudden warmth. A陌生 hand reached past her, grabbing the jar she’d been struggling for.
“This one?”
A pleasant, deep voice settled over her shoulder.
Startled, Dayna turned. Knox, standing close behind, held the jar of fusilli. More precisely, he was holding both the jar and her hand, which had been reaching for it.
“Y-Yes, that’s it…”
Without loosening his grip, Knox lowered the jar from the shelf. Dayna, caught off guard, took it with her hand still clasped in his.
“Thank you.”
“No need to go to the trouble of cooking, but I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
“No, it’s no trouble at all.”
But… why isn’t he moving back?
Trapped between Knox, who loomed like a wall, and the kitchen table, Dayna couldn’t budge. Clutching the jar tightly, she blinked rapidly.
His warmth and a pleasant scent emanated from his closeness.
“My aide’s been making a lot of mistakes today. I think he’s just eager to do well, so please forgive him generously. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”
Still standing close, Knox spoke. Dayna shook her head quickly, responding in a brisk voice.
“It’s really fine! By the way, is pasta okay? I’m planning to make something simple with milk and wild herbs!”
“Anything is fine.”
With that, Knox stepped back.
Finally exhaling, Dayna turned quickly.
“Go wait in the dining room, and I’ll whip it up fast! I make this often, so it won’t take long.”
“Are your hands always that cold?”
