Chapter 009: Just Curious
“I’m tired!”
Alexis kicked away the loafer who was clinging to him and left the spot. He heard grumbling behind his back, but he didn’t care.
The buzz from the alcohol didn’t last very long either. Breathing in the cold air, he walked along the street as the sunset gradually deepened. Walking with heavy steps and his hands thrust into his pockets, his clothes in disarray, he felt as if he were left all alone in this world.
‘What a piece of trash!’
He truly couldn’t stand this feeling. Misery, loneliness, and, invariably at times like this, the sad face of his aunt Eureia also came to mind.
-Please, get me out of here…….
Eureia, at most, only had a slightly youthful mind. However, the family had harshly confined her to the East Annex. It was perhaps a natural progression that Alexis, who grew up suffering severe discrimination from the Countess of Glister, became close with his confined aunt.
Returning to the Count’s estate out of habit, he felt his mood sinking further and further. Now, entering the mansion, watching the unity of the family members except for him was also an ordeal.
Still, not in the mood to go back to drinking or flirting with people, Alexis moved his heavy steps and then suddenly turned his head. The place where his gaze returned was none other than the East Annex.
Separated by trees planted densely like a wall, the East Annex was hidden enough that it couldn’t be found unless one intentionally took an interest and stepped inside.
Alexis suddenly recalled the sense of strangeness he had felt in the East Annex before. An atmosphere completely different from when Aunt Eureia had stayed. There wasn’t the slightest trace of the energy through which he could remember his aunt. But nevertheless…….
‘Damn it.’
He ground his teeth.
‘What am I doing?’
Before he knew it, his footsteps were heading toward the East Annex.
‘I’m just curious. Curious…….’
How can she live like that in such a dark and gloomy place? He was amazed. That curiosity easily won over his heart that didn’t want to enter the Count’s mansion. He eventually reached the East Annex.
“…….”
Arriving in front of the annex, he hesitated for a moment. What could he say before going in? He had come and gone as he pleased when it was empty, but now it strictly had an owner. It was also the place where his wife-in-name-only, whom he had treated coldly and hadn’t even looked at, was confined.
‘Right, just to check on how she’s doing.’
Having barely found a justification, Alexis opened the door, feeling unusually nervous. And as soon as he opened it, the warmth and a delicious smell that touched his cheeks overwhelmed him.
* * *
Roanne wanted to eat something spicy. However, spicy food was limited here. Even if it was spicy, at most, it was only a chili sauce that didn’t even make an impression.
‘If it doesn’t work, make it work.’
Roanne went to the market directly with Leah and bought various food ingredients. Among them were small peppers that looked terrifyingly toxic at a glance.
“Aren’t those practically poisonous plants?”
Leah, who was even afraid to prepare the peppers, flinched. Roanne chuckled and mixed them into an oil sauce.
“Who said we’re eating these alone? It’s so refreshing and delicious when you dip something greasy in it.”
Thus, Roanne boiled two chunks of pork neck with various herbs and vegetables into Suyuk. A savory and appetizing smell wafted from the pork neck, which was infused with the umami of the vegetables.
“Ah, I can’t stand it.”
Leah, who was preparing the food, also muttered with an ecstatic face. They set out bacon potato soup, pork boiled with herbs, oil chili sauce, and a mountain of salad.
“You know what, Leah?”
Roanne said as she brought the food to the table.
“A person must eat dinner well, by all means.”
She sat down, smacking her lips.
“Eat well, Leah.”
“You too, Lady Roanne.”
It was just as they sat in their respective seats and were about to pick up their spoons.
“A…h.”
At that moment, the eyes of Leah, who was sitting across from Roanne, widened. Roanne, who was about to pick up her spoon with a joyful face, tilted her head and followed Leah’s gaze.
“Gasp!”
Wasn’t a man of such exquisite beauty that it felt like one’s heart would stop—no, her husband, Alexis—standing there blankly?
Moreover, Alexis was also looking at them with an embarrassed and awkward face.
“…It seems you were having a meal.”
Roanne looked at him blankly for a moment.
“I seem to have disturbed you. Eat comfortably. I’ll… come next time.”
At Roanne’s expression, Alexis also flushed and turned his body. At that awkward attitude, Roanne stood up for the time being.
“Since you’ve come this far, at least have a meal before you go.”
Alexis, who was about to open the door and leave again, stopped in his tracks. Looking at that back, Roanne continued.
“We’ve prepared so much that the two of us couldn’t possibly finish it, so come and eat with us. I don’t know if it’ll suit your palate, though.”
“…….”
Alexis was silent for a moment. It was to the point where one could feel him having many thoughts during those few seconds. Roanne clicked her tongue inwardly and examined Alexis’s appearance.
‘I mean, for someone who is supposedly a child of a noble family, his clothes are all disheveled and wrinkled… but the fit is still good. Since his looks are top-tier, even if his clothes are rags, he still shines. No, what on earth am I thinking.’
Roanne slapped her cheek mentally and quickly stopped her thoughts.
“If you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do—”
Roanne, feeling embarrassed by the reaction of Alexis who remained stationary without any movement, was about to speak.
As Alexis slowly turned his head, she felt as if her breath had stopped. A face that was sorrowful and lost in thought. When that dazzling silver hair and those mysterious bluish-purple eyes turned toward her, Roanne felt her body tremble.
‘This is just an instinctive sense of awe one feels when facing a magnificent work of art.’
She barely managed to organize her thoughts like that.
“……If it’s not a burden.”
The swaggering and sharp appearance from when she first saw him was nowhere to be found. Only a face like an inexperienced and edgy boy was there. Roanne felt her face flush and bit her lip.
‘Ah, I’m weak to this kind of thing.’
This is bad. Muttering to herself, Roanne pulled his arm in a friendly manner.
“What do you mean by burden? We’re just eating leftover food together. Don’t say such uncomfortable things and hurry up and come sit. I’m starving to death.”
Somehow, Alexis was pulled along helplessly as Roanne led him. It was just as Leah, who had been holding her breath while watching this, was about to pick up her dish and stand up.
“Just sit and eat, Leah.”
Roanne said. Then she turned her head toward Alexis.
“We usually eat here together. It’s okay for the three of us to just eat comfortably, right? There’s nothing uncomfortable about it, right?”
What could Alexis say from the position of someone who suddenly intruded without an appointment? He nodded silently. Roanne smiled brightly and sent a wink to Leah. Leah quickly prepared Alexis’s utensils.
“Eat well, Alexis.”
At the sudden mention of his name, Alexis raised his eyes and looked toward Roanne. However, Roanne was already moving her fork quickly, as if she couldn’t wait any longer.
‘She eats really well.’
It was the first time in his life that Alexis had seen a woman, and a noble lady at that, eating so ravenously.
“Ah, I was really hungry today.”
As if talking to someone, Roanne muttered to herself and ate the Suyuk with sauce, looking truly delighted and wearing a full smile.
With her mouth full of meat, she looked like a squirrel. Seeing her eat without stopping didn’t look as bad as he thought. It wasn’t elegant or aristocratic, but the more he saw her…….
‘I’m getting hungry, too.’
Alexis also picked up his spoon hesitantly. He didn’t usually have a large appetite, but seeing Roanne eat suddenly made him feel hungry.
“How is it?”
Roanne asked, watching Alexis eat the Suyuk carefully.
“It’s delicious, right?”
She kindly placed the bacon potato soup in front of him.
“If you feel the sauce is spicy, it’ll get better if you take a spoonful of this soup. Eating something sweet after something spicy, and eating something salty after something spicy—if you eat like that, it’ll go down endlessly.”
Is that why I’m gaining weight? Hahaha—as Roanne burst into laughter, Leah, who had been silently watching Alexis’s reaction, spoke up carefully.
“Compared to how much you eat, you don’t gain weight, Lady Roanne.”
“Well, that’s because I work that much.”
“If you hadn’t worked, by now.”
“I would have had to alter and wear all my clothes.”
Roanne said.
“I eat and move to save on the cost of clothes. Do you know my labor, Leah?”
Alexis’s hand, which was about to take a slow meal, flinched mid-air. His eyes, clouded with a feeling of disbelief, turned toward Roanne.
“Saving on the cost of clothes, what on earth does that mean?”
His voice echoed coldly.
