Chapter 64
Even the regulars who come to eat once a day can’t tell the difference.
“When did he become such a gourmet?”
“Pardon?”
“So, you’re telling me he’s still not eating?”
“That’s correct.”
Ceres clicked her tongue lightly.
She had thought Kainel looked thinner the last time she saw him—maybe that wasn’t just her imagination?
“Please, just make it so Lord Kainel can eat properly again. We’re not asking for anything else.”
“……”
“Can’t you even do that much?”
***
Knock knock.
“Lord Kainel, I’ve brought your meal.”
“I told you I don’t need it.”
Kainel, who hadn’t been able to visit Ceres’s shop that day due to reviewing the documents sent from the imperial palace, responded with a particularly curt tone.
All the documents he’d been told were urgent turned out to be repetitive reports confirming already-decided meetings, which only heightened his irritation.
Are they brainless? Why are they asking about this kind of thing?
“You still have to eat.”
“I said I don’t—”
“What do you mean you don’t? Don’t you know you’ll die if you don’t eat?”
“……?”
“It’s not a very efficient method of suicide, you know.”
At that familiar voice, Kainel finally lifted his head from the papers.
‘You’re not eating breakfast? I wouldn’t recommend that as a suicide method.’
‘…You’ll die from skipping one meal?’
‘Yes. If a person doesn’t eat, how can they live?’
‘Grace, that’s a bit extreme…’
‘Alti, have you ever seen a body that starved to death? The brain starts to rot first. You go stupid. Then the organs decay—’
‘Ack! You’ll die! You’ll turn stupid! Eat up, Kai, you idiot!’
Grace, with her bizarre logic and obsession about food.
She’d never cared much about anything else, but if either Arthia or Kainel skipped a meal, she acted like it was a disaster.
“Eat your food.”
“Why are you here…?”
Ceres. Why is she here?
Kainel looked at her in slight disbelief as she placed a plate on the table.
“You said to repay the debt, didn’t you?”
“Debt?”
“See? Your brain’s already slowing down. You forgot what you just said.”
“……”
“Just eat.”
Kainel looked down at the plate Ceres had placed in front of him.
A steaming hot omelet and a clear soup, freshly made.
It was a dish Grace used to make for him often when he was young.
As he alternated between staring at the food and at Ceres, Kainel slowly picked up a spoon and brought a spoonful of soup to his mouth.
“Ha…”
This is driving me insane.
He let out a short laugh without meaning to.
It was, without a doubt, the taste he remembered.
Kainel stared intently at Ceres.
Am I losing my mind with longing and imagining things?
Or could you really be…
“Be sure to record this on my daily wage. Don’t forget.”
“Only if you don’t pick out the bell peppers.”
Whip!
“Hey.”
Don’t pick out the bell peppers.
***
“What’s up with him?”
“He’s just sulking because he has no one to play with.”
Crown Prince Aserian de Devrica, who had come to visit the Magic Tower, looked curiously at Chaian, who was more lethargic than usual.
“No one to play with? Who?”
“That temporary secretary.”
“What? She won’t hang out with him anymore?”
“That’s what he said.”
“So he’s sulking?”
“Most likely.”
Chaian, sitting gloomily by the window as if he had lost the whole world, suddenly flared up at Aserian and Luka’s exchange.
“You think I’m a child? Like I’d sulk just because someone won’t play with me!”
“Pretty sure you are sulking though.”
“Looks like it to me.”
“Hey!”
Not even wanting to continue the conversation, Chaian turned his head away sharply and stared out the window again.
Not long ago, he’d heard that Ceres had ended up working at the side of Duke Kainel of Persia.
Despite his many attempts to pay off her debt, she never once considered it—and yet in the end, she chose that man.
‘Something’s not right.’
When it comes to Ceres—her atmosphere changes whenever she’s with Kainel Persia.
With others, she’s always indifferent, maintaining that innate coldness.
But when she’s with him, it’s like her emotional temperature rises by a few degrees.
Hard to say for sure, but the Ceres beside the Duke of Persia feels just slightly different. A little less stern, perhaps.
“…It’s annoying.”
Ever since seeing the two of them together, something deep inside kept bubbling up.
It was irritating. Draining.
Why? Why am I this angry?
“Chaian.”
“What.”
What now?
At Crown Prince Aserian’s call, Chaian responded in a grumpy tone without even turning his head.
“Alex is coming back.”
“…What?”
But at the next words, Chaian immediately turned, wide-eyed, his sulking forgotten.
“Alex is coming back? Really? He can come back now? His health?”
“He seems much better.”
“Seriously?”
A smile spread quickly across Chaian’s lips, and Aserian chuckled quietly.
‘He’s really that happy.’
Alex de Devrica.
The Empire’s third prince—and their younger half-brother.
He had always been especially precious to Chaian, who doted on him deeply from a young age.
But he was born very weak and had spent most of his life away from the capital for treatment.
Now, he’d finally sent word that he would return.
“Alex must’ve grown a lot, huh?”
“…Huh?”
“I mean our Alex.”
“What are you talking about? His Highness Prince Alex was already tall and handsome before he left the capital.”
Luka clicked his tongue lightly.
Alex is nineteen this year.
There’s only a three-year difference between him and Chaian, so why does he always treat him like a baby?
Does Chaian think if someone’s sickly, they stop aging?
But Luka seemed to be the only one thinking that way.
“Luka, you fool. Our Alex is still young.”
“He’s young.”
“Right?”
“Are you both insane?”
Luka slowly shook his head.
Maybe the reason Alex stayed away from the capital for so long wasn’t just for his health, but because he didn’t want to deal with these two.
“So? When’s he arriving?”
“Not sure. He didn’t say exactly, but it should be soon.”
Whether Luka looked at them in disbelief or not, the two brothers simply exchanged joyful smiles.
***
“You said I just had to feed him.”
“Haha…”
“You said all you wanted was for me to feed him.”
“Ha…haha…”
“Liar.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Del, Kainel’s aide, laughed awkwardly as Ceres stared coldly at him.
“Would you care to explain why I had to follow you all the way here?”
“Well… Haha…”
Ceres threw a final glare at him before turning to direct all her irritation toward Kainel, who was walking ahead.
What is with him lately?
Since when did he like going places with other people?
The place Ceres had followed them to was none other than the imperial palace, where a royal meeting was taking place.
The reason she was here again was because Kainel insisted she accompany him.
‘Why would I?’
‘You need to pay back your debt.’
‘……’
‘You remember what the contract said, right? You have to follow me wherever I want. Or do you want to pay a penalty?’
…Damn it. Being broke is the worst.
So she had no choice but to follow him to the palace from early morning.
‘I’ll probably have to wait a while again.’
Last time, when she came with Chaian, the meeting ended early due to a security alarm.
But that wouldn’t happen this time.
Ceres, knowing full well how royal meetings dragged on, sighed inwardly.
“Where are you going?”
“Me? To the waiting room.”
She was about to follow Del to the room where secretaries and aides waited, just like last time—until Kainel’s voice stopped her.
“Then who’s attending me?”
“…Attending?”
“Yeah. Attending.”
“……”
Ceres instinctively turned to look at Del.
Del smiled awkwardly and quickly looked away.
“You have to pay off your debt.”
“Is that all you ever say?”
“Come on.”
She turned her eyes back to Del.
He just stood there waving his hand as if to say, “Good luck!”
Grinding her teeth, Ceres had no choice but to follow Kainel into the meeting hall.
That jerk…
Attending? Atteeeending??
Ha!
Since when did he ever need attending?
Most nobles at these meetings bring a servant or attendant.
They’re the kind of people who can’t even pour themselves a glass of water.
“You usually bring attendants in?”
“Yup. Around 300 of them. But since you’re here today, I sent them all away.”
Ugh, you… That’s not even funny!
Ceres silently gnashed her teeth at his shameless reply.
—
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