Hope at the Servants' Feast
A grand banquet was held for the servants.
It wasn't just for those who had discovered additional dural fields and made significant contributions to creating fertilizer. All the servants who had remained at Grace Castle until the very end, despite receiving meager wages that poured in like rain during the drought, gathered at the banquet hall.
Chloe had specifically instructed the head chef not to skimp on the food.
Throughout the evening meal, lively laughter never left the table.
Though they had been bewildered by their lord suddenly acting like a completely different person, a hope that had never even peeked out before began to stir and come alive in their hearts.
The hope that they too might be able to live well, the expectation that things would gradually get better from now on, and the relief that they would no longer have to go hungry.
Because they were the ones who had relied on each other until the very end, tonight's banquet held even greater meaning.
"Is everyone gathered and eating together?"
Chloe asked Delma, who had finished her meal early and returned, with a subtle smile.
It was only one meal, but hearing that someone was enjoying the kindness she had shown always lifted her spirits.
"Yes, everyone is quite excited."
Delma squinted her eyes as if thinking of her troublemaking son, but even her own lips were curved upward and showed no sign of coming down.
"That's a relief. Make sure there's plenty of food so no one goes without."
"Yes, my lady."
"Did you have a drink too, Delma?"
"Yes, I had five glasses because I was in such a good mood."
Delma wore a triumphant expression as she spread all five fingers wide.
"What kind of drink?"
"Ale. It hasn't been long since it was brewed, so the flavor wasn't fully developed, but it was still quite drinkable."
"Ale?"
Chloe had never been particularly fond of alcohol to begin with. She had a rough idea of what wine tasted like, but ale was something she was hearing about for the first time. It seemed similar to beer.
"Yes. The head chef made such a fuss, boasting about it as soon as he received the grain rations."
"I'm curious what it tastes like."
She recalled the times after finishing her convenience store shifts when, on particularly exhausting days, she would occasionally splurge on a single can of beer.
When an ice-cold beer slid down her throat with a glug-glug while her body felt like lead, her mind would sharpen all the way to the tips of her hair, and a satisfied "ahhh" would escape on its own.
The only snack was a single bag of chips, but that time had been her sole reward.
As Chloe swallowed her saliva while reminiscing, Delma narrowed her eyes as if to say "don't even dream of it" and shook her head firmly.
"You are not yet an adult, my lady, so you must not drink alcohol. You know that, don't you?"
"I'm almost an adult, though."
"Almost doesn't count! Absolutely not."
"Tch!"
"Instead, on the day of your coming-of-age birthday party, I will prepare a very delicious wine for you."
"Fine. Make sure you keep that promise."
While Chloe and Delma were exchanging lighthearted banter, a loud commotion could be heard from outside.
"Chloe! Chloe!"
A familiar yet unpleasant voice kept calling Chloe's name. The voice was coming from right outside the office.
Chloe frowned and stood up from her seat.
"What is that noise?"
"It sounds like Lord Ray's voice, doesn't it?"
"Ray? That thug?"
Delma felt a slight doubt about whether Chloe's feelings were genuine, seeing how she now casually called him a thug when he had once professed such desperate love, claiming he would die for her. No matter how much she had matured, Delma couldn't believe a person's heart could change so drastically overnight.
When Delma remained silent and simply stared with wide eyes, Chloe called for Handsome, who was standing nearby.
"Butler."
"Yes, my lady."
"How did that man get inside my castle? Who let him in?"
Chloe had never given permission for Ray to enter the castle again.
At the lord's voice, now completely devoid of any trace of laughter, both Handsome and Delma's faces instantly hardened with tension. In that fleeting moment, their gazes met in the air, and Delma breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she didn't have to answer the question. Handsome, on the other hand, fidgeted anxiously and lowered his head.
"My apologies. I will go out and find out immediately."
Handsome bowed at the waist and spoke hurriedly.
Red Bear, the knight commander, would never have allowed Ray inside. He had clearly witnessed how Chloe had treated him last time.
Chloe was certain that one of the gatekeepers must be in league with Ray.
"There must be people who took bribes from Ray. Find them all and dismiss them."
"Yes! Understood."
No matter how kindly she treated the servants, if they followed an outsider who gave them petty bribes more than they followed her, there was no need to keep them around.
They could go follow Ray for all she cared.
Delma's gaze quickly followed Handsome's retreating figure as he answered and left the room, then returned to her lord.
"What shall we do about Lord Ray?"
"Chloe! Come out! Chloe, my love! I told you I came!"
Ray's voice from beyond the door remained fervent. Seeing that he couldn't enter the office and was only shouting from outside, it seemed the knights guarding the front were doing their job properly.
"Let him in."
"Pardon? You're not going to throw him out?"
Delma, who had been mentally preparing to drive Ray away, widened her eyes at the unexpected order.
Delma was once again worried that her lord's heart had softened. The voice from outside now sounded like it was sobbing.
The way he slurred Chloe's name suggested he was heavily intoxicated.
"Yes. Let's just watch and see what he has to say. I was getting bored anyway, so this is perfect timing. Let him in. Ah, and the knights standing guard outside as well. We might need to throw him out right away."
When Chloe said this with a wink, Delma finally seemed reassured and smiled brightly before heading outside. Her steps as she hurried out the door were light and cheerful.
A moment later, Ray staggered into the office, looking completely disheveled.
The smell of alcohol grew stronger the closer he came. Chloe frowned and waved her hand in front of her face.
"Chloe. I knew you'd call for me."
Ray approached with tears welling in his eyes, looking pitiful.
If one only looked at his appearance, he had the kind of looks that made one want to pat his back and comfort him immediately. Already the most handsome among handsome men, with transparent tears brimming in his eyes, he put even a white lily to shame.
But Chloe already knew exactly what kind of person Ray was, so his sculpted appearance stirred no emotion in her whatsoever.
On the contrary, seeing him desperately trying to use his good looks made her not even want to look at him.
"Speak properly. I didn't call you—you came looking for me. Out of my generosity, I simply opened the door."
Chloe took a step back to avoid the smell of alcohol and spoke irritably.
"So you're saying you've opened the door to your heart again. For me."
Ray took another step closer, inflating and exaggerating things as he pleased.
"Don't talk nonsense about doors to my heart."
"Chloe! Why has my angel-like Chloe changed so much? Who on earth made our Chloe like this? Bring them here right now!"
Ray shouted loudly as if Chloe had another man.
Chloe started to retort but then closed her mouth, curious to see how long he would keep spouting such nonsense.
When Chloe simply stared at him without saying a word, Ray began to believe his own words were true.
"Chloe, how could you do this to me? I told you that you were my everything. Did you find another man already? Did that bastard tell you to abandon me and only look at him? Who the hell is he!"
For some reason, Chloe's status window suddenly appeared.
"There is someone. Someone far more capable than you, someone who shines just by existing."
"What? Is he better looking than me?"
Ray's eyes sparkled as he stopped staggering and straightened his posture. He seemed more offended by the claim that the other man was superior to him than by the existence of another man. Chloe smiled teasingly as she replied.
"Of course. He's not even comparable to someone like you. And he's always desperate to give me things, completely unlike you who's always scheming to take from me."
Ray stared at Chloe for a long moment, then suddenly formed a relaxed smile on his lips and spoke dismissively.
"Liar."
"What?"
"It's a lie. You're acting like this because you're angry that I keep bringing Erma around."
It was a moment when Chloe truly understood what it meant to talk to a wall.
Looking at Ray, she felt certain that no matter what she said, he would interpret it however he wanted to understand.
"I'll say it again—whether you bring Erma or Garma, it doesn't matter to me at all."
Despite Chloe's firm answer, Ray sighed deeply and shook his head.
"I know how much you loved me. But know this—I love you too much as well. So let's stop this meaningless argument. I've already made it clear to Erma. She won't be coming back into Grace Castle anymore. So Chloe, stop tormenting yourself and come here into my arms."
Ray spread both arms wide with an expression dripping with innocent charm.
Chloe let out a hollow laugh at how absurd it was.
Taking her smile as permission, Ray walked toward Chloe with a moved expression, arms still spread wide.
Chloe stood with her arms crossed, watching him approach in disbelief, and when he came within reach, she grabbed one of his fingers tightly.
"Chloe. Why are you only holding my finger? Are you embarrassed?"
Ray smiled greasily, raising his cheeks as if finding it cute. Chloe felt like she had ten sticks of butter shoved into her mouth and rubbed against her gums.
Unable to tolerate the slimy Ray any longer, Chloe yanked the index finger she was holding downward with a sharp crack!
"Aaaaargh!"
Ray jumped up and down, desperately trying to pull his injured hand away. Chloe was about to bend his other fingers as well but simply brushed off her palm.
"You! You! This—!"
Just as the enraged Ray, his face flushed red, was about to charge at Chloe—
Thud!
With a dull sound, Ray collapsed to the floor like a late autumn leaf.
"How dare you lay a hand on her!"
Delma, who had shoved Ray away with her shoulder, shouted with a flushed face, breathing heavily.