Chapter 108: Bottoms Up
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: Bottoms Up
“What exactly are you asking me to help you with?”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but is it right to treat an innocent person like this? Do you have any idea how many years I’ve served as Her Highness the Consort’s maid?”
Janet had just managed to squeeze out a single tear, her face a mask of anger feigned as righteous indignation.
The Aide spoke, his face colder than she had ever seen it.
“For someone who has spent so many years as Her Highness’s maid to commit such an act… have you no sense of shame?”
“I told you, I didn’t do anything!” Janet shrieked.
Shame? In her own mind, she was already as good as innocent. Moreover, she didn't want to be seen being hauled away like this in front of the Grand Duchess’s other maid.
Watching the veins bulge in Janet’s neck as she huffed and puffed, Perel spoke indifferently.
“It seems you’re hoping someone else will confess your sins for you. Don’t you worry.”
The Aide tilted his head slightly to the side.
“Even if you don’t want to, you’ll be spilling everything soon enough. The dungeons of the Grand Duke’s Castle are far beyond anything you can imagine.”
Janet tried to protest further, but Tiern gave a sharp jerk of his chin, signaling that he had heard enough.
“Sir Perel! Wait! I really don’t know anything!”
Janet screamed with all her might, but no answer came.
Goodness, look at him.
Cecilia swallowed her surprise at seeing this chilling side of Perel for the first time. Her previous worries about him being a pushover felt entirely misplaced.
I suppose he is the Grand Duke’s Aide after all.
Just as Cecilia was feeling a spark of admiration—
“Ugh…”
A pathetic groan reached her ears.
“I thought I was going to die of fright.”
Perel’s legs buckled like a man who had lost his soul, forcing Cecilia to grab his arm in a hurry.
“What are you doing?”
As she propped up his limp, paper-thin frame, Perel began to tremble violently.
“What on earth was there to be scared of?”
“Miss Janet!” Perel gulped hard. “When she glared at me earlier, I honestly thought she was going to punch me.”
Sigh. I take back my admiration.
“Sir Perel, are you really a knight? How can a knight be such a coward?”
“It’s not that I’m a coward! It’s just that she’s a lady, so I couldn’t exactly get rough with her, could I?”
Perel insisted so vehemently that he would have handled it differently if it had been a man that Cecilia had no choice but to nod along.
“Fine, fine. Just straighten your shoulders.”
“And if you’re that scared of a lady, call me next time. I’ll let a much scarier lady handle it for you.”
“That is very reassuring.”
Watching Perel look genuinely relieved at those words, Cecilia stifled a hollow laugh.
Sharp as a blade? Yeah, right.
The Grand Duke’s Aide was clearly a man as soft as pudding.
*
All the way back to my room, I poured out my grievances to Loik.
“…Can you believe she said I look like the Marquis?”
“We truly cannot let this slide. I will see to it that she is severely punished tomorrow.”
Complaints continued to spill out of my mouth despite myself. The more I acted like a spoiled child, the more my heart felt at ease.
I didn't realize how comforting it would be to have someone take my side.
After telling everything to Loik, who reacted to my every word and soothed me with such tenderness, my heart felt much lighter.
Actually, was it a bit too light?
Growl.
An embarrassing sound echoed from my stomach. The tips of my ears turned red with shame.
“You haven’t even had a proper meal. I’ll have them prepare something light for you immediately.”
Without even a hint of a smile, Loik saw me to my room and quietly disappeared.
I had just finished washing up and was leaning against the sofa with my exhausted body when Loik returned, personally wheeling in a trolley.
“I told them to prepare a few simple things, but…”
“This is ‘simple’?”
My eyes went wide as I looked at the dishes Loik was placing on the table.
From warm, toasted bread and cream soup to tender poached seafood fondue, salmon steak with sautéed vegetables, thinly sliced ham and sausages, and even strawberries topped with cream. It was a full-course meal that could rival anything served at a banquet.
They were all my favorite dishes.
“I heard you didn’t even get to eat lunch properly.”
As I moved to get up from the sofa, Loik closed the distance in two long strides and naturally scooped me up into his arms.
“I—I can walk!”
Earlier, I had impulsively jumped into his arms in front of everyone because I was upset. But right now, I wasn't in any pain at all. Besides, the distance from the sofa to the table was barely ten steps.
“You mustn't overexert yourself.”
Loik pulled me firmly against his chest. In the end, I had no choice but to sit quietly like a baby as he moved me to the table.
“Didn't you say you were in a lot of pain?”
He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his eyes full of concern. That gentle gesture made my heart flutter.
“I’m really not hurting at all now.”
I felt a bit embarrassed, thinking I had acted too much like a child.
“Start with the soup. Eating too fast might upset your stomach.”
Loik pressed a spoon into my hand and began cutting the food on the plates into bite-sized pieces.
“You didn't eat dinner either, did you, Loik? Let’s eat together.”
Come to think of it, he must have galloped here without a single bite to eat.
“I’ve eaten enough.”
“Liar. I can’t finish all of this by myself anyway.”
I speared a large piece of sausage with my fork and held it up to Loik’s lips.
“Say ‘ah.’”
Loik, who had been meticulously dicing the garnish into bird-sized pieces, suddenly froze. His dark eyes wavered awkwardly.
“Hurry up.”
When I gave the fork a little wiggle in front of him, he hesitated before opening his mouth. The sausage on the fork disappeared into his mouth.
“Is it good?”
Loik savored the taste slowly before giving a small nod.
Now it’s my turn.
I was about to take a bite of sausage myself when I realized Loik was already holding a piece up to my mouth with his fork. I hadn't meant for him to feed me back.
“It is delicious,” Loik whispered in a low voice when I didn't immediately open my mouth.
Eventually, I parted my lips slightly, and the sausage slid in. Regardless of the embarrassment, the salty sausage was incredibly tasty. Having skipped lunch, my appetite had fully returned.
Starting with the sausage, I began to enthusiastically clear the plates. As I ate, Loik slowly pushed the various dishes toward me.
“Don’t do that again in the future,” Loik said softly as he watched me chew.
“Do what?”
“If you’re in pain, call Enolius immediately. Why did you endure it?”
Loik grumbled under his breath, muttering that making a delegation wait was no big deal.
“But what if they thought I was intentionally absent just to insult them?”
“They were the ones who were rude first.”
“I don’t want to be seen as being just like them.”
When I tilted my head at him, Loik let out a small, soft chuckle.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Because it’s impossible for someone as lovely as you to look like those bastards.
His low, vibrating voice made my cheeks flush crimson. How could he say such things so casually without a hint of embarrassment?
He’s surprisingly bold.
Finding myself speechless, I looked away and spotted a transparent glass bottle sitting in a wine bucket on the trolley.
“What’s that?”
At my question, Loik pulled the bottle out from the ice. Inside was a faint, golden liquid. At the bottom of the bottle sat small, white granules.
“It’s a fruit wine. I had to stop by a village on the way…”
Loik turned the bottle upside down and gave it a gentle shake. Like a snow globe, the white particles that had been settled at the bottom began to swirl slowly through the liquid.
“I bought it because I thought you might like it.”
At my gasp of admiration, Loik asked with a slightly expectant look, “Would you like to try some?”
“I’d love to!”
Loik poured the drink until the wine glass was half full.
“The alcohol content isn't high, but you should still drink it slowly.”
As I brought the glass to my nose, a refreshing scent of fruit wafted up. And the moment I took a cautious sip—
A tingling, refreshing sensation burst across my palate.
Is it carbonated?
I quickly took another sip. The slightly bitter yet sweet taste instantly sharpened my senses.
“This is delicious!”
Ignoring Loik’s warning to drink slowly, I began to gulp it down. The white particles in my mouth were surprisingly soft and chewy, like bits of jelly.
My goodness, I can’t believe there’s sparkling wine in this world! After the spicy tomato stew, this was the second time my tastes had been perfectly hit.
“I want more.”
When I held out my glass, Loik poured only half as much as before.
“Hey, give me more.”
“You’ll get drunk if you drink too much. You don’t handle your alcohol well.”
“I’m not weak with alcohol!”
“Don’t lie. When we first met…”
Loik trailed off.
Ah. He meant that day. The day I got wasted, broke into his room without permission, caught a glimpse of him naked, smashed all his plates, almost gave myself a concussion, and made blood pour from his arm.