Chapter 8
“Young master, please eat!
In the pitch-black darkness of the room, the only thing that shone like a ray of sunlight, as always, was Aria’s bright voice.
Eric’s dark gaze followed the small light seeping through the crack in the door.
“Young master, at this rate, you’re going to collapse from malnutrition. Why do you keep refusing to eat? I secretly brought this from the dining room, so please eat it quickly.
Aria smiled brightly at the indifferent Eric once again today. Unbeknownst to her, the kindness of a stranger can sometimes create a ripple effect in the other person.
Eric stared at the chicken stew with lentils on the silver plate for a long time.
The moment I scooped a spoonful of the cold stew, a sound breaking the silence came from an unexpected place.
Grrr. The owner of the sound, with a face turning bright red, hurriedly clasped their hands over their stomach.
Aria raised her voice for no reason, feeling embarrassed.
“Haha. I clearly ate a lot of the leftover food in the dining room earlier, so why is this happening? Don’t mind me and just eat…
Grrr. Eric was young, but he knew. The countess never prepares enough food. Because they knew very well that all the leftover food from the employer would belong to the servants.
Eric, who was putting stew in his mouth, put down his spoon after a few bites.
“No, young master!
“How much stew is there, anyway? And if you get caught taking the leftover food outside, you’ll just get scolded by the master!
“Then you should eat it.”
“Yes…?”
“Or else, I would have gotten scolded again today for sneaking food without the owner’s knowledge.”
Terrified, Aria hesitated but eventually brought the plate in front of Eric closer to her.
A stew with a sweet aroma. She couldn’t stand her growling stomach any longer and hurriedly started eating the stew.
I didn’t even realize that a gentle smile was finally forming on Eric’s indifferent face as he watched the scene. The life of a pitiful and unfortunate maid who lives her whole life under her master’s watchful eye.
Looking at Aria, who resembled his mother, Eric hated himself for being able to do so little.
Was it from that time? He wanted to have the complete power to protect someone.
A small strength that allows me to proudly protect what is mine from those who laughed and mocked me.
“Surely, this food isn’t for just one person.”
A table filled only with silence. Eric’s sharp voice pierced Aria’s ears.
Flustered, Aria hurriedly examined the food laid out on the table.
Chicken stew with asparagus salad and freshly baked warm bread. It’s more than enough for lunch.
Eric only raised one eyebrow crookedly, as if he didn’t like it.
Aria, glancing at her master, hurriedly took out her notebook and began to write.
[If you have any specific food you would like to eat….]
Before Aria could finish taking notes, Eric’s deep voice echoed through the dining room.
Steak, huh? Isn’t it an old custom of the Bailey family not to eat meat except at dinner?
Eric couldn’t possibly not know that, but he merely made his demands with an arrogant expression.
With an arrogant attitude as if they wouldn’t consider the customs of this place at all.
Have I forgotten the old customs because I’ve been living in the harsh battlefield all this time?
At the moment when Aria was flustered while looking at Eric, Eric slowly lifted his gaze towards Aria.
“One is not enough. Prepare as generously as possible.
At Eric’s words, the hands of the maids who were attending to him froze. They were all at a loss, only glancing at Aria.
Feeling an overwhelming wave of fatigue, Aria was dizzy, but she couldn’t cut off her master’s demands with her own hands.
When Aria gave a signal to the maids, they hurriedly headed towards the main building.
In the annex’s dining room, where only Eric and Aria remained, an eerie silence soon enveloped the space.
Eric, with his arms crossed and eyes gently closed, turned his gaze away from the meal in front of him.
Next to him, Aria had no choice but to look at him with an uncomfortable expression.
How much time has passed? The head chef, holding a plate of freshly cooked steak, entered the dining room accompanied by the maids who had gone on an errand.
As soon as the head chef entered, he glared at Aria with a fierce look, as if to scold her. As the dedicated maid, it was a kind of reprimand for not being able to handle her own master.
When Aria silently lowered her head, the chef clicked his tongue at the sight and then walked past her. Soon, a plate with a steak was placed in front of Eric.
Eric frowned at the sight of a small piece of steak just plopped onto the plate, contrary to my orders to prepare a generous amount.
The chef looked at Eric and said.
“Young master, I’m sorry, but there is no steak prepared separately for lunch. This is also one of the extra portions prepared for dinner, which has been cooked in advance. Next time, please keep this in mind.
The arrogant chef, having finished speaking, bowed his head mockingly at Eric. It was also an implicit message to not bother oneself with such matters in the future.
The chef who had worked at the Bailey household for decades was one of the few who knew better than anyone else that Eric was a love child.
But the chef didn’t know something. The person standing in front of me right now is no longer a small boy that I can easily dismiss.
“Perhaps because I’ve been away from home for so long, the servant’s attitude is terrible. How dare you arbitrarily decide the master’s meal.
“Young master, that’s not it…”
“I am the captain of the imperial guard, here to deliver a congratulatory letter on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor. My mother also guided me to the annex to give you the proper reception. How dare you, a mere nobody, disrespect me?
As Eric’s blue pupils gleamed through his black bangs, the chef’s complexion began to darken little by little.
“Do, young master…!
“Starting today, I’m assigning a dedicated head chef here. Otherwise, I’ll take your precious life in an instant.
“Head chef, you say? I haven’t heard such a thing from the master…
“If your father hears about your arrogant behavior, he will give permission right away.”
“Please, please spare me, young master!, I was reckless!
The chef knelt before Eric and repeatedly begged with both hands.
“I-I will prepare the meal again and come back!
“Please, spare my life!
He was usually a chef who walked around with his eyes narrowed, but in front of Eric’s overwhelming gaze, he became a different person.
Eric glanced at him and then turned his head.
As the frantic head chef hurriedly signaled, the maids behind her dashed to the main building like the wind.
Before long, the chefs, who had come with plates full in both hands, simultaneously set down the steaks.
The enormous amount of food made not only Aria but also the onlookers’ mouths drop open in amazement.
‘Will you really be able to eat it all…….’
Contrary to Aria’s concerns, Eric shot a cold glare at the chef.
Hearing the sound of the chef and the cook leaving, Eric picked up the knife in front of him and started slicing the steak.
The once noisy dining room was now only filled with the occasional sound of Aria pouring wine and Eric chopping.
Her gaze, which had been glancing at Eric, soon turned to the glistening steak.
How long has it been since I’ve had steak? The oblivious stomach, unaware of Aria’s feelings, began to rumble.
Aria hurriedly tried to cover her belly with her apron, but the sound she made showed no signs of stopping. At that moment, when Aria stood there like a statue with a flushed face, Eric, having finished his meal, got up from his seat.
Despite the earlier commotion, leaving behind a lot of food. Aria hurriedly stepped in front of him with a surprised look in her eyes.
[You barely had any food, and you’re already getting up.]
Eric approached Aria, who was staring at him with wide eyes, without hesitation. The blue pupils, resembling a blue lake, were entirely focused on Aria.
“Since I ate while hungry, I’m full in no time.”
[Then what about this leftover food….]
If they knew that so much food was left over, the head chef, not to mention the countess, wouldn’t have stayed quiet. Aria’s complexion grew darker and darker.
On the other hand, a smile was gradually forming on Eric’s lips. He looked at her like that and replied softly.
“Then you should eat it.”
Startled by those words, Aria lifted her head and ended up locking eyes with Eric.
As Aria reminisced about the past with familiar words, Eric spoke in a monotone voice.
“Or else, you’ll get scolded by the head chef for not doing your job properly in the middle.”
Eric, who had been staring at Aria’s trembling eyes without a hint of disturbance, soon left the place. After he left, a short sigh spread through the aria’s interstice.
I can’t figure out their intentions at all. Could it be simple defiance, or…Will I be able to properly fulfill the Countess’s order to find out why he came here?
While Aria quietly shook her head, the maids who had been watching from behind gathered around her.
“Did the young master really tell us to eat all of this?
“Of all things, steak!
Aria fell into deep thought upon seeing the bright, eager eyes of the maids.
If you think about it, instead of leaving it as it is and letting the anger grow, it might be better to quickly eat it and get rid of it.
Moreover, I couldn’t let these innocent maids suffer for no reason.
Grrr. At that moment, a loud rumbling sound echoed once again from Aria’s stomach. The maids wore subtle smiles and then led Aria to the table.
Aria looked at the steak on the plate and eventually started taking bites, one after another. The warm, juicy meat that I haven’t tasted in a long time. It was exactly the taste I used to have often when I was very young.
Aria couldn’t hide her uneasy feelings as she looked at the enormous amount of food. From the beginning, it was a lot of food for just one adult man to eat.
“Maybe they intentionally gave us this food.”
A person whose motives are hard to read. Aria had not yet fully adapted to her new master, but thanks to that master, she had the most satisfying meal she had ever had in this mansion.
