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Chapter 30
“I’ll see you next time, Madam.”
Deaan bowed politely.
“I suggest you refrain from doing anything suspicious.”
His words sounded stern, but his gaze was warm and gentle.
“Y-yes…”
I waved awkwardly as Deaan walked away with a satisfied smile.
‘What a strange man.’
I don’t think he was like that in the original story.
Scratching my cheek, I headed straight for the dining hall.
If I wasted any more time here, my stomach would stick to my back.
“Huh?”
As I opened the door and entered the dining room, I saw someone unexpected sitting inside.
It was none other than Grand Duke Tezer Leandro.
He sat at the center of the table, fully focused on some documents he had brought.
He didn’t seem to notice that Beloa and I had come in.
You might say it’s not strange for the master of the house to be dining in the dining room, but—
‘He always ate in his office or the study, didn’t he?’
He had always been so busy.
Unless something special happened or I went looking for him, I barely ever saw his face.
‘Well, he did just return from the battlefield.’
It makes sense that he’d still be swamped with work.
And I was the one who added the embezzlement case and Uncle Preston’s situation on top of that.
‘Okay… maybe I feel a little bad.’
I smiled faintly and approached the Grand Duke.
“Your Excellency.”
Without lifting his eyes from the documents, he responded.
“Did you sleep well, Miss Tekins? I’m also curious about how your niece slept.”
“You don’t sound curious at all though.”
I chuckled quietly and sat across from him. Beloa, meanwhile, plopped down beside me and immediately face-planted on the table, falling asleep.
Good thing I had placed a thick napkin there in advance.
“By the way, how did you know it was me and Beloa without even looking?”
“In this mansion, aside from myself, only you and your niece are allowed to use this dining room.”
He replied absentmindedly, flipping through the documents.
“Huh…”
Leaning my chin on my hand, I asked another question.
“Then how did you know Beloa was with me?”
I mean, theoretically, I could’ve come down to eat alone without her.
“I may be simple-minded, but—”
He removed his glasses and placed them on the table, fixing his gaze on me.
“Leaving your niece behind would be like me leaving my sword behind. That’s what it feels like.”
The metaphor was a little hard to grasp, but I got the gist.
“You mean I’m always with Beloa, right?”
I asked brightly, and the Grand Duke gave a faint nod.
“Oh, right. Your Excellency, have you and Beloa properly greeted each other yet?”
Though they’d encountered each other several times, I didn’t think they’d ever exchanged a proper greeting.
Probably because Beloa had always been asleep.
“Hmm.”
Wiping his hands on the napkin, the Grand Duke answered.
“I did speak to her briefly while following you.”
“Spoke to her?” I tilted my head. “Did you greet each other?”
“No.”
What the heck?
When I gave him a puzzled look, he returned a flat stare.
“We know each other’s names and identities. Is there a need for further greetings?”
I was floored by how seriously he believed that.
“You still have to greet people properly!”
“Do I?”
The Grand Duke turned his gaze to Beloa. Just then, she woke up and their eyes met.
“Ugh…”
Her face scrunched up like she’d just seen something horrifying.
Be…Beloa? Sweetie?
“Niece.”
Completely unfazed by her reaction, Leandro continued.
“Do you think greetings are necessary?”
“Ugh!”
Beloa jerked her head away dramatically—undeniably a rejection.
“Hmph!”
“Seems she disagrees.”
The Grand Duke didn’t seem the least bit bothered.
‘What is this?’
My mind went blank for a moment.
‘Seriously, what is this situation?’
“Vacuum Flower” was supposed to be a story about the touching reunion between a lonely uncle and niece…
“Ahhh!”
“Don’t touch that.”
…and their tearful bonding moments as they grew closer…
“Eeeek!”
“Don’t flail, little one.”
That was the story.
Yet here I was, watching Beloa pout and throw a tantrum, while the Grand Duke casually ignored her.
What on earth was going on?
“Miss Tekins.”
“Huh!”
“Yes? Um?”
Suddenly, both their gazes turned to me.
What now?
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Ah?”
Right. Maybe everything just felt surreal.
A full course meal had been set before me without me even noticing.
“Please begin. It’ll taste best while it’s still warm.”
“Mmhmm!”
Beloa nodded vigorously. But as soon as she realized she had just agreed with the Grand Duke, she puffed out her cheeks in protest.
Why does she dislike him so much?
“Miss Tekins?”
“Oh, right. I’ll eat now.”
I grabbed my fork and knife, cut a piece of steak, and popped it into my mouth.
“……!”
Delicious.
Utterly, unbelievably delicious.
The meat was so tender it practically melted, and the rich juices filled my mouth with flavor.
Across both my past and current life…
This was the most delicious piece of meat I had ever eaten.
“Does it suit your taste?”
I didn’t have time to answer. I quickly cut another piece and stuffed it in my mouth.
Chewing enthusiastically, I nodded.
Back then, the only meat I ever got to eat was whatever my brother left behind.
‘He always made me do all the work.’
I was the one who bought the meat. I cooked it too.
But whenever I sat down to eat, he’d immediately send me on errands.
“Go fetch some water,” “This soup’s too salty—fix it,” “Bring the side dishes,” “No, not that one—put it back.”
By the time I finished all the chores, the only things left were scraps and a few onions.
“Tch. Next time, buy something better. This meat’s too tough to eat.”
Because of that, I’d developed the bad habit of scarfing down food whenever I had the chance.
“Seriously… This is so good…”
The only reason my hands stopped moving was because I met the Grand Duke’s gaze.
At some point, his golden eyes had been watching me.
“W-was I eating too rudely?”
Flustered, I lowered my hands, but he shook his head.
“It was simply nice to see you enjoy it.”
Then he sliced up his own steak and placed it on my plate.
“I-I’m fine…!”
“There won’t be enough time to cook another one.”
He calmly handed it over and added:
“Take your time. This is all yours, Miss Tekins.”
He said it as though he already knew everything.
I slowly nodded.
Right.
It’s okay to take my time now.
“…Thank you.”
I smiled gently.
“I’ll eat well.”
I took a bite of the steak he had cut for me.
Chewing slowly, I could better appreciate the juicy, savory flavor.
“It’s so good.”
I don’t know how many times I’d said that already.
But I couldn’t help it.
This was the first real meal I’d ever had all to myself.
“Ah!”
Beloa suddenly grabbed a potato from her plate and placed it on mine.
“Ah!”
She pointed to her mouth, clearly telling me to eat.
“It’s delicious.”
I smiled brightly as I ate the potato she gave me.
“It tastes even better because Beloa gave it to me!”
“Kyah!”
Beloa clapped her hands joyfully. I cut a piece of steak from my plate and fed it to her.
“Mmm!”
Her cheeks turned red and her eyes sparkled with literal stars.
“Wow…”
Her puffed cheeks melted as she chewed. Anyone could tell she was in heaven.
“Ahhh!”
She waved her tiny arms and opened her mouth again.
She wanted another bite.
“Here you go, Beloa.”
“Mmhmm!”
“One for me too!”
We took turns, happily feeding each other. That’s when I noticed the Grand Duke again.
He had given me all his food and was now just sipping wine.
Seeing that made my conscience ache.
Ugh.
This felt kind of… no, very wrong.
“Your Excellency.”
I hesitantly offered him the thickest piece of steak from my plate.
“A… bite…?”
Yes, I knew.
It was a crazy thing to do.
But still.
‘He gave me all the meat.’
I couldn’t stand the awkwardness of us eating while he just watched.
If anything, I hoped he’d laugh or scowl and turn it down.
That would honestly make me feel better.
“……”
The Grand Duke looked at me, then at the steak on the fork.
“…Ah.”
Then he leaned forward.
Like he was playing along with some ridiculous roleplay in a secret hideout.
He accepted the bite and looked straight at me.
“Nom nom.”
