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chapter 7
“…A meal?”
Sara stared blankly at Aiden.
The sudden invitation to dine together was bewildering enough, but what unsettled her more was the way he had said “us.” That word felt impossibly distant to her.
Since when had he been able to say something like that?
A faint smile lingered on Aiden’s lips. There was, unmistakably, a trace of warmth in it.
“He… knew how to smile?”
No, that wasn’t right. He had never shown Sara a smile that felt pleasant. If anything, it had always been sneers or scorn.
Sara felt her neck stiffen. Whenever Aiden was in front of her, her body tensed on its own. Facing him had always meant being on high alert, just to survive.
She tried to read his intentions, staring straight at him. But then she quickly turned her head away.
In her mind’s eye, she could see the Aiden of the past, face twisted with rage as he bellowed at her:
[How dare you look at me? You’ve got a death wish? Lower your eyes!]
But the Aiden before her now said something entirely different.
“Oh, I must have startled you. I apologize.”
As if he understood her confusion.
“Take your time answering. If not today, then tomorrow will do.”
“…”
“Of course, I’m not forcing you. You’re free to decline.”
Sara felt embarrassed. Without realizing it, she had responded to him with sharpness in her tone.
Maybe it was too much, considering he had lost his memories, while she alone remembered everything.
She tried to smooth out her expression. Even as she hesitated, Aiden showed no irritation. He simply waited for her.
[Take your time answering. If not today, then tomorrow will do.]
In the past, if Sara had delayed her answer, he would have shouted at her. But now, he seemed to understand that she might need time.
There was no impatient folding of arms, no yawning, no restless tapping of his legs.
When she looked into his faintly blue eyes, Sara felt a strange thirst.
He couldn’t have intended it, but this subtle change in him made her wonder what it meant.
Perhaps that was why—almost entranced—she found herself whispering, barely audible:
“I will.”
Her voice was so soft that Aiden asked again.
“What did you just say?”
Her decision, however, hadn’t changed. She was curious about him.
“I’ll eat with you. The meal.”
Sara’s resolve was firm. If she wanted to know his true intentions, watching him up close was the best way.
Aiden’s lips curved into a wide smile as he looked at her. Perhaps he had expected refusal, so her easy acceptance left him deeply satisfied.
“Then shall we go?”
His voice was gentle as he held out a hand to support her.
It was a beautiful hand, untouched by rough labor. Sara instinctively hid her own behind her back.
“Is it really okay to take it?”
As if answering her hesitation, Aiden only shrugged lightly and waited. He seemed unbothered.
After a moment’s pause, Sara remembered the way he had treated her injured ankle—so carefully, as though handling a glass ornament that might shatter at the slightest touch.
She bit her lip, then placed her hand in his without much struggle.
Even if she could call for a servant’s help, the truth was, she trusted the man in front of her more.
She hated to admit it, but that was how she felt. The servants had ignored her injury, pretending not to notice, yet it was Aiden who had stopped to help.
He had treated her wounds himself, sitting silently at her side while she cried.
Still half-dreaming, Sara gave her head a sharp shake.
The boy in her dreams, who had smiled brightly while reaching out a hand to her, overlapped strangely with the man standing before her now.
“What’s wrong with me?”
Aiden’s hand was warm—faintly, but undeniably so. And that warmth felt unbearably unfamiliar.
Judging from how he cleared his throat several times, it wasn’t just Sara who felt that strangeness.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips as old memories surged.
It hadn’t been a grand wedding, but when she had clasped her husband’s hand at the hastily held ceremony, it had been cold as ice.
And so had the gaze that looked down on her.
Sweat began to gather in Sara’s palm.
“No, this won’t do.”
To walk with him, hand in hand—
She tried to pull away, but Aiden held her tightly.
“If you fall again, it will be serious.”
He even placed an arm around her shoulders, determined that she wouldn’t be hurt.
Sara lowered her head. He was only thinking of her injured ankle, while she was lost in the memory of his coldness. That made her feel guilty.
As they walked toward the dining table together, she felt the servants’ eyes gathering on them.
“Please sit, madam.”
Even once they sat, the stares continued.
No doubt it looked strange. After all, this was the very first time the two of them had ever sat at the same table to eat.
“Bring the food.”
At Aiden’s dignified command, the servants moved at once, setting before him a table laden with delicacies.
Behind his back, they exchanged furtive glances. Sara could feel every single one of them.
That sensation was familiar—the subtle scorn and ridicule directed at her.
Her hands fidgeted nervously on her lap.
She had agreed to eat with him on impulse, but could she really deserve this seat beside him, when all her meals before had been so pitiful?
“…”
Aiden must have sensed the unease in the air. He set down his glass of water and let out a soft sigh.
After glaring at the table for a while, he finally spoke:
“This is uncomfortable. Everyone out.”
Sara’s eyes widened in shock.
His brow was furrowed. He couldn’t stand seeing her made uneasy.
At his words, the servants finished serving and quickly withdrew.
“Please eat. You must eat well, madam.”
Without hesitation, Aiden speared a piece of steak and held it out to her.
His behavior was so strange, yet he seemed not the least bothered by it.
Sara, caught off guard, accepted the fork he offered.
Satisfied, Aiden smiled as he transferred food onto her plate.
And so their very first meal together began.
As soon as she took a small bite, rich juices spread across her tongue. She chewed earnestly, her mouth working in small, delicate motions.
She had expected to chew endlessly before she could swallow, but the tender meat melted easily.
“So this is what good meat tastes like.”
In the past, Sara had rarely eaten anything of quality—only dry, tough cuts, if she was given any at all.
Her thin wrists were proof of it.
Aiden watched her small mouth working busily and asked in a relaxed voice:
“Is it good?”
“Yes.”
“This must be our first time eating together, isn’t it?”
He must have noticed the servants’ odd reactions as well.
“…Yes. It’s the first.”
He wouldn’t know—he had never once suggested sharing a meal before.
Sara felt strange.
It was their broken relationship that had led the servants to despise her. Yet here she was, sitting beside him, eating fine food.
Would things have been different if their wedding night had gone properly?
Even if she went back in time, she doubted she could ever satisfy him—especially without love. Somehow, she knew she couldn’t.
“What do you say to dining together again tomorrow?”
So when Aiden made that suggestion at the end of the meal, Sara felt only pressure.
The delicious food seemed to stick in her throat, her chest tightening.
“…I’d rather you not concern yourself with me. Just treat me as usual.”
Did she truly mean that?
Sara didn’t know her own heart. She only knew that his sudden closeness made her want to retreat.
But instead of being put off, Aiden gazed at her with an unreadable smile.
His blue eyes were fixed on her, as though he had seen right through her. Uneasy, she bowed her head.
“Madam, I think it might be better if my memories never return. Don’t you agree?”
He leaned on the table with one arm as he asked.
Cold sweat beaded on Sara’s forehead.
Even though his words sounded almost provocative, she couldn’t deny them.
Hadn’t she once wished for her husband to change?
It had been a desperate wish for survival.
And ironically, to survive now, she needed this memory-less Aiden.
To reclaim not just her rights as mistress of the house, but her rights as a human being, she needed the weight of his authority.
His words—what did they mean?
It almost sounded as though, if she wished it, he would never seek his memories again.
Lost in thought, she nearly forgot that she hadn’t answered him.
Could it be that he didn’t want to remember?
Was there some hidden reason? She tried to guess, but nothing fit.
All she truly knew of Aiden was that he had once been cruel, violent, selfish, and utterly self-centered.
As she sat across from him, Aiden leaned on his hand and gave her a puzzling smile.
