SMC 07

Chapter 07

(7) Hangover Needs Soup!

Roan had dealt with countless drunk troublemakers while working part-time. The best solution was simple—don’t get involved.

Without hesitation, she got up and returned to her bed. Alexis, curled up on the floor with his head buried in his knees, kept mumbling.

“Sorry……”

She didn’t know what it was about, but tomorrow, he would definitely owe her an apology.

Roan pulled the blanket over her head and tried to sleep again. Recently, she had been gradually expanding her small garden and experimenting with new seeds.

Since half of the seeds she planted didn’t sprout, she planned to try different ones tomorrow. On top of that, she also needed to make sauce with the tomatoes she bought today.

Tomorrow will be busy, so I should just sleep.

And just like that, Roan fell asleep, completely ignoring whether Alexis was there or not.

Alexis regained consciousness when the morning sun was already shining brightly.

“No matter how warm the kingdom is, you shouldn’t keep sleeping on the floor.”

Still in the same bent position he had fallen asleep in, Alexis suddenly lifted his head at the sharp voice ringing in his ears.

This place…

Did I come to the eastern annex again while drunk?

The familiar floor and the room’s interior made him quickly realize where he was.

I did it again.

Once or twice a year, whenever he lost control due to drinking, he would inevitably come to this room in the eastern annex and fall asleep. But this time, something felt different.

“Entering someone else’s room without permission is unforgivable, but—”

When he turned toward the voice, he saw a woman tying her hair tightly into one bundle. Roan, with her golden-brown hair in a simple ponytail, looked at him coldly.

“Since it doesn’t seem like you did it on purpose, I won’t make a big deal out of it.”

Alexis stared at her blankly.

Roan clicked her tongue quietly. With such a beautiful face, even that dazed expression looked cute.

So I’m weak to good looks after all.

But it was only natural. A man with such an unreal, almost fantasy-like appearance—one you’d never even see in comics—was suddenly lying in front of her without any guard. Of course he looked tempting.

Roan felt her resolve weakening.

“You probably didn’t sleep properly last night, so I’ll let you rest on the bed for a bit. Once you’re fully awake, go back.”

“……”

“To your room.”

Hmph. Whether he returned to the main house or not was none of her concern.

To stop herself from being swayed by his looks, Roan quickly turned around and left the room. The door slammed shut.

Only then did Alexis come back to his senses.

Right.

This was the eastern annex. And this was where his nominal wife had been driven out to.

He had heard that she was expelled from the main house of the Glister family, but after that, he had completely forgotten about her.

I see.

He slowly got up and looked around the room.

What is this?

Only then did he realize that the room felt very different from before. He couldn’t point out exactly what had changed, but the atmosphere was clearly not the same.

I don’t remember clearly…

Was this room always like this?

Alexis blankly stared at a long, lizard-shaped cushion on the bed. It still carried traces of Roan hugging it while sleeping.

Then he turned his gaze toward the sunlight pouring in through the window. Wanting to wake up with the morning light, Roan had removed the heavy, dull curtains and replaced them with light ones decorated with cheerful daisy patterns.

It feels like a completely different room.

It was a strange feeling. The furniture and bed hadn’t really moved.

In this very place, on this very bed, his aunt Yureia had once been dying. She had no specific illness.

What killed her was the despair she carried.

“……”

With a bitter feeling, he looked again at the lizard plush on the bed. Back then, his aunt’s age wasn’t much different from his wife’s now.

—Once you come to your senses, go back. To your room.

That cold, unfamiliar woman who had said those words… was his wife.

What was her name again? Ro…

No matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn’t recall her name properly. The only thing he remembered was that she was the daughter of Viscount Hartwood.

Still dazed, Alexis slowly left the room.

Maybe I’m still not fully sober.

His head throbbed.

He walked out and went down to the first floor. As he descended the stairs, a cheerful voice rang out.

“What time did you even wake up, Lea?!”

Laughter followed.

Laughter?

Alexis doubted his ears. Laughter… in the eastern annex?

“When did you wake up and make something this delicious? The meat is so tender—you must’ve simmered it for a long time.”

“But I went to sleep earlier than Lady Roan yesterday. That’s why I woke up early and got hungry.”

“So that’s why you made such a delicious pork soup in the morning? Be honest—what did you put in it?”

“That’s my special recipe. I can’t tell you, not even to Lady Roan.”

“Wow, that’s unfair. I tell you everything!”

“I can already tell what your cooking tastes like without you telling me.”

Their lively chatter continued.

Drawn by their voices, Alexis moved toward the sound. Near the kitchen, there was a small dining table where Roan and Lea were eating and chatting.

“Ah—!”

Lea, who had been eating happily, was startled when she saw Alexis. She jumped up in shock, not knowing what to do.

“Oh—shouldn’t you be resting more?”

Roan was also surprised, though she didn’t jump up like Lea. She simply paused her meal and looked at him.

“I…”

Alexis himself was confused. As if bewitched, he had come down here, but he didn’t even know why.

Seeing him standing there silently with a stiff expression, Roan sighed and stood up.

“There’s a spare chair, so sit down. You drank a lot yesterday, so you should have something to ease your hangover.”

“I just finished eating, so…”

Lea hurriedly cleared her bowl.

Roan was about to say something but stopped. Instead, she took another bowl from the cupboard and ladled soup into it, placing it in front of Alexis.

A savory aroma rose from the soup. It was simple, almost too plain—something Alexis had never tasted before.

“Have at least some soup. You’ll feel better if you eat something.”

Hangovers need soup.

At her insistence, he reluctantly picked up the spoon. As he was about to take a bite, he paused and glanced at Roan.

She had already sat back down across from him to continue her meal.

“You eat… here?”

He asked stiffly, unable to hide his surprise.

Roan nodded casually.

“There’s a dining room.”

Even if this annex was called the Glister family’s “cave,” it was still part of a noble household. That meant it had all the proper facilities.

So why were they eating at a small table in the kitchen?

“Oh, come on.”

Roan waved her hand dismissively.

“Why would we eat in that huge, empty dining room? It’s just the two of us.”

“But still—”

“Besides, cooking in the kitchen and carrying everything there is a hassle. Cleaning up afterward is also a hassle. It’s much easier to cook here and eat right here. And like I said, it’s just the two of us.”

Alexis looked even more confused.

“Those things aren’t your responsibility anyway.”

Roan blinked.

“That’s true.”

She replied calmly, as if realizing something.

“It’s Lea’s job.”

“Then why—”

Why is a noble lady like you eating here with a maid?

He didn’t finish the sentence, waiting for her to continue.

“If it’s just me and Lea living here, what do I gain by making things harder for her?”

Roan said.

“I told you—it’s just the two of us. This annex is too big to manage and clean for just two people. So we close off unused areas and don’t touch them.”

She smiled slightly.

“We only clean our rooms, the kitchen, and the living room. That way, it’s much easier to manage.”