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Chapter 47
“But there really wasn’t anything.”
I defended Rumi once again.
“Rumi would never hurt me on purpose.”
Regardless of how he felt about me, I still needed him.
“The Grand Duke Heresdon must have misunderstood something.”
More than anything, if Rumi felt cornered and revealed my secret… that would truly be the worst.
“Right? What would Rumi even gain from hurting me?”
After I said that much, Idoian stepped back, as if accepting my reasoning.
“Rumi doesn’t hate me.”
“Yeah, Penelope. I get what you’re saying.”
Idoian nodded, as though he accepted my explanation.
“You’re saying it’s not Rumi’s fault.”
“…Yes. If he hurt Rumi over something like this, then Grand Duke Heresdon definitely made a mistake.”
I restated my position firmly.
“Then that’s good, at least.”
Idoian replied shortly, but his expression was still heavy.
“But we can’t just ignore what Heresdon said, Penelope.”
“But Your Highness, I…”
What did he even mean by not ignoring it? My head started to hurt.
“Let’s all four talk again.”
His firm voice made a sigh slip from my lips.
Talking wouldn’t magically create a solution.
I would insist it was a misunderstanding. Heresdon would refuse to budge. And Rumi…
I still didn’t know what he was planning to do.
“…You look uncomfortable. What don’t you like?”
Idoian noticed the displeasure on my face and tried to pinpoint the reason.
“It’s already over. I don’t understand what more there is to talk about.”
“Then Penelope, what do you want to do?”
“I told you. It’s the Duke’s misunderstanding.”
Rumi had hurt me because he was curious.
If he had thought of me as a human like himself, could he have done that?
I had thought he cared for me, that he was kind.
Now, I couldn’t understand him at all.
“I don’t want to make it a big deal.”
Until now, I had believed—
That if Rumi suppressed his zombie cravings and refrained from threatening others, he would keep my secret.
But now…
I didn’t want to provoke him.
“Why? What’s going to get noisy?”
Idoian didn’t understand.
“This is something we should clearly resolve—”
“….”
“Haa…”
He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair.
He seemed unwilling to yield.
What do I have to say for this to end quietly?
I needed to meet Rumi first, even briefly…
“…Alright. We’ll do as you say.”
Just as I was desperately trying to figure out how to smooth things over, Idoian spoke.
“What?”
“I don’t get it, but—”
He shook his head.
“It’s your business. You should handle it your way. I won’t push it anymore.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll tell the Grand Duke to stop bringing it up. Is that okay?”
Idoian, who had seemed ready to argue endlessly, suddenly relented. All I could do was nod.
“Or do you want to tell him yourself?”
“No, Your Highness, please do it. Make it clear.”
If Heresdon started questioning me about what I’d seen, it would get messy. Better to leave it to Idoian.
“Alright.”
He nodded shortly.
“Well then, I’ll go now.”
Just as I tried to move away—
“But Penelope.”
He called me again.
“If you ever want to talk about anything later, let me know.”
“…Yes. I will.”
I nodded faintly at his reminder.
“Milady. …Milady?”
“Oh—yes.”
Lillia stared at me with wide eyes, unsure how long she had been calling me.
“You seemed deep in thought.”
“Yes, a bit. Why did you call?”
“I’m trying to ladle some soup.”
She lifted the stack of bowls she was carrying.
Then, a man who had been listening nearby stepped over and took the bowls from her.
“I’ll handle this. I’ve been doing nothing for so long that I’m bored to death.”
“Oh, would you?”
“Milady, please rest a little. You’ve been standing by the fire this whole time.”
“I’m fine. I’ll at least finish this much. Please put them down.”
When I didn’t move aside, the man smiled kindly.
“I’d like to do at least this much. Makes me feel like the meal will taste better.”
“This was originally my job. So I’ll do it.”
I took the bowls back from him.
“Lillia, can you call the others?”
“Sure!”
Lillia left to gather people.
Because the place had become crowded lately, everyone had been carrying their own food.
That was my idea—figured it would make it harder for anyone to slip something into the food.
“Here.”
I handed the first filled bowl to the man still lingering beside me.
“Oh… thank you.”
He already had his portion, yet he didn’t leave—standing awkwardly, as if he had more to say.
“Once people crowd in, it’ll get hectic. Please go.”
“…Yes, understood.”
“Uben, come on.”
I gestured toward Uben, who had been watching from the corner of the kitchen.
“Here.”
I handed him a bowl, but he scanned me with an annoyed face before taking it.
“But since when do you care so much about kitchen work? Saying it’s ‘your job’?”
“What?”
He scoffed.
“It’s true. You never cared about cooking before.”
Uben complained outright.
“Usually it was me, or Idoian, or Lillia, or His Grace who cooked.”
I shrugged.
It was true I had avoided the kitchen to avoid running into Uben, who disliked being around me. But I didn’t understand why he was questioning it now.
“…You never cooked before.”
Still muttering in dissatisfaction, he left the kitchen.
People Lillia brought began to enter in groups.
Once the line cleared and things quieted down, Lillia returned.
“Looks like His Grace Heresdon and Rumi sorted things out.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yes. It felt like that.”
She smiled brightly and nodded confidently.
“They were talking calmly.”
“…That’s good.”
“I think His Highness Idoian helped smooth it out. He said he’d stay out of it, but I guess he was worried.”
After saying that, Lillia left the kitchen briefly, then quickly returned.
“Um, Milady, I said I’d carry Rumi’s meal for him.”
After handing Lillia the bowl for Rumi, Idoian and Heresdon came downstairs.
“Penelope, you should go eat too.”
Idoian took my ladle and filled a bowl for me before handing it over.
I tried to leave quickly—before Heresdon could bring up Rumi again.
But—
“Penelope Lloyd.”
He called to me before I could take a single step.
“You say it wasn’t him, so I’ll overlook it this time. But if something like this happens again—then I’ll handle it my way.”
Heresdon said, making it clear he did not approve of me.
