TRWDE~22

Chapter 22

That evening.

Entering the dining room with a tense expression, Milena unconsciously stiffened her shoulders.

The moment she stepped inside, the Lucerte family—already seated at the table—turned to look at her all at once like startled meerkats.

W-What is this?

Why is everyone paying so much attention to me…?

“Come in, Milena.”

The Duke, seated at the head of the table, greeted her with a bright smile.

“Aren’t you hungry? I told them to serve dinner as soon as you arrived.”

The Duchess couldn’t hide her delighted expression.

“Our head chef is incredibly talented. You can look forward to it.”

Even Elias spoke to her kindly.

“I-I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but…”

This much attention is a little overwhelming…!

Milena forced an awkward smile, when suddenly a calm voice reached her ears.

“Welcome back to the ducal house, Milena.”

It was Cecilia, elegantly dressed.

She looked at Milena with an unreadable expression before gently curling up the corners of her lips.

It was the perfect “young lady of the house” smile.

“Hurry and sit down. Father, Mother, and Brother have been waiting for you.”

“Ah, yes.”

Milena carefully took her seat.

At the same time, dishes began arriving from the kitchen one after another.

Milena’s eyes widened.

‘My goodness.’

The meal was truly extravagant.

An appetizer of scarlet salmon rolled beautifully and garnished with colorful sauces, resembling a blooming flower.

Premium steak seared in rich butter and accompanied by an assortment of garnishes.

Warm soup meant to soothe the stomach, fresh salad, and more.

The table groaned beneath a feast of luxurious delicacies, each dish steaming invitingly.

The only problem was—

‘…What exactly are these foods?’

Milena stared anxiously at the magnificent spread before her.

Every dish was unfamiliar, and she had no idea how to eat any of it.

The neatly folded napkin.

The gleaming silverware lined up beside her plate.

Of course, she understood that the ducal family had gone all out to welcome her.

But rather than stimulating her appetite…

‘What if I make a mistake?’

She felt utterly intimidated.

“I do hope the food suits your taste.”

At that moment, the Duchess spoke in a pleased tone.

“Go on, eat.”

“Ah… yes.”

At the gentle urging, Milena swallowed dryly and gripped her utensils.

But her troubled expression remained.

Because—

‘D-Do I do it like this?’

Milena had absolutely no idea how to use formal dining utensils.

Cold sweat ran down her back.

‘I’ve never learned how to use these things!’

Well, it couldn’t be helped.

Milena had lived her whole life as a commoner.

She had never once encountered aristocratic dining etiquette.

And even in her previous life, she had just been an ordinary Korean woman, so there was no way she could be familiar with this kind of Western-style formal dining.

But her family, oblivious to her inner turmoil, merely continued smiling warmly.

Then—

Clink.

The soft sound of silverware tapping lightly echoed.

Milena instinctively glanced up.

Cecilia was seated across from her.

Judging by it, Cecilia had deliberately made the sound to draw her attention.

“……”

“……”

For a brief moment, their gazes met.

Cecilia’s eyes, fixed on Milena, darkened slightly.

It was a strangely complicated expression.

But only for a moment.

As though nothing had happened, Cecilia began gracefully using her utensils.

Her back was straight, and she deliberately held her silverware high enough for Milena to see clearly.

She looked exactly like an example from an etiquette manual.

‘Wait… is she telling me to watch and copy her?’

Milena’s eyes sparkled.

‘That’s right…’

In the original story, Cecilia hadn’t hated Milena from the very beginning.

In fact, when Milena had first returned to the ducal house, Cecilia had actually tried, in her own way, to get along with her.

Of course, the original Milena had trampled all over those efforts, but still.

“Thank you, Sister.”

At the sudden words of gratitude, Cecilia looked up in surprise.

Milena was gazing at her with moist green eyes.

“You’ve always been so kind to me, Sister.”

“…Me?”

“Of course.”

Milena smiled sweetly.

“Even now. You realized I didn’t know how to use the utensils, so you were deliberately helping me follow along, weren’t you?”

“……”

“……”

The dining hall instantly fell silent, as though cold water had been splashed over everyone.

That was right.

Until this very moment, no one else at the table had realized Milena didn’t know how to properly use silverware.

Only Cecilia had noticed.

The rest of the family looked utterly flustered.

After a moment—

“Cecilia, you really are acting like a proper older sister.”

The Duke nodded approvingly.

The Duchess, too, looked at Cecilia with proud admiration.

Faced with her parents’ favorable reaction, Cecilia’s cheeks flushed red like ripe apples.

‘Good. Since it’s turned out this way…’

Taking advantage of the moment, Milena clung to Cecilia.

“Sister, could you teach me a little more? I’ve never seen utensils like these before…”

Milena trailed off with a pitiful expression.

At that vulnerable look, even Cecilia’s usually expressionless face softened slightly.

“You use the utensils starting from the outermost ones.”

After subtly glancing at their parents, Cecilia finally answered in a prim voice.

“The smaller fork and knife are for the appetizer, and the larger ones are for the main course.”

“Oh, I see!”

“The servants will replace the used utensils for you.”

“Wow… Thanks to you, I finally understand now. Thank you so much.”

And so, with Cecilia’s help, Milena continued her meal.

Watching them, the Duchess soon spoke with a guilty expression.

“We should have thought of this beforehand. I’m sorry for putting you in such an uncomfortable position.”

“Yes, we were lacking in consideration.”

The Duke sighed and added his own apology.

“No, it’s alright.”

Shaking her head, Milena turned her sparkling eyes toward Cecilia.

“I want to keep learning from you from now on, Sister.”

…What?

Cecilia’s eyes widened slightly.

Milena continued brightly,

“I want to become a wonderful lady like you.”

At those words, Cecilia’s teal eyes trembled violently.

A wonderful lady.

As someone who had spent her entire life as “Lucerte’s fake young lady,” she had never once heard words like that before.

…She had only ever been ridiculed behind her back.

“No, it’s nothing special…”

Cecilia reflexively began to brush it off modestly, but then stopped.

Because Milena’s gaze looked strangely desperate.

Why was it?

This girl, who would soon take everything Cecilia had ever wanted…

Why did she look like that?

As though Cecilia’s acknowledgment meant absolutely everything to her.

Seeing that desperate look reminded Cecilia of herself—

Of all the years she had struggled and clawed for her family’s recognition.

“…Yes. You can become a wonderful lady.”

Only then did Milena smile brightly in relief.

And as Cecilia looked back at that smile, she felt something inside her become strangely unsettled.

At the start of dinner—

She remembered the expression Milena had worn when facing that unfamiliar dining table.

Though Milena had quickly hidden it, conscious of everyone watching her—

Cecilia had recognized that emotion instantly.

Confusion.

Wounded pride.

And a fierce, barely concealed humiliation.

They were emotions Cecilia had lived with her entire life.

Emotions she knew all too well.