* * *
“I’ve brought your medicine.”
“…….”
As I pretended to be asleep, the sound of footsteps drew closer.
I heard Locke set down a plate and a water glass on the table, likely right next to me.
Whenever I was sleeping, Locke would always leave the medicine on the table and quietly exit the room.
If I just held out a little longer, he would be gone soon.
But for some reason, even after putting the medicine down, I didn’t hear the sound of retreating footsteps for a long time.
‘Why isn’t he leaving?’
Just as that thought crossed my mind…
“I apologize.”
Locke spoke in a low voice, and suddenly, he pulled back the covers and forced me into a sitting position.
My heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest.
Startled, I trembled and clutched the blanket with both hands as if it were a lifeline.
“I’m sorry! Please, spare me! There was a reason I couldn’t stop them properly earlier!”
I was so frantic that I didn’t even know what I was blabbing.
Terrified, I simply screamed for forgiveness, expecting pain to follow at any second.
However, contrary to my expectations, nothing happened.
Then, a calm voice spoke.
“I am not sure what you are talking about, but I have no choice as it is Lady Cecile’s order. My apologies.”
“Uh… Mother?”
I looked at Locke through vision blurred by tears.
“Lady Cecile told me to make sure I personally see the Young Master take his medicine before returning. But… why do you keep speaking to me in formal honorifics?”
‘He wasn’t trying to assassinate me!’
What a relief.
“……Cough, cough. Ah, I was talking in my sleep. I just woke up.”
I barely managed to calm my pounding heart at the mention of my mother’s orders and brushed it off with a lame excuse.
Terrified that a mission window might appear, I chewed and swallowed the two pills at once without meeting Locke’s eyes.
Now that I’d taken them, he’d leave immediately, right?
“Ugh. I… swallowed them… ugh.”
I hurriedly opened the drawer and took out the candy tin.
I popped three in my mouth and held out a few to Locke.
“It is quite alright.”
“It’s… bitter… Why? You ate them fine last time. Take them with you.”
He stared at my hand, his expression as stiff as a stone statue.
“……I do not particularly like grapes. Thank you for the thought. Well then, I shall take my leave.”
Picking up the glass and plate, he gave a short nod and vanished from the room before I could say a word.
I sat there with two candies still clutched in my hand, belatedly looking at the closed door.
I was utterly bewildered.
“……Didn’t he say he liked them then?”
Had his tastes changed in just a few days?
I blinked in a daze, still reeling from the interaction.
Then, it hit me.
‘He thinks I abandoned him!’
A short while ago, I had turned away without actively stopping the gardener because I was afraid the system window would pop up.
In my own way, I was helping Locke as much as possible, but from his perspective, it might have felt like I had abandoned him and walked away.
Or maybe he got in more trouble because I clumsily intervened and then fled.
This is maddening.
I leaned back against the headboard and started racking my brain for an excuse.
Misunderstandings need to be cleared up quickly to avoid future retribution.
But for some reason, no ideas came to mind.
I could only keep thinking about the cold expression on his face as he said, “I don’t like grapes,” and walked out.
“I mean, if that’s the case, he shouldn’t have accepted and eaten them the first time!”
I spent the entire morning wandering around the estate like a restless puppy.
In one bulging pocket, I had an orange I’d swiped from the kitchen.
It was the most expensive fruit among those brought in as trade goods.
‘He won’t say he hates oranges too, will he?’
I planned to test Locke with this.
If he refused even this, it was clear he was genuinely upset with me.
After wandering here and there, I spotted Locke standing near a side door, facing another servant.
Overjoyed, I started to approach, but sensing a strange atmosphere, I quickly hid behind a corner.
“……So, I set your portion aside separately.”
‘What is this? Flirting?’
I felt awkward being an accidental witness to the scene.
On the other hand, it made sense.
Excluding the cruel nature hidden deep inside him, there was no one more impressive than Locke in my entire life.
He was handsome, tall, a dominant Alpha, and the Emperor—the pinnacle of power!
Because of that, a situation like this didn’t feel particularly special.
“Go on, take it.”
The servant handed him a basket containing a bunch of well-ripened grapes.
They must have picked out the best ones and brought them over.
But a gift of grapes for someone who hates grapes? I shook my head in silent pity.
“I have never shown you the kind of kindness that deserves this.”
Locke spoke coldly and turned away.
‘Wow, a winter wind would be warmer than him.’
I felt bad for the servant.
“Ah, well…… you helped with the work in the vineyard the other day. My father is the manager. He told me to give this to you as your share to say thank you.”
The servant spoke urgently, catching hold of him.
Only then did Locke accept the basket and, without hesitation, plucked a grape and popped it into his mouth.
‘I thought you said you hated them?’
I couldn’t help but flinch.
“It’s well-ripened. Tell your father thank you.”
I was so flabbergasted I couldn’t close my mouth, but I tried my best to understand the situation.
‘Right, well, that’s possible. Even if he hates them, he might take one for the sake of the giver’s feelings…’
After parting with the servant, Locke headed toward the woodpile, then stopped and plucked another grape, popping it into his mouth.
“…….”
He chewed the grape slowly and gazed off into the distance.
It was the hill where the old stables were located.
It wasn’t likely he felt sentimental about the place where he had been abused; he was probably looking at the large, spreading tree on the hill.
The view from there was quite nice, after all.
After staring at the same spot for a long time, Locke put his face close to the basket and quietly closed his eyes.
“……Careless.”
He was too far away for me to hear what he was muttering.
But one thing was certain: he liked grapes.
So much so that just smelling them brought a smile to his face.
I remained silent.
It occurred to me that maybe it wasn’t the grapes he hated, but the person who gave him the grape candy.
Or perhaps he acted indifferent while taking the grapes, but actually had feelings for the servant.
My shoulders slumped in dejection, but then I snapped my head up again.
Whether he hated me, or whether he was happy eating grapes he hated because he liked the servant—I needed to make sure.
For the sake of my bright future.
I haven’t given up yet.
I heard that Aiden had been invited to lunch, so I headed to the dining room for the first time in a long while.
With the exception of my father, who was away from the estate on a tour of the territory, my family and Aiden had already arrived.
The blonde woman sitting at the head of the table was Cecile Allure Hestian, my mother.
When I first encountered her here, I sat on the floor and sobbed like a madman.
Not for any other reason, but because her face looked exactly like my mother who had passed away early.
Perhaps because of that, she was the person I felt most affectionate toward in this family.
“I heard that you are designing the floral crown for the hunting competition hosted by the Imperial family, Madam. That is truly impressive.”
Aiden spoke to my mother with a soft smile.
Every time I saw him, I felt he was quite charming and sociable.
“I heard the nobles even know when someone in the neighboring country sneezes, so it seems the rumor has traveled that far.”
“Everyone knows about your manifestation too, don’t they? I heard there’s already talk of your investiture.”
Ciel, sitting opposite, spoke as she quietly set down her teacup.
In ‘The Emperor’s Consort’, there was another way to receive an investiture besides the usual methods we know.
It was when the child of a noble manifested.
Manifested individuals were so rare that if a noble’s child manifested, they would be granted the title of Baron regardless of their family.
This was because it had been revealed that manifested individuals fundamentally displayed superior abilities compared to ordinary people, and children born between them had a high probability of possessing excellent magical power.
The mechanism hadn’t been discovered yet, but the country had essentially prepared its own measures to secure talent.
Therefore, it was natural for my mother and siblings to congratulate Aiden, who would receive a title at a young age.
Though, as for me, someone else’s title was none of my business.
Sigh.
I was currently in a state of mental distress because of what happened this morning.
Even while quietly cutting my lamb, I would occasionally swallow a sigh, feeling a surge of emotion: ‘Does he hate me that much, to the point of refusing food?’
I thought he was starting to trust me a bit after the stable incident.
The more I thought about it, the more I leaned toward the idea that he was definitely sulking because of what happened in the garden.
I should go find the gardener and ask him what he did to Locke after that.
To be blunt, if he were in my shoes, could he have stopped it more perfectly?
If I had scolded the gardener then, a mission would have appeared, and if that happened, I would have… in front of everyone!
How upsetting.
Who would understand this unfair feeling of mine?
Another sigh escaped me.
While rationalizing my actions and munching on the lamb stuffed in my mouth, the servants opened both of the large, arched dining room doors to bring in the next course.
Locke, who was passing by nonchalantly, spotted us and came to a dead stop.
* * *
