“Lady Revril, please formally introduce the Duke to us. Since he’s here now, I think we should greet him properly.”
Chartine looked at me with curious eyes. I didn’t really want to, but I had no choice but to go down the stairs.
Just as I was almost at the bottom of the stairs, Cedric opened the door and came in. He smiled warmly as soon as he saw me and strode forward. Chartine and Floren looked at Cedric with bright eyes.
Cedric looked at my hand and naturally wrapped his arm around my waist. Chartine and Floren were a bit surprised, but Cedric didn’t seem to care and gently kissed my forehead.
It looked so natural, like a loving couple. Because Chartine and Floren were watching, I managed a small smile and introduced Cedric.
“Cedric, this is Chartine and Floren. They helped me a lot when I was at the temple.”
Chartine and Floren quickly greeted him as if they had been waiting.
“Thank you for sending the official invitation. Also, for clearing the path in Yurhen. And although it wasn’t officially said at the temple, thank you very much for the generous donations. We don’t know how to repay you.”
Chartine spoke at length. Floren joined in.
“Yes, especially the path and the donations brought new energy to our temple. Before, it was hard to find workers, but now it’s always busy with people coming and going.”
Chartine smiled at me. Cedric smiled gently and spoke calmly.
“Since you took good care of my wife for four years, it’s only right that I do this.”
“We didn’t do much. By the way, aren’t you busy?”
Cedric smiled at me.
“I am busy, but since you took special care of Revril, I think it’s only natural to come here.”
Chartine and Floren opened their eyes wide and stood still for a moment. Then, as if they suddenly realized something, Chartine exclaimed,
“It’s an honor to hear such kind words from you. We are the ones who should thank you for inviting us.”
Cedric nodded and quietly asked,
“Have you eaten lunch?”
They shook their heads at the simple question.
“Then let’s go to the dining room.”
Cedric nodded to a servant, who soon guided them away. Chartine and Floren followed the servant with somewhat moved expressions.
I followed slowly behind. Cedric still didn’t take his hand off my waist.
“Cedric.”
He didn’t answer but looked at me. I looked ahead without meeting his eyes and said,
“Why did you come so early?”
“Didn’t I say I’d come early?”
His voice was quite low. It felt like he thought it was strange that I was asking. Only then did I look at him. His bright blue eyes stared at me intensely. I quickly looked away and said,
“I didn’t expect you to come this early. I thought you’d come at least in the evening.”
“Do you dislike that?”
I had nothing to say. Actually, because Cedric came early, Chartine and Floren seemed touched, so maybe it was a good thing for them. It showed that Cedric cared about this place. Since Cedric coming early wasn’t a bad thing, I didn’t answer.
Cedric slightly smiled and whispered quietly in my ear,
“Vincent will be here soon.”
I finally looked at him. He was very close, and I tried to move back a little, but Cedric still didn’t let go of my waist. His large hand on my waist bothered me, but I hurriedly asked,
“Is something wrong with Vincent? How do you know?”
“I heard on the way. The nanny took the wrong path and got lost for a while.”
“I didn’t hear that.”
“I thought it would be a bother since you have guests, so I told them to find the way themselves.”
“So they found it?”
Cedric calmly looked down at me. I was curious why he didn’t say the answer, so I didn’t avoid his gaze. Cedric still stared at me and slowly spoke,
“I wish you worried about me like that.”
When I looked away, I heard his voice again.
“They just found him and are coming here with soldiers, so don’t worry.”
That was a relief. Just as we were almost at the dining room door, Cedric suddenly said,
“The nanny will be fired.”
“Fired?”
“She took Vincent to the wrong place, so she’s not qualified.”
“But Sahel has worked hard so far.”
Cedric slightly turned to look at me.
“What will you do if this happens again?”
I had no answer to that. When I stayed silent, Cedric said in a low voice,
“If you think of it as a kindness, things could go wrong later. It’s better to find a proper nanny again.”
Then Cedric nodded to the servant, who faithfully opened the dining room door. I stayed still while Cedric stared at me persistently. I had no choice but to enter the dining room.
Chartine and Floren were already seated. As soon as they saw me come in, they each said,
“Revril, this is the most splendid food I’ve ever seen. Even at temple festivals, we didn’t decorate food like this.”
On the large table, jewel-like flowers hung from glossy branches. They were mostly diamonds and emeralds, sparkling and flashy.
I just smiled slightly and sat down. It was clear Cedric had arranged this to show how rich and well I live.
When the servant brought the dishes, Cedric said,
“Enjoy your meal. We prepared plenty of food.”
“Thank you.”
Chartine and Floren greeted brightly and picked up their forks. They started with the well-cooked pork. Pork was expensive and rare in Yurhen.
They took a bite and smiled with wide eyes. Wondering if it was really that good, I took a bite too. It tasted buttery and rich, soft enough to melt in the mouth.
Since coming to the Bestine estate, this was a usual taste for me, but it was definitely a different level from temple food. Chartine and Floren ate almost all the food in front of them, enjoying it. When the servants brought dessert, Chartine looked at Cedric and said,
“Thank you so much for treating us like this. I even thought I was really lucky.”
Floren nodded beside her.
“These foods are very different from what I make. No matter how much I cook, I don’t think I can make them like this.”
“Then I’ll tell them to pack some for you when you leave.”
When Cedric said this, Floren’s eyes opened wide. Then she quickly recovered and said,
“Thank you so much for going that far.”
Floren’s face kept smiling. She really liked delicious food. Still, I liked the temple food too, so I told her,
“I also liked the food at the temple. Especially the egg sandwich you made for Vincent — I can’t forget that taste.”
Floren smiled shyly.
“That was because I almost ran out of ingredients and had no choice. I’m glad you liked it.”
Then Chartine suddenly asked,
“Vincent hasn’t been seen since earlier. Is he already eating?”
Before I could answer, Cedric said,
“Vincent said there’s more to see in the forest, so he’ll be a little late.”
“True, there was no real forest near the temple, so it must be amazing.”
Cedric drank wine calmly as if it was no big deal. I didn’t understand why he lied to Chartine and Floren.
‘Maybe he didn’t want them to worry.’
I couldn’t understand it easily and looked only at my dish.
“Revril, aren’t you going to eat more?”
The tone was soft. Chartine and Floren looked at me and Cedric in turns with bright eyes. Feeling pressured, I picked up a small spoon. The dessert tasted lightly of creamy milk.
Then Floren quietly said,
“Revril didn’t eat much even when she was at the temple. Even if we said you needed to eat more to work well, you always ate little and said you were full.”
I smiled awkwardly, and Cedric’s eyes fixed on me. Chartine looked at me and said thoughtfully,
“Revril always worked hard at the temple. I miss that a lot, but now you seem to fit your place better than ever.”
