Chapter 11

She was gazed at by green eyes that lacked any sense of kindness.

Lancelot was usually well-groomed, with no obvious creases on his shirt. There was no trace of grime on his shoes, and the knot of his tie and buttons remained unbroken.

The only change is that his facial characteristics, which resemble silver thread, have gotten more prominent.

His neck, which was as thin and long as Anita’s, has grown so powerful that it cannot be broken.

On the other hand, the fingers carefully positioned on her legs were long enough to immediately snap her neck.

Anita hesitated in response to his both familiar and alien look.

‘This is not surprising at all. Of course, he would change, and that’s natural.’

Anita inhaled deeply and stepped up to him. Anita didn’t realize she had neglected to say hello to Lancelot until she was standing in front of him.

“Bed.”

‘Bed?’

The second time Lancelot spoke, he scrutinized every part of her face.

“I don’t see the bed at all… where did you sleep last night? Mrs. Alexandra’s house? I believe it would take you half a day to travel to get there.”

Anita’s youngest aunt was Mrs. Alexandra, although they were not good relatives.

Anita, aware of her stiff neck, responded with a little moan.

“Sleep… I couldn’t do it because my mind was too cluttered.”

Lancelot, who had been calmly looking at her, stood up without making a sound.

Anita stumbled backwards inadvertently upon seeing the dramatically elevated scene.

Other than that, Lancelot’s height had increased to the point where it was impossible to establish eye contact. If it wasn’t an illusion, he seemed to be larger than his father, and Anita felt a feeling of separation due to his incredibly mature look.

“When was your most recent meal?”

“I believe it was yesterday night.”

“With what?”

“In moderation and with leftovers only.”

“How can you say that?”

Then, he returned to Anita’s side after walking in a huge circle around the bedroom.

The two were silent for some time. Lancelot awaited her response with patience and composure.

Lancelot has the eyes of someone who stares intensely without blinking and his eyes are deep and clear. Because he is a nobleman, the tall man’s features resembled that of a wax figure.

As usual, Lancelot was icy and abrasive.

Lancelot is each and every day cold and callous.

Anita’s gaze slowly collapsed. Lancelot’s firmly clamped lips softly parted,

“I didn’t intend to question you.”

Anita’s eyes became wider.

She was astonished. Anita did not realize that the large and little specks on the floor were her tears.

“Anita.”

She rubbed his face instinctively.

It is not a mirage. Her tears were justified. Anita was unaware that she was crying since it had been so long since she shed tears.

‘And it came without telling me so.’

A gentle, raspy voice emanated from the sky.

“I am sorry if I have upset you. I spoke before contemplating your circumstances.”

“No, no.”

‘I do not intend to get an apology.’ Anita dried her tears and lifted her head swiftly.

‘And I thanked him with sincerity.’

“I am not doing this on a whim. I must have sobbed because I was so overjoyed that you arrived. Thank you, Lancelot.”

The well-groomed lips of Lancelot slowly closed.

Upon seeing this, Anita again bent her head. It’s because she’s once again overcome with emotion whenever she attempts to put it into words.

“I sincerely thank you for coming to see me.”

Why do the tears not stop?

Anita last saw Lancelot two years ago… but he did not change. He was still the same. The long shadow cast by Lancelot across her head seems to silently welcome her fear.

Anita found solace in the fact that he did not grasp her hand or wipe her tears.

After the tears stopped, humiliation surpassed both happiness and despair.

‘It was the first time I had cried in front of Lancelot since I was a child. I have never shed a tear in front of anybody, even Lancelot, since reaching adulthood.’

It may be due to her father’s influence, since he trained her from an early age not to reveal her vulnerability in front of others.

Anita brushed her cheeks with her palm until they were dry.

“Is that all you need?”

The extended stillness was broken by Lancelot’s query, which caused her to gently turn her head. The subject of his attention was the suitcase she had pushed into the room.

“Yes.”

“That’s so little.”

“Workers took most of the stuff out. I was left with little time to pack my own stuff.”

“Where do you plan to stay?”

‘There’s nowhere.’ However, in order to seem as good as possible, she modified her voice.

“I expect somewhere.”

“Expect?”

With a contorted look, the lifted brow turned toward Anita.

“When precisely?”

“Maybe… today.”

‘I believed Lancelot and Jill might provide me a respectable position.’ Anita intended to return to the labor station as quickly as possible after talking to Lancelot.

“Come along.”

Naturally, due to Lancelot’s nature, he will attempt to take her to Edenbahir immediately.

‘Do you propose that we go together without any consideration?’ Again, the tip of Anita’s nose tingled with appreciation.

Anita cannot, however, weep ugly twice. Anita shook her head forcefully.

“No. Simply coming to see your face in this state is sufficient. I feel nice too.”

“Tell me how and what is sufficient.”

His creased forehead formed a small dip. It was a look of discontent.

However, it was appropriate to decline Lancelot’s assistance in secret.

It was Lancelot… he was in a marriageable age and his track record was clean without any scandal.

In the meanwhile, if reports had circulated that Anita was being cared for in the estate, an uncomfortable scenario might have developed. She did not want Lancelot to become the subject of an indecent rumor.

“It does not seem that I have squandered more than twenty years. I have a buddy who really cares. I won’t give up and still be courageous.”

“What are your thoughts?”

“Mister Vlad helped me get employment.”

Lancelot’s eyes contracted slightly. He extended his hand with a graceful move that did not even seem forced.

“Can I verify the nature of the position?”

After a moment of uncertainty, she handed over the chief’s business card, which was severely crumpled.

Lancelot despised Vlad. In retrospect, Vlad was prominent, but Lancelot is still hesitant. 

He flipped through the card and then laughed softly.

“It’s a maid.”

The business card she gave him vanished inside the jacket pocket of Lancelot.

“Not even a caretaker… but a maid.”

Anita didn’t even care what job it was at this point.

“If I am able to work, I have no intention of concealing it.”

Anita suddenly misplaced the business card, but it was not an issue since she had remembered the lot number and phone number.

“Anita Volloni. What would you do in my position?”

Anita calmly regarded him while wondering what he meant.

Lancelot started to undo the firmly knotted sleeves, as though his clothes were quite stifling.

“You said that I was your best buddy in life. Except for Claunia.”

“Have I said that?”

“It means the same thing… don’t swerve the conversation.”

The words that he said could not have been a lie. I must have gone insane without my knowledge. Anita’s cheeks became flushed with shame.

“It’s not that dissimilar to my homeland. If you were not significant to me, I would not have traveled to this location at this hour.”

Anita, who had known Lancelot for a long time, found this comment quite shocking.

Lancelot looks to be a guy of action more than words.

In particular, spoken phrases were avoided as they vanished. His tongue was mostly used for reproof, slander, advice, and information sharing.

To assert that Lancelot found her significant? I was touched and incredulous, so I posed the question with an idiotic look.

“Am I one of your closest companions?”

“Are you going to assert it’s impossible?”

She was reprimanded by the frigid stare on her face, which did not produce any silly sounds.

“It’s not impossible.”

After three paces, Lancelot addressed her with his emerald gaze.

“If you weren’t, you wouldn’t regard me as just callous and inept.”

Straight steps by Lancelot passed Anita and halted at the door. And he proclaimed in a commanding tone that he would not tolerate any more complaints.

“I will assist you, Ms. Volloni. Thus, the time I’ve spent with you will not have been wasted.”

“Lancelot.”

“Is it challenging? Then allow me to assist you to think more easily. Do not consider your own self. Consider just me and Claunia.”

An icy face reflected back at Anita.

“In this region, the Duke of Edenbahir and the head of Volloni house are recognized business partners. If you leave your home with your biological father absent and your possessions confiscated. How will an individual see Edenbahir?”

The collapse of Volloni and the demise of the patriarch. An investor and partner, Edenbahir, claims to recognize the kid that was left alone.

What Lancelot intended to convey was quite plain.

From Edenbahir’s perspective, pretending not to know her creates the ideal environment for a misunderstanding.

“I will wait for you downstairs.”

He immediately turned his back and exited the room.