Chapter 8

The next morning, Clarisse awoke to the sound of a knock on the door, followed by Mary’s entrance. This room had a wall-mounted clock, and she quickly glanced at it to see that it was past ten o’clock in the morning.

When Clarisse was at her family home, she kept to a regular routine and rarely overslept. But last night, she had gone to bed late and was exhausted, so it couldn’t be helped.

“I thought you’d be up by now. The Margrave would like you to join him for lunch.”

“All right.”

Thank God, even though she had collapsed in front of him yesterday, it seemed that he didn’t hate her just yet. Clarisse got up from the bed, and Mary brought a tub of water and towels to her bedside.

“Do you want to do it yourself?”

“Yes.”

Clarisse soaked the towel in the cool water, wrung it, and then wiped her face. The cool water was very refreshing.

Mary quickly prepared a simple, pale blue dress for Clarisse.

Clarisse didn’t have that many dresses to begin with, and today’s dress is one that she has worn for several years. Although her father had bought Matilda a mountain of dresses whenever she asked for them, he had always neglected Clarisse’s dresses because she was too shy to ask for them herself.

After she got dressed, Mary brushed her beautiful brown hair and tied it up nicely.

She rarely wore makeup because she didn’t like it much. And the few times she did wear makeup, Matilda would give her a look of disgust, saying, “Your look is a joke!” and torment her non-stop, so she only wore makeup at soirées. But even then, it was always just to emphasize Matilda’s beauty.

“You’re looking stunning today, my lady. Your complexion, which appeared to have been run over by a carriage the night before, has returned to normal, which is a good thing!”

Mary praised me like this every day. Despite her foul-mouthed words, her skills as a maid are top-notch, and she is always kind to Clarisse and gives her words that her family did not give her.

“Thank you, Mary.”

Clarisse couldn’t live without Mary.

The butler came to meet Clarisse in her room and escorted her to the dining room just in time.

The more she looked, however, the bigger and more magnificent the house appeared to be.

Nevertheless, it seemed to be a good blend of luxury and masculinity, just like the wild image of the man she had exchanged greetings with yesterday.

As she walked towards the dining room, Clarisse was worried that she wouldn’t be able to finish her meal if it was too lavish.

However, the butler led her to a private dining room used by the Margrave himself, and she was relieved when he opened the door to reveal that it was not that large, with only a table in the center of the room large enough to hold six chairs.

The Margrave hadn’t arrived yet, so Clarisse sat in the chair pulled out by the butler and waited quietly for him to arrive.

It wasn’t long before the sound of steady, unwavering footsteps echoed down the hallway, and she soon realized that they were getting closer and closer to this room.

‘It must be the Margrave’

Clarisse stood up softly to avoid rushing when the door opened.

The footsteps were indeed the Margrave’s.

He opened the door, looked at Clarisse standing there, and furrowed his brows.

“How are you feeling?”

He took Clarisse’s right hand in his and kissed the back of it lightly. Clarisse’s hand was much smaller in comparison to his large, hot hand.

As he took her hand, he looked at Clarisse and seemed to be observing her complexion.

‘He’s so close…!’

She felt her face gradually blushing as the attractive Margrave stared at her from a close distance.

“I’m very sorry for the inconvenience I caused you last night. I’m feeling much better now that I’ve had a good night’s rest.”

When Clarisse managed to thank him and looked up at him, he blinked his golden eyes a few times before nodding and letting go of her hand.

“I’m glad to hear it. I’m sorry to have called you last night when you were so tired.”

The Margrave then drew Clarisse’s chair and assisted her in sitting, after which he walked across the room and sat across from her.

His face was expressionless, but his voice was still gentle.

“No, there’s no need for the Margrave to apologize…”

“It’s Jean, Clarisse.”

She looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“My name is Siegfried. So you can call me Jean. It’s not the Margrave.”

After that, he fell silent and seemed to be thinking about something, so Clarisse kept silent so as not to disturb him.

After a while, the maids brought them their meal, which consisted of omelets, salad, vegetable soup, and bread, all of which were delicious. The two of them ate together in silence.

When the meal was over, the butler asked if they wanted coffee, which surprised Clarisse because it was an expensive delicacy that was rarely served in her parents’ home. Still, the Margrave ordered the butler to bring two servings, so she just went along with it.

The coffee arrived with warmed milk and sugar a few moments later, and Clarisse savored her first café au lait. Meanwhile, the Margrave drank his coffee black.

“Well, Clarisse.”

The Margrave spoke quietly as Clarisse finished her café au lait.

“We have a lot to talk about. It’s a beautiful day, so why don’t we take a walk through the gardens?”