CH 50

“I know that Hansen has some left. You can ask him,” Elena suggested.

“He turned me down right away saying that he didn’t have any more.”

“He has some. I saw him use it yesterday, although sparingly. Maybe it would be better if you ask him politely,” Elena said.

Madel listened in on Elena’s conversation. If she had been the one to say something like that to Giggs, then he would’ve knocked the dishes off the cabinet and broken them all with his giant hand in retaliation. ‘I hope he doesn’t do the same thing to—’

“Alright, I’ll try,” Giggs said in resignation.

“I’ll start making more medicine, but it will take time.”

Giggs had already used up two bottles of Elena’s medicine to cover his wounds. Realizing this, he decided to borrow some from Hansen even though he didn’t want to ask him politely. He bowed to Elena then quietly left the kitchen.

Elena looked around the kitchen as if nothing had happened and started to find another task to do. She noticed some water spilled on the floor and squatted down to clean it up. Madel realized what she was doing and hurriedly approached Elena to snatch the mop away.

“Are you sure you’re supposed to be doing chores like this?” Madel asked.

“I’m here to take care of things like this. Don’t worry,” Elena replied gently, her voice sounding somewhat sorrowful. She took the mop back from Madel’s hand and finished cleaning the mess. She then washed her hands and started looking for other chores she could help with when she heard Gareth’s men greet their superior.

“Lord Gareth is here. Come on, move quickly!” Madel suddenly made a great fuss.

Elena went out to the hall alone, carrying a big plate of food. Gareth didn’t even pretend to see Elena setting up breakfast on the table. On the other hand, Lydia blatantly glared at her. Her red hair was neatly brushed down and shining.

The maids, along with Elena, placed the plates on the table, while Madel rearranged them. She pushed the meat and stew towards Gareth, and gave Lydia a separate plate with an assortment of all the dishes. Her action caused the food to be far away from the rest of Gareth’s men. Elena wanted to comment on Madel’s behavior, but decided against it.

The meal began after Gareth started eating. After seeing this, Elena returned to the kitchen. Gareth ripped a piece of bread and dipped it into the stew before putting it in his mouth. He then glared at the empty chair that Elena was supposed to be seated at. She hadn’t returned after going back into the kitchen. It seemed that his subordinates were eyeing up the empty seat as well, perhaps because she had always been around them until now.

Madel was busy serving the food when Lydia suddenly spoke, “Madel, tell that woman to come out and serve us as well.”

Gareth’s eyebrows furrowed in anger at those words. However, it was Giggs who acted first. He punched the table with his fist, making a loud noise.

“Oh, my goodness, Giggs. I guess you’re still the same, causing problems everywhere,” Lydia remarked.

“Stop talking,” Giggs said brusquely, then started eating again furiously. Lydia’s presence was making him uncomfortable and the annoyance she was causing was making his stomach upset. However, he couldn’t stop eating because the food was so delicious.

‘This tastes like what I ate back at Townsend castle. Oh, it’s probably made by Lady Elena,’ Giggs thought as he continued eating. He nonchalantly ignored Lydia’s stare and left it up to Gareth to hint at him about whether or not he crossed the line. As long as his boss didn’t say anything, Lydia was just an annoying redhead.

“Your men are all rude, Gareth,” Lydia said, exasperated.

“Shut up,” Gareth stated coldly, then directed his attention back to the empty seat. Feeling irritated and having lost his appetite, Gareth stopped eating and stood up from his seat. “Giggs, go out on a patrol around the estate when you finish eating. Hansen, come to my study when you’re done,” he ordered.

When Gareth left, Madel clicked her tongue and stepped into the kitchen as if she no longer had a reason to serve the remaining people. Giggs suddenly stood up, then reached over and snatched the bread and stew from Gareth’s seat and devoured them at an incredible speed. None of the other men blamed him since he had the largest build out of all of them and needed the most food.

Lydia lost her appetite at the sight of Giggs devouring the leftover food. With a frown on her face, she began to tear the bread into little pieces instead of eating. Madel, who was standing at the entrance of the kitchen to watch Lydia eat, clicked her tongue again. “She shouldn’t be eating so little like that. What should I do? She’s still suffering from morning sickness. Will the baby even grow properly?” she lamented to herself.

Elena, who was cleaning up in the kitchen, stopped when she heard Madel’s words. She stood still as she took a moment to process them. Lydia, the king’s sister, is bearing Gareth’s child. She realized that her life, even as a noblewoman, would put her in the position to raise Gareth’s possibly illegitimate child alone or abandon it, since Lydia was a part of royalty. Even if a miracle occurred and she were to be married to Gareth, she had no right to blame her husband for the tragedy. After all, her family didn’t even have a dowry for Gareth. The best she could do was to put up with this situation.

Elena’s hands started shaking. ‘Was this why? Was this why he told me he couldn’t marry me and that he wouldn’t accept my child as his?’ Elena thought of the royal princess Lydia and the child she was bearing. Her heart began to ache and tighten, causing her hands to tremble even more as tears started to well up in her eyes.

Unable to tolerate her emotions any longer, Elena approached Madel. “Madel, if there’s nothing else for me to do, can I go outside for a while?” she asked.

“What?” Madel asked back, confused.

“It won’t be long. I’ll just be right back.”

“O-okay.”

As soon as Madel allowed her to, Elena opened the back door to the kitchen and slipped out. Madel only stared blankly as she watched the woman leave.

* * *

Gareth swept up his short blond hair after giving Hansen orders to research some things outside the estate. Gareth only accepted commissions after sending Hansen to thoroughly investigate the places he was assigned to. Although this investigation was going to take longer than normal, he believed that Hansen was going to return with useful detailed information as usual.