209 [209]

From lunch time, the atmosphere was a little unusual.

Raymond swallowed his saliva looking across the empty table. He waited all morning for his wife to see him again at this time. But Karen wasn't there. Raymond pulled the chair back as he approached the table. Raymond did not sit down and asked his servant.

"Is Karen here yet?"

"Yes, my lady hasn't come yet. Would you like to eat first?"

"No, wait."

I'll be right back.

The baroness and the baroness Sayertes were bound by some rules.

One of them was a time appointment. In particular, it was the implicit rule of the two to keep their seats so that the meal time would not be delayed by a few minutes. When they both stayed at the mansion, they always ate at the same time.

This is because the owners must be on time to prepare and work properly. Karen, who values eating, has always considered eating time as important. But Karen is late. He seemed to have been quite a bit. Raymond sat and waited for Karen in silence.

“…….”

But as time went by, only silence lingered and Karen did not come.

Next to the table, the servants stood quietly looking at the landlord.

Raymond raised his hand, put it on the table, touched his forehead, and touched the table, and began to disorganize his posture. Then when I opened my mouth, a sigh came out.

"Carran's too late."

"I'll heat up the meal again."

"…Oh, when did I put it up?”

Raymond looked down on the table.

It seemed like there was nothing just a moment ago, but it seemed to have been quite a while. Before I knew it, the meal was on top, and it was already cold.

"The Baron just asked me to put it up."

"How about me?

"Yes."

Considering that the meal was lunch, it was a menu that was overly attentive. This is because I personally instructed Karen to take extra care in order to make her taste in the morning.

The appetizers were placed on truffles and cheese. Because it was a difficult season to get truffle mushrooms, Raymond had to use gold coins to get them.

Also, the main menu was to roast a young turkey with apples and nuts, mixed with mashed potatoes, chopped onions and carrots.

The white small bowls were served with a variety of sauces, including apple sauce, giblet sauce, and cranberry sauce, as if they were jeweled, and white bread was baked in a tight lunch time.

And even though it wasn't on the table, there was a cheese cake with orange on it for snack after meal.

It would taste less delicious if it was too late.

Raymond waited with his hands together, but it was Nancy, not Karen.

"I'm sorry, Baron. Mrs. Seyertes says she doesn't eat."

"You skip meals?"

"Yes."

Raymond asked in a trembling voice.

"Carran's body... Does it hurt? Skipping meals....”

How can Karen skip meals?

Karen was also looking forward to the mushrooms she brought this time. What if he was mentally shocked and knocked out? A figure of Karen throwing blood in Raymond's head came to mind.

"No, he's just mad.”

"…sigh."

Raymond breathed a sigh of relief at Nancy's frank answer.

'I guess you're just upset.’

This is like a silent threat.

Raymond came to that conclusion. Of course, he was disappointed to eat without Karen, but he couldn't surrender here.

It's not for anyone else, but for Karen herself. Last time he followed Karen's decision, but this is another matter. It was never too much to try to protect a pregnant wife and it was a must.

'You can't let this slide.’

In front of Karen's door, "Let's go anywhere! Just say it!' I wanted to surrender, but it would never be a wise way. Raymond held his words firmly and answered the maid in a soft voice.

"Yes, I'm sorry to hear that, so please comfort me. And if you think there's anything you want, give it to me right away."

"Okay, Baron."

Nancy went up.

It's all right.

Raymond gulped down cold water, soothing his stomach.

And I picked up the bread on the table. Apparently the bread was very tasty. Raymond bit the bread loudly. But Raymond couldn't swallow it and just chewed it slowly for a long time. His eyes were wide open, staring into the air, and his hands were shaking little by little. He looked like he would be in big trouble if someone touched him.

"…what should I do?"

"…what can I do, you idiot?"

Raymond didn't notice at all, even though the servants were whispering in the background because they couldn't see each other. After a long time, Raymond couldn't come to his senses, and the old butler who was looking at the situation sneaked up next to Raymond and asked.

"Are you all right, Baron?"

Then Raymond swallowed the bread in his mouth and opened his mouth. I tried to smile, but it hardened into a strange look.

"That's okay. I think it'll be a very delicious meal. Sheep is too much to eat alone. James, will you join me? It's a very appetizing fish."

"No, it's all right."

The butler did not point out that there was no fish on the table. But Raymond once again recommended it with a slightly slurred face.

"Don't give up."

"It's already dinner time. Baron Raymond, please stop getting up."

"…yes…."

Raymond staggered to his feet.

"Are you all right?"

"It's okay. Tell the kitchen to make sure dinner is ready."

"Yes, I understand."

"Very well."

"Yes."

Raymond urged the butler firmly.

"Didn't the baron have a meal?"

"Yeah, so dinner's all right.”

"No, James, what else do we do here?"

"I want you to raise the gold!

The kitchen turned upside down.

And all the people clung together to prepare the meal. As a result, a luxurious meal was prepared several times more than lunch. A series of luxurious dishes were prepared that might be served when the royal family visited.

"Dear Baron Raymond, the meal is ready."

"Okay."

But Karen didn't show up at dinner, either. Raymond deliberately went late to say he was a little upset, but the restaurant was still served for only two people and no one was sitting.

"…I can't see Karen.”

"Dear Baron, your wife said she would skip dinner.”

“…….”

Raymond gulped down the wine by one. There was nothing he could do while Karen was very upset.

I only felt sick because of the alcohol I drank.

***

James, the deacon of the Sayertes family, has been living a new life these days.

This is because a lot of things happened after Raymond came out of the army.

When I declared my divorce with Icela Evans and offered to marry Karen Haier, everyone in the house was worried.

It was understandable that Raymond finally rebelled against his brother's decision to comply, but I thought it would never be wise to break the engagement and marry another woman. How many bad relationships were there between the Evans and the Seyertes?

The Evans will take revenge.

Many retainers, including Raymond's brother James, also thought so. When Raymond took the royal family and the Marquis on his back and became a baron instead of his brother, everyone looked at the young man with worried eyes.

'You're so young that you're causing trouble.’

But it was a rain of strangers.

Raymond took care of everything in an instant, and smoothly, without having time for the people around him to understand everything.

Other people thought for a long time and decided on the options at once without even thinking about them once. It sometimes seemed crazy, but it turned out to be the best choice that could no longer be said over time.

"He seems to have bought a few times more than I do these days.’

Xenon, who has seen Raymond since childhood, also looked up to him with his tongue out. Raymond was even more than willing to say anything to his side in the process of dealing with the matter.

Everything he wanted was done and his choice was absolutely right.

People who knew Raymond had no choice but to believe him more and more. Whatever he ordered was sure to be the right decision in the end, so the retainers became more loyal to him.

So at dawn that day, James almost passed out.

James, who was checking the situation of the mansion with his back up at dawn, first thought he was a strange man when he saw a suspicious man standing in the hallway. But I was used to where Inyoung is.

"…Master?"

"Did you sleep well, James? Good morning.”

"Huh...! Are you okay? Why here…."

"I'm always healthy."

But James couldn't be relieved. Because Raymond's face was horrible. His eyes were bloodshot and his voice was locked. I heard late last night that he was hanging around in front of the baroness' room, but he's still here this early...Doesn't that mean you've been doing that all night?

"Have you been standing all night?"

"I couldn't sleep...Never mind.”

"How can I not care? Don't tell me you're upset because you fought with your wife....”

"I didn't fight Karen.”

"No, I'm sure we both agreed to go on a trip yesterday..”

"We didn't fight, James."

Are you crying?

I couldn't bring myself to ask that question. Because Raymond's face was not very good. Raymond muttered like a parrot. He didn't look very well either.

"But I can't let you go because it's dangerous. Still, yes... How can you suggest using a separate bed?”

Usually, couples in a certain class often used their own bedrooms. So did the former Baroness, who was Raymond's parents. But Raymond and Karen were still newlyweds, so they were sharing the same bedroom.

"Lord... Master, it's not like a couple has a separate bedroom."

“…….”

It's not so strange, the butler swallowed the horse. Raymond's face looked like a man who ran out of water to drink in a dry desert.

"That's too much."

***

"Are you really going to go, miss?"

"Yes."

Karen replied with a bright smile.

"I've told you since I was a kid, haven't I? I'm the main character of a romance novel."

"I did, but.... well…."

Nancy noticed, but Karen's touch was relentless.

"Do you know the pregnancy runoff?”

I had a ticket in my hand.

a runaway pregnancy

It was one of the enduring cliché of romance novels.

It is a component device in which the heroine, who has an unexpected pregnancy, runs away from the male lead.

Usually, there is a heroine who runs away from a male protagonist who does not want a baby. The heroine bears the pain of childbirth alone without a guardian. Readers sympathize and cheer with the heroine. Of course, most of the time, even if there was a misunderstanding or not, Nam Joo becomes aware of her feelings.

"I brainwashed her... I don't remember reading you a pregnant woman just for comfort. Premarital pregnancy is for adults."

"I bought it and read it. And if there's no detailed description, I'm an all-age person."

Because Nancy brainwashed Karen, Karen read various romance novels. It is because he hoped that he might find a clue to escape from repeated life in such a place.

But Nancy kept contradicting Karen.

"What a baby girl does is not a baby run. I'm just going to play in secret."

"If you run away while you're pregnant, you'll run away. Let's not argue too much about genre novels."

Karen waved her hand as she looked at the list eagerly, indicating that she was annoyed.

"I need leather boots, I need some cash... Get my green coat."

"…Uh…"

Nancy tried to stop Karen, but she couldn't think of a proper way.

If Karen runs away, she'll surely be interrogated severely. Nancy's head got complicated. He didn't want to be scolded. I really didn't want to get back on the road again.

What if I get kicked out?’

Nancy was Karen's own maid.

Although he also plays the role of Lady Maid, his position in the Baron's family was not clear. Although she knows Karen's secret and is treated as a home maid because she is good at handling hallucinogens, she has not been deployed anywhere, including kitchen, laundry and cleaning.

However, he was old and conclusively different in race to become a Ladies' Maid. In order to earn a salary by paying Karen's simple salary, it was first to curry favor with Karen.

Karen, as the hostess of the mansion, was able to control her abode as much as she could. Karen would kick herself out as much as she could if she felt betrayed.

I want to keep sucking honey here...Should I tell Baron Raymond?’

However, it was obvious that Raymond would be kicked out if he kept his mouth shut.

No matter how Karen says she is a baroness, the real owner is a baron Raymond. It was unclear how much Karen would side with her, and it was terrible to think about what would happen if she got hurt.

If you obey Karen, Raymond will cut himself.

If you rebel against Karen, Karen will cut herself.

Nancy swallowed a dry saliva.

Thump!

"Oh, my God!"

Karen threw an empty bag at Nancy.

"Shhh, be quiet and get it. Raymond hasn't noticed yet, has he?

"Yes, yes... I think so."

"Then hurry up and get your stuff out of the way. What are you blanking out?”

I feel like I can hear my life going to hell.

Nancy cried inwardly.