CH 10

Author: lipzoldyck

The Duke had a poor imagination.

He tried to imagine a child chewing on a cake in front of him, yet it didn’t work.

‘It’s frustrating.’

The only reason the Duke thought of treating his eyes was because he was uncomfortable dealing with monsters coming down from the mountains in the north.

For the first time in forever, he felt uncomfortable not being able to see other people.

It was when a week passed like that.

Liriette looked into the Duke’s eyes and said.

“All the poison is gone and the wounds are all healed.”

“…”

“Please open your eyes slowly.”

At Liriette’s voice, the Duke tightened his eyelids. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes, which were rotten by the monster’s poison, couldn’t be opened properly.

However, today was different.

His eyelids went up without any resistance or pain.

Soon, bright blue eyes appeared as if sapphires were inlaid.

Seeing the overwhelming beauty and intimidating gaze, Liriette stopped breathing for a moment.

The Duke slowly lowered his gaze to the child standing in front of him.

She had pale silver hair and a round, white face. Her nose and mouth were small, but only her sky-blue eyes occupied the place.

‘When I heard her voice, I thought she was a much more mature child.’

It was completely different from what he expected.

Liriette looked so young and innocent.

The only thing that he had expected was the size.

“Small.”

“…!”

The Duke muttered, caressing his chin.

“You’re smaller than a squirrel.”

Liriette was worried about being smaller than her peers at heart, so she screamed involuntarily.

“No matter what, I’m bigger than a squirrel, though!”

Then she covered her mouth with an, oops, face.

‘I guess the last few days have relieved my tension. How dare I yell at the Duke.’

Afraid of what might happen if the Duke got angry, she looked at him.

Yet he wasn’t angry.

Rather than that, he spoke with soft eyes (of course, with an infinitely expressionless face on the outside).

“Thank you.”

“…”

There wasn’t the slightest hint of arrogance or lies in the blue eyes of the Duke looking down at Liriette.

It was just pure gratitude.

As in her previous life.

Liriette’s heart thumped.

‘As expected, I’m glad I searched for the Duke.’

Liriette, who slowly raised the corners of her lips, smiled brightly.

“I’m glad the Duke’s eyes are getting better.”

“…”

The Duke stared at her, then placed his hand on Liriette’s small head. Then he stroked it back and forth once.

Liriette’s face turned red at the sudden touch, yet she didn’t avoid it.

‘It feels good to be praised for doing well.’

Although incredibly awkward, it took a while for her heart to tickle and the pleasant strokes to the head to end.

The Duke gazed down at Liriette and said.

“You healed my eyes, and now it’s my turn to repay you. But before that, there is something else to do.”

“…?”

Wanting to know what to do, her eyes widened.

***

Incredibly high ceilings. The space where the huge chandelier decorated with gold hung was the dining room of Windsorais Castle.

A long table was set with a huge amount of food.

Beef fillet steaks topped with paprika and broccoli.

Deep-fried cutlets of pork in breadcrumbs.

Hamburger steaks made round after mixing bread crumbs with minced meat.

Oven-baked chickens with special sauce.

Even a stew with large chunks of potatoes and sausages.

It was a huge amount, as if they were inviting dozens of guests.

Yet there were only two people sitting at the end of the long table: the tiny Liriette and the gigantic Duke Windsorais.

Liriette blinked as she saw the luxuriously prepared food.

‘Right. I made a promise with the Duke a few days ago.’

When asked by the Duke why she didn’t eat meat, Liriette answered.

That the moment the Duke’s treatment was over, she would eat whatever food was given to her.

‘But I didn’t mean to eat this much!’

There was too much food.

It was enough to make her stomach full just by looking at it.

The Duke spat out a word to Liriette, who felt the pressure on her whole body from the food.

“Let’s eat.”

Liriette clenched her two small fists.

‘Yep. Anyway, this food was prepared for me by the Duke.’

Besides, it was the first meal with the Duke, except for the cake she ate after each treatment.

It was polite to eat her best.

So Liriette bowed her head and nodded.

“B-Bon appetit!”

After greeting, Liriette extended her neck like a baby giraffe and scanned the food.

The table was so huge that she couldn’t see all the food at a glance.

‘Besides, they’re all meat dishes, so I don’t know what’s what.’

The Duke said to Liriette, who blinked with a confused face.

“You can’t seem to figure out what to eat, so I’ll help you.”

“Yes.”

Liriette, who answered automatically, asked back, yes?!

Liriette, who wasn’t a noble, knew.

Distributing food at mealtime is the work of subordinates. Nobles never do such a thing.

Especially if it was the Duke of Windsorais who stood at the top of the class!

However, contrary to Liriette’s astonished heart, he stood up from the chair with a calm face.

Then, after placing a round plate in his hand, he began serving food.

With the most graceful and restrained movements.

After a while, the Duke put the plate down in front of Liriette.

All dishes were placed on the plate in bite-size pieces.

She opened her mouth as if she saw something unbelievable, then she belatedly greeted.

“T-Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The Duke moved his long legs and quickly returned to his place across the table.

Liriette held the fork in one hand and looked at the food on the plate.

It was all meat.

She swallowed her saliva.

‘Since I usually eat a little bit of sugar or salt, I didn’t think eating cake would cause me much trouble. But the meat…’

Not eating meat was a strict rule handed down from generation to generation in temples dedicated to the goddess.

If Liriette ate meat, she might really anger the goddess and lose her divine power.

For a while, she thought it wouldn’t matter if it disappeared, but when she thought that her power might really disappear, she was terrified.

However, soon Liriette’s sky blue eyes shone.

She no longer wanted to live a life where she was oppressed because of this power she had.

‘The duke’s eyes are better too. That’s why it doesn’t matter even if the power disappears!’

Liriette put the fried chicken cut into small pieces into her mouth with her face imbued with determination.

She was eating meat for the first time in her life. The unique aroma and taste of meat might be unfamiliar to her, and she might reject it.

That’s why the chef in the castle cooked them with the utmost care.

To maximize the flavor and tenderness of the meat.

It was a success.

Liriette face lit up.

‘It’s delicious!’

It was a taste that couldn’t be felt from cabbage or carrots.

Liriette was amazed and poked at another piece of meat. It was a hamburger steak with brown sauce.

She courageously put a piece of steak into her mouth, and smiled brightly again.

‘Wow, this is delicious too.’

Liriette didn’t know.

The fact that Simon, who was standing on the other side of the dining room, the maids, who were clinging to the door and secretly watching the table, and the chef and kitchen maids, who were hearing the news in real time, were all overjoyed.

Miss Liriette ate meat!

And… the corners of the lips of the Duke who was sitting across from Liriette also slightly raised.

It was the smile he showed only when he won a fierce battle against a monster.

The Duke thought as he looked at Liriette, who put her meat in her mouth and munched with bulging cheeks.

‘It’s like a squirrel with lots of acorns in its cheeks in preparation for winter.’

Liriette also thought while looking at the Duke.

‘How can he eat so much food with such graceful and beautiful movements as if he was a painting?’

All the priests Liriette saw at the temple had light meals.

The High Priest ate food with his upper leg bent at every meal, but it wasn’t to that extent.

Sensing Liriette’s gaze, the Duke opened his mouth.

“Do you have anything to say?”

Liriette answered honestly.

“You eat really nicely.”

The Duke knew that the words weren’t sarcastic or accusatory.

Because the child’s eyes were so innocent.

Thus, the Duke replied with a calm face.

“Because I’m big. I should eat this much.”

There was a misunderstanding.

It’s true that the Duke was much taller and bigger than an average adult man, but even taking that into account, his diet was enormous.

Even so, Liriette nodded her head with a face of understanding.

‘That’s right. Because the Duke is as big as a bear. I’m sure he eats a lot.’