Chapter 16

“What rumors?”

“Lord Royce, soon….”

The senior cooks whispered about Lloyd. Elena listened to the conversation with bated breath as they whispered secretly.

“I hear you’re getting married?”

“Are you marrying the man who often came to our store? You know that tall, handsome guy.”

“Oh, that person? I don’t know the name, but he must be a very high-ranking person. I think I heard that he was a knight belonging to the Imperial Knights.”

“Imperial Knights? That’s why Lloyd-sama became a regular at our store, too.”

“That’s right. Our restaurant is the closest restaurant to the hunting grounds dedicated to the Knights.”

While eavesdropping on the stories of the senior cooks, Elena lost strength in her legs and collapsed. To think that the man Royce would marry was a tall, handsome knight belonging to the Imperial Knights. Nothing came to mind except Wood’s face.

“Hey, Elena, why are you sweating so much? Are you okay? Since the chef isn’t coming today, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“It’s okay. I’m suddenly a little dizzy. I haven’t slept much lately.”

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead with my trembling hand, when I heard Royce’s voice clearly.

“Lady Karin, Miss Julia, he will arrive soon. He decided that this is a place to treat the two to a meal before marriage, so please enjoy it to your heart’s content.”

“The two of you usually come here often?”

“Sure. Both he and I like delicious food, so we’ve been to all the restaurants in the capital. There’s no other place that does it better than here.”

“Be kind. Even though he’s such a busy person, he seems to have taken Lloyd-sama everywhere.” T

The laughter of Lloyd and the noble ladies lingered in my ears like an echo. What was even more surprising than that cheerful, clear laugh that made my head hurt, was the fact that Wood would soon arrive at Bacchus. I didn’t want to suffer any more misery.

I had to run away before I caught his eye. Barely getting up, Elena slipped out of the Bacchus kitchen like a ghost while Royce and her party were distracted by their chatter. I had to go back to the mansion and work with a nonchalant face. That was her job as a hired cook for Wood, who would now be entirely Royce’s man. After the sun went down, evening came without fail. Elena, who barely made it to the mansion, immersed herself in the kitchen while dealing with her fellow cooks with her usual expression and tone. Wood’s face and voice, and Lloyd’s laughter, which did not return to the mansion until late at night, floated around in my head and made my stomach ache.

At times like this, I had to focus only on my work so that I could finally calm myself down. After finishing all her kitchen work, Elena trudged through the dark garden to her room to finalize the design of the wedding cake. Neither the white moon floating in the black night sky nor the feast of stars embroidering the sky beautifully could soothe the sinking mood.

“Elena.”

It was the time when they arrived in front of the outbuilding where the servants’ quarters were prepared. A familiar voice caught Elena. It was Wood. The strong scent of wine all over his body, his disheveled facial expression, and even his eyes staring at Elena. He was very drunk. It was the first time I had seen him drunk. Something hot in my chest was rising; and Elena said something she wouldn’t normally say.

“…Count. Why did you drink so much? Have you already eaten>”

“I had something to do, so I drank some..”

“What did you do?”

Wood must have been drunk while eating with Lloyd and her friends. Before the wedding, he was kind enough to invite the bride’s friends and treat them to a meal. Elena hated herself for expecting kindness from him. But what was more unbearable was Wood’s intense and hot eyes that were staring at her face.

“I wonder why I drank. That’s right, Elena.”

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