Chapter 88

# 88

|

Nabia wore a bewildered expression upon hearing the unexpected words.

‘...Why is he really like that?’

Lark read Nabia’s expression and chuckled.

"Why? It seems you’re suspicious because I’m being so compliant."

Honestly, that was the case, but she couldn’t say it.

"No, it’s just a bit unexpected."

"Stop joking. I could see you were wondering why this guy is acting like this."

Nabia was taken aback.

‘Did I show it that much...?’

Nabia awkwardly lowered her gaze and placed the broken pen on the table.

"You should buy a new pen."

She was just trying to change the subject.

Lark, knowing that Nabia was trying to shift the topic, laughed as if it were amusing.

"I buy dozens of pen barrels because they break so easily."

"…The pen barrels break easily?"

How could these thick wooden pen barrels break so easily?

"If you apply a bit of force, they break."

Nabia found it really hard to understand but reluctantly nodded.

"I see…."

"You used a forbidden word again."

When Nabia closed her mouth in dissatisfaction, Lark smiled with a hint of satisfaction.

Nabia cautiously thought that his level might be more childish than Wood.

Then she quickly erased the thought. It would be troublesome if he read her mind again.

‘Surely he’s not using some kind of mental magic, right?’

He seemed to be a mage who used spatial magic, so that was unlikely.

Nabia found the situation even more absurd as she thought about it.

‘Still, it’s a relief, right?’

In any case, Lark seemed to be in a much better mood than when she first arrived.

When she opened the door, the strong smell of anesthetic filled the room, in addition to his usual scent.

Although she wasn’t sure what about her he found amusing, it was a relief if it had a positive effect.

"Then I’ll take my leave, Duke."

"Go ahead."

Nabia bowed and briskly left the bedroom.

Lark shook his head as the child left.

"People do all sorts of things in life."

#15.

|

Would you like to have breakfast together?

|

Nabia left Lark’s bedroom and started walking downstairs.

Her initially slow steps had become light, almost bouncing as she walked.

Just as Nabia was about to go downstairs, she encountered the retainers gathered below.

They seemed to have been waiting here because Charlotte couldn’t go up to the third floor.

"How did it go?"

Schleman asked cautiously, with a doubtful expression.

Nabia smiled broadly and replied.

"He allowed both the business and for Charlotte to stay."

Margaret also smiled and clapped her hands.

"That’s great! So Charlotte can enter the third floor too?"

Nabia shook her head.

"No, I didn’t ask about entering the third floor. That would be too presumptuous."

When everyone smiled wryly at her words, Nabia suddenly realized there was something else she hadn’t asked.

‘Oops. I didn’t ask about the lemon cream cheese cake again.’

Was it the taste? But the cake she made that day wasn’t bad when she first tasted it. Honestly, she found it quite delicious.

‘Everyone did say it was delicious.’

Nabia glanced at Lark’s bedroom and said cautiously.

"Can I help make dinner tonight?"

* * *

In the kitchen on the first floor, Nabia and Margaret had set up to prepare the ingredients.

Nabia still didn’t know Lark’s preferences, so she planned to prepare something that anyone would like.

Margaret glanced at Nabia’s determined expression and smiled.

"Pork can easily have a gamey smell. It’s good to marinate it with fruits or pepper to reduce the odor."

"There’s such a method."

Nabia quickly prepared the fruits following her advice.

After marinating the meat, she helped Margaret trim the vegetables.

‘Does the Duke dislike vegetables?’

Nabia often ate salads, so she had no particular aversion to vegetables.

To be precise, she didn’t have any special feelings about them since she ate to survive.

But she remembered that Wood and Vivian had a strong aversion to them.

They especially disliked cucumbers and carrots. Oh, and bell peppers. Hmm, asparagus too.

‘It seems they didn’t eat vegetables much.’

But they seemed to eat mushrooms well when seasoned and grilled.

At that moment, Margaret asked.

"Shall we taste it to see if it’s good?"

Nabia blinked.

‘Taste it?’

Ah, now that she thought about it, people usually tasted the food while cooking.

But Nabia couldn’t eat anything without Nikan’s permission, so she rarely tasted the food.

However, she always received good reviews because she followed the recipes faithfully.

"I’m fine. Please taste it, Lady Margaret."

Nabia was very curious about the taste.

But for someone who didn’t have the habit of eating, it felt like a pointless guilt, so she said it with a wistful look.

Margaret, who had already noticed why Nabia was answering this way from her thin frame and eating habits, smiled calmly and then suddenly said playfully.

"Do you want to eat something? Let’s just eat everything and pretend we didn’t make it."

"Really? But…."

"What do you think? Nabia, you can eat anything you want while cooking."

As she said this, Margaret pretended to eat the unprepared ingredients.

Nabia felt her heart warm as she realized Margaret was comforting her.

She also laughed merrily at her cheerfulness.

"I’m here!"

At that moment, Charlotte arrived in the kitchen after unpacking her luggage.

Charlotte thought Nabia’s involvement in cooking would be limited to washing vegetables.

"I didn’t know you were really going to cook, Miss."

Nabia laughed awkwardly.

This was a coping method she had learned through regression.

There was no need to make a suspicious excuse. Just smiling would make people think on their own.

Even now, just smiling made Charlotte tilt her head but not question further.

Soon, Schleman hurriedly entered the kitchen with a basket of additional ingredients.

He had bought more ingredients needed for the food Nabia was making.

"Am I late?"

"You arrived just in time."

Nabia prepared a decent feast, though not an overly lavish dinner.

"Is there one more portion?"

When Charlotte asked while setting the table, Nabia replied.

"Yes, this is for the Duke."

The other retainers widened their eyes at this.

‘It seems the conversation went much better than expected.’

Especially Margaret still vividly remembered how Lark had been extremely unstable and sharply angry.

When their lord was in such a state, the atmosphere was usually a mess for at least a month.

They looked at Nabia with a strange expression.

The little lady didn’t seem to realize how significant a change she had brought about.

Of course, it was something she couldn’t know, but they were now curious about something else.

"By the way, what did you talk about inside? Did the lord act rudely?"

Nabia paused while helping with the plating.

‘Rudely…’

There were too many instances to know what to say.

"Nothing much. Just, clean the table…."

Since she had said the table was dirty and needed cleaning, that was the truth.

"He also said he would help with the business."

At this, Margaret and Schleman asked simultaneously.

"The lord?"

"The lord?"