Chapter 53

"Oh, Al. It's been a while."

"Ah."

Al, who hadn't been around for a while, entered with a haughty attitude and plopped down into the chair next to me.

He greeted Evan and Yana casually with a "Hey," and no one was surprised anymore by his unpredictable appearances.

During the period when I was implementing my disappearance plan, Al seemed to have been quite busy and had complained that things had been really bad. For some reason, he glared at me fiercely, but I was uninvolved and found it unreasonable.

This was the first time Ranhardt had met Al, and he leaned against the wall, looking at him with disinterest.

"Is this kid someone you know?"

"Yeah, he's my fan."

"He's a stalker of the young lady."

"Wrong, don't joke! Seriously, I'm not in a position to be treated like this... In the first place, these guys..."

Al clicked his tongue at our simultaneous responses and grumbled.

Despite his haughty attitude, the cute face of the handsome young boy didn't make me angry; instead, I felt like saying, "There, there."

"To be liked by such a young kid, you must be popular."

"No, that's not it! So, who is this guy?"

"I'm Grace's next boyfriend, nice to meet you."

"No, that's not true."

Narrowing my eyes at Ranhardt's presumptuous statement, Al responded with a "Hmm" and propped his cheek on his hand.

"You definitely have no eye for men. You should seriously consider your life choices."

"Huh...?"

Suddenly, he said this in a serious tone, and after laughing at my shock, Al said, "I feel better now, I'm leaving," and left.

It seemed he had just come to vent his frustration, but I wondered what he really wanted.

I regained my composure and continued with the preparations. Just as I was about to leave, Ranhardt, who had been quietly observing, tugged at the hem of my dress.

"I want to try the food Grace made. I'll pay, okay?"

"Of course. I don't need money, but I don't have many ingredients left. Would you like something simple?"

"Sure, anything is fine."

It was surprising to hear Ranhardt say this, but I decided to make a simple pasta.

Since it was a good opportunity, I tried to make a taste that could only be found here, with a Japanese flavor. I had been experimenting with seasonings similar to those from my previous life.

Finally, I placed the completed pasta dish in front of Ranhardt, who was tense, and sat down across from him.

"Thank you, I'll start eating now."

"Y-Yes!"

"Ahaha, why are you so tense?"

While watching Ranhardt eat, I thought he looked quite charming and swallowed hard.

"–Surprised, it's delicious."

"R-Really...?"

"Yeah. I've never tasted anything like this, but it's really good."

From his slightly surprised expression, I could tell he genuinely enjoyed it.

"I'm so glad... Thank you, I'm really happy!"

If the food suits the palate of the pure-blooded noble Ranhardt, it should suit the customers as well. Being told it's delicious made me so happy that I couldn't help but smile.

As I exhaled in relief, I noticed Ranhardt had stopped eating and was staring at me intently.

"Is something wrong?"

"Your smile just now was surprisingly cute. You don't smile much in front of me."

"..."

Unexpectedly hearing the word "cute," my heart skipped a beat. While he had called me cute many times before, this time felt different.

Reflecting on it, whenever I was with Ranhardt, I was either crushed by the guilt of cheating or feeling gloomy because the plan had failed.

Feeling grateful for his tolerance of such a gloomy woman, I couldn't thank him enough.

Afterward, Ranhardt finished his meal neatly and thanked me politely for the delicious food.

"I'll come back to eat when you open."

"Yes, thank you."

When I first met Ranhardt, I was overwhelmed by his dazzling aura and the air of a high-ranking noble, making him seem distant.

However, the actual Ranhardt was easy to talk to, had a childish side, and was someone who would come to such a place and eat my home-cooked meal. He was completely different from what I had imagined.

"By the way, I'll be attending various gatherings from tomorrow, so I'll bring back news about that kid."

"Ah, thank you...!"

That kid must be Charlotte. I had been worried about her, but I was afraid to meet her directly, so I was really grateful.

On the other hand, there was something that had been bothering me.

"...Hey, why are you helping me so much? I haven't done anything to repay you, Ranhardt."

I felt guilty for always asking for his help and not being able to return anything to him, who was actually quite busy.

When I asked, Ranhardt replied casually, "Ah."

"I really like your strong attitude and unexpected actions. It's the contrast, I guess."

"Huh?"

"I always thought you were beautiful, but that was all. However, when I saw you sitting alone and crying in the theater that day, I thought you were interesting. That's why I approached you."

On the day I went out with Lord Zain for the first time, it wasn't just a coincidence or a whim that he helped me in the theater.

"I like the hardworking and somewhat absent-minded Grace. It's because I want to be liked by you, but don't worry about it."

He added, "It's also fun to watch you," and smiled brightly.

Realizing that he liked me, not just found me amusing, made my face heat up. This made me even more self-conscious.

However, since he had previously said it was all a game, I tried not to take it seriously and took a deep breath to calm down.

"But, being able to cook like that is unfair, isn't it? How much more contrast can you have, Grace?"

However, Ranhardt's carefree and bright smile, which seemed to mock me, made my heart race again.