Chapter 56

From Zain's perspective, I had forced myself to become his lover by confessing my love, but as soon as I fell in love, I suddenly decided to break up and pushed him away unilaterally.

It's only natural that he would find me selfish and detestable.

"Am I that unreliable?"

Even so, his voice and tone were gentle, and his wistful expression made my heart constrict.

I wanted to cry at Zain's kindness, which didn't blame me or think ill of me.

"N-no! It's not like that—"

Before I could deny it, his perfectly chiseled face drew near, and I involuntarily held my breath.

"Grace"

His sweet voice and breath made me dizzy.

"……"

I closed my eyes tightly, thinking our lips would touch at this angle. But nothing happened for a while.

When I slowly opened my eyes, our noses were almost touching, and our gazes locked.

It seemed he had stopped just short of my lips, and the honey-colored eyes that reflected me showed a face on the verge of tears.

"…Did it disappear?"

At his question, his satisfied smile made my cheeks flush even more. He knew the answer without asking.

In the first place, I didn't think Isaac's sense had disappeared; I only considered it a minor accident, and nothing was left.

More than anything, after Zain's first kiss, I couldn't think of anything else.

Desperately nodding to be released, Zain drew a beautiful arc with his lips.

"Your knight should be coming to pick you up soon."

He suddenly let go of my hands, and I almost collapsed in relief. Zain looked calm, and I felt a pang of frustration.

"Um, why are you here…?"

"It was a coincidence today. I just finished a job far away and finally returned to the capital. The first thing I saw was my lover kissing an unknown man."

It seemed like a sarcastic remark, but I could only apologize with a guilty conscience.

He seemed to have been busy with work in his territory and monster hunting expeditions, and hadn't even shown up at social events. That meant he hadn't seen Charlotte, and the situation hadn't improved at all.

Thinking that the timing of my disappearance was perfect, Zain continued, "By the way—"

"I will always come to pick you up, no matter how busy I am. If you want to travel, we can go as much as you like."

Feeling as if he had seen through my thoughts, I was flustered and said, "Ah, thank you."

"…You must have been lonely without my letters, right?"

"N-no, not at all!"

"Is that so? I didn't receive any replies from you, and I couldn't see your face, so I was very lonely."

His straightforward words made my heart race again. In this short time, I realized that Zain still liked me.

"I have a packed schedule after this, so I'll be going."

"…Okay."

"Be careful with that man from earlier."

Just as I was relieved to see Evan approaching, Zain whispered in my ear, "I love you," and left. Completely drained of strength, I slumped to the ground.

Evan walked over casually, saying, "Ah, there you are," and offered his hand.

"Miss, are you okay?"

"…Not at all…"

My heart continued to race, and the sensations and voice Zain left behind wouldn't go away.

◇◇◇

After meeting Zain, I realized it was really dangerous. Since then, I've been staying in my room except for going to and from the dining hall.

"Letters, gifts, and flowers have arrived from Duke Winslett and Lord Ranheart."

"…Just leave them there."

Letters and gifts had arrived, but of course, I hadn't opened them. I decorated my room with the flowers, but they were all things I had casually mentioned liking before, which made my heart race.

As time passed, the opening day of the dining hall arrived.

Although the issue with Zain wasn't resolved, I couldn't leave the dining hall unattended, and focusing on the preparations helped me feel more at ease.

"I'm getting nervous… What if no one comes… I might throw up…"

"Don't worry. It will surely go well."

"Phew! Phew!"

Despite working tirelessly to prepare, I was still nervous and anxious. But everyone encouraged me, and I slapped my cheeks to muster up courage.

"Thank you, let's do our best."

I planned to work full-time during the opening period. I dyed my hair a dark brown with magic and wore glasses that made it almost impossible to see my face behind the glass.

This alone changed my appearance significantly, and the infamous Grace was not well-known among commoners.

"Miss, a customer has arrived."

"Ah, welcome!"

The doorbell rang, and I quickly switched my mindset.

Thanks to the promotion I had done in Mirel, customers kept coming in without a break after the opening.

Each time a customer arrived, an indescribable joy and sense of relief welled up inside me, making my feet feel light.

"Here you are, the lunch set."

"Wow, it looks delicious."

"Thank you, please enjoy your meal."

I helped in the kitchen from time to time, served customers, and patrolled the dining hall, working busily.

I felt like my part-time job experience at a family restaurant during high school in my previous life was coming in handy.

"Miss, I've brought in more customers."

"Thank you."

Evan occasionally went outside to attract customers and brought in a lot of female customers, which was very helpful.

I recognized Evan as a rare animal rather than a potential romantic interest, but I realized he was quite popular in the world.

"Wow, it's delicious…!"

"Really, try a bite, please."

The light pasta and beautifully presented sets were well-received by female customers, making me happy.

I was confident that once they had this experience, they would come back again.

"Hey, I came as promised."

In the midst of this, the doorbell rang again, and I turned to see Al and an unfamiliar man.