Chapter 9

After acknowledging the letter, I entrusted it to my father in the morning. Since my father was also going to send a letter to the viscount's house, he said he would send it together.

My brother and mother were smiling, but I could sense their anger in the atmosphere. The mood at breakfast was a bit tense, but everyone understood that if someone started complaining, it would turn into a big grudge session. I knew that everyone was focusing on their meal in silence as a gesture of consideration.

After finishing my usual work, I headed not to my home but to the dining street.

I had decided to have a drink before going home and had told Marc in the morning. He said he would come to pick me up at the right time, and I always relied on him for that.

The sign of "Arisu-Tei" came into view. The gentle light illuminating the sign made me feel relieved.

When I opened the familiar door and peeked inside, there were no customers yet.

"Welcome, Alicia-chan."

"Good evening. I'll have the special today."

"Understood. What would you like to drink?"

"An ale for now."

"Sure thing."

I ordered from Emma while taking off my coat. I could see the master nodding slightly in the kitchen behind the counter.

I sat in the second chair from the right, hanging my coat on the back of the chair.

"Has Noah been coming around lately?"

"A few times. He's quite unpredictable."

"That's true."

It had been about a month since I last came to the shop.

Noah and I are drinking buddies, but I don't know his contact information. If we meet at this shop, we drink together; if we don't, I drink alone. That's the kind of relationship we have. Today, I wanted to talk to Noah, and I was a bit disappointed that he wasn't there.

I took a sip of the ale. The coldness and the well-balanced bitterness and sourness flowed down my throat. After drinking about half of it in one go, I sighed deeply.

"Ah... delicious."

"Have this to start with."

Emma laughed at my expression and placed a small plate on the counter. It looked like ravioli with tomato sauce.

"Looks delicious."

I clasped my hands in gratitude and picked up the fork. I put a bite-sized ravioli with tomato sauce in my mouth. The hot meat juice overflowed as soon as I bit into it, and I pressed my hand to my mouth to let out a sigh.

The cheese mixed with the meat juice and the crunchy texture... it's broccoli. This is incredibly delicious.

I cooled my still hot mouth with the ale. The ale goes well, but wine would be good too.

"Emma, this is really delicious. The meat and cheese are amazing, and the firm broccoli adds a good accent. I think white wine would go well with it. Please, I'd like some!"

"Sure. I'm glad you like it. Right, Master?"

Emma laughed and looked back at the kitchen, where the master nodded. His expression remained unchanged, but his aura was gentle.

Emma placed a glass of white wine in front of me. As I was about to finish the remaining ale, the door opened and a familiar voice sounded.

"Ugh, it's cold. ...Oh, you're here."

I turned my face while drinking the ale and saw Noah shaking off the snow from his head.

"It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Alright, I guess. How about you?"

"I'm fine, but I'm frustrated."

"Something happened, huh?"

Noah moved the chair next to me to create some distance, as usual. He hung his coat on the pulled-out chair and sat down.

"Emma, I'll have white wine too. And some random dishes."

"Sure."

"This ravioli is really delicious."

"Then I'll have that too."

"Alright."

After finishing the remaining ravioli on my plate, I picked up the glass of white wine. A glass was also placed in front of Noah, and we raised them in a toast.

Our toasts always take this form when we keep a distance.

While enjoying the white wine, I caught a whiff of cheese. Following the scent, I saw a gratin placed in front of me. Steam was rising from the oval deep dish.

In front of Noah, there were ravioli and fish fritters. The fritters were covered with a sauce made of large-cut tomatoes and black olives, which looked delicious.

"So, what happened?"

"A lot of things, and I'm angry about all of them. First, my ex-fiancé's new partner came to complain to me."

"Really?"

I started talking while scooping the gratin with a spoon.

The spoon broke through the crispy layer of cheese and sank into the white sauce. It seemed to contain salmon and spinach. The pink and green stood out beautifully against the white.

"My ex-fiancé and his new partner's engagement isn't progressing because I'm using my family's influence to interfere. Being accused of having lingering feelings is so frustrating."

I put the salmon on the spoon into my mouth. The smooth white sauce had a good balance of salt. Yes, this is delicious too.

Noah was neatly cutting the fish and putting a tomato on it before eating it. I remembered that this man has a graceful way of eating.

"Didn't they listen when you denied it?"

"You got it. That's exactly what happened. And they were shouting in the library. There were other noble children there, so I felt dizzy thinking about the gossip it would create in society."

"Word might spread in society that it wasn't your fault."

"If you have any connections in society, please don't spread my story."

"Sure, I won't."

"Right."

Noah's lips formed a smile, looking amused. His thick bangs still covered more than half of his face, but his voice and lips conveyed his emotions clearly.

I gently swirled the wine glass and took a sip. The grape's acidity and aroma were strong. The light amber color shimmered in the light.

"At that time, a knight helped me, but something even more troublesome happened."

"No, I think what just happened is pretty troublesome."

Noah chuckled and emptied his glass, then showed it to Emma behind the counter. Emma nodded and started preparing a refill of wine.

"I received a letter from my ex-fiancé."

"Huh?"

"It contained a lot of things, but in summary, it was a letter saying, 'I'll make you my mistress'—"

"Huh?"

While complaining and scooping the cheese part of the gratin, my words were cut off by Noah's voice. Surprised by his stern tone, I turned to look at him.

I couldn't see his expression, but I could sense his anger in the atmosphere.

Emma, who brought the wine refill to the counter, chuckled. Noah took the glass and drank it all in one go.