Chapter 10

By the time Sylphie and I had finished unpacking the moving boxes, it was completely dark outside.

Just as Sylphie mentioned it was dinner time, she led me to the spacious dining hall, where Logan was seated at the center of a long, rectangular table.

There was an empty chair next to Logan.

"Princess Amelia, please sit next to your husband."

With those words, Sylphie stood against the wall behind Logan.

"Come on, sit down already."

"Y-Yes, my apologies."

I sat down hesitantly and glanced at Logan. He seemed tired, as if he had been busy with paperwork.

He must have made time for me despite his busy schedule.

A faint warmth settled in my chest.

"Thank you for taking the time despite your busy schedule."

"Well, at least on the first day. I can't promise to join you from tomorrow."

"Even so, I'm very happy."

I smiled and said what I was thinking, and Logan scratched his head, looking uncomfortable.

(Did I say something strange...?)

While I was tilting my head in confusion, the food was brought in. The dishes placed before me were nothing short of extravagant.

(No, isn't this too much?)

There was a salad as an appetizer, fluffy and warm bread, a steak with a sauce made from chopped vegetables, the medium-rare red meat glistening, a whole grilled shrimp, and a rich cream pasta.

"What's wrong? Is there something you don't like?"

Logan asked, looking puzzled at my wide-eyed, frozen expression.

"No, it's just... there's enough for three days."

"Three days? This is one meal."

"Is that so... I see."

(Lord Logan must be an incredible eater...)

I became more convinced of this.

...In terms of quantity, it was about the same as a typical noble's meal, but Amelia, who had hardly ever had a proper meal, couldn't have known that.

After offering a prayer before the meal, I picked up my fork and timidly brought a piece of salad to my mouth.

"You're starting with the vegetables."

"I thought I'd start with what I'm most familiar with."

Because I had been living a forced vegetarian life.

(Ah... it's delicious...)

Lettuce, celery, broccoli... even tomatoes!

Amelia might have never tasted fresh, raw vegetables before.

At home, nothing that looked like vegetables was grown, as they would have been trampled if the maids or Erin found them.

The weeds I secretly grew were delicious, but they couldn't match the freshness and ease of eating of regular vegetables.

"You like vegetables, don't you?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Don't talk with celery in your mouth."

"S-Sorry..."

After swallowing the celery, I reached for the bread.

(It's soft and slightly sweet... delicious!)

How long had it been since I had wheat flour?

The bread at home was so hard it felt like it might break my teeth, and it had no taste.

The fact that the white part of the bread indented when pressed was nothing short of a bread revolution.

"I've never seen anyone eat bread alone so happily..."

Logan said, watching Amelia happily chew the bread.

"Usually, it's eaten with meat or fish."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Don't talk with bread in your mouth."

"F-Forgive me..."

After swallowing the bread, I picked up a bite-sized piece of steak and put it in my mouth.

"!!!"

A shock ran through my body.

The moment the sauce and the flavor of the meat spread in my mouth, the deliciousness hit me so hard that my speech center was momentarily disabled.

The moment I bit into it, I knew it was the softest, highest-quality meat.

With trembling hands, I picked up the bread, tore off a bite-sized piece, and put it in my mouth, and it was chaos.

"It's too delicious...!!"

After that, Amelia expressed her overwhelming delight with every dish she ate.

The chef, standing behind, nodded proudly.

Recovering from an extremely low-nutrition diet, Amelia forgot her ladylike manners and focused on her meal.

Occasionally, she would regain her composure and try to maintain proper dining etiquette, but it seemed futile against her explosive appetite.

◇◇◇

(She looks like a starving kitten...)

Logan thought as he watched Amelia devour the dishes with single-minded focus.

It wasn't that the food in this house was particularly delicious and moving her.

It seemed she was reacting this way simply because she hadn't had proper meals before.

The growing sense of unease.

Looking at Amelia's thin arms, which seemed to show her bones, he thought:

(So, Amelia...)

– Clank.

A not-so-small metallic sound echoed, interrupting his thoughts.

Looking to the side, he saw Amelia holding her stomach with both hands, her face contorted in pain.

"Amelia...!?"

Logan's loud voice echoed through the dining hall.