Chapter 14

With Aron leading the way, Citrina followed him with gentle steps.

It wasn’t in the original plot, but she didn’t really care. She didn’t mean to ruin the original plot, but she also doesn’t have the intention to follow it.

Frankly speaking, she was tired of supporting and caring about other people. So her only concern was the rehabilitation project or her future.

Whether or not he knew what she thought, Aron smiled brightly and pulled the chair out for her.

“Citrina, sit here!”

“Good day, Citrina.”

Aron’s youthful voice and Desian’s languid voice sounded in contrast.

“Yes. Did everyone have a good dream?” And with Citrina’s voice added to the mix. With three different voices, the dining hall was lively.

Sitting on the chair, Aron pulled for her, and she gave a greeting to Desian.

Desian nodded. Still no expression on his face. The face that has no interest in the world, that indifferent look.

She knew about the future so that she could stay calm. But what if she was in Aron’s place? She wouldn’t be as confident.

“Thank you, Aron.”

Of course, she decided to eat the appetizer first. Not knowing the exact name.

The egg was thoroughly cooked inside, and it was a food that can be eaten with a fork.

‘Oh, I suddenly remembered what I ate in the baron household.’

Citrina was a person who lived a hard life working even though she was an aristocrat. Compared to the bread and bacon lump there, this was heaven. There’s no taste of sweetness, nor the taste of coal.

‘You’ll make more money than the Baron.’

This was the moment she strengthened her determination, with a fork in hand.

“Citrina, what do you think? I am sure it’s delicious!”

Aron’s voice came out of nowhere. She, who was lost in thought, was somewhat surprised.

“Yes, it does look delicious. Thank you.” She grinned and tapped the egg.

*tock tock*

Why is it so hard?

According to Aron, she can squeeze the egg, but the white and yolk are hard-pressed on not separating.

What?!

She glanced at Aron, who was giving her the look of expectation. Citrina held the fork tighter to meet his expectation.

At that moment, the egg popped out. It felt unnatural.

‘Oh? What..?’

She gave a wry smile inside her head. Then Desian said briefly, “That looks delicious, Citrina.”

“I know.”

She ate the egg in a mouthful. She was not aware of Desian’s gaze on her at the side.

Ah, just as Desian said, the food was definitely delicious. She was always a little nervous, but now that they face each other, she was a little more gentle.

The atmosphere was amicable from start to finish. Desian’s attitude was also mild, no signs of possible dark nor villainous mood.

The table had been cleared away. All the food had been cleared up by the servants and left with Desian’s mind manipulation.

After eating the appetizer and the delicious stew, she was full and was getting a little drowsy. She definitely enjoyed it, aside from Desian’s gaze that was often on her.

And now, Aron…

“Oh, wait a minute. I’m going to put back the cookbook to the library!”

… just walked out of the dining hall…

“Eh? Aron?”

Aron’s reaction was somehow unnatural. He didn’t have to put the cookbook back to the library.

It instead seemed like a sort of trick to leave her and Desian alone in the same space.

‘It must have been a mistake, right?’

Despite her remarks, Aron had left the building. Only silent echos rang in the dining hall.

‘This leaves Desian and me alone.’

The situation was not bad. But when Desian suddenly talks to her like this, she feels jittery all over.

“Citrina.”

“Yes?”

“Earlier, I thought you had something to say.”

Come to think of it; there’s something she really was trying to say earlier. She just couldn’t say it because Aron was adept in popping out of nowhere.

Desian still thought of it now. It was a strange consideration.

Citrina gave a slight nod.

‘The atmosphere is good. The time has come for our first attempt in rehabilitating the villain.’

That wasn’t what she was trying to say, but what about it?

First, she decided to find out his moral standards. That way, she would know where to start.

“Oh, that…”

She was lucky. While she was speaking, he looked at her earnestly and silently, although his face was pale.

‘I need to have an objective judgment on what’s going on with Desian. I don’t know when Aron will come back, so should we check him out now?’

Yes. Let’s do it, Citrina. Let’s get a little closer with him.

“Desian, do you remember the garden where we first met?”

“Of course.”

“When I opened the window yesterday, the flowers were in bloom.”

“The flowers were in bloom.”

He had such a serious look on his face; she was inwardly surprised. She nodded, stealthily hiding her astonishment.

“Yes. The flowers are pretty, and I think you once said you liked summer, right?”

Citrina, Who asked the question slightly wondered, ‘Is it not? Or did he say maybe?’

So many things have happened, no wonder she couldn’t digest them all even with her excellent memory.

Surprisingly, Desian, who patiently listened to her, answered, ” I didn’t know at that time, Citrina.”

He paused for a moment and stared at her lips. If she wasn’t aware that he was a villain in the original plot, she would have looked at him strangely.

“I think you’ll like it.”

It was a sentence that could be easily misunderstood because it doesn’t have any subject. However, her opponent was Desian, so she knows. He’s bitter about everything outside, as of now.

‘Good. Now let’s suggest to have a walk in the garden.’

Fortunately, she wasn’t rejected. It was a good thing that he doesn’t hate summer. The chances of him accepting her offer increased.

“Yes. The flowers in the garden…”

‘…let’s see them together.’ She didn’t finish her proposal. She didn’t mean to, and she was just too embarrassed.

The reason was simple, ‘he’ was the villain.

The villain, Desian Pietro, laughed.

“Let’s go together.”

She was surprised to see Desian’s usually expressionless face, smiling. Several choices passed to her mind.

a.) It’s a warning.

b.) There’s a hidden agenda.

c.) it was unreal, but it is a laugh.

Surprisingly, the third choice seemed more like the correct answer.

‘What’s gone into him?’

Citrina pushed the matter to the side. She pretended to be calm and decided to answer first.