“Would you like to go to the kitchen yourself?”
“In the kitchen?”
A mischievous look appeared in Kaian's red eyes.
“You need to fill your stomach, but you don’t want to wake the servants.”
The man seemed to have read my mind.
“Then is there a right? You have no choice but to go and find something to eat yourself.”
"But...”
His words seemed valid and logical, but the premise was wrong.
“I’ve never been in the kitchen before.”
"Never?"
I nodded my head.
Even though I was in the same position as the one who came in, I was the damsel of the Duke of Vermont.
Castle Valmonde was like a large village. It was a completely different structure from other places where the village was usually centered around the Lord's castle.
Therefore, the role of the castle kitchen was slightly different from that of an ordinary kitchen where the owner's servants and servants were fed and harvested.
It is said that the outer castle was a commercial space, so it was operated by merchants outside, but the number of people staying in the inner castle alone was enormous, including all of Vermont's private soldiers. Since they were all built, it looked like a large-scale industrial facility.
Would an unmarried Lord's daughter visit such a place?
Even when to ate at a restaurant with the Duke and Duchess of Vermont and Irena, the food was brought to me and I never went to the kitchen myself.
If there was anything I wanted, Hannah would come and take care of it. Even though it was just very small things like wanting to eat a little more snacks or needing a cup of hot tea to warm up late at night.
The Duke of Vermont placed great importance on his reputation.
Since I was registered as his biological daughter, I was compared to Irena and people said I was ugly and inadequate, but it was impossible for a female member of the family to go to a place where subordinates did odd jobs.
“You grew up well.”
I was dumbfounded by the words Kaian blurted out.
‘You grew up well? He must have grown up being taken care off!'
I asked, feeling mortified.
“So have you ever been to the kitchen?”
"Of course."
But the words of positivity flowed out so easily that it felt empty.
On the other hand, I had been maintaining my position like a patient all along, and even after returning from the capital, I was still sick - which I now knew was due to pregnancy - but there were many places in Rowen Castle that I had not been able to explore so far.
I didn't really have much to roam around, except this floor where my room was, Kaian's office, and his bedroom.
I had suggested that Kaian take a look around the study on the third floor, and I had given Madame Marcel a small invitation to come and see her studio, but I had never had the time to go that far.
Gurgle.
The sound of my stomach bubbling echoed hollowly.
The problem I was facing now was that my morning sickness was edible.
The doctor said my stomach upset and dizziness were due to my morning sickness from eating.
I said I had been skipping meals since I vomited in the water, but because my stomach was empty, my morning sickness got worse, I misunderstood that it was because I was sick, so I stopped eating and my symptoms got worse.
So I did as the doctor said, and once I started eating regularly again and eating my snacks to keep my stomach from emptying, my nausea and dizziness disappeared and I was barely able to catch my breath.
'I feel sick already.'
I almost frowned without realizing it, but I felt Kaian's gaze, turned my head and stood up from my bed.
"Great. I want to go.”
Kaian dressed me in a thin dress gown over my nightgown. As Kaian, who had tied my belt, pulled hesitantly to loosen my bare leash, I took the ribbon string from his hand.
"I will do it."
"Yes."
As I adjusted my attire, took an oil lamp from the entrance to the bedroom and lit it instead of the candle that Kaian had kept burning throughout the work.
Chik.
After the sound of the wick burning and the fragrant smell of burning oil passed, a light that was incomparably brighter than when the candle was lit filled the dark room.
"Let's go."
I held Kaian's hand and came out of the room.
It was rare for me to go out at a time like this in Rowen Castle.
'I don't think there was any other time than when I went to Kaian's bedroom.'
There was no need for Madam to wander around the castle when everyone was asleep.
So is that so?
The hallway shrouded in darkness, felt like a completely different place from the familiar places I was used to passing through.
As I followed Kaian, who was walking with an oil lamp half a step in front of him, into the darkness, and then another step further into the darkness, my heart began to pound more and more weakly.
I was on an adventure.
As I walked down the hallway like that, holding Kaian's warm hand, I felt a strange feeling.
'Why should I be this excited when I'm just going to the kitchen?'
It was fun to hold Kaian's hand and just follow him as he led me to a place I didn't know much about, in a gap where darkness obscured everything.
At this moment, I had no worries or concerns.
I just like the man who is worried that the dark shadows beneath my feet will steal my steps.
‘I really like it. I'm just weak to Kaian.'
As I followed Kaian, who was walking with an oil lamp half a step in front of him, into the darkness, and then another step further into the darkness, my heart began to pound more and more weakly.
I was on an adventure.
As I walked down the hallway like that, holding Kaian's warm hand, I felt a strange feeling.
'Why should I be this excited when I'm just going to the kitchen?'
It was fun to hold Kaian's hand and just follow him as he led me to a place I didn't know much about, in a gap where darkness obscured everything.
At this moment, I had no worries or concerns.
I just like the man who is worried that the dark shadows beneath my feet will steal my steps.
‘I really like it. I'm just weak to Kaian.'
I was so pathetic that I was happy to be dragged around doing whatever he wanted.
The feeling of loving Kaian was like putting me in a tightly folded, thick paper bag that never seemed to show through, spilling a layer or two of beeswax and sealing it.
It was infuriating that this man would immediately read my emotions that I tried not to show on the outside when our eyes met.
I should just not have those feelings.
The hard work of hiding made me sad, but for now, I tried to think only of the baby's health.
Hope.
Miracle.
Which of the two names suits this child better?
Will Kaian's heart become a hope for life? Or is it a miracle that I was able to conceive a child after almost being unable to conceive because of Herzol?
It felt shameless for both of us to wish for it.
The scales that God holds are fair and severely punish those who are overly greedy.
However, both feelings were so precious to me that I could not readily decide which was more important.
I prayed that if God was listening to my inner thoughts, He would pity me for many years of my life that I did not have and did not receive, rather than thinking that I was greedy.
While we were lost in our thoughts, we were in front of the stairs leading down to the first floor. There was a light along the edge of the wide hall, but the dim light was not enough to illuminate the entire wide space, making the hall seem much darker.
"For a moment. Please hold this.”
As Kaian lifted up his held-out oil lamp, he lifted me up.
While I was nervous, Kaian, who had gone down the stairs with carefree agility, dropped me off again and took the oil lamp.
“You just have to go a little further.”
“Is the adventure over?”
"What are you talking about. The real adventure begins when you get to the kitchen.”
The fire was off in the kitchen, but charcoal thickly buried in ashes in the fire pit on one side welcomed us with a red glow.
"Let’s take a look at what the chef has been hiding these days.”
The way he spoke made me laugh out loud because it seemed like this wasn't the first or second time something like this had happened.
“Have you been to the kitchen that often?”
“Temnes does not provide succession education so laxly.”
Kaian's tone was filled with pride.
“It’s easy to be fooled by what you don’t know. Just remember. The successors are expected to see every detail so that there is nothing they don’t know about the castle’s affairs.”
I nodded my head.
The kitchen of Rowen Castle was very sophisticated. As we entered through the arch-shaped entrance, there was a long, heavy table in the center that could be used for various purposes.
One wall was filled with jars of sauces and spices, and on the other side there was a window for ventilation, and underneath it was a fire pit where various dishes could be cooked.
Kaian took me and started searching the kitchen.
He noticed something and smiled evilly.
“This would be good.”
“What is that?”
“A chunk of dried bacon hidden by the chef.”
I watched in fascination as Kaian hummed his song and packed some potatoes and bacon.
'That guy looks good in everything, doesn't he?'
A man in comfortable clothes rolled up his sleeves, put a chunk of bacon in a small pan and cut a potato in half.
“If I bake this, it will be edible.”
“But there is no fire. Where do you bake it?”
If the sun had risen, the fire pit, which would have maintained heat all the time without going out, would have been completely cleared of ashes and turned off.
“Just put it in there.”
Kaian put the entire pan on top of the charcoal ashes that the chef had kept clean for tomorrow's cooking.
“Is it okay to do this?”
“Why not? Have you really never tried cooking or anything like that?”
"Yes."
I looked at him.
'Is it good to have a woman who knows how to cook?'
But those were not the virtues of a young Lady from an aristocratic family. I made every effort to learn social etiquette and become a decent wife.
However, seeing Kaian doing well made me feel even cooler. He was a man who didn't like what he couldn't do. He didn't want to lose to someone like that and there was no benefit in holding on.
While we were lost in our thoughts, we were in front of the stairs leading down to the first floor. There was a light along the edge of the wide hall, but the dim light was not enough to illuminate the entire wide space, making the hall seem much darker.
"For a moment. Please hold this.”
As Kaian lifted up his held-out oil lamp, he lifted me up.
While I was nervous, Kaian, who had gone down the stairs with carefree agility, dropped me off again and took the oil lamp.
“You just have to go a little further.”
“Is the adventure over?”
"What are you talking about. The real adventure begins when you get to the kitchen.”
The fire was off in the kitchen, but charcoal thickly buried in ashes in the fire pit on one side welcomed us with a red glow.
"Let’s take a look at what the chef has been hiding these days.”
The way he spoke made me laugh out loud because it seemed like this wasn't the first or second time something like this had happened.
“Have you been to the kitchen that often?”
“Temnes does not provide succession education so laxly.”
Kaian's tone was filled with pride.
“It’s easy to be fooled by what you don’t know. Just remember. The successors are expected to see every detail so that there is nothing they don’t know about the castle’s affairs.”
I nodded my head.
The kitchen of Rowen Castle was very sophisticated. As we entered through the arch-shaped entrance, there was a long, heavy table in the center that could be used for various purposes.
One wall was filled with jars of sauces and spices, and on the other side there was a window for ventilation, and underneath it was a fire pit where various dishes could be cooked.
Kaian took me and started searching the kitchen.
He noticed something and smiled evilly.
“This would be good.”
“What is that?”
“A chunk of dried bacon hidden by the chef.”
I watched in fascination as Kaian hummed his song and packed some potatoes and bacon.
'That guy looks good in everything, doesn't he?'
A man in comfortable clothes rolled up his sleeves, put a chunk of bacon in a small pan and cut a potato in half.
“If I bake this, it will be edible.”
“But there is no fire. Where do you bake it?”
If the sun had risen, the fire pit, which would have maintained heat all the time without going out, would have been completely cleared of ashes and turned off.
“Just put it in there.”
Kaian put the entire pan on top of the charcoal ashes that the chef had kept clean for tomorrow's cooking.
“Is it okay to do this?”
“Why not? Have you really never tried cooking or anything like that?”
"Yes."
I looked at him.
'Is it good to have a woman who knows how to cook?'
But those were not the virtues of a young Lady from an aristocratic family. I made every effort to learn social etiquette and become a decent wife.
However, seeing Kaian doing well made me feel even cooler. He was a man who didn't like what he couldn't do. He didn't want to lose to someone like that and there was no benefit in holding on.
I decided to turn the topic to him.
“How do you know how to do this?”
“I never did it before I went to war.”
“You’re cool because there’s nothing you can’t do.”
Kaian paused after hearing my words.
“Are you confessing now?”
At the word confession, my eyes naturally frowned. On the one hand, I was angry.
'He said something like that after he rejected me.'
How long will this bad man talk indifferently like this?
"No. You said you really didn't like it...”
At that time, Kaian indifferently took out a pan from inside the oven.
Potatoes baked with their skin on, lightly fried in oil sizzling from well-cooked bacon, gave off a nice smell.
I said regretfully as Kaian moved the fan away.
“You hate me.”
“How do you know how to do this?”
“I never did it before I went to war.”
“You’re cool because there’s nothing you can’t do.”
Kaian paused after hearing my words.
“Are you confessing now?”
At the word confession, my eyes naturally frowned. On the one hand, I was angry.
'He said something like that after he rejected me.'
How long will this bad man talk indifferently like this?
"No. You said you really didn't like it...”
At that time, Kaian indifferently took out a pan from inside the oven.
Potatoes baked with their skin on, lightly fried in oil sizzling from well-cooked bacon, gave off a nice smell.
I said regretfully as Kaian moved the fan away.
“You hate me.”
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