“What? Why… Annecy?”
“Isn’t your husband the most splendid person in the empire?”
Puhup, it wasn’t meant to be a laugh, but a small chuckle escaped from Goyo’s lips. Seeing this, the man’s face fell even further. Goyo quickly opened her mouth.
“It’s not that I dislike it. I just think it doesn’t suit me?”
“That’s disappointing. I thought you and I suited each other quite well.”
“Uh…”
What should she say at a time like this? Annecy’s openly disappointed expression made Goyo lose her words and fall silent.
“Am I wrong?”
“No, it’s not… wrong, I think.”
Goyo replied after pondering. She didn’t intend to go along with Annecy’s joke. Despite the pretense, she thought that she and Annecy actually got along quite well.
Goyo hadn’t had many people with whom she had exchanged words beyond a certain point. Among them, those with whom she had had friendly conversations could be counted on one hand, but she had never felt so comfortable talking with anyone.
It was probably because she clearly understood the other person’s intentions and also didn’t expect much from them.
Even if Annecy were disappointed in her, it wouldn’t hurt her feelings.
These factors together made Goyo feel at ease.
“That’s a relief.”
Annecy laughed at Goyo’s reply. Then he lowered the hand supporting his chin and brought his face closer.
At the fleeting touch on her lips, Goyo’s eyes widened. On the contrary, Annecy, with a nonchalant face, leaned back and began cutting the steak that the servant had brought over.
This person, Goyo’s eyes narrowed.
“After all, saying you have no dating experience is a lie, right?”
“I just have a great learning ability. I learned from my wife.”
“If you put it that way, I also learned from my husband.”
Recalling the event on the deck, Goyo spoke. Annecy, seemingly recalling the same event, flinched and trembled. The knife he was using to cut the steak bounced off the floor.
Goyo quietly looked down at the dented handle of the knife.
“You’re quite strong.”
“…That was its original design.”
“Is it shaped like a handprint?”
“Yes, it’s for practicality. Easier to grip.”
Goyo looked down at her knife. Naturally, there were no indentations shaped like fingers. Annecy, noticing where Goyo’s gaze went, spoke nonchalantly.
“It’s custom-made. We should order one for Goyo’s knife soon.”
“I’ll pass. It’s not my preferred design.”
“Is that so? Preferences should indeed be respected.”
“Deban, please bring a new knife. Dispose of this one,” Annecy said in an elegant voice.
“Dispose of it?”
“I’ve just grown tired of that design. I’ve used it for too long.”
“How long have you used it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never counted in such short units.”
He regained his composure quickly. Goyo couldn’t help but admire the almost artistic calmness but recalled the previous incident and glanced at Annecy’s ear. The tip was red.
Goyo prided herself on hiding her emotions and expressions, but she thought she wasn’t as good as Annecy.
‘His demeanor is so shameless, yet his ears are so honest.’
Not knowing what Goyo was thinking, Annecy brought up a new topic.
“By tomorrow, your maid will have completed her training.”
Goyo thought of a face she had momentarily forgotten. It was about Annie.
Usually, when moving through marriage, maids from the previous residence were brought along, but Goyo hadn’t brought anyone to Alte. She hadn’t had anyone close enough to bring along.
Annie had been Goyo’s exclusive maid for quite a long time. They were not on bad terms.
However, their relationship was strictly that of an employer and an employee, with no deeper attachment.
Now, knowing Annie would die if she stayed in Rubiette, Goyo had suggested she come along. To her surprise, Annie readily agreed, which had caught Goyo off guard.
“Are you talking about Annie? That’s sooner than I expected.”
“Yes, she started her training immediately after the wedding. We timed it to coincide with your move into the mansion.”
“I see.”
Goyo nodded and resumed her meal. Annecy, barely eating, watched as Goyo moved her utensils.
Goyo still felt hungry, so despite trying to ignore him, Annecy’s gaze didn’t leave her until she finished eating.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Goyo was about to say the prepared words as she swallowed the food in her mouth.
“Goyo, you seem to enjoy meat more than I thought.”
“What?”
“You left the salads but finished all the meat.”
“Well… the main course was steak.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll change the main course sequence.”
Goyo’s fingertips, resting on her lap, flinched and curled. Her skirt lifted slightly as it brushed against her ankles.
“…Why?”
“Because by doing so, I can find out what you enjoy.”
Goyo pressed her lips tightly together. She felt an inexplicable heaviness in her chest, and to hide it, she took a sip of water, pretending to be calm.
Meanwhile, Annecy finished the meal he had delayed while watching Goyo. The plate that had held the steak was clean, but most of the other dishes remained untouched. The effort of the servant who had brought the plates was in vain.
Goyo glanced at the table, which looked similar to how it did after Valter had finished eating.
“Annecy, you seem to have a distinct preference. The chef will be sad.”
“Goyo, do you know how much grass an elephant needs to survive?”
“What?”
“It’s at least a ton.”
“…So what?”
“Isn’t it inefficient? You wouldn’t know from just looking, but the muscles under my clothes are quite severe. I would need to chew on salads all day to maintain them.”
Goyo replied coldly, “That’s quite a lot of nonsense.”
“I think so too.”
The two of them stood up after finishing their meal.
As if waiting for this moment, Tuberang, the chef who had been lingering in the kitchen, came out to greet them. After a brief silence in response to the question about whether the food was to her taste, Goyo replied, “The steak was delicious.”
Though it wasn’t yet time to go to bed, there was nowhere else to explore, as they had already toured most parts of the mansion.
Goyo felt sluggish as she blinked slowly, her body weary and her stomach warm. Even if she couldn’t sleep, she wanted to rest.
“You look tired.”
“……Not really. I can keep up if there’s a schedule.”
“You don’t have to push yourself. Goyo, there’s no one here who can force you to do anything.”
“Except for you?”
“No, including me.”
Empty words.
“In fact, there isn’t much of a schedule. I just wanted to show you where I live, but maybe I overdid it.”
“No, it was fine, really. Uh… I’m just a bit tired because I’m not in great shape.”
That’s a relief. Just as they were about to guide the weary Goyo to the bedroom, Kolabe approached them quickly.
He wasn’t running, but he moved swiftly, taking only a few seconds to reach them. Kolabe gave them a brief greeting.
He then glanced at Goyo before whispering something in Annecy’s ear.
Annecy’s face, which had looked somewhat displeased, frowned more deeply at Kolabe’s words.
‘That old piece of junk got here fast.’
It was the news that Terio Alte had returned to Lunaburn. Moreover, instead of going to his own house, he had gone directly to the Rubiette house.
Annecy smirked coldly, thinking Terio must have come straight from Avalanche without hearing about the marriage.
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean ‘what should we do’? Just… tighten the security. And let them know that if he shows up, they should kick him out without listening to anything.”
Goyo asked cautiously, sensing Annecy’s grim tone.
“Is something wrong? It’s okay if you can’t tell me.”
“No, it’s nothing serious.”
Even as he said that, Annecy didn’t want to mention Terio Alte’s name.
If she heard the name, she would pay attention, not because she loved him, but because it would annoy her and make his face linger in her mind persistently.
Annecy hated that.
May I leave now? At that moment, Kolabe Perotto asked, eager to go home.
Well, it was past quitting time anyway. Although Kolabe lived in the mansion and the concept of ‘quitting’ was somewhat meaningless, he seemed to like the word anyway.
However, unfortunately for Kolabe, Annecy, after seeing his desperate face, managed to come up with a good topic to change the subject.
“That’s right, Kolabe. You have something to do.”
“I already have plenty to do…”
Kolabe muttered with a distressed face, but Annecy didn’t hear it.
“Burn down the rose garden.”
“What?”
“Annecy?”
“No, you worked so hard to make it? Didn’t you read dozens of landscaping books?”
“It doesn’t have to be roses to make a garden.”
I should take an interest in other flowers. Something simple. Like baby’s breath, chrysanthemums, or lilies.
Even though he thought he had found a good excuse to change the subject, the longer Annecy talked, the more sadness seeped into his words.
Considering that the flowers he was listing were mostly used for mourning, his feelings were as clear as day.
“Ah. By the way, Goyo, do you have a favorite flower?”
“I haven’t really thought about it… Wait, Annecy. Are you planning to burn it because of what I said?”
“If it were a small pot, I would hide it and grow it, but it’s not a normal size. I didn’t know my wife hated roses and chose a bedroom with the best view of the garden, so it would be troublesome.”
“But it’s okay to look at them. What I dislike more is the scent.”
“If you walk by, the scent will be strong. It’s better to burn them.”
Annecy said with a sad face. Goyo tried to say a few more words to dissuade him, but it seemed Annecy Bethelgius had already made up his mind. Otherwise, he might be feeling like the protagonist of a tragedy.
Burning down the whole garden just because I said I didn’t like roses, even if the goal was to appear to get along, was excessive.
Not artificial flowers, but real, living flowers. Even if they can’t speak, they were once cherished and cultivated.
If I had known the conversation would go this way, I wouldn’t have mentioned anything about liking or disliking flamboyant things earlier.
Goyo, not used to comforting others, eventually got tired and glared at Annecy.
“If you’re going to burn everything just because it’s flamboyant, are you planning to burn your face too?”
“That’s a good idea.”
“Shut up, Kolabe. Listening to you, well… that makes sense.”
Annecy’s face suddenly brightened. Seeing Annecy react to her sarcastic comment, Goyo hurriedly continued.
“I’ll take my time figuring out what flowers I like. Actually, I might not even dislike roses. It’s just that I’ve avoided flamboyant things, so it became my preference. If I get close to them, I might like them again, right?”
“Well, the entire mansion is decorated flamboyantly. Your taste might change.”
“Right, so leave the rose garden alone. It makes me uncomfortable to think they’ll all die because of what I said.”
Alright, I’ll do that. Seeing Annecy nod with a refreshing face, Goyo somehow felt like she had been outmaneuvered.