Chapter 6. The Day of the First Snow (7)

When we arrived at the dining room for dinner, everyone was already gathered.

At the center of the large table sat a man who exuded a solemn presence—clearly the Duke. Beside him was a beautiful woman, likely the Duchess, and across from them, Kyle looked relaxed and drowsy.

“Oh my, I was just about to send Sebastian to call for you, but you arrived right on time.”

The Duchess greeted us with a graceful smile and kindly offered us seats.

Still holding Karn’s hand tightly, I slowly walked over to the chair that had been prepared.

Ugh, I’m so nervous—this is my first time meeting the Duke of Raven.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace, Duke of Raven. My name is Radel Karel.”

After sitting down, I quickly greeted the Duke with as much etiquette as I could muster.

I was worried he might not like me, no matter how polite I tried to be.

But there was no need to worry—the Duke welcomed me warmly.

“I’ve heard quite a bit about you, Miss Radel. Please, feel at ease.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“His tone was curt, but his consideration showed through. As expected, Kyle really must take after his father. That expressionless face! It’s identical!

‘Wow, the Duke is incredibly youthful too.’

The neatly handsome Duke of Raven seemed untouched by time—his good looks were still going strong.

What the—are all the people in the Raven family just blessed with eternally preserved beauty or something?

As I stared in a daze at his unfairly youthful appearance, the Duke’s calm voice came again.

“To have become close enough to hold hands with Karn, who’s terribly shy around strangers… as expected of our future daug—“

“Dear.”

It was Martina, the Duchess, who hurriedly cut him off. Nudging the Duke with her elbow, she looked at me with a gentle smile.

…Don’t tell me the Duke is going to pull out a contract for me to sign too.

I’m getting a bit anxious.

***

Before the dinner was served, we exchanged some light conversation—and then, at last, the grand dishes arrived.

I’d always wondered what kind of food nobles like the Duke’s family ate, so I observed everything with keen interest.

Though I couldn’t name everything, it was obvious at a glance that the dishes were incredibly expensive.

The maids moved busily around the dining table, placing food onto pristine white plates.

The main course was a perfectly cooked smoked roast.

How did they know I love roasted meat so much…?”

I brightened up, ready to dig into the food.

“It would be nice if our chef’s cooking suits your taste.”

“Yes, thank you for the meal.”

Because I’d been spending time with Kyle, I hadn’t eaten anything all day. So now, I was starving.

Honestly, I wanted to grab that smoked roast with my hands and tear into it, but this wasn’t my house, and I was a noble lady. That meant I had to follow proper table manners—strictly.

Ugh, I just want to tear into it like fried chicken!

Meat is meant to be chewed, torn, savored, and devoured!

Holding back tears inside, I carefully sliced off pieces of the smoked roast using a fork and knife and brought them to my mouth.

Then, I looked at Karn sitting across from me, happily munching on his meal, and asked with a gentle smile:

“Karn, want me to feed you?”

“…I can eat by myself.”

Karn glanced sideways, clearly checking for the Duchess’s reaction.

It seemed he couldn’t just say anything with her around. Hearing his softened tone, I clicked my tongue in mock disappointment.

Aw man, I really wanted to feed him.

“Feed me instead.”

Just as I turned back to focus on my food, Kyle—sitting beside me—spoke in a voice full of expectation.

Huh? What does he want me to— Wait. Is he saying what I think he’s saying?

I tried to ignore the one thought that popped into my head and carefully asked Kyle,

“…What are you talking about?”

“Feeding me.”

I knew it. He pointed back and forth between the fork in my hand and his mouth, clearly gesturing for me to feed him.

Watching him, I screamed internally. What the hell is this guy even saying?!

I kept my face neutral, but inside, I was freaking out. This was a dinner with the Duchess and even the Duke of Raven present—doing something that embarrassing here was definitely not okay.

And more importantly, I could feel Karn’s glare stabbing me from across the table. If I actually fed Kyle, I’d be guaranteed to earn his complete and utter hatred.

“Radel, you’re not going to do it?”

Kyle spoke lazily, leaning in closer. His perfectly curved eyes locked right onto me.

His handsome face getting this close made it feel like I couldn’t breathe.

God, breathe! Brain, inhale! You’re going to die of suffocation like this!

Suddenly, I understood Robert—the guy who fainted from holding his breath when I looked at him.

So this is what happens when someone gets too nervous to breathe…

“Hurry up and feed me.”

Kyle fully turned his head toward me and opened his mouth. He was totally coaxing me, and yeah… he looked kind of cute doing it.

Wait, what? Even this is cute to me? What’s wrong with me today?

“Here… here you go.”

Right, why am I getting so flustered over something like this?

Tired of panicking all by myself, I squeezed my eyes shut and just popped the food into Kyle’s mouth. I picked out a boiled egg from the salad, unsure of what he liked—but hopefully it was okay.

Munch munch.

Kyle calmly chewed the food as if savoring the flavor. Watching him like that from beside him made me feel… unexpectedly happy.

Does it always feel this good when you feed someone yourself?

Now that I’d actually done it, I felt kind of proud. It was like something warm and fuzzy had wrapped around my heart.

Was this what it felt like for a mother bird feeding her chick?

I wanted to feed him more, but the way Karn was tightly gripping his fork and glaring daggers at me from across the table made me stop.

“Now, say ahh.”

“Ah?”

I reflexively opened my mouth, and a bite of food came in. Cherry tomato!

The skin popped and the fresh juice burst out in my mouth. Whoa, even the fruits the Raven family eats are on a whole different level. It’s delicious.

“It’s really good!”

I grinned and gave my honest opinion. Everything was perfect.

The Raven family’s dinner was immensely satisfying—so much so that I already knew I’d miss it once I got home.

“My, you two seem quite close.”

The duchess smiled gently.

Ack—come to think of it, they just watched us feed each other!

Suddenly, a wave of embarrassment hit me, and I bowed my head deeply. Ughhh, why is it always me who ends up flustered? I sneaked a glance at Kyle, and he was calmly sipping his water like nothing happened.

Why! Is it! Always! Just me!

Right then, I swore to myself that one day, I’d make Kyle flustered too.

“Watching those two reminds me of when we were dating.”

In the middle of the meal, the Duke of Raven suddenly turned to the Duchess with a sentimental gaze. The soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips seemed to prove the rumors were true—this couple really was close. To think that cold-looking Duke Raven could smile like that… the Duchess must truly be incredible!

“Would you feed me again for old times’ sake?”

“No.”

Her curt refusal startled me the most. Weren’t they supposed to be a lovey-dovey couple? The duchess had turned him down with a smiling face and an icy tone, making me start to doubt those rumors. Maybe rumors really aren’t reliable…

“Then what if I feed you—“

“Still no.”

After being shot down twice, the Duke silently returned to eating. Hmm… why does he look so wistful and pitiful now?

When rejecting someone, smile but be firm.

I mentally jotted that one down. Watching the Duchess from the side, I realized there was a lot to learn from her. Another lesson gained today!

***

After the meal, I began preparing to leave. Since it was winter, the days were short, and if I didn’t hurry, it would soon grow dark.

To say goodbye, I approached Karn, who was glaring at me intensely from behind his chair.

“Karn, I’m heading out now.”

“I don’t… I mean, I don’t care if sister comes or goes!”

His shout and the way he ran off were so cute that I chuckled softly. Just then, the duchess suddenly appeared at my side and gently grasped my hand.

“Did you have a nice time with Kyle today?”

“Ah, yes. I really enjoyed it.”

“That’s a relief. I like you, Lady Radel. You’re welcome to visit anytime.”

“Haha…”

Hearing her invite me to visit again, I could only laugh in response. The meal, the tour around the duchy—all of it had been wonderful, and everyone in the duchy had treated me kindly.

The only issue was… I had been so tense the whole time that it was exhausting.

Still, if I come more often, I’ll get used to it, right?

“Then next time, let’s meet again… with a deeper bond.”

“Ah, yes…”

The duchess left behind her cryptic words with a graceful smile and then turned away. Hmm… both the Duke and Duchess of Raven really had a way of speaking in riddles. As I watched the duchess’s elegant silhouette fade, I recalled the words I had heard earlier.

“Please take good care of Kailon.”

That was what Duke Raven had said before leaving the dining room to return to his office. He had finished his meal early due to work and left me with that one line.

It was just a simple request to take care of his son, but for some reason, it carried a heavy weight.

Hmm… I’ll just take it as him wanting us to get along.

“Let’s go. I’ll walk you to your carriage.”

Kyle put on his coat over his clothes and reached his hand out to me. Reflexively, I placed my hand in his and tried to calm my fluttering heart. Holding his hand always made me nervous. Come on, heart, stay still!

As we left the duke’s residence, I tried to ease the tension by striking up a conversation with Kyle.

“Kyle, thanks for the invitation. I had a really great time today.”

There had been some awkward moments, sure, but overall, it had been a fun day. I mean, the dinner was amazing… and Kyle being shirtless was—

Ahem. I shook off the dangerous thought in my head and gave Kyle a bright smile.

“I had a great time too. Especially when you fed me.”

“Ah! Right—why did you suddenly ask me to feed you, anyway?”

“I don’t think you understand just how much I was squirming with embarrassment at that moment.”

I glared at Kyle with a pout and questioned him accusingly.

Of course, to Kyle, it probably didn’t even register as a glare or an accusation…

“I didn’t like that you were only trying to feed Karn.”

“What the—”

Wait, so… he was jealous because I only tried to feed his younger brother? Why are the Raven brothers so quick to get jealous? And somehow, it felt like this kind of jealousy only came out when it involved me… It was a weird feeling.

Kyle, jealous over something like that? How cute.

“Kyle, I think you’re kind of cute.”

After spending the whole day with him, I had come to the realization—Kyle was cute. I said what I realized out loud, and right after, Kyle gave me a prompt response.

“I’m not cute.”

He said it firmly, eyes fixed straight ahead. But even that look—so serious—made him seem even more adorable and lovable. I ended up bursting into laughter. Ah, Kyle, Karn… why are all the men in the duke’s house so cute?

“Nope, you’re definitely cute, Kyle.”

“I’m not.”

“Hmm… but you are.”

With laughter still in my voice, I kept insisting Kyle was cute. Watching him respond so firmly, clearly annoyed by the claim, was just too funny—not to mention entertaining. He was more fun to tease than I expected. Heh heh, when else would I get to mess with him like this?