Chapter 23 

Hystein was standing there, his hair as black as the night sky, dressed in a perfectly fitted white shirt and navy suit trousers.

“Hys?”

He turned to look at her. His long eyes quickly swept over her. Only then did Rosalie realize she was still wearing only a robe.

Embarrassed, she tried to call for Bibi to ask for clothes, but Bibi seemed to be nowhere in the room.

Her wandering gaze returned to Hystein, who, as if waiting, gestured toward the sofa by the bed.

“…What’s this?”

Rosalie stopped as she approached the sofa. On the large table in front of it, a feast was set.

There was potage made with truffles, salmon steak topped with asparagus and caviar, oven-roasted chicken brushed with butter and garlic, and a mountain of fluffy white bread piled in a small wooden basket.

She glanced up at the wall clock and saw it was just past 10 a.m. The spread on the table was not the kind of menu normally prepared at this early hour.

“Sit down and eat.”

As Rosalie stared blankly, Hystein came closer and spoke. She replied in confusion.

“You brought this… for me to eat?”

“Who else?”

“T-thank you. But it feels a bit much to eat at this hour.”

She hesitated to sit on the sofa. She wasn’t even properly dressed yet. Standing awkwardly, Rosalie watched as Hystein frowned in annoyance.

“Eat. If you don’t, I’ll throw it away.”

“What? Why would you waste all this…”

“It’s not worth much.”

Rosalie was momentarily speechless. Some of the foods he so casually threatened to discard were things she hadn’t been able to afford even before her family went bankrupt.

“Does Aloua like you so thin?”

“…No.”

“What does time matter? If it’s too much, just eat as much as you want.”

Hystein stepped up, grabbed her wrist, and sat her on the sofa. Rosalie stared at him, then pulled the truffle potage closer.

Only then did the wrinkles on Hystein’s brow smooth out.

“You don’t mean for me to eat all this alone, do you? It’s way too much.”

“I said eat as much as you can.”

“No, I mean, I’d like to eat with you.”

She patted the seat next to her with the hand not holding the spoon. Hystein’s thigh, bent between the sofa and the table, tensed.

Was he going to refuse? Rosalie bit her lower lip and looked up at him.

They stared at each other as if in a standoff. After a moment of tension, Hystein sat down heavily on the sofa.

He ran a hand through his hair and avoided her gaze, staring instead at the window across the room.

“You’re still as troublesome as ever.”

“…I thought you hated me.”

“…”

“Why do you keep being so good to me?”

Rosalie held onto the cuff of Hystein’s shirt with her fingertips and asked. His eyes lingered there for a moment before dropping away.

He naturally pushed her hand aside and picked up a piece of bread smelling strongly of butter. He tore it into bite-sized pieces and held one out to her.

“Eat, then talk.”

“Why do you keep insisting I eat…”

“Go on.”

A moist piece of bread was pressed between her lips. Rosalie was startled, but as soon as it touched her tongue, it melted softly and she chewed and swallowed.

“Hys.”

“I said eat first, then talk.”

Before she could finish, oily chicken was roughly rubbed against her lips. Hystein didn’t care about getting his hands dirty as he pulled apart the meat and tried to feed her.

What was this? Some new kind of teasing? As she pulled her face away, Hystein’s hand followed with the chicken.

When she glanced at him, his intimidating expression made her obediently open her mouth.

She ate a large chicken leg, a bowl of truffle potage, two palm-sized pieces of bread, and three pieces of salmon steak loaded with caviar.

When she choked a little, Hystein handed her a glass of mango juice.

“That’s enough. I’m full.”

“You used to eat more than this.”

“That was ages ago. I’ve already overeaten.”

She smiled, refreshed by the fruit juice. Hystein looked dissatisfied but didn’t force any more food on her.

His long fingers, slick with meat juices, were wiped on a napkin. After cleaning his hands, he set the napkin down.

“If you’ve eaten, go back to sleep. That’s how you’ll gain weight quickly.”

“Why are you so obsessed with fattening me up? Do I really look that shabby?”

“Obsessed? When did I ever say that?”

He immediately corrected her, as if determined to fix any misstatement. 

‘But look at everything you’ve done so far.’

‘You were the first to find me after I was dragged off by a murderer, brought me home, took care of me. You assigned an excellent maid to help me recover, served expensive meals.’

‘Even peeling meat off the bone for me—servants don’t do that. How could I not misunderstand you when you do all this?’

“Thank you, Hys.”

Feeling a lump in her throat, she rubbed her neck as she spoke. He looked at her with a complicated expression before turning away.

She wanted to hold his hand. To lean on his broad shoulder and nap.

She wanted to touch Hystein, to whisper love, as if the ten-year gap between them had never existed, as if nothing had happened.

Maybe it was the drowsy midday atmosphere, but she impulsively cupped Hystein’s pale cheek with her hand. His emerald eyes widened.

“What…”

“…Don’t you want this?”

She asked cautiously. He didn’t answer.

Was his silence a sign of acceptance? Hystein’s shoulders were stiff, but Rosalie slowly leaned in toward his face.

“What are you doing? I don’t know what you’re misunderstanding, but…”

But just as her breath brushed his cheek, Hystein coldly knocked her hand away. Rosalie stared at him in shock, her mouth open.

Hystein stood up.

“I told you, I’m not moved by you.”

His gaze, looking down at her, had turned cold again. Her eyes burned and her ears grew hot.

She didn’t know what to say, so she lowered her eyes. He looked at her expressionlessly, then turned his back.

“W-where are you going?”

She hadn’t meant to say anything, but tears fell as soon as she spoke. Hystein was already heading for the door.

She could have chased after him and grabbed him, but somehow her legs wouldn’t move. Tears ran down her cheeks, soaking her hand.

She was so ashamed of herself she couldn’t stand it.

“S-sorry, Hys, don’t go. I won’t do it again.”

Even as she sniffled, his pace didn’t slow. At the door, Hystein turned to look at her.

“How shameless, for someone with a fiancé.”

“It was a mistake. I was just reminded of the past.”

She couldn’t meet his eyes. Being rejected by Hystein was hard to accept.

Why had she done that? Regret came crashing down, tormenting her. But she thought… Hystein also…

Was it all just her own delusion? If so, why had her ex-lover been so kind to her?

Confused and frustrated, she wiped away her tears roughly. Hystein clicked his tongue and left the bedroom.

“…Ugh.”

As soon as she heard the door close, anxiety surged. If she let Hystein go now, she’d think about him all day.

She hesitated, stomping her feet.

He shouldn’t have been so nice to her from the start. If she thought about it, it was partly Hystein’s fault for making her misunderstand.

By the time her thoughts reached that point, she was already chasing after him.

“Wait, let’s talk.”

Hystein, already some distance away, turned to look at her. She stepped out barefoot, not even bothering with slippers, and he narrowed his eyes.

“Coming out like that isn’t wise.”

Just then, noisy voices echoed behind Hystein. Passing servants. Hystein cursed under his breath.

“Go back inside.”

“No. Listen to me first. Did you hear anything from my brother?”

Rosalie clenched her fist and bit the inside of her cheek. A tear she hadn’t wiped away rolled down her jaw and soaked her robe. Hystein quickly came over and shielded her with his body.

“Let’s talk inside first.”

“What does it matter? You said you weren’t moved. I’m sure other men feel the same.”

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“Answer my question first. I’ve wanted to ask since you arrived.”

“You never listen.”

Hystein sighed. His long arm reached past her to grasp the doorknob behind her.