Bon Appétit

When the duke opened his heavy eyes, the first thing he saw was the ceiling. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then turned his head. The doctor was dozing off, and there was no one else. He tried to move his body but paused because he felt pain in his hand. He suddenly came to his sense, and he remembered all the memories.

Early in the morning, the duke went to see Luana. It was his daily routine since she was put in a dungeon. When he went there, he could see Luana grunting at him. She seems to think she doesn’t show it, but it is all shown in her eyes.

He should have punished Luana for recklessly crawling, but he didn’t want to. Instead, he would put things for her in the dungeon every time he went. He followed his own heart, just like the doctor advised.

‘This is a mess.’

Even with that thought in his heart, he couldn’t stop what he did because he always saw Luana smiling whenever a new item came in.

‘Why do I feel better whenever she smiles?’

He hasn’t found the right answer yet. No, he might never find it again.

“Luana.”

In the end, Luana sided with the witch. The duke expected that to happen, but he still had her in his mind. The reality was brutal as always. Since she is a witch, another witch must have come to the rescue. Of course, she would always pick the witch’s side rather than the humans. They are from the same race, after all.

The duke looked at his hands wrapped in bandages. He bit it so hard that he felt pain every time he moved. It was rather urgent at the time. The unknown powder clouded his mind, and his eyelids gradually closed. In that situation, Luana tried to run away.

She was the only witch he got his hands on properly. Luana was the only clue to lift the curse and the master of his unknown emotion. He couldn’t just miss this chance, so he reached for Luana, but she didn’t hold his hands. She seemed confused at that time, but that was it. The only witch left with the other witch, and all that remained were dark feelings and his deep wounds.

The duke tried to recall Luana’s expression that he saw through the fog, but it was not clear. Did she laugh, did she cry, or did she get angry? He doesn’t know.

‘I wanted to see your expression more properly.’

He didn’t see anything. Under the bandaged hands, his arms got skinny again, just like before he met Luana. But no one was here now to promise him that he would gain weight.

‘Why didn’t I put him in her own room instead of in a dungeon in the first place?’

That’s what he had in mind. If it had been like that, then she wouldn’t escape. He felt as if he had returned to the time when he was a helpless child who couldn’t do anything. But for a moment, the duke clenched his wounded hand. The pain cleared his mind.

‘No, I don’t care if I missed the chance.’

Wouldn’t it be nice to catch her again? He was no longer the helpless child who could do nothing.

“Wake up.”

The doctor, who was nodding and dozing off, opened his eyes at the Duke’s words.

“Duke!”

The doctor, who had a happy expression, looked very embarrassed when he saw the bandage with blood stains.

“Oh my, the wound is open. I’ll bandage it again!”

“It’s fine. How long has it been?”

The doctor hesitated, then answered.

“It has been two days.”

“I’ve been asleep for a long time.”

“You should take a break sometimes. Fortunately, the powder you inhaled was just sleeping powder. Aren’t you hungry? The chef has prepared a meal in advance! Shall I bring the meal?”

Every hour, the chef cooks new food, heats it up, and prepares it until now. It was because the butler and the doctor wanted to feed the duke as soon as he woke up. But the answer that came back was cold.

“No, I don’t want to eat.”

The duke immediately got up from the bed and stood up. He was a little dizzy, but it wasn’t impossible to move.

“What do you mean?! You starved for two days. Please eat a little.”

The doctor said in worried, but the duke did not budge.

“Then bring something easy to eat.”

“No. As a member of the National Doctor Assembly, I’m telling you, you’ve been starving for two days, so you have to eat properly.”

At the same time, the Duke sighed as he stood firm. He didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of moving.

“Fine, I get it. Then hurry up.”

As soon as the duke granted his permission, the maid pushed in the tray and set the table. Soup with chopped ingredients, soft white bread, and hamburg steak made with meat. It was a dish that would be perfect for someone who hadn’t eaten for two days. He took the spoon and sipped the soup first.

However, he puts it down as soon as he eats one spoon. It felt like he put sticky sand in his mouth. The curse has worsened, and he pursed his lips. He took the soup bowl and swallowed it at once.

“This is enough.”

“Duke.”

The doctor looked sad, but he didn’t want to eat anymore. He forced himself to eat because he knew he had to eat to live, but he didn’t want to put anything more terrible in his mouth. He had lived all his life like this anyway, so he’ll be okay. With that in mind, he put down his bowl.

“After dinner, call a professional portrait painter.”

“A portrait painter?”

“Yes, I want to make a wanted sign.”

“A wanted sign…”

“You know what I mean.”

“All right. I’ll call the painter right away.”

Anyone who lives in the mansion knows Luana’s appearance, but he could not mobilize them all to find her. So, he needed a portrait.

‘She’ll come back safely.’

If that happens, he thought of forgiving her generously. But will she come back after leaving for her own race?

The duke closed his eyes and started to dizzy when he thought so.

A new wanted paper was posted on the bulletin board in the street. When the passerby approached with curiosity, a vague-looking woman’s face was painted on it.

Sky blue eyes, gray-beige hair, who likes to eat.  Make sure to bring her back safely.

“That’s strange.”

Usually, criminals are wanted, so it is rare to bring them safely.

“Which noble lady is she from?”

As he tilted his head and lowered his gaze, he soon opened his eyes wide. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, but what was written hadn’t changed.

“Oh, my God! The prize money!”

The prize money at stake was plenty to buy a small mansion in the capital! People who heard the rumor quickly called the people around to see the wanted sign. Some secretly took off the wanted paper for monopoly, but they quickly put it back.

The bulletin board became crowded after a while. All who needed money, starting with mercenaries, looked into the board. At the very end of the crowd was a man wearing a hood. He looked suspiciously, but someone saw his tall figure and looked away. Even though he pretended to be someone else, he was certainly a man.

The man looked at the bulletin board in the distance and then turned away. After that, he went shopping leisurely and headed to his house. As usual, he entered the house through the back alley and opened the door, and said,

“I’m back, Luana.”

There was no reply, but he wasn’t surprised because she was seen sitting in a chair on one side of the living room, looking through the diary. She was so absorbed in the diary that she didn’t touch the tea and dried fruits he brought before he left.

“Luana?”

When he called her once more, she raised her head. Her eyes resembling the clear sky, were red and bloodshot after reading for so long.

“Oh, you’re back?”

“Is the diary that interesting? You can’t take your eyes off it.”

“How can I take my eyes off of this? I want to memorize everything.”

That said, Luana again turned her eyes to the diary as if possessed until Gerald interfered. He closed the diary and held it up high. Then, Luana, standing up like a zombie, struggled to get the diary with her hands in the air.

“Give it to me, give it to me!”

“If you want me to give this to you, take a rest and eat, You’re skipping meals, aren’t you?”

“I had breakfast!”

“You ate while looking at the diary.”

She doesn’t even know if the food went into her mouth or nose. She once slapped herself with bread.

“Ugh, what a coward!”

Gerald was beautiful, but he was taller than Luana because he was a man. No, he was actually hiding his appearance, so, for Luana, he was slightly smaller than average, but she couldn’t reach the diary even though she stretched her body.

“I’m not a coward. I can’t help but do this to the little witch.”

“But there’s no time!”

“What time?”

“No, I mean,”

Luana hesitated and pursed her lips. She couldn’t say it was because she was worried about the duke. He was not on good terms with the witch. From what she heard over the past few days, they are almost like enemies.

Normally, she would hate Elanya for putting the curse on him and troubling other witches. It was weird that the witches hated the duke, although it was all because of Elanya. This seemed to be different from the human perspective.