It’s an absolute ‘no’.
“Sorry. It’s too much”. Despite refusing twice in a row, Carson made an apologetic face on the contrary.
“No. I don’t think I have been considerate enough of you. Is it okay if we meet outside?”
“…Well. If it’s possible.”
I couldn’t give you a definite answer. I don’t know how things will go, I’m not sure. Perhaps, as soon as I arrived at the Count, I could run away to the academy again.
Maybe it’s because I said a lot of misleading words, but Carson stared at me with a thoughtful expression on his face.
I smiled mischievously and tapped his nose. “What are you thinking? I said this. After all, I might not even notice the time passing because I was looking at medicinal herbs. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to my private lab at the Countess.”
“Really…?”
His hardened face came alive again at my words.
“Then on the day you come out, I’ll visit you, Leen.”
“How do you know the timing that I don’t even know?”
When I laughed as if dumbfounded, Carson blinked his eyes and put his index finger over his lips.
“It’s a trade secret.”
ꕥ
From the window of the carriage, a familiar mansion came into view. The aunt, who was standing still, found a carriage entering the mansion and smiled broadly.
“Leen!”
I got off the carriage with a smile on my lips. “Auntie, how have you been…”
Before I could finish my words, my Aunt reached out her hand and held me in her arms.
“Oh my, look at how skinny my baby is. Only bones are left! Did you skip meals just to see medicinal herbs? Oh, I can’t let this be. Hurry up and talk to the chef about greasy food!”
“No, Aunt. I was eating well and I’m fine.”
Jane was obsessed with rice, and Carson often bought snacks for me. Under these circumstances, if I had gained more weight, I wouldn’t have lost weight.
“Last summer vacation, you said the professor caught you, but this time I think you managed to escape.”
“Haha!”
I smiled awkwardly and looked into the distance. I forgot I sold Professor George last vacation.
Sorry, Professor. There was no other excuse. However, this time, it was true that I escaped from Professor George’s cage, so it was roughly half right.
“Yeah, vacation is for rest. Your professor was too much.”
My Aunt cried and hugged me tight once again. It was the arms I missed, so I enjoyed the warmth in my Aunt’s arms for a while.
It’s hard to breathe, so I was trying to tell her to let go of me now…
“Leen’s here!”
Upon hearing the news from the mansion, the Count rushed out and hugged my Aunt and me at the same time.
“Hey! If you were going to come, tell me in advance, what’s the reason for sending a letter so slowly? I only found out in the morning that you were coming.”
It was a scolding tone, but his face was full of joy. I just laughed bashfully seeing him like that.
“I wanted to surprise you!”
“If that’s the case, then you’ve succeeded. The Count has been very noisy since the morning after receiving the letter that you are coming.”
“Haha, the Count and Aunt must have made all kinds of commotion.”
“Our disturbance is the Count’s commotion, is there anything different?”
I shrugged and frowned without saying a word. What I heard was right. The Count, who was hugging my aunt and me, finally freed us and looked straight at me.
“Oh my! You’ve grown ten centimeters, you seem bigger than I’ve seen you! You became an adult without us watching over you.”
How could my aunt and uncle not be so objective in their view of me? Unfortunately, I wasn’t even a centimeter taller in a year.
At that time, someone who was watching our reunion walked up to us.
“People would think you’re reuniting with family who was separated during the war.”
It was my younger cousin Luca who was smiling crookedly. I instinctively looked around Luca. Fortunately, Erhan didn’t seem to be in the mansion.
Had it been, he would have run to me faster than anyone else. Imagine how anxious he must have been because I never replied to his letter.
Convinced that Erhan wasn’t there, I teased Luca more comfortably.
“Are you upset because you didn’t hug me first? Even now, you’re still like a child, it’s still the same. Come here.”
“Who says I’m upset?”
Saying that Luca didn’t ignore the open arms as if there was nothing he couldn’t help it. Being in my arms…
“I came to the mansion alone because I thought you wouldn’t come again. We could have come together.”
I was surprised by his grumbling words in my arms. Come to think of it, Luca was also attending the Arena Academy.
“Sorry. I didn’t think of you because the junior and senior buildings were too far apart.”
“I’ll also be a senior starting next semester, so you know that excuse won’t work next time, right?”
“Well, I’ll think about it.”
“What?”
Luca, who got out of my arms at once, opened his eyes in a triangle shape as if to say it again, and looked at me. But the Count and Aunt were on my side.
“Luca, stop let her go. Shouldn’t we get rid of Leen’s poison? And you can come by yourself comfortably.”
“That’s right. You must be tired from riding the carriage for a long time, but let’s talk about the things we can’t finish now while eating dinner.”
Luca’s eyes lifted.
“Hey. I will eat all the food you brought!”
“Great. I will eat yours.”
“Then it’s not fair!”
“Is it fair for you to eat for two?”
Luca bit his lips as if he was speechless.
Then he closed his eyes and cried out. “I don’t know. I’m going to ask the chef for an eggplant special today!”
I, who was relaxing with Luca in the state, raised my voice in shock for the first time at the words he spat out.
“What? Do you want to eat food made with such devil’s ingredients? I’d rather starve!”
“Pft, haha! He’s older than me and he’s a picky eater!”
“If you don’t know anything else, shouldn’t it be wrong to eat eggplant as a picky eater? The eggplant is said to be disgusting from the beginning.”
“My eyes aren’t wrong, you’re naughty!”
“…This?”
The Countess and the couple were watching us happily. Among them, my Aunt even wiped her tears with her handkerchief.
“I don’t think you’ve found your place now, darling?”
“Haha. I think it’s what you said. At last, the Count has regained his vigor.”
ꕥ
After unpacking and resting for a while, it was time for dinner.
Without a second thought, I went down to the dining room and opened my mouth. After my aunt reaffirmed her determination to feed me well, I think she told the chef.
“When you say that your upper leg is going to bend, you are using it…?”
The Count also cut off the words as he was stunned.
“Yes…”
Aunt smiled softly, she said casually. “Our Leen came home, so we have to do this much.”
Luca raised his hand and protested.
“Mom?”
“He’ll think he’s discriminating if anyone hears it.”
“Isn’t this what you call discrimination?”
Even if he said that there was no sign of regret for Luca.
“It’s been a year since I’ve seen Lien. When she is sad, she doesn’t show her face for a long time…”
My Aunt stopped her words and covered her mouth with her two hands.
“No…! Mom made a mistake. Oh my gosh, Luca. Don’t even think about it. Because the meal can make you feel luxurious as much as you want.”
My Aunt, who quickly switched her stance, urged us to eat as if trying to distract him.
“Come on, let’s eat before the food cools down.”
I went out and picked up the tableware without hesitation.
“Why don’t you try the stew first?”
Aunt pointed to Stew with a look of anticipation. Is it special order food? It looks normal to me. But I tasted the stew first, wondering if everyone except me felt suspicious.
As soon as they put the stew in their mouths, they shudder and harden like stones. The skills of the Count’s cooks were well known to me as I had been eating them for several years.
There’s no way it doesn’t taste good, so it must have been so delicious that they hardened.
How delicious is that? With half curiosity and half anticipation, I picked up a spoon full of stew and put it in one bite.
Yum—
“…!”
It sounded like lightning struck my head. Their eyes tremble from the shock.
How can you make it taste like this? The taste of the rotting from the part where the tongue touched the food to the tip of the root.
I don’t think any extreme poison I’ve ever made could have this effect. A taste that can dream of a perfect crime because both of them die while eating. I looked at the Count and Luca with a hardened gaze.
They were looking at me with sympathetic eyes. We dared not open our mouths to express the taste, but communicated with our eyes.
‘Why didn’t you dry it…?’
‘The taste was so shocking that I didn’t even think to dry it.’
‘It’s my sister’s fault that we ate without a day to dry it.’
Then my a]Aunt who was watching us asked, clasping her hands together. “What do you think…?”
Did you change chefs while I was away? As I was about to ask, I thought maybe.
“Did Aunt make this stew?”
“Yes!”
I let out a deep sigh at my aunt’s bright reply. Ahh…
“It’s so delicious, honey.”
I looked at the Count with respect. Is that what a disaster is?
“Oh. Is that so?”
Seeing my Aunt smiling shyly, blushing like a little girl, I could understand the Count a little.
But the warm scenery is short-lived. There was someone who wanted to accuse this bona fide lie.
“Mom. Have you ever finished and tried food? I’ll never eat it, so it’s terrible…”
“Luca!”
The Count and I called out his name. But Luca firmly shook his head with determination.
“Mom has the right to know the truth.”
My Aunt was bewildered by the strange flow, and she carefully lifted her spoon. He closed his eyes tightly and turned his head away as if the Count couldn’t watch her.
“Great.”
After a while. After eating the stew, my Aunt, who finally found out the truth about the stew, shouted palely.
“Take this out right now!!”
