Episode 22
“Madame? I don’t understand; what’s the matter?”
Rona’s perplexed voice appeared suddenly at my side.
“Do you know, Rona?”
“Yes?”
“They say that once a person changes, their death is close.”
So I’ll have to make a difference. For the way they’re treating me.
“Yes?”
“If I can change the present, maybe the future will change too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yeah, that must be it.”
I felt like I was being strangled by the restrictive terms of the contract every time I gave them any attention.
My lifeline was only beginning the tightrope walk that might either prolong or shorten it.
However, there was cause for optimism. Simply put, I had evolved. I have to get divorce and get out of this home quickly before anyone gets hurt… “Ouch.”
Without meaning to, I tightened my hand in a show of resolve and screamed softly.
“Oh no, does it hurt bad?”
My palm suddenly sprang out in pain, and my brow wrinkled for a second.
“You ought to feel better very soon… I can’t imagine how unpleasant that is.”
“No.”
“Are you alright now?”
Rona stared at me in bewilderment.
“Not at all.”
It’s painful, but that’s the way things have to be.
The bandages on my hand caught my eye again. In the long run, this helping hand will be invaluable.
“You will feel better if you take the medication your doctor has given. And don’t forget the painkillers.”
Rona replied, clearly concerned. I nodded absentmindedly at her comments before swiftly shaking my head from side to side.
“Why?”
“I don’t think relying on medicine is a good idea.”
It was more than that.
<Is that because of me?>
<I’m sorry.>
I caught a glimpse of his perplexed countenance. Just by holding my hand, I could tell he was upset.
‘He hated me.’
I can only imagine how humiliating it feels to have been taken off surprise by my hand in that way.
I noticed my swelling, bandaged hand.
I realize that taking my own life as a hostage is excessive, but I have nothing else to use.
This means I can’t get well quickly.
Not in his presence, at any rate.
—
“What do you think, I made this for you.”
With a pleased expression on my face, I surveyed the spread.
Amoide’s diet has undergone a dramatic shift in just a few days.
To begin with, there was a larger quantity of edibles available.
Whereas previously he had been fed mostly porridge-like foods due to his compromised digestive system, today the table is always laden with meat, fish, and other delicacies.
I waited expectantly for Amoide’s reply, my eyes bright.
“Honestly, I think I’ll have a stomachache.”
… Really now.
“Really, a changed diet is good too, right? Delicious?”
I bravely requested without giving up.
“Raymond has updated me on my health.”
When I asked him how it tasted, he shifted the subject.
What an evasion!
I laughed, but I suppressed it and covered my lips.
“Yes.”
“And mother gave her blessing,”
“Yes.”
“Jean rearranged the food options.”
“Really tasty, no?”
I made sure to follow up on my initial inquiry.
Even though I was given a long, hard stare, I remained undeterred.
Jean had previously told me he had eaten everything off his plate, so I knew he had appreciated what he had cooked.
I sampled some of the meal and found it to be a little under-seasoned, but still edible.
“Well, that’s the way it is.”
A response emerged from his lips at last.
He looked to be deep in contemplation just as I was ready to be satisfied with such an answer.
Aside from that…
“Why do all those people listen to you?”
“What’s your point?”
I remarked indifferently. But his skepticism in his eyes for me only grew.
“Something appears to be occurring. How exactly did you convince them?”
“Your point being? Of course they wanted you to get better.”
He continued to stare at me with mistrust in his eyes despite my witty response.
“Well, they’ve been worried about your health for a while now.”
He kept at it.
“They must be much more concerned now. You passed out recently, right?”
I gave him a curious look as if to inquire what was wrong. It was an absolutely foolproof response that left no room for uncertainty.
“Let’s energize your body with some delicious and nutritious food. Now, give it a go.”
“Why is there so much?”
Amoide disapproved of the new menu items.
When I lifted the lid hiding the main meal, I pretended not to see him.
“Jean prepared this fish dish with fish he bought at an auction first thing this morning.”
The enormous, broad fish had been sliced, and Jean’s special sauce had been liberally applied.
“Smells nice, doesn’t it? It looks good as well. And for sure, it will taste delicious, since Jean made it with his special sauce.”
“Special sauce?”
When I asked Jean what was in it, he promptly gave me the recipe, which I then sent to Raymond.
Raymond gave the sauce and its accompanying vegetables a thorough inspection before breaking into a satisfied grin.
<It’s a winning formula for increasing stamina and energy.>
With his quill, he made a large circle on the recipe.
<Approved.>
With a grin on my face, I snuggled the recipe closer to my heart.
“There are bones in the fish.”
He cast an eye of suspicion over the fish on the plate.
“Calcium may be obtained through eating fish with bones… In any case, it’s great for your bones. It’s great for developing sturdy limbs. So chow down, Amoide.”
With a soft voice, I added.
Astonished, he asked, “What on earth did you put in it?”
He gave the fish a wary look as he studied it.
“Don’t look at it; there’s no point; it’s dead.”
Laughing, I began filleting the fish and arranging it on a platter.
The flesh disintegrated gently, allowing me to pick it up and manipulate it with my left hand.
While I was preparing the fish, I could feel his attention fixed on my right hand.
“I can get it done for you, Madame.”
After clearing the dish, Emma, who had been waiting nearby to help, came up and extended her hand.
“I’ll do it.”
When I was chopping ingredients for Amoide and explaining the cuisine to him, Emma would constantly interrupt me.
Even when asked to leave the tray with the food on it so we could eat in peace, she refused.
<I have to watch out for my master; it’s my job.>
She kept saying the same thing over and over, and I just left her be.
“Hold on just a sec.”
While perusing the deboned fish on the dish, Emma reached into her purse for a long, thin silver rod.
“Emma?”
In a low voice, I beckoned to her. Rona, who was on the other end of the room, blinked widely in astonishment.
“What are you doing?”
“Poison tests should be done before eating anything new.”
To which Rona replied, “But Madame, you’ve already tasted each one.”
Like Rona mentioned, I had fun ‘testing’ each meal I made.
I took this precaution in case, against my knowledge, someone had poisoned his meal.
Of course, I had a fantastic justification for sneaking a taste of the dinner before everyone else. But there’s a chance I’ll get poisoned first and die.
Knowing that I sample every meal makes it more difficult to poison Amoide.
After all that, there shouldn’t be any poison in it. When I saw Emma’s defiant face, though, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“That’s fine Rona, stop.”
Rona was abruptly halted by me.
“We’ve been doing it that way for years.”
“But you’ve eaten all there is to eat here, Madame.”
Rona showed signs of extreme ire.
“Yet it won’t be good if Amoide will have a problem after eating it.”
I gave Emma a pleading look.
“Emma, I admire your commitment to doing a good job. Don’t let that enthusiasm fade away.”
Her expression contorted in an odd way as if she were hurt by the compliment:
“…”
“I mean it as a compliment,” I said.
There was nothing improper about his custom of having his food tested for toxic responses before eating it.
It may save his life if anything unforeseen were to happen.
There might be certain flavors that even my own taste buds can’t completely block.
“Just a sec,” she said.
Emma lifted the metallic wand.
“Stop fussing and get some food.”
I was startled by the voice and looked across at Amoide.
He seemed angry as he studied Emma and me. His imposing presence, emanating from his placid blue eyes, had me blushing all over again.
“No, take the test.”
I said while hunching my shoulders.
“It’s better to be sure, right, Emma?”
“I appreciate your patience.”
Emma started parrot-like inserting the silver rod into the various plates on the table.
The finely chopped meat, the simmering stew, and the fish I had just deboned were all subjected to the silver rod’s insertion and removal.
I made sure to check the blackened tip of the silver rod every time it was taken out.
It made me feel quite uneasy to see.
The fact that he was a person of such prominence that he constantly faced the possibility of poisoning hit me like a ton of bricks.
