Chapter 83
Let’s not be intimidated, moving forward.
As I smiled confidently, he had a deeply thoughtful expression on his face.
Why is he like that again?
Ominously.
As I turned my head away from the glaring gaze, suddenly a large shadow loomed over me.
“Oh?”
Raising my head, I found myself being observed by intensely blue eyes.
“How did it become inappropriate?”
Swiftly, without a sound, I instinctively stepped back.
As he approached, I moved back like a caterpillar, unable to stand up straight, only moving my hips to dodge.
But the distance I could go was limited.
In no time, the cushion on the chair behind me touched my back.
The soft sensation felt quite ominous.
“What’s wrong, why are you like this?”
I looked up at the man casting the large shadow over me.
“Tell me. How was it inappropriate?”
“Um, well.”
As his body gradually descended, I found myself almost halfway reclined on the chair.
“Why?”
I pressed on, my head held high.
For some reason, I felt a surge of anger.
I didn’t want to lose.
I didn’t want to back down.
I knew it was a pointless struggle, but…
“Anyway, when people meet, right? Men and women? They meet, and they do things like eating delicious food and taking walks, isn’t that what it’s all about?”
I said firmly, tensing my neck.
“So, you want to do that with me?”
“Of course.”
“Why do you want to do such a thing?”
He asked in a low voice.
Is he really unwilling?
Is it impossible?
Is it not allowed?
Once spoken, it must be upheld.
“Just because I want to enjoy it, just normally.”
“…”
He wore an expression that seemed to know and not know at the same time.
Won’t it work?
Isn’t it going to work?
Won’t it be stopped?
Did I expect too much?
The next moment, he spoke.
“I understand.”
And so, I led Amoide on a date.
Beyond the glass window adorned entirely in pink, I saw cute displays of strawberry desserts.
Strawberry cakes with plenty of whipped cream, strawberry tarts, cookies filled with strawberry jam, strawberry pudding in glass jars, and chocolate-covered strawberry cakes…
There was no end to the variety.
Strawberries everywhere you looked.
The abundance of strawberries was visually delightful.
But the strawberry desserts didn’t stop there.
At the highest point of the display window, on a five-tiered silver tray, were layers upon layers of luxurious strawberry desserts I had just seen.
It seemed to be an afternoon tea set.
“Looks like it’s strawberry season.”
It was the season when strawberries poured out from the outskirts of the capital.
Dessert shops in the capital made and sold strawberry desserts that were not only visually appealing but also made one shiver with delight at their taste.
…And of course, they were expensive.
Seeing the price written under the dessert set, I couldn’t help but sigh.
Strawberries themselves were not cheap, but desserts meticulously crafted by bakers like this often came with a hefty price tag.
Moreover, this shop had a golden stamp indicating royal certification.
It was an esteemed stamp that any artisan would want to receive, and naturally, not everyone could obtain it.
As a result, it was a popular dating spot for nobles.
Inside the spacious shop, guests were seen enjoying their tea time.
“Looks delicious.”
The strawberries in the picture, or rather, in reality.
Come to think of it, even in my past life, I never had the chance to leisurely enjoy strawberries.
Of course, I never got to visit places that boasted strawberry buffets either.
Why is my fate always like this?
What’s wrong with strawberries?
“Why are you looking at it like that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
I quickly turned away from the glass window.
Perhaps because I was too close, my breath left a mist on the glass.
There were even fingerprints next to it.
“Let’s, let’s go, quickly.”
Feeling embarrassed, I pushed his back.
But he didn’t budge.
“…Do you want to eat?”
“What?”
“Do you want to eat something?”
“Um… well, no, I mean… no?”
As I hesitated, my wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Amoide held onto me and walked into the dessert shop without a second thought.
“Amoide, wait.”
Even though I tried to stop, I couldn’t resist his strength.
It felt like I was being dragged along like a calf being led to a slaughterhouse.
Amoide stood in front of the display shelf lined with tempting strawberry desserts, carefully inspecting each one.
“Choose.”
“What?”
“I said, choose.”
He gestured towards the luxurious desserts in the glass display case.
Without needing to say what to choose, they were all artisanal creations infused with the artisan’s breath.
“Well… I mean, I’m fine, really. It’s fine…”
With a light sigh as if he couldn’t help it, Amoide looked at me as I quickly shook my head in denial.
What followed next left me astonished.
“From here to here, all of it, please.”
The salesperson standing in front of the glass display of desserts blinked a few times before smiling brightly with flushed cheeks.
“All of it, sir?”
“Yes, please.”
He replied in a dry voice.
I didn’t even bother to tug at the end of my sleeve, feeling helpless.
“Let’s go sit.”
He grasped my hand and led me to a place inside the shop with plush sofas and tea tables.
Glances from people scrutinizing the man holding a woman’s arm and the woman who followed him as if being led by his strength were felt everywhere.
It meant that we attracted too much attention.
“Please, sit down.”
I promptly sat on the edge of the sofa.
Amoide, seeing me like that, chuckled and took a seat across from me.
The space was spacious, typical of a dessert shop frequented by nobles, and everything, including the sofas and cushions, was adorned in subtle cream and pink hues.
The area was spacious, with ample room for large and small cushions on the soft, plush sofas.
The distance between us and the side table was just right, making it almost impossible to hear each other’s voices.
Once the attention on us subsided as I quieted down, the gazes that had been fixated on me and Amoide shifted back to each other or the cakes, puddings, and cookies laid out in front of us.
“Why are you paying so much attention? They’re all here to eat cake anyway.”
“…Yeah.”
It was a fitting remark without any room for argument.
There was no reason to worry about their gaze for no reason.
“Just wanted to make sure everything’s okay.”
“What do you mean?”
He asked, resting his chin on his hand.
At that question, I felt momentarily dazed.
‘Yeah, what is it?’
What was bothering me so much?
The desserts we ordered began to arrive one by one shortly after.
As the luxurious desserts inside the glass were placed in front of us, I couldn’t help but marvel.
“Wow, look at this, it’s real gold.”
I gently poked the gold dust with my fork, and it scattered like snow onto the cake.
Amoide, for his part, just watched me with a look that seemed to say ‘Is that so?’
“It’s really beautiful.”
Not only was there a fresh strawberry on top of the strawberry cake, but thin slices of strawberries were also layered between the moist bread slices.
“Stop admiring and start eating.”
“It’s a shame.”
“Looking at it won’t turn it into flour and cream.”
I looked at him with a disgruntled face, feeling that his words didn’t hold any elegance at all.
“Then, it’s not?”
He laughed as if he were amazed.
“Oh, there’s a bit of gold dust on it.”
“Yes, yes.
“Even the Duke is just a lump made of blood, flesh, and muscles.”
“…”
I could sense a slight change in his expression.
“…It’s a joke.”
“If you leave it a little longer, it might turn into a fossil. Besides, there are plenty of other things to eat.”
He gestured towards the desserts stacked on the three-tier silver tray.
I coughed a few times and said, “Wait, let me look a little longer.”
It was truly a shame to eat them.
It wasn’t just idle talk; I really felt that way.
The appearance was too precious to simply label it as ‘cake.’
Thinking about mixing it all up in my stomach…
Thunk.
I stood there with my mouth agape at the disaster before me.
The beautifully decorated cake, boasting its lovely appearance on the fork, collapsed in an instant.
The carefully crafted strawberries and chocolate flowers on top of the cake broke in half.
“Why?”
Amoide looked at me with a puzzled expression as I froze in place, still holding the fork.
“How…?”
“What?”
“How could this happen?”
“What are you talking about?”
“This beautiful thing… how could it be destroyed in an instant…?”
I wanted to look at it a little longer.
Eventually, I would eat it, but I wanted to eat it delicately, without destroying its shape as much as possible.
No, perhaps just looking at it would have kept me happy.
“What’s the use of cherishing something just because it’s pretty?”
He chuckled at my words.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re going to eat it anyway.”
“But… it was so beautiful. I wanted to look at it a little longer…”
“Even if it’s beautiful, it’s useless if you don’t eat it.”
“…”
“If there’s delicious food in front of you, you eat it, no matter what.”
He pierced the cake with his fork again.
“You never know when you’ll have another chance to eat it.”
“…”
A faint smile spread across Amoide’s face as he looked at me.
He skillfully lifted a piece of the collapsed cake with his fork.
Just as the fork seemed to be heading towards Amoide’s mouth, it turned towards me.
“What are you doing?”
With my mouth still shut, I stared blankly at the fork in front of me as he lightly shook it.
…What’s he doing now?
I mean, he wants me to eat it.
That’s what his face was saying, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak up.
Of course not.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is Sid. I hope you liked it<3
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