MWC Chapter 28

Chapter 28. A Fool.

 

“Why? You don’t like it?”

“N-no, my lord. I’ve had enough. You should eat as well.”

“I’m eating just fine. You focus on eating properly.”

Meals in the warzone were always rushed.

Rakalt was used to seeing people consume food as if it were water.

Adelen’s slow, nibbling pace reminded him of a squirrel or a bird—picking and pecking at her food.

If it’s good, she should devour it wholeheartedly.

Taking care of a baby required energy. There was no way she could keep up with such small portions.

“Eat more. You need it.”

“M-my lord… this is too much.”

Adelen finally raised her hand in surrender. The plates stacked in front of her obscured the table’s surface. No matter how diligently she ate, finishing them all was impossible.

“This little, and you’re done?”

Rakalt frowned.

He already found her eating speed unsatisfactory, but her portion size bothered him even more.

Just because she ate like a bird didn’t mean her meals should be bird-sized.

“This is already much more than I usually eat…”

“Really? Has the cook been starving you?”

“W-what? No! The meals are always amazing!”

 

Many masters begrudged even the cost of feeding their servants. Most barely provided enough to keep them functioning. But not in Sigelion.

Here, the servants were always well-fed, thanks to Rakalt’s orders: “Make sure no one goes hungry.”

“I’m genuinely well-fed normally, and I’ve eaten to my limit today,” Adelen insisted.

“Do maids naturally eat so little?”

To Rakalt, meals were crucial, a cornerstone of strength and morale. His time on the battlefield had made him sensitive to such matters.

His sharp questioning made Adelen sit up straighter, searching her memories for an answer.

“Hmm… I don’t think so. Some eat a lot, and others eat less.”

“And you?”

“I… eat less, I guess.”

“Why? The cook’s food doesn’t suit your taste?”

“No!”

Adelen’s eyes widened. The meals were always delicious—today’s included. But years of eating lightly had ingrained the habit.

“Actually, when I was in the orphanage…”

For some reason, Rakalt inspired her to share parts of her past she’d never told anyone.

It had been years since she last revisited this memory.

“There was this kid I used to eat with. He ate too much and… his stomach burst, and he died.”

“What?”

“It’s true. He hadn’t eaten for three days, so when they finally gave him food, he devoured it like crazy. Then he clutched his stomach, collapsed, and… that was it.”

“Hmm… That can happen.”

Rakalt nodded solemnly. Such incidents weren’t unheard of on the battlefield.

“But back then, the orphanage caretaker said, ‘He died because he was greedy and got punished for it.’”

“Hmm…”

“I know now that wasn’t true, but I believed it for a long time. It made me afraid to overindulge, especially with food.”

Adelen laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.

She’d never shared this childhood story with anyone before. That the first person she opened up to was her master felt surreal.

“You’re an adult now. Eating more won’t make your stomach burst. So eat.”

Her master’s gentle insistence made Adelen burst into laughter.

“It is not just about food, but thanks to everything else you’ve provided, I already feel quite full.”

“Everything else?”

“You promised to pay me properly, fed me such a splendid meal, let me wear a dress, ride in your carriage, enter the royal palace, and even meet His Majesty. On top of that, you provided the finest bedding too.”

Adelen recited one thing after another, counting them off on her fingers to make sure she didn’t miss anything.

Rakalt stared at her intently for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.

“…They say there’s no cure for a fool.”

“…Pardon?”

“Those are all things necessary for the job, so of course they’re provided. The allowance is just a rightful compensation for your labor. How can any of that be considered special?”

Rakalt’s mindset was somewhat different from that of the typical noble as it was shaped by years of experience on the battlefield.

In war, soldiers received wages and additional allowances, with the latter increasing for more dangerous missions. And when the war ended, spoils or bonuses were also distributed.

To Rakalt, Adelen, who seemed satisfied with just her maid’s salary and the provisions, came off as nothing more than a fool who didn’t know how to demand what she was owed.

“Ask for more. More.”

“More…?”

“Exactly. Right now. Whatever it is.”

 

Rakalt figured it wouldn’t hurt to give her more, now that the topic had come up.

After all, one of the reasons he had become a renowned commander was his attention to those under his charge.

But unlike a soldier, Adelen wasn’t prepared for this sudden opportunity to ask for a wish.

Her mind went blank.

It felt like she had just won a lottery ticket falling out of the sky, only to freeze and miss catching it.

They say only the prepared can seize opportunities. Without a list of demands ready, she couldn’t think of anything on the spot.

“Uh… well… um… uh…”

The more desperate she felt, the slower her brain seemed to work. Her lips moved, but no words came out.

“You really are something. No greed at all.”

“No, that’s not true! I’m full of greed! I just don’t act on it, that’s all. But I’m very greedy!”

It was the truth.

Still, Rakalt’s eyes showed little belief in her words.

“Really! I started working as a maid to earn money quickly. Isn’t that greedy?”

“And what were you planning to do with that money?”

“Buy a house… a carriage… livestock… save up for marriage…?”

Her hesitation and shyness made him chuckle twice—once at her timid dreams, and again at her inability to even demand those things outright.

She was so foolish that it was almost endearing.

Like a harmless, vulnerable little animal that instinctively tugged at one’s protective instincts.

“Alright, then. A house, a carriage, livestock, and marriage funds it is.”

“…Pardon?”

Rakalt casually granted her wish with a grin.

For a moment, Adelen’s world froze.

A house… a carriage… livestock… and marriage funds… all just fell from the sky?

Or, more accurately, from her master’s purse.

“W-wait… Really?”

“Do I sound like I’m joking?”

Rakalt’s grin widened at her stunned reaction.

Adelen stared, dumbfounded, at his face.

She realized it was the first time she’d seen him smile like that—not a smirk, not a sneer, but a genuine smile.

His eyes, usually as cold and foreboding as a poisoned lake, now gleamed with the refreshing clarity of a bright summer sky.

His eyes… were they always this beautiful?

Adelen gawked at him, her mouth hanging open. She didn’t even notice the drool dripping down her chin until she felt it on her lips.

“Ah!”

She quickly wiped her mouth, her cheeks heating up at the embarrassment.

“Are you so pleased that you’re drooling?”

“H-huh? Oh! I mean—yes?”

That explained it. No wonder she had frozen earlier—who wouldn’t drool at the prospect of such a windfall?

Her face turned redder than ever, and her neck felt like it was burning. She fanned herself awkwardly, trying to focus on Rakalt’s next words.

“If we space it out to one each year, that should fill the four years until the child is old enough for a tutor. After that, your duties as a nanny will naturally decrease. We can decide your future then. Any objections?”

Adelen’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.

Objections? There was no way she’d object.

“I love it! I love it so much! Thank you, thank you!”

For the first time in days, Adelen smiled with her whole face, lighting up the room.

Seeing her joyful grin, Rakalt chuckled lightly as well.

He’d felt this kind of sharp satisfaction before—usually after a successful battle plan.