♡ TL: Khadija SK
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“This is not your world. Even if you don’t like the rules, you must follow them here.”
“Thank you for telling me. I didn’t know that.”
“You wouldn’t eat like this at a formal party, would you?”
“That’s impossible. You must eat uncomfortably when you’re in an uncomfortable place and in an uncomfortable situation. Oh, of course, I’m not saying I’m comfortable now.”
Annette gave up her brief rebellion, picked up a fork, and began eating properly.
The way she had been sucking the cheese from her finger disappeared, and she started to eat elegantly.
“If you recover, I’ll give you a little wine. But that will only happen when you gain enough weight to wear a proper, elegant dress.”
“So, that means you’re not giving me a glass now.”
Annette frowned and began to eat.
The hand holding the cutlery was incredibly graceful.
This woman thought the presence of the emperor was ridiculous, yet she ate like the noble upper-class masters.
Theodore wondered how far she would integrate into the aristocratic world and how freely her ideas would spread.
***
The next day, Theodore woke up late.
Annette’s envious glances toward the wine glass had led him to drink excessively, though he usually enjoyed drinking only as a light snack.
After finishing their plates and discussing Annette’s study plan, the meal had gone on longer and longer, to the point that Theodore dozed off at dawn and woke up around noon.
It was unimaginable laziness in Laider.
Originally, by this time, Theodore should have been in the carriage headed to the capital, but the plan had failed.
He now had to summon Annette, give her further instructions, and then leave in a hurry.
So, they had to eat and hold the meeting at the same time.
Theodore went to Annette’s room to ask her to have a late lunch with him, but she wasn’t there.
He ran into a nurse coming out of Annette’s room.
The nurse, whom Annette had chosen, was always afraid when meeting him, but Theodore wasn’t surprised because that was the reaction he saw from most people he met.
The fact that Lisa wasn’t a doctor was still annoying, but since Annette was alive, Theodore agreed to acknowledge her skills.
“The Grand Duchess isn’t in the room.”
“Then where is she?”
“I think she went to the basement storeroom.”
“The storeroom?”
It was an unexpected place.
“It’s very hot today. So, she said the basement, where the wine is stored, is the coolest place in the villa, so she goes there during the summer to cool off.”
Theodore thought she might have decided to become wine herself after he prevented her from having a glass.
“Should I tell her you’re looking for her?”
“It’s fine. I’ll go to her myself.”
Curious to see what Annette was doing in such an unexpected place, Theodore decided to go find her himself.
In fact, Annette had shown a noteworthy way to make him go to the storeroom himself.
***
Annette was taking a light nap, leaning against the stone wall, hugging Silver while sitting on a blanket spread on the ground.
This wasn’t a habit Annette had picked up in just a day or two; she’d been doing this throughout the hot summer days.
“Are you protesting against me this way because I didn’t give you a glass of wine?”
An unwelcome voice woke Annette from her nap.
Annette blinked her eyes, trying to make out who had visited the darkness underground.
It seemed that being exposed to this refreshing atmosphere for a while and leaning against the wall in the quiet of the cellar had made her doze off for a bit, but as soon as she woke, she felt a slight pain in her back while hearing a sharp voice above her head.
Why would a noble come to the storeroom and ruin others’ sleep?
“Do I need permission to nap beside the wine barrels without drinking them?”
Annette made her tone as sharp as Theodore’s and hugged Silver tightly, feeling the warmth of his body, which had been napping in the storeroom.
Silver opened his eyes slightly and wagged his tail as if content with Annette’s embrace.
Even with his owner in front of him, he didn’t leave Annette’s arms.
It meant Silver liked her more than Theodore.
Annette remembered yesterday, when Silver turned his back on her upon seeing Theodore, and felt relieved as if she had gotten her revenge.
“I came here because I had nowhere else to go. When the days get cooler, I’ll stop coming here, so please don’t kick me out.”
Annette was weak against the heat.
In addition, during the detox process, her whole body was burning with heat.
This was a wine cellar she had found after struggling on her own in a place without air conditioning or fans.
This wasn’t the large cellar near the vineyard gardens but a small storeroom next to the villa where Theodore kept only the alcohol he drank.
It was a place for aging wine, so it was cold, but the problem was that it was dark.
Living a month without sunlight in a mental hospital had made Annette afraid of the dark, but the lamp alone did not dispel her fear, so she always brought Silver with her when going underground.
“Come on, let’s go, or do you want to turn into wine down here?”
“Wine?”
Theodore gestured toward the oak barrels and the stacked bottles of wine on the wall.
Annette burst out laughing as she looked at the drinks that filled one of the walls.
All the drinks here were made exclusively for Theodore.
They were turned into grapes, crushed, peeled, placed in oak barrels, and waited for him to release them.
After all, there was no difference between her and those drinks.
However, Annette felt that she wasn’t ripening with a fragrant aroma, but rather rotting and decaying.
So, maybe she would turn into vinegar rather than wine?
“I don’t think I’ll become wine, but would you like to take me out of here before I turn into vinegar?”
“What do you mean by vinegar?”
Theodore asked curiously.
Annette laughed to herself, realizing that Theodore didn’t understand her jokes or humor.
This man wasn’t suited for wine, vinegar, or emotional jokes.
Annette laughed even more, finding it amusing that she was teasing such a person.
After hugging Silver and laughing for a while, Theodore looked at her with a stern face.
“If you’re already laughing like that, stand up so we can leave before you get drunk for real.”
Annette laughed a little more at his boring joke and stood up facing the wall, but she stumbled for a moment, weakened from the effects of sleep and laughter while sitting.
Silver barked as if he had anticipated her fall, but Annette didn’t fall because something solid supported her.
“Do I need to teach you how to walk too?”
Theodore had caught her to prevent her from falling.
He clicked his tongue, showing signs of displeasure, but his assistance kept her from hitting the stone floor.
Annette didn’t know if his intentions were genuine or if he did it instinctively, but since she received his help, she should have thanked him.
However, no words of thanks came out of her mouth as she stood in front of the tall man looking over her head.
Annette’s lips tightened, not because she didn’t say thank you, but because she didn’t want to either, leaving her feeling conflicted and standing still in place.
But Theodore’s next teasing comment effectively stopped her hesitation.
“Do you know how to climb stairs, or do I need to help you with that too?”
He nodded his chin toward the stairs leading out.
Being treated like a child, Annette immediately felt annoyed.
She ignored the fact that she hadn’t said thank you and quickly left the cellar with large, angry strides, feeling as though she heard the sound of his laughter behind her.
When she emerged from the dark basement, Annette was greeted by the bright afternoon sunlight.
Silver, who had followed her without her realizing it, circled around her, wagging his tail happily.
“Stop… go away.”
But Theodore shooed Silver toward the villa.
Silver whimpered as if saddened by the harsh words, but he followed his master’s orders and retreated toward the villa.
Judging by the tail wagging behind him, it seemed like he really wanted to follow them.
“Why did you chase poor Silver away?”
“I’m going to the city, so I can’t take a legless dog.”
“It’s not that he doesn’t have legs, you’re just uncomfortable with him around. Silver walks just fine.”
Annette frowned at the comment about Silver’s physical condition.
“Have you decided to name him Silver?”
“That’s because I can’t think of another name.”
“It’s the name you gave him, so please call him by it often.”
“Silver is the name YOU gave him.”
“I never thought he needed a name. It’s a name that came up because you wanted it, so you gave it to him.”
“When did this happen!”
The two argued a bit, but in the end, Annette became Silver’s owner.
Theodore insisted on his forceful words, but Annette wasn’t planning to surrender and let him make her admit to something she didn’t want to.
She mumbled all her complaints behind Theodore’s back, following him step by step without stopping or turning back.
“Silver is your dog. I thought every dog raised had a name, so I asked. Anyway… where are we?”
She had followed him without thinking, but now she saw a horse standing in front of them.
Theodore’s black horse moved happily when it saw its master.
For a moment, Annette wondered why she was in this place, then turned and decided to head back to the villa.
“Where are you going?”
Theodore pulled Annette by the arm.
His grip wasn’t too strong, but it stopped her from moving instantly.
“Aren’t you heading to Laider now? So I’ll just go back to the villa.”
Annette looked at the horse.
It didn’t seem like Theodore would be staying here long, and with the horse here, she naturally thought he was planning to return to the capital’s palace.
“I was going to, but seeing you made me think of a few things we need to take care of.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“How far have you been walking in the past few days?”
“I’ve just been walking around the villa and the vineyards. They’re well hidden, so don’t worry…”
“Have you ever been to the village?”
“What would I do in the village?”
“Alright. Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“No.”
Theodore thought for a moment, then swiftly mounted his horse.
Perhaps due to his long legs, he was up on the tall horse in an instant.
His natural movements showed how familiar he was with riding.
“Come closer.”
Annette approached Theodore, confused.
“Closer. Stand right next to the horse and look forward.”
As Theodore instructed, Annette moved closer to the horse. At that moment, Theodore leaned down, placed his hand under her arms, and lifted her up in an instant.
Annette, suddenly seated on his horse, was startled by how her perspective had quickly elevated.
“Doesn’t the girl usually sit in front, and then the man follows?”
“Maybe. But I don’t let anyone else ride my horse first.”
Theodore answered indifferently, then set off.
As soon as he pulled the reins, the horse began to gallop forcefully towards some unknown destination.
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