CHAPTER 11
The Duke of Baytness’ chef was famous throughout Neway. At one point, he had even been in charge of the royal table, and his culinary skills were said to be among the best in the world. His salary skyrocketed, and the Royal Family took pride in him, as guests who visited the palace openly coveted his talents.
But when news broke that he had resigned from his position as head chef of the Royal Palace, the upper classes of various countries began searching for his whereabouts.
However, the chef, who wished only to serve someone of his own choosing, had already entered the service of another.
And it was this chef who had prepared the salmon dish.
The crispy skin and fragrant, buttery aroma tickled the nostrils, while the glossy red flesh was a feast for the eyes. And there was just one person sitting in front of them who couldn’t savor the melt-in-your-mouth fish.
“Miss Aveline.”
Edwin, sitting far away, called out warningly, his fork and knife going cold on his plate. Vivianne, as if expecting this, quickly cut into the salmon.
“I’m—I’m eating,” she replied.
She had anticipated his nagging and gave an appropriate response. Edwin’s lips, which had begun to part, closed once again. Vivianne stabbed a piece of the neatly cut salmon and dipped it in the sauce.
How much weight will I gain if I eat this?
A moment’s hesitation made her reluctant to put the food in her mouth. Unable to eat, she glanced briefly at Edwin, only to meet his watchful gaze. Hastily, she lowered her eyes and shoved the piece of salmon into her mouth.
I’m eating, alright?
To prove it, she exaggerated her chewing, moving her jaw excessively.
“Will you be staying in Rodinia for the time being?”
For the past few days, there had been a cold breeze at the dining table. Vivianne realized just how much Charlotte’s chirpy voice had played a role in filling the silence, even without Edwin’s gentle responses. In just a few days, Charlotte’s attitude toward Edwin had noticeably changed.
Did these two quarrel?
Still chewing her salmon, Vivianne glanced back and forth between them.
“… That’s the plan.”
“Lady Thurston sent a letter. It’s regarding preparations for Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday. Should I take care of the gifts and arrangements like before? If you’re not busy, would you like to handle it, Your Grace?”
Her question carried a prickly edge. The reason Vivianne couldn’t swallow the salmon in her mouth was partly because of Edwin, but also because of Charlotte.
Charlotte was so sensitive that she seemed ready to vent her discontent at any moment, while Edwin remained calm and indifferent. The gap between them created a discomfort that made Vivianne want to run away.
“How about resting at the manor for this year’s Queen’s birthday?”
“What?”
Unlike Edwin, who had calmly suggested it, Charlotte responded with astonishment. This scene gradually raised the tension around the dining table.
“Why? I’ve attended the royal events every year. If this is about the marriage issue…”
“This time, my mother will be coming.”
Vivianne, who had been quietly eavesdropping, suddenly lifted her head. Edwin’s blue eyes followed hers, aware of her gaze. Her slightly trembling gray eyes soon realized the error in her perception.
Sayer Raven’s family no longer exists in this world. The cause was imprinted on her surname, Aveline.
But as Edwin Baytness, his situation was a little different, so it wasn’t strange for him to mention his mother.
With a mixture of guilt and remorse, Vivianne’s face darkened. Her eyes, now lowered, rested on her plate.
“M-Madam is coming? I thought she was busy with estate matters. She never leaves the estate, so why…?”
“I don’t know the reason.”
“But…”
Vivianne, who hadn’t dared to look at Edwin, made an exception for Charlotte. Unable to continue, Charlotte heaved her chest heavily and left the room, unable to hold back her tears. Watching her go, Vivianne wondered why the relationship between Baroness Baytness and Charlotte was not so good.
As she mulled over their conversation, like a detective in a mystery novel she had read long ago, Vivianne cautiously began to speculate about the hidden circumstances within the Baytness family.
When Charlotte disappeared from view, Vivianne’s lost gaze returned to the table. Having finished her imaginary detective work, her timid eyes turned toward Edwin.
How could an adult treat a young ward so coldly? Vivianne felt even more disheartened.
“Miss Aveline, why do you think Charlotte is acting like that?”
After silently blaming Edwin, the sudden shift in his question caught her off guard. She hurriedly picked up the cutlery she had put down without realizing it.
“What? Oh, hmmm… that…”
I will kill you, I will eat you… Her mind went blank as he asked such a personal question with the same lips that had once threatened her.
She wished she could flee like Charlotte, but in that instant, she managed to find an appropriate answer.
“Maybe she feels upset? I’m not sure, but if she had been looking forward to the Queen’s birthday and now can’t go, she might feel disappointed and hurt.”
“And what about you, Miss Aveline? Do you enjoy parties?”
Their gazes tangled across the table.
Whenever she faced that ambiguous gaze—neither hostile nor friendly—Vivianne was reminded of the boy from 14 years ago, stirring the guilt buried deep in her chest. It felt like a rough, heavy rock was rolling around inside her, causing a loud disturbance.
“I wasn’t the type of person who enjoyed looking for parties.”
Being in the middle of a meal provided a good excuse to avoid his eyes. Looking down at the salmon, Vivianne moved her cutlery, trying to regain her composure.
“But I did love the music at the ballroom. I loved playing the cello. I sold my cello, so I can’t play it anymore. In the past, if I heard that a famous cellist was attending a party, I would drop everything else and go. But other than that, I didn’t…”
Vivianne was surprised at herself for speaking so openly. She felt embarrassed that she had shared her story with someone she found intimidating and difficult.
“I see.”
With that, the intimate conversation came to an end.
The silence was uncomfortable, and as the time came to put another piece of salmon into her mouth, fear crept in. She fidgeted with the cutlery in her hand, feeling trapped.
“Don’t leave any leftovers. Eat it all.”
“… Yes.”
Feeling oddly grateful to Edwin for his scolding, she tightly closed her eyes and put the piece of salmon into her mouth.
It tasted deceptively sweet, even for such a dreaded salmon.
I should ask him clearly.
She couldn’t live in daily fear, swayed by stories she didn’t even know if they were jokes or not.
Instead of worrying about such lies, she wanted to get a clear answer from the Duke of Baytness. She also needed to get her scarf back, so she might as well do both.
“Sophie, I need to go see the Duke.”
For Sophie, who had been waiting for Vivianne to get up, this was good news. As if she’d been waiting for this, she immediately sprang to her feet, stuffing a dry cloth into her apron pocket.
“You’re going to see the Duke? Let me help you get ready quickly.”
With her voice full of excitement, Sophie pulled out the small chair in front of the vanity. Vivianne tilted her head and ran a hand through her hair, which she thought looked tidy.
“Do I… look that messy right now?”
Vivianne had already returned Charlotte’s borrowed dress. Looking down at her stained dress, she felt embarrassed by Sophie’s remark that she shouldn’t meet the Duke in this state.
“No? You don’t look messy at all.”
“Then why do I have to dress up…?”
“Well, because you’re going to see the Duke, of course.”
When Sophie’s eyes sparkled cheerfully, Vivianne realized that it had all been a misunderstanding. Feeling calmer, she smiled warmly.
“I don’t think I need to get all dressed up just to see the Duke…”
She whispered, not wanting to hurt Sophie who had innocently expressed her opinion.
After leaving the room with Sophie, Vivianne heard from the butler, Abernathy, that Edwin was fencing in the rear garden, so she turned in that direction.
Vivianne regretted not having prepared in advance what she was going to say to Edwin. She wasn’t confident about speaking fluently in front of someone who stirred up so much guilt and fear within her. She’d be lucky if she didn’t stammer and make a fool of herself.
By the time she reached the entrance to the rear garden, her heart was beating irregularly. Just the thought of facing Edwin made her legs tremble.
Walking down the corridor felt like being trapped in an eternity. At the end, in the sunlight, Vivianne could see a white-domed pergola, the only shelter for the condemned.
The sound of clashing swords beyond it brought her senses back to reality.
“There he is.”
Sophie pointed to the two men in the distance, but Vivianne was distracted by the newly sprouting garden.
When she used to sit in the pergola with her mother for afternoon tea, her mother would cheerfully teach her the names of the beautifully blooming flowers.
This place, reflecting the Duke of Baytness’ taste, was boring, with only a few lawns and quince trees.
However, it was the perfect environment for two gentlemen to enjoy fencing.
“Should I go to the Duke for you?”
“No, I don’t want to interrupt their fun because of me, so I’ll wait until they finish.”
Lost in her bittersweet memories, Vivianne gracefully sat down at the prepared table.
“This is going to take a long time…”
Vivianne, with a mature smile, dismissed Sophie’s worries. Now she finally noticed the two men engrossed in their fencing.
She was sure that the men clashing swords were the Duke and Roarke. Although their faces were hidden behind masks, she could tell them apart just by their bodies.
The Duke was notably tall and broad-shouldered, with a sleek and robust physique that suited his impeccably tidy appearance.
Roarke, on the other hand, exuded an overwhelming presence, like a mountain blocking the way.
As one round ended, Edwin glanced in her direction. Vivianne flinched and straightened her back. Fortunately, the Duke’s face was covered by a mask, so she couldn’t read his expression.
The two men took off their masks and rested under a tree.
Vivianne considered approaching them, but before long, Edwin put his mask back on and picked up his sword. Realizing it wasn’t the right time yet, she slumped like a dejected puppy.
Her tense shoulders slumped.
However, to maintain her dignity, she straightened her shoulders again. If she had known the rules of fencing, she might have cheered for someone to pass the time, but instead, she watched the match with disinterested eyes, not even knowing who scored.
Before long, her patience bore fruit. The two men removed their masks and shook hands lightly. After Edwin said something to Roarke, Roarke politely left.
Watching this, Vivianne felt her tension rise rapidly.
She became nervous and adjusted her posture once more.
As she clasped her hands together, Edwin’s blue eyes locked on hers.
“Vivianne.”
He approached her with his mask at his waist, sparkling strangely under the sunlight. As he swept back his damp hair with a single motion and smiled, she questioned whether he was truly the man she knew.
The flawless, composed smile she was used to seeing was quite different today. The clean and graceful curve of his lips was elegant enough to kill one’s spirit, but it also gave an unrecognizable feeling of aversion.
But today, his smile carried a subtle, unfamiliar sense of humanity, brimming with a vivid warmth rather than being dry.
In front of her stood not the man she had always seen, but the boy.
Not the man who had lost everything, but a pure and innocent boy who had lost nothing. Seeing the man before her in this way caused Vivianne some confusion.
“What brings you here?”
For a moment, she was in a daze, but she quickly snapped out of it. Vivianne suddenly stood up straight, puffing out her chest.
The pergola was a few steps above where he was standing. When he stepped onto one of the steps to come closer, Vivianne instinctively retreated, unwilling to let the distance shrink.
Fortunately, Edwin didn’t move any closer. He simply rested one foot on the step.
“Who won today’s game? I’m not very familiar with fencing,” she asked, initiating the conversation with the grace expected of a noble lady.
“I did.”
His answer was simple and clear; he kept it short.
“Oh, I see. Congratulations… on your win.”
“So what’s the reason you came here?”
Edwin swiftly brought her to the main point, steering the conversation away from pleasantries.
The sentences that had been freely floating in her mind began to settle into place.
“I need to ask you a few clarifying questions. And… I need to get my scarf back.”
“Your scarf?”
“Miss Windler offered to embroider it for me.”
“What did you want to be sure of?”
With the tip of the foot he had placed on the step, he tapped, tap, tap. The sound seemed to climb the steps, closing the distance, and she worried that he might strangle her. But she decided to trust the smile she saw gleaming in the bright sunlight.
“Are you really… planning to kill and eat me?”
As soon as she said it, her face flushed. She felt like an idiot for being fooled by such a ridiculous joke. To her relief, his smile didn’t turn into a sneer but then came a bigger question.
Was it not a joke? His expression was so perfectly ambiguous that it could lead to such a misunderstanding.
“Well, I thought it was a joke. I haven’t paid back your money yet, and I figured you’d keep me alive until I do. I didn’t believe it. Really!”
Despite her rambling, the Duke just smiled without saying anything. Feeling embarrassed, Vivianne continued.
“But Miss Windler told me the same thing a while ago… So, of course, I didn’t believe her, but I still wanted to hear it directly from you, Your Grace.”
Vivianne strengthened her gaze. A breeze carrying the scent of spring flowers swept between them. As his damp hair fell out of place, he swept it back to tidy it up.
“Did Charlotte say the same thing?”
“Yes. So I need to hear it clearly from you, Your Grace.”
“What did Charlotte say? That the Duke of Baytnes eats people, so you should be careful? Or something else?”
She wanted a definite answer, but all she got in return was another question.
“She said it’s a secret only the family knows… and that I should be careful since rumors spread quickly.”
She conveniently left out the part about becoming that evening’s menu if she wasn’t careful.
“I see.” With that brief response, he slowly nodded and turned away.
The conversation hadn’t ended, and seeing his back made Vivianne feel a wave of panic.
“Y-Your Grace!”
He turned around at Vivianne’s desperate call. The refreshing smile that spread across his face only added to the confusion, despite his indifferent demeanor.
“I didn’t get an answer. You and Miss Windler were making a teasing joke at my expense, weren’t you? And about the scarf—can I come by later to pick it up?”
“No. There’s no need for that.”
This sweaty, glistening man is definitely not the man I once knew.
Vivianne thought to herself.
“I threw it away.”
“You threw it away? My scarf?”
“Yes.”
With that rude answer, which didn’t match his smile at all, Edwin left the garden.
She couldn’t confirm the truth behind the joke that had made her tremble with fear.
For all the effort she had put in, she had gained nothing.
