TGDHC Chapter 108

Chapter 108 – The Drink

“What do you mean, help you?”

“What’s going on here? How can you treat an innocent person like this? Do you know how many years I’ve served as Her Grace the Grand Duchess’s lady-in-waiting?”

Janet tried to hide her anger behind a show of indignation, even letting a tear glisten in her eyes.

The butler spoke for the first time with an icy face Janet had never seen before.
“A woman who has served Her Grace for years would dare to do something like this? Have you no shame?”

“What are you accusing me of, exactly!” Janet shouted back.
Shame?
In her mind, she was already innocent.
And in front of the Duchess herself, she refused to appear like some criminal being dragged away.

Seeing the vein stand out on Janet’s neck as she fumed, Perel spoke flatly.
“Perhaps you expect someone to confess your crime for you. Don’t worry.”

The butler tilted his head slightly.
“Even if you don’t wish to, you’ll soon confess yourself. The dungeons of the Grand Duke’s castle are worse than anything you can imagine.”

Janet tried to argue again, but Tiern gave a sharp nod, ending the conversation.

“Perel! Please wait! I swear I know nothing!” Janet cried desperately.
No answer came.

Good heavens…

Cecilia hid her surprise. She had never seen Perel so cold.
All her private worries that he might be too soft-hearted now felt ridiculous.

So this is the Grand Duke’s personal secretary, after all.

As she was quietly impressed, a foolish groan sounded beside her.
“Uhh… I thought I was going to die of fright.”

Perel staggered like a man about to faint, and Cecilia quickly grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?”

Helping the suddenly limp man stand, Cecilia felt him shiver.
“What’s so scary?”

“Lady Janet!” Perel gulped.
“When she glared at me just now, I thought she was about to hit me!”

…So much for being impressed.

“Perel, are you really a knight? What kind of knight is this timid?”

“It’s not fear—it’s that she’s a lady! I couldn’t just act roughly!” he insisted, almost pouting.
He repeated that if Janet were a man, he’d have shown no mercy, until Cecilia had no choice but to nod.

“All right, fine. Now straighten your shoulders.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And if you’re that scared of a lady, call me next time. A scarier lady will handle it for you.”

“That’s… strangely reassuring.”

Watching him relax, Cecilia could only stifle a laugh.
Knight, hah. He’s more like pudding.

On the way back to my room, I poured out all the hurt feelings I’d been holding in to Loic.

“…and then someone said I look like the Marquis!”

“That person clearly needs to be punished. I’ll deal with them first thing tomorrow.”

The more I complained, the lighter my heart felt.
I didn’t know having someone firmly on my side could be so comforting.

Loic listened to every word, soothing me with gentle replies until my chest finally eased.

Maybe too eased—
growl

My stomach betrayed me with a loud rumble.
Heat rushed to my ears.

“You must not have eaten properly. I’ll have something light prepared right away.”

Without a smile, Loic escorted me to my room and disappeared quietly.

After washing up, I was resting on the sofa when Loic returned, pushing a trolley himself.

“I asked for something simple, but…”

“This is simple?!”

I stared wide-eyed as he set the plates on the table:
warmly baked bread, creamy soup, tender seafood fondue, salmon steak with sautéed vegetables, thin-sliced ham and sausage, and strawberries topped with cream.
It looked like a royal banquet—every dish was something I loved.

“I heard you barely ate lunch as well,” he said.

When I tried to stand, Loic crossed the room in two steps and lifted me easily.

“I can walk!”

Earlier I had clung to him out of pain and emotion,
but now I wasn’t hurting at all,
and the table was barely ten steps away.

“You mustn’t strain yourself.”
He held me firmly and carried me anyway, setting me gently in a chair like a child.

“You said it hurt a lot,” he reminded me, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face.
The soft gesture made my heart flutter.

“I’m really fine now,” I mumbled, suddenly embarrassed for acting like a baby.

“Start with the soup, slowly. Your stomach may still be sensitive.”

He placed the spoon in my hand and began cutting the food into bite-size pieces.

“You didn’t eat dinner either, did you? Let’s eat together,” I said.

“I ate enough on the way,” he replied.

“Liar. I can’t finish all this alone.”

I speared a piece of sausage and held it to his lips.
“Say ah.”

Loic froze, black eyes flickering.

“Hurry.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he opened his mouth and accepted the bite.

“Is it good?”

He chewed slowly, then gave a small nod.

My turn.
As I reached for a piece, Loic suddenly held up his fork with a piece for me.

I hadn’t asked him to feed me…

“It’s good,” he said in a low voice.

When I hesitated, he gently coaxed, and I finally opened my mouth.
Salty, savory—delicious.
Soon my appetite woke fully and I began eating with enthusiasm.

Loic quietly kept pushing dishes toward me.

“Please don’t do that again,” he murmured after a while.

“Do what?”

“Endure the pain. You should have called Enolius right away.”

He muttered that the envoys could wait, his voice tinged with annoyance.

“But what if they thought I left on purpose to embarrass them?”

“They were the rude ones first.”

“I still don’t want to be seen as the same kind of person.”

At that, a faint smile touched his lips.
“You needn’t worry.
Someone as lovely as you could never be mistaken for people like them.”

His low voice made my cheeks flush.
How could he say things like that so calmly?

Brazen man.

I turned my eyes away—then noticed a glass bottle chilling in a wine bucket.

“What’s that?”

Loic took the bottle from the ice. Inside shimmered a soft golden liquid, with tiny white pearls settled at the bottom.

“Fruit wine. I stopped briefly at a village on the way back…”

He gently shook the bottle, sending the white beads swirling like a snow globe.

“Wow!”

“I thought you might like it,” he said, his face brightening.
“Would you like to try?”

“Yes!”

He poured the drink halfway into a wineglass.
“It isn’t very strong, but drink slowly.”

A sweet fruit aroma filled my nose.
I sipped—and my eyes widened.

“…!”

A light sparkle fizzed across my tongue.
It’s carbonated!

I quickly took another sip.
Slightly bitter yet sweet, it woke me right up.

“Is it all right?”

“It’s delicious!”

I forgot his warning and drank in big gulps.
The tiny white pearls were soft and jelly-like in my mouth.

Amazing. Even this world has sparkling wine!

After the spicy tomato stew, this was my second perfect discovery.

“More, please.”

I held out the glass. Loic refilled it only halfway.

“Come on, more.”

“If you drink too much, you’ll get drunk. You don’t handle alcohol well.”

“I’m not that weak!”

“Don’t lie. Remember when we first met…”

Loic suddenly stopped speaking.

Ah. He meant that night— when I barged into his room dead drunk, saw far too much of his bare body, shattered all the plates, nearly gave myself a concussion, and left his arm bleeding.