Chapter 20
This is Potato Soup
I only told him to bring her to the palace. Since I didn’t specify where, Tayshar, in a hurry, took Lorensia from the palace to the room where he was staying.
When Tayshar laid Lorensia on his soft bed, he finally felt a sense of relief. He then told the servants to inform Charlotte that he had brought Lorensia to his room. He couldn’t leave her in anyone else’s care. After a brief thought, he asked Charlotte to lend Susanna to him. Fortunately, Charlotte agreed.
Only then did Tayshar sit down in a chair and let out a sigh. Rather than the thought of finally finding the child of Goddess Ella, he found himself thinking about how she had endured everything alone. He regretted not finding her sooner and not believing what his father had told him.
Tayshar clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. With eyes squinting from pain, he gazed at Lorensia. Sighs of anguish kept escaping him. Every time Lorensia let out a pained moan, Tayshar shuddered. Even the kitten that had come with her seemed worried and paced anxiously in circles, meowing.
“Ugh… stop.”
“Miss Lorensia, can you hear me?”
Lorensia forced her heavy eyelids open and slowly raised her eyes. Her mouth was parched and painful. Her vision was blurry. She groped along the bed with trembling hands. It seemed as though she had been asleep for a long time, leaving her head dizzy.
-
Meow.
“Leoni?”
Thankfully, Leo was beside her. Lorensia let out a deep sigh and reached out her arms.
“Come here, Leo.”
After a brief moment of joy at seeing Leo, Lorensia finally noticed the unfamiliar surroundings and strange voice. Her gaze met Tayshar’s red eyes, staring at her with concern and pain.
A moment of silence passed, difficult to describe. Tayshar lowered his face when their eyes met, yet his gaze felt overwhelmingly sorrowful and pained.
Long fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of a chair. Anne, crouched in front of Luans, trembled violently in fear. Luans tilted his head slightly, smiling gently.
But Anne knew. When Luans smiled so beautifully, it was the most terrifying moment…
“So you just let the monster go? My monster, no less?”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop it. The Empress’s decree came, so I had no choice.”
“Do you know you shouldn’t be apologizing in front of me right now?”
Luans drew a small dagger from his robe and held it in his hand.
“If you had died trying to stop Spencer, you wouldn’t be apologizing to me here, would you? You regret it now, don’t you? You should’ve died while trying.”
“Gah…ugh!”
Something passed by swiftly. Anne crouched in fear, trembling. But the scream she had just heard wasn’t hers. Turning her head to the sound of something dripping nearby, she saw a maid bleeding and groaning on the floor.
“Cough…!”
The maid collapsed, gasping painfully. Anne froze in terror.
“I can’t bring myself to kill Lady Anne, so I’ll kill someone else instead.” Luans did not take his eyes off Anne.
“Please… save me.” The maid, soaked in blood, pleaded on the floor. Luans, dagger in hand, paused to listen.
“Then I’ll ask differently. Why should I save you?”
“I haven’t done anything wrong…”
“Correct. You’ve done nothing wrong. But you die because of Lady Anne.”
The maid began sobbing uncontrollably. Luans frowned, then looked at her with a hint of pity and raised his dagger high. Anne and others squeezed their eyes shut; only Luans appeared unaffected.
If someone else got their hands on the newly empowered Lorensia, the carefully built fortress of their efforts could collapse. Uncontrollable rage surged through Luans.
“Damn it! Why Spencer of all people!”
The one who would take Adrian’s life had taken something most precious to him.
“I’ll kill him.”
As long as Lorensia was with him, he could take Adrian’s life at will. But first, he had to return Lorensia safely to the Viscount’s residence. Anxiety made Luans restless. If someone else took her so easily…
“Perhaps it’s better to just kill him.”
His green eyes gleamed dangerously. He had to retrieve Lorensia as soon as possible. His steps quickened.
Lorensia opened her eyes wide, recognizing the man before her as Tayshar. He hadn’t changed at all from before. Considering she was seeing him for the first time, Lorensia remained silent.
“Miss Lorensia, how is your body feeling?”
Tayshar asked, struggling to lift his head as he checked on her.
“Let me introduce myself first. I am Tayshar of the Spencer family from the Polloid Empire.”
Lorensia checked herself. All her torn and bruised areas had vanished. Even the pain in her legs was gone.
“I’m sure you have many questions, but I will explain one by one.”
“Yes.”
Through the amethyst necklace, Lorensia already knew some of the story, but seeing Tayshar speak carefully made her nod in understanding.
“That’s how it happened.”
“Then, Viscount Spencer, should I return to the Viscount Pol Heredian’s residence?”
“I will not send you back.”
“You won’t send me back?”
“I have no intention of sending Miss Lorensia to the Viscount Pol Heredian’s residence.”
Tayshar smiled faintly as he said this. Lorensia, entranced by the smile, instinctively looked away. She felt drawn to his red eyes.
Then, with a growl from her stomach, Lorensia blushed.
“Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”
“I heard nothing.”
“Thank you.”
Tayshar rang a bell, giving instructions to the servant who had entered. Lorensia met his red eyes again. The intensity of concern was almost overwhelming; the grief in his gaze pressed down on her.
“Meal will be served soon.”
“Thank you.”
A moment of silence passed. Lorensia didn’t know what to say first, so she simply stroked Leo’s head resting in her arms. Tayshar did the same. It was the first time he had been alone with a woman like this, and his palms were sweaty.
-
Knock, knock.
Both turned their gaze to the door. A middle-aged woman with a kind smile entered after the servant set down a trolley of food.
“Hello, Miss Lorensia. I am Susanna, from the Polloid Empire.”
“Hello.”
“Susanna is the maid of Princess Charlotte.”
Susanna expertly placed a pillow behind Lorensia to sit comfortably. Lorensia blinked at the sudden touch.
“You must be very hungry. Since your stomach is empty, I prepared foods that are easy to digest. Do you have any favorite dishes? If so, please let me know for next time.”
“I don’t have any particular favorites.”
Susanna smiled and tied back Lorensia’s red hair to prevent it from getting in the way while eating.
“Then I prepared nutritious foods to help you recover.”
A bed table was set up so Lorensia could eat comfortably on the bed. Susanna arranged the dishes expertly. Lorensia couldn’t help but swallow, drawn by the aroma of the delicious food.
“Please try the soup first.”
“Yes.”
Lorensia took a spoonful of soup.
“It’s… delicious.”
She recalled the awful-tasting meals she had endured. Even after becoming a Viscount’s daughter, she still had to endure hunger. Servants often pretended to forget to bring meals, leaving her starving.
“This is potato soup, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Potato soup is best on an empty stomach. Does it suit your taste?”
Seeing the potato soup, Lorensia recalled the dark, windowless cell where she had nearly starved. The last thing she had thought of wasn’t her beloved Luans, but potato soup right in front of her.
“It’s… so delicious.”
Lorensia took another spoonful, chewing slowly. She had never tasted potato soup this good.
“Oh.”
Tears unintentionally fell onto the soup. Her blurred vision, full of tears, made the world shimmer.
“I’m sorry… for crying while eating.”
Tayshar took a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped her tears without a word.
“It’s okay. Cry if you want. Eat if you want. Do as you please, Miss Lorensia. If you wish for the potato soup to be brought again, I will have it served warm again.”
“No… that’s not necessary.”
<You need to stay a bit hungry. Don’t get fat like those women. This is for you. Your thinness is the most beautiful.>
Luans had liked her fragile figure. Lorensia could only watch him eat delicious food. Her allowed daily portion was just a bowl of porridge.
Looking back, the reason he made her endure hunger was to prevent her from gaining strength to escape.
Sobbing, Lorensia picked up her spoon and ate the potato soup again. It was delicious. So delicious. Yet it was painful.
After eating the soup and some soft bread, her stomach quickly filled.
“I’m sorry.”
Seeing herself cry while eating embarrassed her.
“Even I shed tears when eating delicious soup, Miss Lorensia.”
“Do you cry when eating soup too, Viscount?”
“Of course. Delicious food always brings happy tears. Right, Susanna?”
Tayshar gazed at Susanna gently.
🥺😔🤚🏻