Rudan, the head chef of the Grand Duke’s household, took immense pride in his cooking.
Though he had been born a commoner, he had reached his current position through skill alone. Every meal he prepared was usually met with praise and satisfaction.
However, there was one person who constantly sent his food flying across the room.
That person was Lady Sheyla.
"Ahem..."
Rudan awkwardly cleared his throat, unable to hide his embarrassment.
Standing before him were three people.
More precisely, Elysia in front, with two small heads peeking out from behind her.
Joshua and Sheyla were both staring up at him.
One looked like a wary cat.
The other like a hungry puppy eagerly waiting for treats.
"I'm hungry!"
Joshua finally blurted out.
Rudan opened his mouth awkwardly.
"Kid, didn't food already get sent up earlier—"
But his words trailed off when he made eye contact with Sheyla.
Yulias usually ate in his office or a private banquet room unless guests were present, so he rarely sat at the same table as his sister.
Because of that, Rudan had only seen Sheyla a few times from afar.
"Just how important does she think she is, throwing away food every day?"
"She doesn't know how precious food is. Let her go hungry for a few days and she'll learn."
He suddenly felt ashamed of all the nasty things he had said behind the back of such a small child.
Forcing an awkward smile, Rudan spoke.
"The food needs to be reheated, so Elysia, come back when I call you."
"Yes, Chef. Then shall we go sit down?"
"Uh... well..."
Elysia stopped walking.
Looking uncomfortable, Rudan gestured for her to come closer.
After she released the children's hands and stepped nearer, he lowered his voice.
"Not here. Take them to the small banquet room."
Elysia immediately understood what he meant.
The small banquet room was clean and well-maintained.
A round dining table large enough for six people sat in the center, already set with tableware.
Joshua excitedly looked around while Sheyla calmly sat down after Elysia pulled out a chair for her.
"Joshua, come sit down."
"Noona! There's a fireplace! And I can see the garden outside!"
As Elysia tried to calm down the excited boy, Sheyla made a gesture.
"Hm? Ah, you mean paper and a pen?"
After Elysia asked, Sheyla nodded.
Just as Elysia stepped away to get them, Rudan entered the room.
He was pushing a cart loaded with food.
"Elysia! I told you to come when I called—"
He raised his voice out of habit but immediately fell silent when he noticed the two children staring at him.
"I'll serve the food now, Lady Sheyla."
Speaking awkwardly, Rudan personally arranged the dishes on the table.
Joshua gasped in admiration at the feast and sat beside Sheyla.
Sheyla, on the other hand, showed no reaction.
"Should I... prepare dessert as well?"
"What's dessert?!"
Rudan wondered whether he should scold the boy.
No matter how old she looked, Sheyla was still a noble lady.
However, Sheyla leaned close to Joshua and whispered into his ear.
"So it's a snack. Then why do they call it dessert?"
Whenever Joshua asked something, Sheyla seemed to quietly explain it to him.
Watching them, Rudan finished setting the table and left without saying another word.
"...So it's not that she can't speak. She just doesn't."
Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he walked away.
"Noona, eat with us too!"
Joshua had apparently filled his stomach enough to calm down.
Elysia was holding the paper and pen she had brought when he pointed to an empty seat.
"Joshua, Noona is working right now, so..."
Elysia was about to gently refuse.
Then Sheyla gestured for the paper and pen.
She immediately wrote something and held it up.
[Sit down and eat with us.]
"Haha... Thank you, Lady Sheyla."
After hesitating, Elysia finally sat down.
"Noona, this is delicious! And this too!"
Cherry tomatoes and vegetables quickly piled onto Elysia's empty plate.
Understanding exactly what he was doing, Elysia calmly transferred everything back onto Joshua's plate.
"You shouldn't be picky."
"But I thought you'd want them!"
"Really? You're not lying?"
"Well... not exactly..."
His voice trailed off.
Elysia didn't press the matter.
She knew he was at the age where children became picky eaters.
Before entering the mansion, Joshua hadn't had the luxury of choosing what he ate.
Apparently, after spending time eating with Sheyla, he had started developing preferences.
"You have to eat everything if you want to grow tall."
"How tall? As tall as Dad?"
Meanwhile, Sheyla looked down at her own plate.
Among the food she had taken were cherry tomatoes and asparagus.
They were perfectly cooked, yet she only poked at them with her fork.
Elysia noticed.
Naturally, she steered the conversation.
"Well, I don't know about that. But I do know what happens if you don't eat your food."
"What happens?"
Joshua's eyes sparkled.
Sheyla was staring at her intently as well.
Leaning back in her chair, Elysia spoke in a serious voice.
"Children who don't listen and leave food behind get taken away by a scary knight from the Imperial Palace."
"That's a lie!"
Joshua immediately protested.
Sheyla looked unimpressed too.
But Elysia maintained a solemn expression.
"No. It's true. A mysterious knight dressed entirely in black, covered in bloodstains, comes and takes them away..."
Gulp.
Without realizing it, both children swallowed nervously.
It was exactly the kind of story that would capture the attention of ten-year-olds.
"And after that..."
Even though it was lunchtime, the atmosphere in the banquet room turned chilly.
Just then—
Click.
"AHHH!"
Joshua screamed.
Elysia jumped from her seat.
Beside her, Sheyla stiffened completely and stared at the door.
All three turned toward the source of the sound.
Yulias was standing there.
"...You certainly have a loud voice."
"You scared me, Your Grace!"
Joshua sighed dramatically and rubbed his chest.
Watching the little boy grumble, Yulias let out a quiet chuckle.
"What exactly were you talking about..."
His gaze naturally shifted toward Sheyla and Elysia.
Both of them seemed startled as well, silently blinking.
"A knight!"
"Huh?"
Joshua pointed directly at Yulias.
Only then did Elysia notice the faint bloodstains still visible on his neck and clothes.
"Is the Grand Duke taking me and Lady Sheyla away? To the tower?!"
"No, that's not what—"
Before Elysia could explain, Yulias knocked lightly on the door to interrupt the conversation.
"Elysia."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Startled back to reality, Elysia quickly stood up.
"Come talk with me for a moment."
As she started to leave her seat, Sheyla suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Lady Sheyla? Just a moment..."
Using her free hand, Sheyla held up a note directly in front of Yulias.
It read:
[Take her after we've finished eating.]
It was the first direct response she had ever shown him.
