Moreover, decorative objects crafted with exquisite artisanship were placed in every corner, creating the illusion that she had walked directly into a work of art.
Slippers had been prepared so she would not slip, but seeing the floor so glossy and free of even a drop of water, it seemed she could walk barefoot.
Ayesha took off the slippers and cautiously stepped onto the floor. The sensation beneath her skin was cool yet smooth, and it felt pleasant.
Come to think of it, not a single thing had matched her expectations. Everything in this manor was unexpected.
The family’s secret, tragedy, curse.
When people hear words like these, their imaginations tend to flow in roughly similar directions. For instance, images of a desolate, eerie mansion left neglected with human hands never reaching its every corner, a mad master isolated within it, or a suffocating atmosphere filled with stillness.
But Langfield Manor was managed flawlessly under the meticulous hands of its servants, and light seeped brightly into every place, making it luminous and radiant.
The servants, too, bore the mark of strict training befitting the family’s dignity. Even while scattered about, quietly doing their work, the moment Ayesha appeared, they withdrew in perfect order so as not to get in her way. They were so quick that she almost thought they did not need to retreat quite so far.
After soaking in warm water and enjoying a leisurely rest, Ayesha went down to the dining room for her meal. And she came face to face with the man sitting alone at a long table that could seat dozens.
“Good morning, Ayesha.”
She was so startled that she inadvertently let out a small “Ack!” She even noticed that the servants had begun busily preparing the meal with Ayesha’s appearance, suggesting he had been waiting for her all this time without eating first.
Good heavens…….
Ayesha thought of the servant assigned to her. The person House Eseldor had assigned to her was a middle-aged woman named Hannah, who appeared to be in her forties or fifties. It was understandable that she was sparing with words, given the different generation and the instruction to be careful with her speech, but if the lord was waiting for a guest in the dining room, shouldn’t she have said something?
With an embarrassed face, she glanced sidelong at the enormous clock decorating one wall of the dining room. It was an hour so absurdly embarrassing to call morning that it was nearly lunchtime.
How long on earth had he been here?
Flustered, Ayesha hastily apologized.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be late—I had no idea you would be in the dining room, my lord.”
“What did you just say?”
Kirix immediately asked back.
Had she made a slip of the tongue? Or had the excuses she poured out the moment they met seem rude?
Her heart thudded. Ayesha froze on the spot.
“……Pardon?”
“My lord? Did we not agree yesterday to call each other by name?”
“Then Ayesha, you should call me Kirix as well.”
Ah, right—he had said he wanted to drop the titles and become close quickly.
Kirix. Ayesha tried to move her lips inwardly to repeat the man’s name but failed. Her tongue simply would not move.
“That is…… please give me a little more time to adjust.”
The reason Kirix was currently showing such a kind and friendly attitude was because he believed she was a spirit medium who could solve his problem. If it were discovered that she was not a spirit medium, or if he changed his mind as easily as flipping his palm, Ayesha would be saddled with the crime of disrespecting a noble. It was a truly terrifying ending.
“And do not feel slighted by the maid. I was the one who instructed that you not be woken or rushed. You must have accumulated fatigue from the long journey.”
Fortunately, Kirix did not seem inclined to blame her. Even so, the shame of having slept in on the very first day and kept him waiting did not disappear.
“I told them to prepare the meal with care, thinking you must have suffered greatly on the rainy road last night, but I do not know how the food will taste. I hope it suits you.”
It was utterly needless worry. Every dish the chef brought out one by one suited Ayesha’s palate perfectly. For someone in a profession that required sleeping and eating well anywhere, Ayesha was actually quite particular about food. She did not like meat with coarse texture or dishes with overly strong aromas, and preferred light, tender kinds.
And the food at Langfield Manor was exactly that. The freshly baked white bread, rich with butter, was soft, and the fruit compote made by simmering fruit in sugar was sweet and fresh. The sauce poured over the fish dish had an appearance she had never seen before, yet its taste was neither difficult nor unfamiliar. Rather, it was so perfect that she wanted to ask what ingredients had been combined and how.
The fact that the menu consisted only of dishes that could be eaten comfortably without the complicated etiquette of changing forks and knives for each course was surely Kirix’s consideration for her status. Thanks to that, Ayesha emptied her plates one by one with a happy feeling.
“Do you normally use your left hand?”
Kirix, who had been carefully watching her movements, suddenly asked.
Ayesha, who had been scooping the compote with a small spoon in her left hand and bringing it to the white bread, stopped and looked down at her hands.
“Yes, I’m left-handed. That’s why I always have a habit of sitting at the edge of the table. Otherwise, my hands bump into the person next to me. I’ve tried to correct it, but it doesn’t go well. Strangely, my right hand doesn’t have much strength, so I often drop things.”
Of course, the enormous table in Langfield Manor’s dining room had chairs placed spaciously, so no matter how widely she swung her arms, there seemed no chance of touching the person beside her.
“Your wrist must be weak. Or perhaps you had an accident in the past?”
“No. It just seems weak by nature. But it doesn’t interfere with daily life at all.”
“Is the food all right?”
“It’s really delicious.”
Unlike her, who was busy marveling inwardly at how delicious everything was, the man showed little interest in the food. Even though he must have skipped the morning meal, he showed no sign of hunger—rather, it felt closer to forcing down the minimum amount of food to survive.
Can he maintain such a sturdy physique while eating so little?
Curious, she stealthily tried to steal a look, only to meet his eyes dead-on.
In an instant, her chest tightened.
Kirix’s eyes were a pure black that seemed to absorb all light. Deep and endlessly dark, they gave no hint of what lay beyond. Somehow, it was overwhelming. They were eyes that were difficult to look at for long.
An awkward silence flowed. Continuing to meet his gaze was uncomfortable, but turning her head away sharply would seem rude. Ayesha hesitated for a moment, then tried to smooth it over with a brief smile. It would be most natural for that smile to serve as a signal for both to look away.
But Kirix did not take his eyes off Ayesha. In the end, she was the one who pretended to continue eating and lowered her gaze first.
Why is he staring at me like that?
Once she became conscious of it, she could feel one by one where his eyes rested. A moment ago it was her forehead, and now it reached her cheek. Her cheeks grew hot.
Ah…… because of ‘that’ matter, had she been too focused on the food in front of the man who had waited all morning?
That was it. Though it was a subject that could not possibly be associated with this elegant manor and the man’s noble atmosphere, he supposedly had a bizarre and extraordinary problem.
Hadn’t she heard it was a family cursed by God?
Even though there had been a tragedy in the family’s history, it still sounded to Ayesha like an absurd leap. But not believing in God was her own affair, and having entered House Eseldor’s manor pretending to be a spirit medium, Ayesha had to act as though she could solve the matter Kirix presented.
Unless one had a truly stout heart, there was no way one could continue eating happily in this situation. The food no longer tasted as good as before.
Before long, Ayesha set down her cutlery.
“If you have finished your meal, I will prepare tea and dessert.”
The chef approached and cleared the plates from the table.
Finally, two cups of hot tea and a tray full of freshly baked Engadiner Nusstorte were placed on the table. When Kirix casually waved his hand, the chef and all the servants withdrew, leaving only the two of them in the dining room.
“Ayesha.”
At last, the moment she had anticipated had come.
