*Sob.*
*Sob.*
I ate my cake with tears streaming down my face and a runny nose.
My mind was blank at the time.
The Duke of Dobled is a petty man.
I only ate leftover bread.
Why is he so angry about that?
I looked at the Duke, who sat across from me with an upset expression.
Leah, who had brought me the cake, looked guilty. “I went to bed early, and why... you can eat food, so...”
“So I snapped up the bread that the servants threw away!”
Leah's face turned pale.
She kept looking guilty, but Leah wasn't wrong.
Feeling somewhat satiated, I extended my hand to Leah.
*I want to finish the cookies...*
*But I don't want to see good Leah being scolded by a bad man!*
At that moment, the Duke also extended his hand toward me.
The Duke's hand, which was about to pass the rest of the cake to me, stopped in mid-air.
The atmosphere suddenly grew cold.
“……”
“……”
“……”
*Why did he get engaged to her?*
*I think he's scared of being reprimanded because it's been a short period.*
Leah was right.
I was very afraid of being threatened by the Duke.
His look alone made me nervous.
So I said, “I'll come back!”
Leah calmed me down with a troubled look, and at some point, she bit her lips as if she had made up her mind.
“My lord!”
“……”
“Miss Small must finish her meal, so you must get used to it!”
She looked like a knight attacking an army alone.
The Duke stared at me, and I hid behind Leah's arm.
He quickly nodded.
Once he was gone, Leah picked me up and took me to my room.
As she left the room, her face was pale and her lips were trembling.
As a maid in his palace, Leah had probably seen how cold-hearted he was.
I could imagine how scary it must be for her to act this way.
*A person like her is rare.*
I felt so happy.
Leah took me into the room and brought me something to eat.
It was milk porridge with chestnuts in it.
I patted my stomach after emptying two bowls of milk porridge.
“I'm sorry because you keep going hungry,” Leah said, hugging me with a tearful face.
“No, don't say that. Miss Small needs to eat a lot and sleep.”
She laughed as she put me to bed.
“I wish for you a happy dream, Miss Small.”
After eating, I slept peacefully and woke up refreshed.
I felt bad for Leah last night, so I decided to show her my kindness.
“Leah, I love you!”
The maids were excited when they saw me hugging her legs with my chubby arms.
The corners of Leah's mouth rose.
Suddenly, the maid watching the door became stiff, and soon all the other maids had the same expression.
*Inhale. This man... the bad man!*
Duke Dobled and his lieutenant were staring at me.
I hurriedly hid behind Leah.
“That... Miss Small...”
Both the lieutenant and Leah called out to me at the same time.
But I shook my head.
*It is really scary...*
I was still frightened because of the events of last night.
The lieutenant, who was sweating nervously, said awkwardly, “Try calling her name in a good way. Even he can... the child who exited...”
“……”
The Duke was silent.
He stared at me and frowned for a moment.
I shook my head inwardly.
*My uncle, this man is bad. He doesn't even know my name.*
I had been here for ten days, and yet he had never called my name.
He just called me weird names.
He must have never read the statements sent by the Empress Dowager.
“LeBlin.”
The Duke called my name.
*What?*
*He knows my name?*
I was so confused that I closed my eyes.
There was a famous story that the Duke did not even remember Mina's name, even though she had been in the palace for over three months.
It was surprising that the Duke remembered my name.
*But he doesn't sound interested.*
The Duke spoke to me again. “What are you talking about? Come here.”
Everyone's eyes were on me.
I hesitated and looked up slowly.
*Do you... will you make me angry?*
*Will you hit me?*
“I won't,” he said.
*I have it in writing that you hit me with your words.*
When I looked at him with a look full of distrust, he took something out of his pocket.
It was a lollipop.
“There are a lot of these here.”
“……”
I lost all reason and ran to him.
Somehow, there seemed to be an arrogant smile hanging around his mouth.
Yes, it was surprising that a child sent by the Empress Dowager had snuck out all night.
Leah had also told him stories of the imperial palace and the church.
*How many? How many desserts are there? He is rich; maybe there are ten.*
He picked me up as he walked down the hall.
Every time the servants saw us, they were shocked and stopped their work.
It was a normal reaction.
The Duke stopped walking and ushered me in front of a door.
*There must be candy in here!*
I opened the door with high expectations and entered.
I gasped when I saw a room filled with candy.
I looked at the Duke.
*Can I really eat this?*
Asking for permission through my eyes, the Duke said monotonously, “Eat as much as you want.”
*Oh my God!*
I rushed to the pile of candy.
There were so many candies that I could have swum in them.
There were boxed chocolates and marshmallows.
I tore off a shiny gold wrapper and ate it.
*It is very good.*
The Duke frowned after being shocked for a while.
I didn't have time to care about such a thing.
Do rich people eat this delicious stuff every day?
The sweet dessert quickly melted in my mouth, and the fruity syrup invaded my senses.
I ate many of them quickly.
Every time I chewed, my cheeks got chubby.
I quickly finished one and reached for another dessert.
This time it was a candy stick.
I was about to put the candy in my mouth when I felt someone looking at me, so I hesitated.
I looked at the Duke.
*If I eat alone, he will hate me.*
Had I not realized this when I was a beggar?
Even with a small amount of food, affection can be built when it is shared.
So, I gave him a piece of candy.
“I will give this to you.”
He looked at me and narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“Why?”
I didn't say anything as he slowly opened his mouth again.
“You are strange.”
“……”
That was a bit annoying.
*I'll hit you with candy while pretending it was a mistake.*
I thought about it, but then I remembered my goals and calmed down.
I really need to help this bad man if I don't want to die miserably.
I need to build a good relationship with him.
In my past life, I wasn't experienced, so the result was not good. This time, I have an advantage.
I thought to myself as I jumped into his arms.
“Duke, thank you for the desserts!”
The Duke was shocked, but then he started to smile.