CH 15.2

She didn’t know about Cade, but the other men seemed to have a good appetite, so she wanted to be generous and take care of him as they left the mansion.

Cherryl came down to the kitchen with Lucy and began to fill three large picnic baskets with food for their group.

“We don’t need that lame excuse anymore about giving this to the dog, so take as much as you want. My mother won’t be grumpy even if she sees it.”

“All right, My Lady.”

She was sure they would love meat because these men possessed the blood of the wolves, right?

She packed smoked ham, salami, and sausage along with nutritious bread.

Cherryl also didn’t forget the boiled egg, mustard sauce, white cheese, and a few green grapes.

As she exited the kitchen while chatting with Lucy simultaneously, they both encountered two men in the hall.

“Oh. How are you, Lecter?”

Lecter and another Balkan stared at Cherryl with interest.

“Good morning.” He greeted them.

The men swallowed hard while glancing at the basket as if they knew what was inside.

The smell of good food must have been a temptation.

Cherryl spoke first. “It’s still early, but I heard we must leave before the wedding ceremony. I’ve brought some food, but I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste.”

When she handed the basket over to them, Lecter took it with delight.

“There’s no way these foods wouldn’t suit our taste. Thank you, Cherryl.”

Then, Lecter winked at the man standing next to him.

“This is Cole. He’s a year older than Axel. You remember I told you about him before.”

“Sister!”

Without a warning, Cole settled his forehead on the floor to bow down at her feet.

It was a quick movement that didn’t match his huge and thick size at all.

“The food Dante had given us wasn’t enough to fill my appetite. You have a big heart. Thank you for the food.”

Dante was the first name of the Marquis Milose.

Lecter glanced at Lucy when Cole, who still had no idea how to address aristocrats, uttered the Marquis’ name without honorifics.

He must have recalled their conversation at the bench far across the tavern.

Lucy had asked him to be careful when using honorifics and nicknames for aristocrats.

Lecter disliked her telling him what to do and insisted on calling people whatever he wanted at that time.

“Why did you call him by his name? I told you to address an aristocrat with his title followed by his surname.”

“Well, alright. I feel immense gratitude for the food Duke Millie had given us.”

“Duke Millie? It is ‘Marquis’ and ‘Milose’! Don’t be rude in front of  Cherryl!”

Despite the other man being older than him, the boy in his prime began to quarrel with Cole, and it amused her to no end.

“He could be confused” She gave the man a pleasant smile. “He wouldn’t have done that on purpose.”

In the original novel, these men had died earlier from fighting at the forefront of the war.

Cade showed no emotions when they died, as if he couldn’t bring himself to be sad about their offensive end.

Seeing the men she had only witnessed in black-and-white pages come alive and breathe into this colored world made her feel giddy and warm.

Cherryl tried to separate Lecter and Cole, who were on the verge of hitting each other.

“It’s not a big deal, so don’t fight, please. Let’s take care of each other in the North.”

“I look forward to your kind cooperation. And, I’d be honored if you’d let me go.”

“Yes.” Cherryl, who had just embraced two of Cade’s closest aides, smiled awkwardly and said, “Nice to meet you too, Cole.”

The men walked out of the mansion with their baskets on their shoulders.

Cherryl was about to return to her bedroom when she saw Cade leaning against the wall right in front of the stairs.

Judging from his rather intense straightforward stare, he must have seen her chatting with his men a while ago.

When Cade stood up straight, Lucy bowed politely at him and headed to the second floor first.

The instant she faced Cade, who was now standing close to her, she suddenly realized their height difference.

“Are you feeling better, My Lady?”

Even at this time, his neat and handsome appearance caught her off guard when messy hair that was akin to a magpie’s house and husky voice should be the norm early in the morning.

The Grand Duke seemed unreal.

“Oh. If you’re talking about my nosebleed last night, it wasn’t that much of a big deal.” Cherryl said.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“I see.”

Both of them fell silent for a few seconds and she had never felt so awkward.

Still, it wasn’t that bad seeing Cade’s statuesque figure wasn’t that bad as she felt the dawn breeze around them.

Nevertheless, she didn’t know how to react because she didn’t have anything to say, and she didn’t want to be reminded of her dark history every time she interacted with the man.

“You took care of the children, huh.”

“Children? Oh, you mean Lecter and Cole?”

These grown men seemed too old to be called children.

However, these teenagers were younger than Cade, so perhaps, it was worth calling them that.

“These children wouldn’t dare forget about grace. They’ll offer you their life without hesitation in Carlsvik.”

“Hahaha. That sounded bloody life-threatening, Your Grace.”

Why did it sound like he was referring to a dog or wolf, not a person?

Their kind felt like they had mixed their blood with wild animals, and the idea wasn’t comforting.

“Are you ready to leave?”

“Not yet, but thanks to my maidservant’s help, I’m almost done, Your Grace.”

Cherryl stepped back slightly and put her hands together.

“I must go to my room, Your Grace. I still have to finish packing.”

Cade followed her immediately.

“Your luggage will be heavy, so I’ll accompany you.”

“Oh, it’s all right.”

Cherryl held him back by showing her palm.

It surprised her to see him offer to do a servant’s chore without hesitation, but she didn’t let it show in her countenance.

“I’d appreciate it if you could wait downstairs, Your Grace.”  After being hesitant for a while, she added.”I have to change clothes, and I still have to pack a woman’s personal belongings such as undergarments.”

“…….”

Cade paused and backed away from her.

His beautiful face appeared so young when he was embarrassed.

His earlobes had also turned red as he retreated while smoothing the hair at the back of his neck.