Oh no. I can’t look at that man’s face directly.

He was already someone difficult to face, but after what happened last night, it’s become even harder.

Irene wished Kalos would leave, but unfortunately, he showed no intention of doing so.

And she couldn’t dare ask the Grand Duke of Esper to leave.

If only this wasn’t her bedroom, she could have at least made an excuse to leave.

But even that was impossible, so Irene kept her head bowed, unable to do anything.

Please, someone, anyone, save me.

Just as Irene was earnestly praying with her hands clasped together.

Knock knock−.

“Are you awake, my lady?”

Jessie’s voice poured in like a ray of light into a dark world.

Irene raised her head with a bright smile, as if she had never worn a grim expression.

“……”

Kalos glanced at Irene, then told Jessie she could come in.

Jessie bowed politely to Kalos and Irene, then asked.

“How would you like your breakfast?”

“We’ll eat here.”

“What?”

Ea-eat breakfast here?

As Irene reacted with a start, Kalos turned to her with a puzzled look.

“Is there a problem?”

“……”

Irene couldn’t bring herself to say, ‘It’s embarrassing to eat while looking at Your Grace’s face,’ and kept her mouth shut.

Kalos turned his head indifferently.

“Since there doesn’t seem to be any problem, we’ll have breakfast here.”

*

Thinking she should wash up and change clothes before breakfast, Irene moved to the dressing room with Jessie.

As soon as the dressing room door closed, Irene grabbed Jessie’s arm and asked.

“What’s going on? Why can’t I remember anything after eating the red fruit? Was there poison in it? But you said it was okay to eat. And why did His Grace sleep here?”

She knew the answer to the last question, but it came out unintentionally as she was asking questions haphazardly.

Jessie smiled faintly, as if understanding Irene’s behavior, and held her hand tightly.

“I’ll explain everything, so please calm down first, miss.”

“……”

“Shall we change your clothes first? I’ll explain while we do that.”

Jessie helped Irene change while explaining in detail what had happened yesterday.

Of course, she didn’t mention things Irene shouldn’t know, like Allegria being a fruit from the underworld.

She also didn’t mention that Abel had deliberately fed Allegria to Irene knowing what would happen.

Because Kalos had told her not to say.

Surely such issues should be clearly told so Irene could be wary and careful of Abel.

She wondered why she was told not to say, but faithfully followed the monarch’s orders.

“…I don’t know why the master slept in your bedroom either.”

Jessie continued as she tied the waist ribbon of the dress Irene was wearing.

“When I returned to the bedroom after tidying up the situation, you two were already sleeping in the same bed.”

The same bed.

That phrase had enough impact to evaporate all the content heard before.

As expected, but to think she really slept in the same bed with that man.

Irene’s face flushed red as she recalled her misdeeds from last night.

Even if she wasn’t in her right mind, to do such things.

She wished she didn’t remember at all, but it came back so vividly that she wanted to drown herself in a basin.

The one fortunate thing in this misfortune was that Kalos knew she wasn’t in her right mind.

That’s why he treated me so calmly as if nothing had happened.

“……”

Then I should do the same, but… I can’t.

Irene covered her face with both hands, sighing deeply.

Just thinking of Kalos’s face was embarrassing enough, there was no way she could face him as if nothing had happened.

And to think she had to have breakfast with him face to face in this situation.

“…I want to run away.”

“Pardon?”

When Jessie heard the unintentionally uttered true feelings and looked at her in surprise, Irene shook her head with an awkward smile.

“It’s nothing.”

*

While Irene was changing clothes, Kalos was also changing.

“……”

Standing behind the screen, Kalos paused while taking off his pants.

His left leg, which had been translucent, had returned to normal.

It could have naturally recovered its strength and returned to normal after much time had passed.

But he knew best that wasn’t the case.

It seems I unknowingly absorbed her power while asleep.

“……”

Kalos recalled Irene, who had been blushing up to her earlobes and fidgeting as she looked at him.

She didn’t seem to be in pain or have any problems.

If she had, he would have fallen into self-loathing, so it was fortunate.

Kalos moved his left leg with deep relief.

When his leg was translucent, it wouldn’t move as he wished and needed the help of shadows, but now that it was back to normal, he could move it freely.

But perhaps because it had been a while, moving felt a bit awkward.

It felt like moving someone else’s leg rather than his own.

Kalos moved his leg this way and that, as if doing rehabilitation therapy.

“Would you like help changing clothes, master?”

Dewey, who was waiting outside the screen, asked when Kalos didn’t come out for a while.

“…I’ll be out soon.”

Only then did Kalos take his eyes off his leg and pick up the pants hanging on the clothes rack.

*

Irene, who had changed clothes and returned to the bedroom, stopped when she saw Dewey standing next to Kalos.

Dewey greeted her with a grin.

“Good morning, miss.”

“…Yes.”

She should have said good morning even if it was just lip service.

But she really wasn’t in the mood, so Irene answered briefly and sat across from Kalos.

“Then I’ll prepare for going out.”

“Alright.”

After Dewey left, Jessie came in with a tray and set the table.

Irene stared blankly at the scene.

She naturally ended up watching as she kept her head down, not wanting to make eye contact with Kalos.

“Do you need anything, miss?”

Jessie asked, thinking she was looking like that because she needed something.

Irene was about to answer no, but Kalos spoke first.

“There’s no strawberry jam.”

At those words, Irene checked the tray with the jams.

There were various kinds like rose jam and milk jam, but no strawberry jam.

“You’re right. I’ll bring it right away.”

No! If Jessie leaves, I’ll be left alone with Kalos!

Of course, she would return soon with just the jam, but Irene didn’t want Jessie to leave, knowing she would have to be buried in an awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere until then.

“Please wait a moment.”

However, Jessie, who had no way of knowing her wishes, left immediately.

The door closed, and as she had expected, an awkward silence fell over the bedroom.

What if he says something about the misdeeds I committed yesterday?

Irene anxiously watched Kalos, but contrary to her worries, he only drank his coffee without saying anything.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“……”

Rather, he looked at her as if he couldn’t understand why she was acting this way, so Irene bowed her head in embarrassment.

She couldn’t say it was nothing, as it didn’t seem like it would work.

But she didn’t want to bring up yesterday’s events with her own mouth.

I need to make another excuse.

Irene, who was racking her brains faster than ever, opened her mouth hesitantly.

“I, I was wondering if Your Grace liked strawberry jam. Since I’ve never seen you eat it before… I was curious, but I’m sorry if it bothered you.”

Feeling confident that it wasn’t a bad excuse for something she came up with suddenly, Irene apologized while bowing her head gracefully.

Perhaps because of that, Kalos answered without any particular suspicion.

“I don’t particularly like it. If I had to say, it would be more accurate to say I dislike it.”

Irene raised her head in confusion.

“Then why did you ask for it to be brought?”

“Because you like it.”

The sound of the coffee cup being put down seemed unusually loud.

“That’s why I asked for it to be brought.”

“…!”

Irene’s eyes widened at the completely unexpected answer.

How did he know I like strawberry jam?

Even if he knew, it was strange that he asked for the jam to be brought just for me.

Unless there was a special reason, His Grace the esteemed Grand Duke wouldn’t go to such trouble for a mere commoner…

“Here’s the strawberry jam.”

Amidst the confusion, Jessie brought the strawberry jam in question.

Kalos placed it in front of Irene.

“Here.”

“……”

Jessie looked back and forth between Irene and Kalos, slightly flustered by the action.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Irene didn’t notice Jessie looking at her strangely as she was focused on the strawberry jam.

“……”

On the other hand, Kalos’s eyes, which immediately noticed, fell on Jessie.

Jessie, who came to her senses belatedly, hurriedly bowed her head.

She had dared to question her lord’s actions and give him a strange look, so she expected to be struck by lightning.

But contrary to expectations.

“You may go.”

A light dismissal fell instead of the expected severe punishment, and Jessie quickly left the room.

*

“……”

Kalos looked at Irene, who was still glaring at the strawberry jam, as he filled his own coffee cup.

He clearly remembered her always spreading only that whenever she ate bread.

So it was certain that she liked strawberry jam.

But judging by her expression now, it seemed she hated it rather than liked it.

“Do you perhaps dislike it?”

“…Pardon?”

Only then did Irene seem to come to her senses, blinking slowly as she looked at Kalos.

She’s not avoiding my gaze this time.

He had been feeling a bit uncomfortable because Irene kept avoiding his gaze, perhaps because of what happened yesterday, but now that she was meeting his eyes like this, he felt better.

It’s strange.

This isn’t the first time Irene has avoided my gaze.

When we first met, and even until just recently, she not only couldn’t look me in the eye, but also didn’t smile and just trembled.

Is it because I’ve seen her smiling face a few times?

Is it because I’ve come to know how pretty that look is?

I didn’t want to see any other expression.

The reason Kalos had deliberately asked Jessie to bring strawberry jam was because Irene always smiled happily when she ate it.

Because he wanted to see that look…

“…I must be out of my mind.”

“……”

Mistaking Kalos’s rough muttering as words directed at her, Irene flinched in surprise, her shoulders stiffening.

“Hic−”

She was so surprised that she even got the hiccups.

Irene covered her mouth in embarrassment, but couldn’t stop the sound leaking through the gaps.

Hic, hic, hiiiic−.

The irregularly echoing hiccup sounds threw a laughter bomb into Kalos’s heart, which had been confused and full of questions.

“Pff.”

Infected by the laughter bomb, Kalos burst out laughing loudly.

It was such a rare and unusual sight that Jessie or Dewey would have fainted with their mouths wide open if they saw it.

“……”

Unfortunately, Irene was too embarrassed to properly take in the sight.