Clodel was worried Hannah would get into trouble for not hiding her negative words and actions towards Caiyan at Rowen Castle, so she kept quiet, thinking it was better to leave things as they were.
“The medicine that could be found like this. The Duke of Belmonte didn’t even think of looking for it.”
As Caiyan became the respected Lord she served, the Duke of Belmonte was demoted to just ‘that Duke.’
As Hannah started grinding her teeth thinking of Clodel’s uncle, she sighed.
“Hannah.”
“Yes?”
“I think I’m hungry.”
Clodel brought out the magical words to distract Hannah from her anger.
“Oh. It’s already this late. Just wait a moment. I’ll prepare it quickly.”
Hannah hummed a tune as she went out.
“Really incorrigible.”
Clodel laughed as she watched her go.
She felt hunger rush in, thinking it was time to eat.
Hertzel had not shown symptoms suddenly, so a month before Clodel knew she was sick, she had felt a decrease in appetite.
Then, when the illness started, she lost the sensation of wanting to eat anything, and later, every attempt to swallow even a little caused pain in her throat and chest, so she gradually couldn’t eat properly.
Now, thinking it was mealtime, her stomach churned, demanding food.
“There’s a beggar in my stomach.”
A few spoons of soup forcefully fed by Caiyan had made such a difference.
Recently, Clodel felt herself getting healthier with each meal.
Moreover, since arriving at Rowen and not being able to eat properly for nearly two months, Clodel realized that the food at Rowen Castle was much tastier than that at Belmonte Castle.
Of course, the dishes from the Lord’s castle were excellent as well.
Clodel realized that even the same dish could taste so different depending on the ingredients, something she had never understood before coming here.
The Belmonte territory, located in the northern frozen lands with mines and a port, couldn’t sustain its people with just the produce from its lands, despite its wealth.
Those working in the mines and forests used a lot of energy and needed to eat well.
After becoming enemies with Temnes, the granary of the Oberon kingdom, they couldn’t procure food without the King of Oberon’s mediation.
Even after Caiyan blocked the export of food during a drought, the King of Oberon had provided just enough food to prevent starvation in the north.
At least in the Lord’s castle, there were no starving people.
It would take a week for the goods harvested in Rowen to reach Belmonte.
It was natural for the products, having traveled a long distance, to wilt or spoil to some extent.
In Rowen Castle, the freshest grains, fruits, and vegetables were always offered to the Lord, so even a sip of water with a slice of lemon felt different here.
Lately, Clodel joked that she felt like a newborn baby, as eating and sleeping were her only activities.
But she felt somewhat ashamed for being so preoccupied with food, unbecomingly for a lady of her status.
She couldn’t help but wait eagerly for meal times.
No matter what, it was too far from the etiquette a lady of the ducal house should maintain.
‘But it’s so delicious.’
After making eye contact with Caiyan during a recent meal, Clodel became self-conscious.
He had stared at her for finishing her plate too cleanly.
Clodel didn’t realize until then that she had eaten everything on her plate.
When she looked down and saw her completely empty plate, her face flushed.
A properly trained lady should leave more than half of her food on the plate.
“Miss, the Lord has arrived.”
Hannah was reprimanded by Caiyan.
“How long do you intend to call her ‘Miss’?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, my Lord.”
Hannah had continued calling Clodel ‘Miss’ because she didn’t want to acknowledge Caiyan as her husband.
But even after becoming devoted to the Lord, she immediately corrected herself in front of her sworn master.
“Madam, your meal is ready.”
Clodel sat down, feeling a strange sense of betrayal.
‘Wow.’
Today, the table seemed to be filled only with things Clodel had found tasty so far.
‘If I eat all this, will he think it’s unseemly? I must leave some today.’
Clodel waited for Caiyan to start eating before picking up her fork.
“Any problems with walking?”
It seemed Hannah had already reported to him.
“No.”
“Any other discomfort?”
“Not yet.”
She asked about something that was bothering her.
“I have no problem walking, but I haven’t tried running yet.”
“What need is there for a duchess to run?”
“For dancing… I’m not sure if I can.”
Clodel’s uncertainty about dancing stemmed from her inability to run yet.
In the Kingdom of Oberon, each territory held grand festivals in the fall.
It was a tradition for the lord and his wife to dance in front of the people to signify the start of the festival.
This dance included movements of leaping and hopping, so now that she had recovered, Clodel was worried about such matters.
He had told her not to think of lounging around in the castle, so she wondered what he would think of a wife who couldn’t even perform such basic duties.
“We’ll just practice slowly. I’ll find a dance instructor for you.”
“Thank you.”
Clodel relaxed and focused back on her meal.
“……Delicious.”
She murmured involuntarily as the mashed potatoes mixed with melted butter melted in her mouth.
Suddenly feeling a gaze, she looked up to meet Caiyan’s eyes staring intently at her.
She realized too late that she had eaten everything she had planned to leave.
Clodel’s face flushed with embarrassment.
‘He must think it’s unseemly.’
It would have been shameful if she had done this while dining with other nobles.
However, Caiyan cut a large piece of meat from his dish, skewered it with his fork, and extended it towards her.
“Here.”
Clodel blinked, unsure what to do.
“Aren’t you going to open your mouth?”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
