Ariante, who had energetically exclaimed, took the cold tea Meiana offered and drank it all in one go without pausing. Hearing the gulping sound, Meiana spoke.

“Drink slowly. You’ll get sick if you don’t.”

Ariante, who had tilted the cup until it was empty, made a “pa!” sound. Her small shoulders were still heaving rapidly, and her breathing was fast, but she seemed slightly calmer now.

Meiana said,

“I brought some fruits too, even figs that you like.”

Ariante looked at the plate of fruits and smiled. As she popped a neatly cut piece of fig into her mouth, Meiana, who had been watching as if the child was adorable, heard Sedilroy’s voice intrude at that very moment.

“I’ve never seen a maid like you before.”

Meiana turned her head to look at him. Even Sedilroy’s face was flushed from playing with Ariante under the sun. Sweat beads dotted his forehead, causing a few strands of hair to stick to it.

“What do you mean?”

Sedilroy stared at Meiana for a moment without saying anything, chuckled, and turned his head slightly. As his profile came into view, Meiana was momentarily at a loss for words.

His forehead was perfectly curved, neither excessive nor deficient, and the line of his brow was both masculine and inexplicably sensual. His side profile, flawless as if crafted by painstaking effort, was more than enough to captivate anyone’s gaze.

Had this been the royal garden instead of the estate’s forest, and had people seen this side of Sedilroy, sighs of longing and passionate glances would have poured out unabashedly.

But Meiana did not do so. She neither sighed nor sent a burning gaze his way. She simply blinked and was silent for a moment.

When she remained speechless, Sedilroy looked at Meiana once more.

“Really have nothing to say?”

Actually, no. Meiana, who had thought so for a moment, finally pulled out a dry cloth from her basket with a look of realization. But it wasn’t as soft as the one she used on Ariante. It was, in fact, the cloth she had used to wrap the knife for cutting fruits and the fork for Ariante.

In other words, it was a kitchen cloth.
“What’s the matter, it’s new and clean.”

Meiyana handed a cloth to Sediloi, shrugging.

“I apologize, Count. Use this to wipe your face.”

Sediloi’s eyes carried a hint of amusement. It seemed less a reaction of joy and more one of disbelief.

But honestly, Meiyana didn’t know! She was tending to a grown man while a seven-year-old child was beside her.

He looked at the cloth as if considering its original purpose, then went ahead and wiped his face. Then he poured himself some tea and drank. Meiyana was busy wiping juice from the corner of Ariante’s mouth.

“Princess, is it tasty?”

“It’s delicious! Sweet. What is this?”

“It’s pickled apricots. Don’t eat too much; you could get a stomachache.”

As Ariante nodded like a good child, a pleased smile once again graced Meiyana’s lips.

Just then, Sediloi’s arm reached past her shoulder. He seemed to be going for a piece of fruit on the plate, but the angle made it seem as if Meiyana momentarily fell into his arms.

Sediloi picked up a small piece of peach. Ariante, her cheek puffed up while eating fruit, widened her eyes. She quickly swallowed what was in her mouth.

“Ah, Father, do you… eat fruit too?”

“I do enjoy fruit. But it seems Meiyana didn’t prepare any for me.”

Ariante’s eyes grew even wider. The child, who had been shifting only her pupils in embarrassment, suddenly picked up the plate with both hands and offered it to Sediloi.

“Father… please have some!”

Sediloi stared at Ariante’s face. Her cheeks were not flushed from running now; it was for some other reason. Seeing this, he was captivated by an inexplicable emotion. It was a feeling hard to put into words.

Sediloi, holding the plate, said,

“Let’s eat together. Sit here, next to Father.”

Ariante, who had been staring at him as if to ask if it was okay, sat down beside Sediloi with a bright smile.

In a voice only audible to Sediloi, Meiyana whispered,

“You’ve even learned to play the villain to strengthen the bond between mother and daughter. That’s a good development.”
Then Sediloi, who had been giving Ariante a piece of fig, replied in an equally soft voice,

“It’s not that I made you the villain; it’s the truth. Why haven’t you prepared any for me?”