I Wish You Well In Your Next Love, My Love - Chapter 32
Even if he was currently a penniless runaway with nothing to his name, his essence was still the second son of the Castion Grand Duchy.
No commoner would dare place a mop in the hands of a man who was a noble among nobles.
âJust think of me as a boarder. Thatâs about it.â
As if he had read my thoughts, he spoke lightly.
âI think Iâve said this several times, but Iâm not in a position to host you, Lord Castion.â
âYou said I could stay until the rain stops.â
ââŚâŚâ
Gerard flung the closed curtains wide open. At the same moment, a loud crash of thunder struck. The house flashed brightly, illuminating his ill-tempered face in stark white.
âThis late monsoon is pretty persistent, isnât it?â
* * *
I reflected on my choices in the past.
If I hadnât refused when Gerard came to treat me to dinner, would things have turned out a little differently?
Would something like this, sitting across from each other at my narrow dining table and eating together in my house, never have happened?
While I portioned the food I had bought onto plates, Gerard searched around the house for a mop.
He had the strength of a bull, and every time he opened a door or rummaged through a room, it sounded like the house itself was breaking apart.
Afraid that this shabby home of mine might meet its end at Gerardâs hands, I eventually went to the storage room myself, took out a mop, and handed it to him.
He looked at the floor, polished until it shone, and proudly said he seemed to have a talent for cleaning.
âOf course you do. Youâre the one who swept and cleaned our house for seven years.â
And that wasnât all. He had repaired the ceiling, pasted new wallpaper over moldy walls, and even replaced the light fixtures himself.
âLetâs hear the reason.â
âFor what?â
âThe reason youâre so desperate to kick me out.â
My throat suddenly felt dry, so I took a sip of water. While setting the cup down, I quickly thought about what I should say.
âBecause I brought my friendâs lover into my houseâŚâ
A sweet smile formed on his lips.
âDid Arvina say that? That Iâm her lover?â
The words I was about to say froze on my tongue. Arvina had never directly called Gerard her âloverâ. But still,
âWell⌠everyone thinks so.â
âBy everyone, you mean you too?â
His sharp eyes narrowed. I pressed my lips together and gave a small nod.
âAnyway, it feels like Iâm doing something wrong to Arvina. It feels like Iâm doing something bad.â
âSomething bad.â
He met my gaze, amusement lingering in his eyes. For a moment, I felt as if a mischievous light flickered in his ash-blue eyes.
âAm I cheating right now?â
ââŚâŚâ
âWith you.â
Gerard added quietly.
I was at a loss for words. That wasnât what I meant. I had thought mentioning Arvina would make him flustered, but instead, I felt like I had been caught off guard.
He watched my reaction with a relaxed smile.
Donât get involved.
That was the only thought in my mind.
ââŚThat kind of joke isnât funny.â
âThatâs unfortunate.â
As if my feelings didnât matter at all, Gerard took my risotto plate.
âI donât want to do something that feels like betraying my childhood friend. Even if itâs not actually that serious, I donât want to give even the slightest room for misunderstanding.â
âDonât worry. Arvina herself probably isnât suspecting anything.â
Using his unused spoon, Gerard carefully picked out the onions from the risotto and placed them onto his own plate.
âYes, of course she isnât. Still, I donât like it.â
âHow did you end up getting close to our princess?â
âAfter I registered as a trainee, it turned out Arvina was at the same templeâŚâ
After removing all the onions, Gerard set the plate back down in front of me.
Only after I heard the faint sound of the plate touching the wooden table did I come back to my senses.
âŚWhat did that man just do?
Realizing his own action belatedly, Gerard also looked unusually flustered. The steady flow of conversation cut off abruptly.
My heart pounded.
I donât eat onions. And the only person who knew that was Gerard before he lost his memory.
Then why was he naturally picking the onions out of my food?
I realized then that when youâre too shocked, you canât say anything or react at all.