I looked at him and smiled sympathetly.
"I was in a hurry or prepare them when I found out you were coming." I took the leftover hibiscus* in my hand with a
Flowering.
(Nt/S: hibiscus is a type of flower, although I know it as the Hawaiian flower)
"Isn't it hibiscus?" He asked curiously.
"That's right."
"You did just what I would ask of you."
"It's an incredible taste. But there can be a big difference in preferences. It's not a normal taste, I guess."
"Although the taste of fruit cheong itself is not common in Yonas," he said.
Claude.
"That's true," I gave with a low laugh, then I went back to my original job.
Meanwhile, Claude approached my side, and before I knew it, his voice was in my ear.
"Can I help her?"
"Uh.
.. I'm fine," I said hesitantly.
"It seems like a lot of work." He gestured to where the
Hibiscus.
"Are you sure you don't need help?"
I didn't say anything for a moment, and in the meantime, Claude smiled.
"Okay, Your Excellency," I replied casually.
"I can't force a guest to do this. What's more, this is supposed to be your gift."
"I thought it would be a special memory if I did it with you."
"Well,...
"I stopped. I thought about it for a moment, then I pushed a bowl full of cherries towards him. "Then, please remove the stems of the
Cherry"
"Yes." He gladly accepted on instructions, while I returned to my job to cut each green grape in half.
'Oh, now that I think about it…'
It was true that it was really a sincere gift.
'It's annoying that it requires a lot of work…'
However, if I thought about the person's face when receiving such a sincere gift, this type of difficulty was nothing. A face that would soon be filled with satisfaction, perhaps Claude would have that expression on his face.
I'm sure he will.
It was the same as the Escliffe Mansion party. The second one would not fade quickly. At least, that's what I expected.
"Ah..." I gasped when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my hand. I looked down and saw a long cut on my left index finger. As my mind wandered, my knife slipped.
I grimaced in pain. It hurts. Honestly.
"What's going on?" Claude said urgently by my side.
"It's nothing," I replied calmly, but Claude was undeterred.
"It's nothing. You're bleeding." He frowned as he grabbed my left hand. It hurt, but it was strange to feel that I had done something wrong.
I awkwardly tried to laugh. "I can wrap it with a handkerchief...
But before I could finish, my finger was somewhere.
A humid, warm and soft place.
I was completely surprised and I looked at Claude with my eyes wide open. With my injured finger in his mouth.
"…"
It was a completely unexpected situation. The wound on my finger and my finger inside Claude's mouth.
My expression of bewilderment remained stamped on my face, but he simply kept his gaze fixed on me. As if there were no problems with what I was doing right now. His indifference made me
Freeze..
His green eyes looked like emerald jewels, and they had a depth that was different from Xavier's navy blue.
"Oh...
My mind went blank when, finally, he removed my finger from his mouth with a wet sound. I Blickered.
"I don't have a handkerchief," Claude said.
"…"
"They were first aid"
…I once heard that saliva contains lysozyme, which was an antibacterial. So the act of applying saliva to a wound was not
Unusual.
"Thank you," I murmured. No, I wasn't sure if I should have said that, but there was nothing else I could think about saying in this situation. I couldn't say 'Why do you have dirty saliva in the wound?' Or 'Why did you do that without my permission?' So I fought to prevent things from becoming as uncomfortable as possible.
Claude smiled and replied, "What?" To me. Anyone who saw his smile would know that he did it simply because he was worried about my cut. It was a bright, beautiful and impeccable smile.
"But you must treat it properly," he continued. "Florinda, take Lady Maristella and have her treated.
Claude spoke to Florida as if I knew her, and she nodded her head and set out to guide me out of the room. In the face of my hesitation, he spoke.
"Don't worry about this place, my lady. I will do what he taught me," he said.
"…"
I nodded my head and left my position.
***
"Aren't you excited about His Excellency?"
Those were the first words that came out of Florida's mouth when he moved me to another room and treated me with the cut.
I sighed. "I don't know."
"Aren't you excited?"
"Apart from that, my first reaction is shame."
Florida nodded sympathetically.
"I guess that would be mine too."
Especially if a handsome man sucked your finger seductively.
I cleared my throat awkwardly. Faced with my reaction, Florida gave me a malicious smile.
"Don't you think the Duke is sexy?" She punctured.
"No. It's not that...
It's not that it was sexy. I shook my head, but I didn't deny his words.
An attractive, charming and beautiful man, that's how Claude was. There was no way that someone wouldn't feel strange about what happened before. The problem was...
'Why did he do that?'
I could have just looked for a handkerchief. Or. if your goal was to stop the bleeding, it would have been okay to press the wound. Why did he have to act so sexy?…
'I'm crazy.'
I was too sensitive. Who said he had sexual intentions?
"It's amazing that I live this life with this brain."
I shook my head. Something must have been wrong lately. The issue with Dorothea had been resolved, the fruit cheong business was going well and lately there was nothing wrong, so my brain was looking for new problems.
"I don't know. Anyway, I could feel bad if you listen to this, so let's stop talking about it," I replied to Florinda.
"Yes, my lady." Florinda noticed the change in my mood and quietly worked on treating my finger. The cut was not serious, just superficial and long, but it was still uncomfortable and irritating. It reminded me of
Dorothea.
"Your Excellency must be waiting a long time. I'll have to hurry and leave," I finally said. As soon as my finger was completely blindfolded, I got up and went straight to the kitchen. I didn't want to bother a guest by leaving him alone.
"His grace-"
I called Claude when I opened the door with glass panels, but when I entered I saw him slightly away, as if he were concentrated. I looked at him curiously, but I approached him without making any noise. The closer I got, the more I could see that his face was tense and focused. It was an interesting experience.
"Your Grace," I repeated.
"Oh!" Claude shouted. He was so focused on his task that my voice behind him surprised him. When his bewildered eyes turned to me, I smiled.
"You were really surprised. I'm sorry. It was a little joke," I
Excuse me
"Not at all. You came back quickly."
I shrugged my shoulders. "Not really, but I guess you were so focused on your work."
"Not at all. You came back quickly."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Not really, but I guess you were so focused on your work"
"Poor me." He laughed awkwardly between his teeth and nodded.
"This is fun."