[A] trickle of sweat ran down the side of Ionia's face, and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her bloodied hand.
Facing her cousin's curious gaze, she shot back with a dark glare. "I could ask you the same thing."
Lionel stammered, averting his gaze from her intense stare, as if scalded. "I-I saw you heading this way, so I just…"
The truth was, he was quite embarrassed to admit that he couldn't sleep after the dinner incident. And while taking a late-night stroll in the garden, he'd spotted Ionia who was headed for the forest.
He initially though it to be suspicious, but seeing her now, he didn't know what to make of this situation.
"A-ah, just so you know, I wasn't stalking you or anything."
Brushing aside his feeble excuses, Ionia rose and approached the tree trunk where her blade was lodged. With a couple of pull, she extracted the weapon and returned to her grim task.
At the gruesome sight of her cutting through the carcass of the dead beast, Lionel felt his stomach churn and he had to clasp his mouth to quell his rising nausea.
"What on earth are you doing? Playing with a dead beast's body?" Disgust painted his face as he chided.
Responding with another icy glare, Ionia left her spot, and walked to the nearby river to wash her hands. Her attention flitted to some large, rounded leaves resembling lotus leaves nearby.
An idea struck as she stood up, collecting the leaves and washing them in the river before returning to the dead creature.
"W-what are you doing?" Lionel pressed on curiously.
It was a repulsively gruesome scene, yet he found himself unable to look away.
Ionia arranged the leaves like a mat on the ground before cutting the meat into uniform squares and using the leaves as makeshift plates to rinse the meat in the river.
"Don't tell me you're planning to eat this." He spoke, in a dazed murmur, his eyes fixed on her.
With a scoff and a hint of irritation, Ionia responded, "And what if I am?"
His behavior was oddly more irksome than usual. But more surprisingly, he refrained from his typical snide remarks and left, casting a complicated stare before departing.
From the corner of her eye, Ionia noticed Lionel's absence and began preparing by collecting dry branches for a fire.
While contemplating how to ignite it with her wind affinity, Lionel returned, holding carefully sharpened wooden branches resembling arrows.
In a stammer, Lionel explained after noticing Ionia's stare, "W-what? I thought you might need some skewers."
He carefully placed the handmade skewers on the leaf mat before Ionia started skewering the meat.
Lionel, then noticing the unlit fire, found two rocks and sparked the dry branches to life. Shielding the flames with his hands, he blew forcefully.
"If you were that hungry, you could've notified the kitchen," he muttered guiltily.
Ionia remained silent, focused on her last skewer.
"Hah..." Lionel sighed vexedly. "I'm talking to you, you know?"
Ionia leveled another icy glare at him, her expression empty and weary. "And what should I say? Who'd willingly obey the orders of Lysander family trash?"
"I-I... I mean—"
"You witnessed it, didn't you? Or are you planning to pin it on me again?" she added bluntly.
Lionel stiffened, tension tainting his voice. "You're a lady of this house. Isn't it the norm for a servant to serve their master with loyalty—"
Ionia chuckled sardonically, cutting off whatever he was about to say. "You think? That's amusing, considering you were one of those who thought I was just being dramatic for attention."
"I-I…," Lionel protested, attempting to meet her eyes. "I didn't know any better back then—."
"I have no need for your excuses," she declared bluntly, indifferent to his guilt.
Placing the skewers near the fire for roasting, Ionia felt a wave of weariness, hunger, and homesickness.
Yet, the marquisate no longer felt like home, with everyone conspiring against her.
"You're no different from them, Lionel Callista. If not worse." Seated gracefully with crossed legs near the fire, she exuded a mature and intimidating demeanor.
Lionel couldn't help but sense the weight of her words, deepening his guilt.
"Just be like before. I have no use for your guilt or pity. I've fared well enough without it, and I shall continue to."
"I… wasn't trying to look down on you or pity you, for that matter," Lionel calmly stated.
"Well, it sure felt like it to me." Her words suddenly plunged them into an awkward silence between them.
Ignoring his presence, Ionia expertly flipped the skewers for even roasting.
When it was time to eat, she took a skewer and relished the taste, a notification appearing in her peripheral.
[Mana Point – Increased by 5 pts]
Eating magical beasts' meat to boost mana points was no surprise for Ionia, a tip she'd acquired among the corroders.
Most avoided such meat due to its pungent smell, but she knew thorough washing and high heat could quell the stench. Needless to say that the taste, tenderness, and mana points made it worthwhile.
Finishing her first skewer, Ionia sensed the probing gaze of someone nearby.
When she shifted her eyes, Ionia locked gaze with Lionel, his deep blue eyes meeting her clear, sky-blue ones. She couldn't help but notice a slight drool at the corner of his lips, wiped away by the back of his hand.
Lionel was indeed fixated on the roasting meat.
"You don't expect me to share with you, do you?"
Embarrassed, he tried to formulate a coherent sentence but couldn't come up with one.
After considerate consideration and with a sigh, Ionia thought he was pitiful and handed him two skewers.
As he hurried to take them from her, their fingers brushed, and she flinched, retrieving her hand as if she'd been burnt.
In fact, the action reminded her of a memory she didn't wish to recall. If possible, and if death wasn't an option, she wanted to live hating all those who'd contributed to her downfall.
Remembering such an 'unpleasant' memory would only make her weak, especially in dealing with Lionel Calista.
Muttering to himself, Lionel's brows arched up, "O-oh? This is shockingly good," studying the meat as if he had stumbled upon a revelation. "And what's this? I even gained mana points."
With a casual wrist movement, a blue window materialized in front of his eyes, revealing stats exclusively readable to the user.
"Is this some sort of secret training?" He inquired almost inaudibly, munching with a full mouth. "But as a rank C, I doubt you'll progress further."
"There's no saying I can't increase my mana points as a rank C," she retorted nonchalantly, narrowing her eyes at him.
But regretted her response almost immediately, she felt like she'd given him permission to keep on talking.
"Ah? I see? So you're focusing on building up your mana? Interesting," he mumbled to himself, absorbed in observing his stats.
"Are you planning to take part in the Lysander family selections—"
Pushing herself off the ground, Ionia patted her pants noisily, cutting him off.
"I'm off to bed," she accosted flatly, picking up the short swords and starting to walk.
"W-wait? Where are you going?"
Her footsteps halted momentarily as she narrowed her eyes at Lionel. "Are you dumb? I said I'm going to bed. And clean up behind you, will you?"
She gestured at the carcasses and the fire they'd started in the forest before marching on her way.
"H-hey, come on—" She heard him whine in protest, but that's what he was getting for interrupting and coveting her meal.