Meanwhile, Raphael walked into his kitchen. His housekeeper had just arrived, groceries in hand, since it was morning. He glanced at her before nodding in greeting.
"You bought the fruits?"
At her nod, he continued, "Then, please wash up some grapes. After that, make some porridge—preferably easy on the stomach. It's for an injured person, so make it mild in flavor."
The housekeeper nodded and began taking out the grapes from the bag, which was full of fruits and vegetables. She had heard that Raphael recently had a cardiac arrest and had been hospitalized for a few days, so the porridge order wasn't surprising. However, the way he said it... it sounded like it was for someone else.
"I see. Is it for a friend, sir?" she asked, curious. She knew that while Raphael was charismatic and smooth-talking on the surface, he considered very few people more than acquaintances, and even fewer were ever invited to his home. In fact, she had only ever seen one other person in this penthouse—a woman named Ashley—and that too, only for about ten minutes.
Raphael smiled as he leaned against the kitchen doorframe. He glanced in the direction of the bedroom, and his smile widened. God, this was so cute. His grumpy little doll, probably wrapped in a blanket burrito, was waiting for him to come back.
"Ah, yes. It's... for someone important to me. Please prepare it well," he said.
The housekeeper nodded, not asking any more questions, though a smile spread across her face. Raphael was a good employer, and she had been working for him for a long time. Naturally, she had come to care about him too. She had always felt that despite putting on a tough front, her employer was very... lonely. Seeing him like this, fond and happy, put her heart at ease.
"Alright. Here are the grapes, sir. The porridge will be ready in fifteen minutes," she replied.
Raphael nodded, picking up the bowl of grapes. His gaze fell on the other fruits, and he noticed the apples. A chuckle escaped his lips. He was tempted to jokingly pick up one and wave it around Elias' head, like garlic to a vampire, but decided against it. He had a feeling Elias would aim the nearest throwable object at his head if he did.
Letting out an amused sigh, he said, almost to himself, "Next time, don't buy apples with the fruits."
The housekeeper looked confused and asked, "I always buy apples with the fruits, sir. And you seem to like them too. Any particular reason why not this time?"
Her confusion made Raphael chuckle, as if he knew something she didn't, "Why? Hm... I suppose it's because a certain someone thinks they're overrated and a 'generic sick person fruit.'"
The housekeeper nodded, the vague statement without context not really making sense to her, but she decided not to ask more. She let out a small "Oh" as she resumed washing the fruits. It must be related to the important person he had mentioned earlier. The smile on Raphael's face seemed to be conspicuous as she found herself smiling too.
"I apologize if this is too invasive, but... is it a lover, sir?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Raphael chuckled slightly, a small smile forming on his face. Were they lovers? He didn't know for sure. But just for a moment, he wanted it to feel like they were.
He nodded slightly. "Yeah, a lover, if you can say that. We're... something, alright," he said softly, his tone unusually gentle. He could feel himself getting all sappy again, and it felt amazing.
Almost to himself, he repeated, "He hates apples."
God, this was so cheesy, he thought, but he didn't care. He never wanted this to end. If only they could live in peace like this forever, Raphael would be content.