âIf you donât come with me now, you will regret it for the rest of your life.â
Rosemary whispered softly, poking Antesâs side as if begging him to listen.
There was no way heaven would fall, so when Antes tried to push Rosemaryâs hand away, she quickly gestured to Luna, hinting at her intentions through a glance.
ââ¦Do you think Iâm doing this because I like it? Iâm telling you, youâll really regret it.â
Antes frowned at that. He might ignore other matters, but he couldnât easily dismiss anything involving Luna.
Moreover, it was clear that Rosemary didnât want to have this âconversationâ, but given her insistence, Antes began to suspect there was something unusual with Luna today.
âIt seems thereâs an issue with the family. Excuse me for a moment. Donât mind me and continue eating.â
Feeling cornered, Antes quickly made an excuse and got up from his seat.
âOhâ¦! Yes! Iâll do that.â
Fortunately or unfortunately, Luna, who had seemed off from earlier, didnât notice the strange atmosphere between the two and simply nodded.
Seeing this, Antes, feeling the need to really talk to Rosemary, exited the dining hall with a serious expression.
âUgh, I canât believe youâre eating leisurely without even understanding the current situation.â
Following him immediately, Rosemary scolded him, starting to mock Antes as if he was the most pitiable person in the world.
âIf thatâs the main point, Iâm leaving. Youâre wasting my time.â
Antes, now extremely irritated, turned away. Of course, he didnât really mean to leave. He was telling her to quickly state the facts.
Though it was a good opportunity to scold him a few more times, considering the matter at hand, Rosemary composed herself and confided the past events.
âSo, now is not the time to be like this! Luna seems to be attracted to someone else! I canât say for sure if itâs because sheâs concerned about you, but she seemed interested!â
Perhaps the person Luna is interested in is of much higher status compared to Antes, Rosemary added as an aside.
She speculated that the person might be the Crown Prince, given that Callion has shown consistent interest in Luna and they were even doing business together.
Of course, it was a foolish relationship because it was created to make fun of Antes.
ââ¦Did she send a letter to test his feelings?â
âI donât know if she sent one, but we had a conversation about it being a good idea. I visited early out of curiosity. And you, not knowing any of this, were leisurely eating, so I had to call you out.â
Recalling the letter he received with a request, asking him to cook a ridiculous amount of food, Antes wondered if that was the letter Rosemary was talking about.
âIf sheâs not interested, why test the feelings? Surely Lady Luna must also have feelings. She sent that letter to check whether it was real or not!â
Although Rosemary had mistaken the person, she came to a very logical conclusion and clenched her fists in anger.
Even though the matter was very serious, Antes had no other response. It was natural since he was the one who received the letter.
âSo she sent that letter because she cared and wanted to confirm?â
He pondered, is that why she showed such a strange attitude after realizing that he liked her after giving him such an excessive request?
âShe even blushed, dropped her fork, stuttered, and avoided eye contactâ¦â
Antes swallowed hard thinking to that extent. He had never expected such a reaction from Luna, who had always treated him as a mere hometown friend, and felt like he had been struck by lightning.
Misunderstanding Antesâs shock as him realizing he might be losing Luna, Rosemary vented her frustration.
âWhat have you been doing all this time? It hasnât been long since you two started dating, and itâs already come to this? When an opportunity arises, you should hold onto it for life! From the beginning-â
Rosemary continued to vent her accumulated grievances at Antes without catching her breath.
Naturally, Antes was unaffected. After being momentarily frozen in shock, he turned quickly toward the dining room as if he wanted to check this immediately.
âOh, brother?! We havenât finished talking yet! Where are you going?â
A surprised Rosemary hurriedly followed Antes.
âYouâre not thinking of confronting her, are you?â
Did I say too much? Maybe I shouldâve explained the situation later! He wonât resort to violence, right?!
Recalling the once-violent Antes, Rosemary turned pale and held onto the hem of his clothes.
As she expected, Antes would naturally shake her off. But instead, he looked down at her hand holding his clothes and said something surprising.
âSometimes your nosiness can be helpful. Anyway, I should start by saying thank you.â
ââ¦What?â
What does that mean? Rosmary, who never expected to hear such words from Antes and, in fact, didnât want to hear it, widened her eyes and let go of Antesâ clothes.
As if not wanting to waste any more time, Antes quickly walked into the dining room.
âIâm sorry for making you wait.â
Then, with a smile as bright as it could be, he found his seat.
âAh, no. Did your conversation go well?â
âYes, it was one of the most fruitful conversations Iâve had,â Antes replied with a smile as refreshing as a fully bloomed cherry blossom.
It was different from the usual beauty. Luna inadvertently avoided his sincere smile.
If it had been the old days, she would have admired it for a while and then moved on. But the fact she was avoiding his gaze meant Luna was truly concerned about him.
âIf you donât like the food, would you like something else? How about panne? I can make it better than the last time.â
So Antes, looking as if he owned the world, smiled even brighter and spoke again.
It wasnât intentional, the smile just came naturally.
He felt as if Luna asked, he would jump into a pit of fire for her.
âAh, itâs okay. You must be busy, you should get back to your workâ¦â
âNo, Iâm fine. Serving you is my priority. If thereâs anything lacking, I can even clear my schedule for tomorrow. Just tell me.â
And since he confirmed Luna had interest in him, there was no need to be cautious.
Lunaâs nature of being calculating yet somewhat loose meant that beating around the bush wouldnât work.
âAh, no, really, itâs okay.â
âIâm not okay. Since youâve made a special request, I canât leave the mansion until Iâve served all the dishes. I donât want to disappoint you.â
Therefore, Antes decided to be straightforward without hesitation, expressing his fondness without reserve.
âNo, it was justâ¦â
It was a test to see if his feelings were genuine or not⦠but since it wasnât a good move, Luna couldnât tell the truth and stammered.
Moreover, facing Antes, who was brightly smiling like the sun and expressing his sincere intention, she was flustered and didnât know how to respond.
âThen, letâs have panne for lunch.â
As she just stood there with her mouth open, Antes confidently decided on the lunch menu, taking advantage of Lunaâs easy-going nature.
Rosmary, who had been mulling over what Antes had said in the hallway, finally came to her senses and hurried into the dining room.
Worried that Antes might have teased Luna, she entered with clenched fists, but surprisingly, the atmosphere inside the dining room felt incredibly warm and welcoming.
âAntes seems extraordinarily affectionate today.â
âIndeed. How can he look so delightful?â
Laura and Emma seemed to have witnessed a heartwarming scene, blushing on both cheeks.@@novelbin@@
What, whatâs going on? What happened?
Rosmary, looking puzzled, shifted her gaze between Luna, whose eyes looked shocked, and Antes, who seemed as radiant as a full-blown flower.