PAID

"Really, it's fine! It's a perfectly good dish. You've had it before, haven't you?"

"Yeah."

"Then, then you know it’s safe to eat—"

Beatty stopped mid-sentence, startled by the Duke’s intense gaze.

His eyes seemed to burn with a simmering emotion, a feeling like molten lava that she couldn't identify just yet. Before she could fully grasp it, the Duke quickly masked his feelings.

"I had no problem."

"Then...!"

"But you're not like me."

A sharp sting.@@novelbin@@

For a moment, Beatty felt a pain in her chest as though something inside her clothing had poked her.

‘That's strange. It was a soft fabric.’

Without waiting for Beatty's puzzled reaction, the Duke turned to his aide and issued another order.

"Aide."

"It has been arranged to bring him immediately."

"...."

While they waited for the doctor, the Duke’s face seemed to reveal a hint of impatience.

Beatty was confused.

‘What’s going on?’

As she pondered this, the Duke, who had furrowed his brow, spoke to her with a warning tone.