Chapter 20: Chapter 20

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Chapter 20

She was dumbfounded.

At Daniel’s words, Sylvia, with a fluttering expression full of anticipation, shouted softly, ‘I’ll have it with milk!’ and cutely ran into the dining room. At the sight, Azela held the bag of bread in her hand tight.

It was nothing but bread. Besides, she had already eaten it, and her stomach was a bit full, and if someone else wanted to eat it, she could give enough leeway.

However…

“I’m going to eat it.”

She was strangely reluctant to hand this bread over to Daniel and Sylvia, even if it was nothing but bread. After sayings o, Azela hid the bag of bread behind her back and stared proudly at him.

“…What?”

At her words, Daniel looked puzzled. Azela herself, who hid the bag of bread behind her back, was equally baffled. It was a war of nerves for nothing else but this kind of bread. To be honest, it was a situation worthy of laughter.

“Ha.”

Daniel took a deep breath. Anger appeared on his face.

“Don’t force me, Azela.”

“Why is it so hard for me to eat the bread I brought?”

“Come here.”

In response to her objection, he reached out his long hand and squeezed her wrist tightly. Azela, who had been hiding it, could not win in front of the power. Even though she tried hard not to lose it, in the end, he took the bag of bread from her hand.

When Sylvia came out of the dining room after placing her order, she looked at the bag of bread in Daniel’s hand and exclaimed in excitement, ‘kyaa!’ She then ran over to his side as he handed her the bag.

“Wow, these are all my favorite breads!”

Sylvia opened the bag of bread, glanced inside, and smiled excitedly. Daniel looked at Sylvia lovingly.

“You like it that much?”

It was a friendly voice she hadn’t heard in a while. When Azela heard that voice, she felt like she was about to cry without realizing it.

“Yes, yes! I really wanted to try it!”

Sylvia answered with a broad smile in a bright voice.

Looking at it, her insides were twisted and rotted. She didn’t want to see Daniel, who bragged about with her own bread, or Sylvia, who jumped in place in excitement. Eventually, with her eyes closed, Azela bit her lower lip and squeezed the stair handle tightly.

This was all she, the Madam, could barely do. Her own position had become so low even when she was still there.

As she was sighing in helplessness…

“That’s what I gave Countess Todd as a token of gratitude. Why is it going over there?”

“….!”

She didn’t even feel a presence. However, the voice she heard was clearly a voice she had heard a while ago.

Daniel and Sylvia, including Azela, turned their heads in haste, and Zagnac was standing there. Contrary to his gentle smile, he was holding the County’s butler’s shoulder forcefully.

“I, I was going to tell the master, but Duke Ferial told me not to speak… I’m sorry.”

The County’s butler quickly added an excuse as Daniel had a bewildered expression. Meanwhile, Zagnac released the hand that was holding the butler’s shoulder and patted it lightly.

“I thought you would be hassling to welcome guests if I announced that I was here. I just came in… Is it okay?”

“…I wish you could have sent a message in advance. To step into someone else’s mansion like this…”

“I am sorry. I am well aware that this is a very serious disrespect.”

After hearing Daniel’s words, he replied with a smile. Zagnac took one step closer to his face with gentle, light steps. It must have been far away, though Daniel swallowed a gulp without realizing it when he saw Zagnac standing in front of him.

“But, Count Todd…”

Breathing in close to his face. Unlike his gentle smile, Daniel’s flesh trembled in his sharp eyes.

“…I think you made the same disrespect. Is it not rude to me to take the gift I gave the Countess as a token of my gratitude and give it to someone else?”

Saying so, Zagnac turned his head grotesquely and looked at the bag of bread in Sylvia’s hand. Daniel saw it, too, so his face quickly turned red.

Sylvia, bewildered as Zagnac’s gaze touched her, combed her hair with her hands and neatly arranged her dress before giving him a charming smile. She made a confident smile. She seemed to think that Zagnac would fall for her smile, as it did to Daniel.

“Are you Duke Ferial? Nice to meet you, I…”

“How dare you introduce yourself to me.”

Zagnac, who had lightly cut off Sylvia’s words, was dignified, and his stern voice looked down at her coldly.

It was a 180-degree change from the usual giggles, laughter, and kindness. Azela gazed at Zagnac with eyes widened in surprise. She never thought he was a person who could make such a voice.

“…Yes?”

Sylvia, startled by Zagnac’s voice, asked in a cracked voice.

“Are you going to introduce yourself as Count Todd’s mistress? If not, a commoner would dare to talk to me first, a noble? Even standing face to face like this is unpleasant.”

“I, I—!”

“If that’s not the case, are you planning to introduce yourself as future Countess Todd?”

At his words, Sylvia’s face turned red with shame. At the same time, Daniel also said nothing and just reddened. Sylvia bit her trembling lips hard and bowed her head. Even though she was offended by Zagnac’s words, she had nothing to refute.

One way or another, he was a noble, and he was given the title of Duke, and Sylvia was nothing more than a mistress loved by Daniel.

Zagnac, who had been staring down at Sylvia coldly for a while, suddenly reached out his hand towards her. Confused, she raised her head to look at him, who had his hand stretched out to her. When did he suddenly ask her to hold his hand when he had just shamed her…?

He had a faint smile on the corner of his lips.

Well, of course. She had never seen a man who didn’t fall for her. She survived with a better appearance and body than other noble ladies.

Thinking so, Sylvia gently clasped his outstretched hand. At that, Zagnac’s forehead wrinkled hard.

“What are you doing?”

“…Yes?”

Contrary to her expectation that he would smile, he glanced at Sylvia with a wrinkled gaze and a cold voice. Zagnac coldly struck her hand, which had been holding onto his.

“The bread bag, hand it over.”

“….!”

Sylvia looked at Zagnac again with startled eyes and then at Daniel, who was standing next to her, without saying a word. Her gaze turned to Daniel again as Zagnac turned his head to look at him.

“It’s a gift from me, so I think it’s right to go find its owner… What do you think, Count Todd?”

“…You’re right. I feel the same.”

Daniel lowered his gaze with an angry expression and took the bread bag from Sylvia’s hand. He returned it to Zagnac’s hand. Sylvia looked resentful with an absurd face, yet Zagnac smiled contentedly.

“Count Todd.”

“Yes.”

“If you act like this, what will my sincerity look like? I was trying to show a little respect to Countess Todd, who helped me. If it goes to your mistress…”

Zagnac’s fierce gaze shone sharply. It wasn’t a beautiful twinkle like soft starlight. It was the sharp light of a sword that was about to cut the throat.

“I mean, how would I feel?”

“…I didn’t know if it was a gift from Duke Ferial. Azela suggested we share it, so both Sylvia and I naturally thought it was just the bread she bought.”

He lowered his head slightly and made a nonsensical excuse.

“Did I ask you to share…? When did I say that?”

Hearing that, Azela laughed absurdly at Daniel’s excuse. His stinging gaze focused on her as if telling her to be quiet, but she did not avoid his gaze. It may have been because she had Zagnac on her side in this mansion.

In the end, Daniel glanced away without answering her words.

What was this for just bread…!

His stomach was seething like water boiling in a boiling kettle. Zagnac, who stared down at Daniel’s attitude without saying a word, turned his body and gazed at Azela. He proudly handed the bag of bread back to her hand.

Azela turned to Zagnac, puzzled.

It was just bread. It was just bread… It was the first time she had regained what was stolen from her, so she almost burst into tears.

Zagnac said with a strange smile as if he knew her heart.

“I came here to have a meeting about a business that I couldn’t finish before, but today doesn’t seem like the day, so I’ll stop today and go back. Please, enjoy the bread and let me know how you think at the next meeting.”

It was an unspoken warning not to touch Azela’s as he would make sure she ate it. At that, she nodded her head, still puzzled. In response, Zagnac patted her arm with a satisfied smile.

It was like he was cheering for her.

“I deeply apologize for visiting your mansion today without a greeting.”

He also sent a polite greeting to Daniel. He smiled and exchanged a few words with Daniel before glancing at Sylvia one last time.

She looked expectant, however, Zagnac neither gave her a smile nor spoke a word to her. He just looked at her with a cold gaze as if contemptuously.

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