Chapter 23: Chat Partner – 2

Vivian couldn’t understand herself.

Despite the food being more meticulously prepared than usual, she couldn’t bring herself to touch it.

Her hand hovered in the air, frozen in hesitation.

Of course, as always, the word “appetite” was foreign to her.

In that regard, nothing had changed, past or present.

But Vivian always understood that eating was necessary.

That’s why, even in times when she had no appetite, she had forced herself to shove food into her mouth.

However, today, even knowing that, she couldn’t move.

Her palms felt damp with anxiety at the thought that the food might be poisoned again.

Last time, she had been lucky.

But next time?

Could she survive the next time as well?

She didn’t have an overwhelming attachment to life, but that didn’t mean she had no attachment at all.

The dizziness and pain she experienced from the poison were something she never wanted to go through again.

Vivian eventually set down her spoon.

She felt like she couldn’t continue eating today.

Just now, it felt as though there were insects in the food, and the very thought made her feel nauseous.

Her body was outright rejecting the food.

It wasn’t something she could overcome with sheer willpower.

“…Clear it all away.”

• Screech!

At that moment, someone sat down next to her.

At first, she thought it was a maid and was startled, but even before looking up, she could tell who it was.

The musty smell of dust and a faint scent of blood.

It was the smell of Kailo Alan.

As expected, there he was, seated next to her.

Slowly growing, he was now about three finger-widths taller than Vivian.

“You’re not going to eat, right?”

Kailo Alan asked without even meeting her gaze.

Vivian looked at him with a mixture of surprise and displeasure.

“…What?”

“You’re not going to eat, right? You just told the maids to clear it away.”

When Vivian didn’t respond, Kailo Alan finally looked at her, his expression asking why she wasn’t answering.

The reason she couldn’t speak was because she was too taken aback.

Who would have imagined that someone would sit next to her?

For the past six months, or perhaps even longer… Vivian hadn’t shared a meal with anyone.

But Kailo Alan had shattered that daily routine with disconcerting speed.

In the most irritating way possible.

Kailo Alan rolled up his sleeves and said,

“If you’re going to throw it away anyway, I’ll eat it.”

He grabbed the roasted duck leg and tore into it heartily.

Muttering to himself as he did so,

“…It’s been so long since I’ve had duck.”

Vivian didn’t think Kailo was an idiot.

He undoubtedly knew why she couldn’t eat.

The poisoning attempt had only been a few days ago, and the castle was still in disarray because of it.

All her retainers were watching her closely, overprotecting her.

But Kailo, who had helped her, acted as if nothing had happened.

As if he had forgotten about that day.

Baffled, Vivian asked,

“Do you… not know why I’m like this?”

“Why does that matter?”

“You know, there might still be…”

Before she could finish saying that there might be poison in the duck, Kailo bit into the duck leg.

The meat was so juicy that the grease trickled down his chin.

Quickly wiping his lips, Kailo didn’t seem to hear her words.

He continued devouring the duck leg with gusto, his face full of happiness as if he hadn’t had good meat in a long time.

After a few bites, the large duck leg was gone, leaving only the bone.

Even then, Kailo didn’t stop.

Without fully swallowing, he greedily reached for more.

This time, it was the breast meat.

Bones piled up in front of him as he ate.

There didn’t seem to be any poison in the meat.

If there were, he wouldn’t be able to keep eating without a reaction.

Watching him in a daze, Vivian noticed that Kailo was beginning to get annoyed.

“Go away.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you still here?”

Vivian let out a dry laugh.

Did he think she wasn’t eating just because she didn’t feel like it?

How could he be so shameless, stealing her food like that?

“I don’t understand.”

But Kailo was the one treating her like an idiot.

“What difference does it make whether you die from poison or starvation? From what I can see, starving to death would be worse.”

“You’ve never eaten poison, so…”

“If you’re scared of the poison, just make the maids taste it first.”

The maids gasped audibly at Kailo’s suggestion.

Their faces were etched with clear terror.

Vivian had considered that approach before.

But executing it felt too selfish, and her conscience wouldn’t allow it.

It wasn’t something a person should do.

A family head who forced others to sacrifice themselves wouldn’t be a proper head at all.

It seemed Kailo had just been throwing the idea out there.

After all, he wasn’t the type to push his responsibilities onto others.

So she knew his suggestion was just meant to provoke her.

“I don’t care. Do what you want. It’d be great for me if I ate it all. I can finally gorge myself after so long.”

Kailo continued his taunts.

His grease-covered hands grabbed a soft piece of bread.

Tearing into it, he stuffed it into his mouth.

…What is this?

Vivian thought.

Watching him, she started to feel more and more irritated.

It was food she was planning to throw away, so it shouldn’t matter if Kailo ate it… but she found herself feeling like it was a waste.

“Stop eating that.”

Before she knew it, Vivian had spoken up.

• Pause.

Kailo also froze at her words.

His dark eyes turned to her.

Vivian was startled by the words that had escaped her mouth.

But at least her opinion had been clearly conveyed.

…However, Kailo, as if nothing had happened, resumed chewing his food.

The food kept disappearing.

Fruit, bread, vegetables, meat, drinks…

It was as if he had a bottomless pit in his stomach.

He didn’t stop eating.

“S-stop stuffing your face with my food…!”

Vivian shouted again, this time in a harsher tone.

To be honest, it wasn’t the fact that the food was disappearing that upset her.

It was the fact that it was filling Kailo’s stomach that made her angry.

The fact that he was provoking her made it even worse.

“What do you mean ‘your’ food? You were going to throw it away.”

Kailo’s jaw didn’t stop working as he continued to chew obnoxiously.

“I-I didn’t say I was going to throw it away…”

“Then hurry up and eat, too.”

Kailo replied, giving her a look that said, ‘What’s wrong with you?’

Vivian looked down at the table again.

There wasn’t any food left untouched by Kailo’s hands.

Which meant none of it was poisoned.

Suddenly, Vivian was both angry and amazed… by Kailo’s audacity.

Was he really not afraid of anything?

How could he eat like that, knowing the food might be poisoned?

Was he thinking, ‘Even if I die, at least I’ll die full’?

As she wrestled with her thoughts, the atmosphere around her grew quiet.

Kailo had started sneaking glances at her.

Clears throat.

When their eyes met, he pretended as if nothing had happened and continued to chew vigorously.

Watching him eat so uncouthly, it finally made sense to Vivian why people said Northerners were savage.

Yet, at the same time, his boldness put her somewhat at ease.

Watching him eat messily but with such enjoyment… faintly sparked her appetite.

Earlier, she had felt nauseous, but now that feeling was gone.

Compared to before, the now half-messy table felt less unpleasant.

As she continued to think, the food dwindled further.

Which meant Kailo Alan’s happiness was increasing.

Finally, as if pushed along by the moment, she reached out.

• Swoosh.

She grabbed the remaining duck leg.

The maids gasped in surprise once again.

Like Kailo, Vivian grabbed the duck leg and bit into it.

This time, the glossy food looked genuinely appetizing.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she had felt this way.

She put down her fork and knife, choosing to eat the leg like Kailo.

Holding the utensils brought back memories of that day, which made her feel queasy.

So for now, she decided to mimic Kailo.

Vivian took a deep breath.

She tried her best not to think about the time she swallowed the poison.

Resolutely, she took a small bite from the tip of the duck leg.

“What kind of bite is that?”

Kailo sneered, wrinkling his nose in disgust as if he had seen something revolting.

“In our land, if you eat like that, you’ll only get scolded.”

Annoyed by his words, she took a big bite of the meat.

The fragrant smell of roasted duck filled her mouth.

Only then did Kailo nod.

“Yeah, that’s how you should eat.”

It was a trivial thing, but she was surprised that his approval didn’t feel unpleasant.

How long had it been since she’d received anyone’s praise?

Her emotions seemed to stir slightly, making her realize just how much she had fallen apart.

Wanting to hide this embarrassing feeling, she chewed the food even harder.

Vivian, as if competing, chewed and swallowed her food firmly.

With Kailo testing the food first and easing her anxiety, it was definitely easier to eat than before.

For a while, the meal continued in silence.

It was a strange feeling.

She didn’t like the fact that she was eating with Kailo, but not eating alone seemed to awaken forgotten emotions.

Kailo, having filled his stomach to his content, gulped down a glass of water to finish his meal.

The empty dishes scattered across the table.

Vivian had also eaten her fill by now.

In her rush to keep Kailo from taking the food away, she had been moving her hands frantically, and before she knew it, her stomach was full.

Kailo wiped the grease from his hands with the prepared cloth and spoke nonchalantly.

“Let’s keep doing this from now on.”

“What?”

“I’ll come by at every mealtime, so prepare my food too.”

The disgust she felt from his suggestion made Vivian furrow her brows.

“You’re saying we should keep eating together?”

But Kailo answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“It’s beneficial for both of us. You like having someone test your food first, and I get to eat something delicious. We can use each other.”

Thinking about it, his proposal wasn’t completely unreasonable.

Vivian had been exposed to the risk of poison for far too long.

There had been no one to share her meals with, and no one who wanted to.

If Kailo could provide that, it would be like having an additional safeguard.

“…No.”

But what came out of Vivian’s mouth was a habitual defiance.

Even though she knew he was right, her emotions wouldn’t allow it.

“You’ll starve otherwise.”

It wasn’t like she could argue with his point.

Unable to say anything in response, she bit her lip.

But the final decision was Kailo Alan’s to make.

He stood up and gave orders to the maids waiting behind Vivian.

“You heard her. From now on, prepare my food along with hers.”

Vivian couldn’t bring herself to tell them to ignore him.

The maids nodded to Kailo in agreement.

Satisfied and full, Kailo left without any hesitation.

As he exited the hall, she could faintly hear the sound of him burping.

“Haa…”

Once he was gone, Vivian slowly lowered her head to rest her forehead on the table.

Her red hair spilled down.

It wasn’t until after he left that she realized she had been slightly tense in his presence.

She couldn’t believe the silent acceptance she had just made.

To think she’d agreed to eat with Kailo Alan from now on.

No matter how justified it was, it still didn’t make sense.

However, she had a vague sense of why she had done it.

The biggest reason was that she wanted safety, but there was more to it than that.

He had already become a natural part of her life.

They were no longer so awkward around each other as to push one another away like before.

A strange bond had formed between them from the conflicts they had faced with the adults around them.

Despite knowing that the root of all her problems was the Alan family, she maintained this peculiar distance with Kail Alan.

He was the only one who understood her struggles.

Every time life became more difficult, her hatred for the Alan family deepened.

The wounds and pain they had caused continued to weigh heavily on her.

But paradoxically, Kailo Alan kept becoming entangled with her in the midst of her suffering.

Like putting on a pretense, or acting tough… they kept bumping into each other, sharing their pain.

“…This can’t happen.”

Vivian whispered painfully, unable to suppress her emotions as she closed her eyes.

She knew all too well that this couldn’t go on.

The Alan family was her enemy.

Everyone she had loved was killed by them.

But despite her hatred, she found herself growing closer to Kailo.

This can’t happen, and yet, it was hard to deny that his presence was becoming comforting.

Maybe that’s why.

When she thought about eating with Kailo in the future, Vivian felt this:

She didn’t want to, because she knew they would fight.

She was scared, because he would keep poking at her weaknesses and provoking her.

She found it repulsive, because the idea of sharing a meal with her enemy didn’t sit well with her.

…Lastly, she couldn’t help but think, just a little, that it might not be as horrible as she had imagined.

The fact that she wouldn’t have to eat alone anymore…

These mixed feelings left her confused.