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Nathan thought his tongue might slip up, so he tightly sealed his mouth shut. 

No matter how much he wanted to speak, his life was still precious. 

Hmph, I should learn charisma from Etienne too.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult Lady Dahlia. I just went too far because I wanted her to be the most outstanding person at the banquet.”

Even with Nathan’s apology, the atmosphere didn’t lighten up.

“It’s okay, Nathan. I knew from the moment I met you that you were an idiot who only know about clothes. Etienne, let it go. Nathan has a point too.”

Then, Etienne turned his head towards me. He seemed very unhappy with my mediation.

“I have no intention of terminating my contract with Nathan. So let’s get along. If you fight again, I’ll make you shake hands and hug.”

I calmly resumed eating my meat as if it were someone else’s business. Both of them stared at me, their faces seemed to be written with the words ‘discomfort’.

Come to think of it, they both seem to have similar sensitivity and sharpness. Etienne must have been just as sharp as Nathan, in his teenage.

I quickly finished my meat to leave the table and returned to my room. I was worried that I might feel sick, but fortunately, my digestion was excellent. 

Yay! It seems that Etienne forgave my drunken tantrums and the dress problem has also been resolved! 

Now only the banquet is left.

I lay on the bed, rubbing my stomach with a feeling of fullness. As expected, lying down after a meal is the best.

‘I’ve heard people say not to overindulge and become like a ham at a party, though.’

Ah!

Nathan’s words touched my conscience.

What Ham… where can you find such a weak ham? If I sell such a weak ham, I’ll be reported to the consumer protection agency!

While inwardly arguing, I quietly got up from the bed.

“Well, I’ll just walk around until it’s digested.”

I slowly walked around the spacious room.

It’s great that you can take a walk inside the room.

Then, there was a knock on the door.

“Penny? come in.”

The sound of the door opening felt somehow different from usual. And unexpectedly, it wasn’t Penny who appeared, but Etienne.

Oh no, did he come to talk about what happened yesterday? I guess he didn’t say anything before because of the situation earlier!

I wished I could hide in a mouse hole.

“Sorry for suddenly visiting in the middle of the night…,” 

Etienne stopped talking to her and turned away hastily.

Huh? Why are you acting like that?

His ears, which had turned as red as a freshly baked sweet potato just taken out of the fireplace, were now facing away.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would be getting ready for bed so early. I’ll come back another time.”

“Huh? It’s okay. Please tell me now. I’ll be busy starting tomorrow.”

“Then… your clothes.”

Clothes? 

I looked down. I was wearing a new, white negligee that I usually wear to bed. It was essentially a nightgown, bare from the neck to the cuffs and below the knees.

“This is clothes too…wait a moment.”

It’s not like he’s a teenager… why was he so embarrassed? We’re a married couple.

I quickly put on some clothes. I tried to follow what Penny had done for me before, but it wasn’t easy to dress myself alone. 

What kind of clothes are these? It’s so hard for grown adults to dress themselves alone.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

When I said this, Etienne turned back around. But something still seemed off. He couldn’t look at my face and was staring off into space somewhere.

It should be okay. He’s surprisingly conservative. We don’t have real Confucian values here, but it seems like someone here still follows it.

I fixed my clothes and asked again.

“What brought you here… in the middle of the night?”

Maybe I should apologize first. They say the one who apologizes first has the upper hand, so it’s better if I apologize first.

“So…” 

“Don’t leave it out.”

Before I could spit out the words, Etienne beat me to it.

“….Huh?”

What did he just say?

I mean, what? leave out what? From where did this talk of addition and subtraction come from? 

I examined his expression while lightly rubbing my eyebrows, but there was no hint in his consistent expression. 

As if he saw my stupid expression, he added an explanation.

“Eat whatever you want, don’t leave out anything you want. Just don’t worry about that kind of thing. If needed, we can make a hundred of such dresses again.”

Ah? So, does that mean I don’t need to hold back and eat as much as I want? It’s about the weight?

“I’m saying you don’t need to listen to what that tailor said.”

Perhaps he thought I didn’t understand, that’s why Etienne added an explanation.

“I wasn’t planning on leaving anything out anyway.”

“……”

“……”

“Okay. Then I’ll go.”

He turned around quickly. Where, where are you going! 

I grabbed his arm. His arm muscles stiffened. I secretly squeezed his arm and let go. 

Oh, he’s been working out.

“Is that all? It’s been a while since you last came here, have tea at least before you go. Well, I also have something to say.”

“No, that’s not possible.”

“Why not? We had tea together just a few days ago.”

“Do I have to explain the reason to you one by one?”

Etienne’s expression remained stiff and unyielding.

What’s with this back-and-forth? 

“Well, I’m not saying you have to explain it.”

I had silently praised him for telling me not to lose weight just now. Cancel that. He’s still a weirdo. What a waste of good looks.

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