For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 29 - Uncomfortable Meal
#29. Uncomfortable Meal
With a sudden scream, Lia’s body tilted. Reflexively, she closed her eyes and opened them, but there was no sign of her falling.
“How long are you going to keep doing this?”
At Kevin’s sharp voice, she opened her eyes. Before her eyes, she saw the same white clothes and fancy golden embroidery she had seen somewhere before. Unlike before, Perth didn’t seem displeased by her touch. He didn’t even ask her to step aside.
“Oh, sorry.”
“It’s okay. I must have pulled too hard. Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Lost in thought, Lia jolted away from Perth. Unconsciously, her face reddened. It wasn’t because she touched him. It was more embarrassing and awkward that Perth had become much gentler than when they first met. She felt like her mind would play strange tricks.
“Shall we go eat then?”
Perth naturally tried to lead Lia out of the greenhouse. Kevin stood in front of him.
“What should we do? Recently, Lia has been having meals with me.”
“Oh, is that so? From today, it seems like you should eat alone again. Lady Lia, are you going to eat with me?”
“It’s difficult to change a routine once it’s established. It seems like we’ll have to eat together again today to maintain my routine.”
“It hasn’t been long, so you can easily return to your old routine.”
“Why are you suddenly doing this after leaving her alone for so long?”
Both were sensitive about dining with Lia. She had been eating with Kevin all along, so it was ambiguous to suggest eating with Perth again suddenly. But what mattered to her was not who she ate with.
“Um… I’m hungry, can’t we all just eat together?”
* * *
Usually, the diet consisted mostly of bread and soup, but today there was something fishy about it. The trout was perfectly prepared with lemon juice to eliminate any fishy smell. The food in front of her looked very delicious, but Lia couldn’t taste it. It was food that required meticulous effort to eat, and it took a long time to eat. She wanted to eat quickly and leave, but it was difficult.
“Why are you like this? Don’t you like the food?”
As she felt uncomfortable, Perth went to the kitchen to fix the dish. Lia grabbed his hand and forcibly sat him back in his seat.
“It’s delicious. It’s just troublesome to debone.”
“Really? Shall I debone it for you?”
Suddenly, Kevin, who had never been so kind before, offered. She looked at him with widened eyes. Kevin, too, felt embarrassed by what he was doing, something he didn’t usually do.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Boss, why are you suddenly like this?”
She found it difficult to endure this unfamiliar situation. Somehow, the two of them seemed to be at odds with each other. Moreover, they seemed to be competing with each other through her. And to make matters worse, the dining place was right in the middle of a restaurant, so everyone seemed to glance in this direction. With the already famous characters present, it was understandable. It was so uncomfortable that she didn’t know if the trout was going into her mouth or her nose.
“Calling me ‘boss’ tickles. You weren’t that kind of person. Just call me as you used to.”
“Why are you acting like this, Mr. Kevin? You’re not the type to do this. Why do you keep pretending to be affectionate?”
Both eyes were filled with suspicion. Kevin felt nauseated by seeing his usual behavior manifest in such a way.
“How much have you seen of me to say that? This is actually who I am.”
“Even from what I know, Mr. Kevin, you’re not that kind of person. Is this a side you’ve been hiding?”
Unable to wait any longer, Perth dug in. The two chewed on the trout and glared at each other. It was to the point of feeling sorry for the royal chef who had prepared such a delicious meal. No one in the restaurant was able to properly taste the trout due to being focused on the commotion.
“Mr. Perth, didn’t you ask me to be the second partner for Lia?”
Kevin quietly lowered his voice so only the three of them could hear. As sensitive topics arose, Lia stopped eating and focused on their conversation.
“Yes, but I didn’t ask you to have her as your lunch partner. Isn’t that beyond the role of a colleague?”
“Colleague?”
Kevin frowned at the nonsense. It shouldn’t have been something he should be disturbed about, especially not at such an important moment! It was clear that Perth must have known about the incident in the greenhouse. He felt embarrassed and angry again.
“You say ‘colleague’ and throw it away so easily?”
“That was unavoidable because of public opinion. It was a rumor caused by misunderstanding.”
“If you were going to discard it, you should have done so entirely.”
“That was my careless judgment. And I also apologized to Lady Lia. Now I think there’s nothing to keep a distance as friends, so I just want to go back to the way things were.”
Where did it go wrong? Seeing the two of them roaring at each other like tigers and lions, Lia lost her appetite. Moreover, a headache hit her, and she covered her head.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Do you have a headache?”
At the same time, both of them were worried about her. Should she consider it as them caring for her well-being or something else? She sighed and pointed at their meals.
“Stop talking and eat. With so many people staring, let’s all have a comfortable meal, shall we?”
Only then did the two of them realize why Lia was feeling uncomfortable. Kevin was someone who didn’t care about the attention of others, and Perth was also accustomed to people’s attention. Lia, despite being a noble, had never received much attention due to her ordinary appearance and living in the shadow of her talented brothers. She was the type who didn’t enjoy such attention even from such people, making her even more uncomfortable.
“Let’s just eat quickly. With you nitpicking like that, when do you plan to finish each dish?”
“You, Mr. Perth, are taking forever to eat each dish meticulously. When are you planning to finish them?”
“Both of you, stop it. The trout dish is very delicious today. Can you focus on the food, please?”
Lia looked back and forth between the two of them as if scolding. Instead of speaking, they continued their meal while silently complaining with their eyes. Thanks to that, Lia was able to focus on the remaining trout. It was a difficult mealtime in many ways. If she wanted to work in the afternoon, she felt she needed to replenish her strength.
* * *
“It’s so funny. No, seriously, everyone in the dining hall was staring at your table!”
May hugged Lia’s pillow and giggled. Was this something to laugh about? While someone was feeling embarrassed!
“Don’t laugh, May. Do you know how awkward it was for me at lunchtime?”
“I get it, I get it. So, what are you going to do? Are the three of you going to keep eating together in the future?”
“I don’t know… If I keep eating like this every day, I’ll collapse.”
After seeing Lia’s distressed expression, May started to seriously think about it together. What happened during the day had spread throughout the entire palace in no time. Well, it was understandable, considering that all the people working in the palace were gathered in one place, and two people who seemed to have nothing in common were sandwiching a woman between them. It was a perfect situation for people to let their imaginations run wild.
“I heard you dated Mr. Perth, broke up with him, switched to Mr. Kevin, and Mr. Perth still can’t give up on you.”
“Really. You guys have no idea what you’re talking about. You should try eating between those two for yourself! You’d know how I feel if you tried it for a day.”
“Both of them aren’t usually good at eating with ordinary people. They have conditions that stimulate the imagination.”
“What conditions?”
“Looks. Both of them are handsome.”
That’s true. Lia nodded unconsciously. Perth was handsome and elegant, while Kevin, being a former knight, had a robust appearance. If asked whether they were handsome or not, she would naturally say they were.
“Their personalities are both extraordinary, though.”
“Oh, of course, their personalities are well-known. But still, some people think that’s a unique charm.”
“Does May like those two as well?”
May had been praising the two of them since earlier. She didn’t seem interested in Lia’s concerns. She burst into laughter at Lia’s question.
“Why? Are you worried I might like one of them and become your rival?”
“What are you talking about? I’m asking you to take my side, not those two!”
Seeing Lia’s cute jealousy, May stroked her head. Sometimes, when May stroked her head like this, she wondered what it would have been like if she had had an older sister. May was a friend, but she had the qualities of a big sister.
“I think love is a luxury. I should become a regular employee soon. I have a lot of family members to support.”
She rarely talked about herself. That’s why even these trivial conversations were enjoyable for Lia to hear. Every time, she felt acknowledged as a friend at last. May pulled her close and then slowly swept her back, comforting her like a younger sister.
“I wonder if everyone is doing well…”
Despite her meager salary, May was sending some of that money to her family. Being born into a poor household and being the eldest daughter had made her resentful more than once. Sometimes, she wondered what it would have been like if she had been born into a noble family like Lia’s.
Lia knew May was thinking about something else while stroking her back. She couldn’t fully understand her feelings because she had grown up without experiencing the hardships May had faced. But at least she could feel that May was lonely and sad being away from her family.
“Don’t feel lonely. I’m here, May.”
“When did I ever feel lonely?”
“Don’t be embarrassed. I’m quick to pick up on things, you know.”
“Yeah, right.”
Although she said it that way, Lia’s awkward comfort was quite touching. Just like May was becoming a precious friend to Lia, Lia was becoming a precious friend to May. At first, there was a distance due to her noble status, but Lia’s attitude of not putting herself above others, unlike other nobles, appealed to May.
She thought about the two people who were troubling such a precious friend. One was a supervisor whom she didn’t even want to think about outside of work hours. The other had improved recently but had previously been a tormenting supervisor for Lia.
To May, the attitudes of the two people were clear. Regardless of whether they were aware of it or not, it was clear that they had started to like Lia. The dull friend claimed to be quick to pick up on things while being completely unaware of it herself.
“Hah. I wonder when you’ll become perceptive.”
“May, sometimes when you treat me like a little sister, I can’t help but think.”
“Yeah?”
“May and I are the same age, and our birthdays are only three months apart.”
“Is that so?”