The Maid With a Child - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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27. The First Last Supper
“If the goal is to make raising the baby convenient, what if you positioned the sofa against the wall and left the center open for anyone—human or animal—to crawl freely? The child is being held now, but will be crawling soon enough.”
“That sounds reasonable.”
The Head Butler put forward his opinion with enthusiasm.
Rackarte turned to Adlen.
“Me? I—I—?”
“Yes. Since you’re the one raising the child, your opinion matters most.”
She wondered if it was appropriate to speak in the master’s chambers, but he had invited her to do so.
“Yes, I think that sounds good.”
“Then let’s do it that way.”
The Head Butler jotted down notes in his ledger and moved forward with renewed purpose.
“We should replace the carpet with a darker color too. One where blood won’t show as easily.”
“A color dark enough that blood wouldn’t require replacement, you mean. Are you expecting more frequent attacks ahead, sir?”
A butler of the Sigelion Household’s stature shared nearly the same information as the knights.
Ordinary servants knew nothing of it, but the halls of Sigelion were stained with blood. It was the Head Butler who cleaned it away silently, who restored everything to its proper state.
“No—but one must prepare for unforeseen circumstances.”
“As you command. A very dark color indeed.”
“Ah, but I’ve heard that colors that are too dark aren’t good for the baby’s development. Perhaps something pleasantly varied would be better?”
Adlen had interjected without thinking.
Both men’s gazes turned toward her at once.
“Oh—ah… I’m sorry for interrupting…”
Adlen hastily covered her mouth and lowered her head. She had thought it all the same before, but knowing it was for the baby’s sake, her mouth had run away with her before she could help it.
She had overstepped terribly.
But no reproach came her way.
Rather, the master smiled gently at her.
“A good opinion. Pleasantly varied, and dark.”
“Yes… pleasantly varied and dark…”
The two men’s rapport was remarkably seamless.
“What else is left?”
“Well… as the weather grows chilly, I thought it might be nice to change Adlen’s bedding as well…”
The Head Butler read the room expertly. He had more skill than Adlen at knowing when to speak up appropriately.
That Adlen was looking worn was something he had already taken note of.
“My… my bedding?”
“Yes, it’s time. The body must be well cared for if one is to work well, so let’s make it the finest.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Head Butler noted it down with satisfaction.
Adlen was bewildered by this welfare benefit suddenly offered to her like a gift.
“You choose the pattern.”
“A pattern? You mean I…?”
“It’s something you’ll be using.”
“Ah, yes… um… then… stripes?”
“Stripes it is.”
The Head Butler wrote it down with firm, heavy strokes. He underlined it twice and even added a star.
And so the remodeling plan took shape, with Adlen’s opinions reflected throughout.
* * *
The room was so large that organizing the details alone took considerable time.
As they neared completion, the baby began to cry from hunger—an alarm announcing mealtime.
“Sir, shall I withdraw to prepare dinner then? Will you be dining with the Knights Order again today?”
The Head Butler rose, organizing his notes.
“No. We’ll eat here in the chamber today.”
“Very well. I’ll have it prepared in your chambers then.”
“Yes. While we’re at it, join us for the meal.”
Adlen didn’t immediately realize the invitation was meant for her.
“Y-yes…? With… with you, sir?”
Only after a moment did Adlen understand, and she jumped up in surprise.
A servant sharing a meal with her master? Few masters shared meals with servants, no matter how close they were.
Even wet nurses who had been with one since birth, closer than mothers, rarely shared such a meal. The gulf in station between master and servant was that vast.
“Would I… would I dare…?”
“After all, we’ll both be eating at the same table anyway. Why make whoever sets the table work twice? It’s simpler this way.”
“B-but… yes, I suppose…”
Adlen hesitated, overwhelmed by his kindness.
The Head Butler’s eyes widened in shock. His predecessor, the previous Head Butler, had been instrumental in elevating the Sigelion Household’s status and had received considerable recognition from the former master—yet even he had never shared a meal with Rackarte.
But the Head Butler’s pride steadied his expression.
Shock was one thing; the master’s command was an absolute law that had to be obeyed.
“Shall I prepare the usual menu, sir?”
“That’ll do.”
“As you wish, sir.”
The Head Butler bowed respectfully and left the room.
Adlen looked at him pleadingly, but he didn’t turn back.
Alone with Rackarte now, Adlen didn’t know what to do with herself, fidgeting with her toes. ……Maybe she could still say she wasn’t hungry.
But she was starving—hungry enough to collapse and perish with her eyes wide open.
She’d barely finished deliberating between hunger and the urge to flee when the Head Butler returned, pushing a service cart.
He moved with remarkable speed.
It was as if the entire world had conspired to prevent her from changing her mind and escaping.
“Shall I set the table on the Sofa table or in the Reception Room, sir?”
“The Reception Room table is more comfortable for dining. That way.”
“Yes, understood, sir.”
“Come.”
Rackarte extended his hand directly to guide her, as if welcoming a dinner guest.
Adlen froze in place.
This shift in his demeanor felt utterly foreign, humbling, and terrifying.
No matter how much she’d grown accustomed to him lately, she was still a coward of the highest order.
‘Why is he doing this?’
It felt like an invitation to hell.
Yet it was an invitation she couldn’t refuse.
* * *
Plates kept appearing on the table, seemingly without end.
The final plate ran out of space and had to be stacked on top of another dish.
Was this a feast, or a condemned prisoner’s last meal?
“Eat plenty.”
“……Thank you. I’ll eat well.”
Rackarte gave a light nod and began eating first.
Adlen saw to the Baby’s meal first, then started on her own.
With so much food spread before her, she hardly knew where to start. She finally settled on bread.
Since she’d never tasted it before, it had to be delicious.
Adlen carefully tore off a piece of bread and brought it to her mouth.
“!”
But it tasted nothing like anything she’d had before.
Bread was bread, but not all bread was the same. The bread that graced the master’s table was different.
Lately, her appetite had been so poor that she often skipped meals.
She hadn’t even known she was hungry, but her body was honest. The moment something delicious touched her tongue, her eyes snapped open.
Adlen gasped with delight, shoving bread into her mouth, one piece after another. It was so delicious on its own that she had no desire to touch anything else.
“Why are you only eating bread?”
But Rackarte asked abruptly.
“Oh, um, well. The bread is so delicious.”
“…….”
“Really! It’s the most delicious bread I’ve ever eaten in my life!”
“Well, that’s fortunate……. But the other dishes are even better. Try them.”
Sensing that words alone wouldn’t convince her, Rackarte served food directly onto her plate.
“Th, th, thank you…….”
Adlen lowered her head almost to the plate and brought the food to her mouth.
It was something she’d never seen before in her life. She didn’t know its name, didn’t know its ingredients, and the moment it entered her mouth.
Adlen’s world trembled.
Such a taste existed in this world!
Her earlier worries about sharing a meal, about it being a last supper—all melted away on her tongue. Her reason seemed to have melted with it. She couldn’t even see the master before her anymore. This was what it meant for your eyes to flip inside your head from sheer deliciousness.
“This, this is so delicious……!”
It was transcendent. This was art.
They say tears fall when you encounter a beautiful work of art. If tears fall when you eat food this delicious, then surely that food is art too.
Adlen looked up at Rackarte, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Eat as much as you like.”
“Yes, yes……!”
“This one too.”
“Yes!”
“This one as well.”
Adlen had been accepting everything Rackarte offered without thinking, but at some point she noticed the food piling up faster than she could eat it, and she faltered.
Rackarte frowned slightly as he watched her hands come to a stop.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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