If You're Being Held Hostage, Wiggle the Carrot! - Chapter 18
“Aren’t there other tribes with extraordinary abilities besides ours? You keep asking as if you’ve never met them before?”
“Well, I haven’t had much interaction with them… Hmm, come to think of it, during noble gatherings in the capital, aside from the Serpent Tribe, I haven’t encountered other shamanic or psychic clans.”
Puzzled, Ivan was left to his own thoughts, while Liam arrived with the refreshments.
“Pardon the interruption.”
Quickly setting the refreshments on the table, he eyed them curiously as they sat side-by-side on the couch.
“Please help yourself,” said Ivan.
“Yes!” Ruby cheerfully replied. She was quite hungry already. Holding back from asking for something to eat first, Ruby reached for the cake rather than the tea. “Wow, this carrot cake is really delicious!”
Liam had deliberately prepared carrot cake for Ruby. He looked at her satisfied expression and explained, “We used carrots grown on our estate. Carrots grown in the northern chilly weather may be small in size but they tend to be very flavorful.”
“Oh, I see!”
“In my estate, most of the produce is like that. Small but hearty.”
“These carrots have such a rich flavor.”
“I’m glad you like them.”
Ivan watched the two of them with a peculiar fascination. The woman who was so twitchy with him was so polite with Liam. This particular aspect bothered Ivan quite a bit, making his lips curl down slightly.
“You’re that impressed by a mere carrot cake?” he remarked.
“My mother always said it’s important to express gratitude to those who offer food,” Ruby replied.
“Well, technically speaking, I’m the one offering since I’m the lord of this estate.”
“…”
Ruby looked straight ahead, avoiding Ivan’s gaze. He was staring at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to thank him. Truth be told, she thought it was a little odd. It was Ivan who had saved her life in the mountains, and she should be grateful for that, but she had this conflicted emotion in the pit of her stomach.
Perhaps it was because he had rudely awakened her in the morning, and as someone who cherished sleep dearly, she found that irksome. Of course, that couldn’t be the real reason. She doesn’t know exactly why. She just had this inexplicable feeling of wariness, a sense that he might do something unpleasant to her.
“…Your gaze seems suspicious.” As she organized her thoughts, Ruby inadvertently cast a skeptical glance toward Ivan. She shifted her body, avoiding Ivan’s gaze once again.
“…I do appreciate it,” she began.
“Huh, seems like there’s hardly any gratitude in those words,” Ivan interrupted, stuffing a cookie into her mouth before she could finish speaking.
“Eat up!” he insisted.
“Thank you,” Ruby managed to say with her mouth full of cookie, gazing at the desserts on the table, planning what to have next.
After diverting her attention, Ivan sighed and gestured to Liam. “Yes, my lord.”
Having remained silent for a while even after calling him, Ivan glanced at Ruby and then quietly said, “Get a separate set of clothes made for the lady.”
“Clothes?”
“It’s the fabric, it’s very coarse and loud.”
“…I see.”
Liam wondered what Ivan meant by loud. Could it mean there’s something loudly unsettling about her? If so, could his master have developed some kind of inappropriate attraction to the lady? He abruptly stopped his own train of thought before it ended up in unwanted places.
Liam responded politely, “Yes, I’ll quickly have clothes made with fine fabric.”
“Yes, and…” Sipping his tea elegantly, Ivan subtly scanned Ruby once more. His gaze caught the crimson irises that seemed to burn through the desserts. “Since the lady isn’t from our lineage, there’s no need to insist on wearing black.”
Understanding his intention, Liam nodded respectfully. “As you wish, my Lord.”
“Very well.”
During their brief conversation, most of the desserts had disappeared. Ivan, who generally didn’t indulge in desserts, wasn’t particularly upset about it. He was just a bit surprised at how all that food managed to fit into her tiny body.
“Ahh…To not be blinded by the sun is such a blessing,” Ivan mused.
Having finally had sufficient sleep, everything seemed better. There was a time when even a single ray of sunlight felt torturous due to inadequate sleep, but now it felt pleasantly warm. He sipped his tea, watching the sunlight fill the window. It had been a while since he’d had a proper break.
