I’m Not Doing This With A Friend Chapter 124

 

Eccentric people are weird.

 

Weird in what way?

 

…They value me too much.

 

Of course, the Duke’s people have never not valued me.

 

With the exception of the former Butler of Altemere, every servant I’ve met since I’ve been here has been patronizing.

 

Not to mention the Duke and Carson.

 

The problem was, overnight it became too much.

 

They started treating me like a piece of glass. Everything they said and did became cautious.

 

Carson, in particular, came to visit me in the middle of the night last night and told me that he would do a better job.

 

It was clear that he had been crying himself to sleep.

 

Yesterday, he panicked, and I sent him on his way.

 

What the hell happened to the Duke while I was gone?

 

Did he find out that Rex Begonia had put his hands on me?

 

There’s no way he could have found out as long as I kept my mouth shut.

 

Unless Lysianthus told people the truth because he wants Rex Begonia dead.

 

Then why the hell…?

 

I rolled my eyes around the dining room with a puzzled expression.

 

Then the Duchess spoke up, a twinkle in her eye.

 

“I wonder if Leen has something urgent to tell us?”

 

“That… uh, yes.”

 

At the mention of something to say, even Carson and the Duke beside me began to look at me intently.

 

Their ears perked up, and their eyes were filled with anticipation.

 

It’s clear as day that they’re ready to listen, so all I need to do was speak…

 

…It was as if an unspoken voice was telling them.

 

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Rex Begonia, because the mood wouldn’t have been this light.

 

There was a lot to take in, but we’d better get on with the matter at hand.

 

I opened my mouth, my voice a little sullen.

 

“I was just wondering why my diet is different from everyone else’s….”

 

It was. Unlike my usual meals with the Duke’s family, the food served to me today was very different.

 

It’s not that the quality of the food was inferior.

 

On the contrary, the food seemed more heartfelt.

 

However, my only complaint was that there wasn’t a single irritating dish. Even the steak, which was the only meat, came out as a perfectly grilled well-done, albeit covered in greenery that made it look healthy.

 

‘You know I prefer it medium.’

 

And the liver was fresh.

 

This was how I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the Duke’s family, but I didn’t expect it to be like this.

 

And just for myself, separately.

 

“That’s….”

 

The Duchess was about to say, looking somewhat embarrassed. Carson smiled sweetly and took over.

 

“It’s for you.”

 

So why the hell are you treating me like this?

 

I looked at him with a lot to say, and Carson blushed and lowered his eyes slightly in embarrassment.

 

“I actually made all of your food myself, because I don’t feel comfortable leaving it in someone else’s hands when it’s going into your mouth.”

 

…All of it?

 

I looked at Carson in disbelief.

 

“Where did you learn to cook?”

 

“I learned from the chef.”

 

“When?”

 

“…This morning?”

 

“You’re crazy talented.”

 

“Leen, crazy is not a good word.”

 

Four years of letting it slide, and now?

 

My mouth drops open in disbelief, and I glance up at Carson, who smiles sweetly.

 

“And this isn’t the first time I’ve cooked. Remember the food we took back from the monster slaying? It was all made by me.”

 

Oh, my…

 

I had to remember, because first grade was the first and last time I ever followed a monster hunt.

 

And it was delicious. I gave him a serious look and took both his hands in mine.

 

“Caon, will you m…”

 

Oops.

 

I almost proposed over dinner without realizing it.

 

“What?”

 

Carson scratched his head, curious about the last part.

 

“…It’s a ….duel. I can’t believe you’re trying to feed me something so fresh.”

 

“What, a duel to the death?”

 

For a moment, he was speechless, as if considering something.

 

Then he said…

 

“Oh, no. You could hit me, but it would hurt your hand.”

 

Why should you even get hit in the first place. I let go of his hand and got back to the point.

 

“I’ll be honest with you. I feel left out, eating all by myself like this.”

 

Carson looked shocked and offered a solution, ‘From now on, we’ll make this meal together.’

 

What I really want in life are satisfying meals, not someone to share the hardships. His face showed his displeasure.

 

“Caon, Mommy thinks it’s better for Leen to eat as much as she wants.”

 

The Duke nodded his head in deep agreement with the Duchess’s words.

 

“Yes, it would be better to feed Leen while her appetite is growing, and she is able to eat. Later on, she may not be able to eat, even if she begs for it.”

 

He gave me a concrete example, as if he had been there.

 

With the Duke’s help, I quickly put down my fork.

 

“I’m in the mood for something spicy.”

 

But Carson was adamant, “No, no. You know how bad spicy food is for you.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Carson’s pupils fluttered as we locked eyes.

 

“Really?”

 

Raising an eyebrow, I blink rapidly. A pained groan escapes my lips as I clutch at his heart.

 

Then finally, “Oh, no…! Why not?”

 

What an easy man to deal with.

 

🍃

 

Lysianthus.

 

These people must have been trying to make me healthy.

 

Or they were trying to make me a grown woman in a new place.

 

The diet was just the beginning. They drastically reduced my free time for research to six hours a day.

 

They made me walk for a certain amount of time in the name of exercise.

 

The funny thing was, they didn’t let me do any strenuous exercise.

 

As if that weren’t enough, at 10 p.m., Carson would come to put me to bed.

 

At first, I thought, ‘This will only last a few days…’

 

The overprotectiveness just got worse and more intense, and it never seemed to get better.

 

And why do they get all glazed over when I have something to say.

 

Like there’s something they need to hear from me. I snapped.

 

“Leen, I’m home. Can I come in?”

 

I glanced at the clock. It was 10 o’clock. Just in time for Carson to put me to bed.

 

Putting down the letter I was reading, I answered, “Come in.”

 

Carson opened the door and walked in, smiling slowly and casually scooping me up into a princess hug.

 

He didn’t blush as much anymore, as if he’d gotten used to it.

 

“I was reading a letter.”

 

“From…?”

 

“Nancy, the girl who used to be a member of the Leli-Club.”

 

“One of the many mosquitoes that have stuck their straws in you. You don’t need to read letters from mosquitoes, they’re just trying to suck your blood again.”

 

“Nancy’s not like that.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

After a short conversation with Carson, we arrive at the bed.

 

He carefully laid me down on the bed, tucked me in carefully, then summoned a chair and sat down beside me.

 

Then he picked up the book on the bedside table. It was the book he had read to me yesterday.

 

Carson read to me like this every night.

 

At first, he brought me some kind of children’s book, which I hated, but after that he read me books about herbs.

 

It was the only good thing, since the people at the Duke treated me like a piece of glass.

 

It was when he tried to reach for a bookmark in his book. I snatched the book out of his hand and pounded the side of the bed.

 

“I want you to lie next to me and read to me today.”

 

“…?”

 

Carson’s face, which had been so relaxed when he’d held me, instantly turned to panic.

 

I tugged on his slightly stiffened hand and led him to the bed. I don’t know if he was stunned, or if he secretly wanted to, but he was easily pulled along by my little effort.

 

Eventually, once we were lying side by side on the bed, Carson took a deep breath as if he understood my situation.

 

I smirked and put my ear close to his heart.

 

His heart was beating loud and fast, it was a pleasant sound.

 

Feeling a little mischievous, I asked in a low voice.

 

“Caon, are you nervous?”

 

He didn’t answer. Or, more accurately, he couldn’t answer.

 

I pushed away from him, thinking this might soak the futon with a nosebleed.

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t eat you.”

 

I could feel Carson exhale the breath he’d been holding.

 

After a long moment, when he seemed to calm down, I asked ruefully.

 

“So you’re not going to read to me today, Caon?”

 

“I’ll read… to you.”

 

With a stiff movement, Carson picked up the book on the bedspread again.

 

And opening it, he read…

 

“Aaaahhh, Leen, seriously!”

 

He turned bright red with surprise and threw the book away. I giggled inwardly and looked at Carson.

 

“What’s wrong, is everything okay?”

 

The book was, in fact, a well-worn red book with a cover that had been sneakily replaced with a book about herbs.

 

If I’d opened it without warming up the atmosphere, I wouldn’t have gotten such a funny reaction.

 

So who’s going to make me a grown-up in this new place?

 

🍃

 

“Wow, and so?”

 

The Duchess said excitedly at Leen’s retort.

 

“So my husband did all the hard work and I took it easy. No, actually, I felt a little sorry for myself.”

 

“You would have preferred it that way, wouldn’t you, my dear Duke?”

 

The Duke nodded in silence.

 

“It is better for me to suffer than for Sylvia to suffer.”

 

“How bad was her morning sickness?”

 

“I couldn’t even drink water. Later, I had to use magic to move food up my stomach.”

 

“What, Father did that? I’ve never heard of that before?”

 

Carson asked with a frown, but the Duke casually shrugged it off.

 

“Apparently, when a man loves his wife so much, he can substitute morning sickness.”

 

Leen knew it had nothing to do with love.

 

She had read in a book that it was more about his need to be recognized as the father of the child.

 

But she didn’t want to spoil the good vibes, so she laughed and made a half-joking, half-serious retort.

 

“I wish Caon would get morning sickness for me, too.”

 

Silence descended on the dining room.

 

The Duke’s pupils dilated. He knew that Leen had gotten morning sickness the last time he’d seen her, but Carson had been so much better.

 

Carson, in particular, was even more shocked.

 

‘…I was pushed out of love by my father?’