บท 42: Dinner Together
It was the same red eyes that had always found its way to the corner of her heart. Beautifully deep like a fire with no edge and no end. Ian pulled the corner of his left lips. He placed aside the coat he was wearing to Maroon who had just came back after accompanying the Lord and walked by the side to come at a stop at Elise.
She turned her eyes up. Due to how tall he was, she had to strain her neck but if Elise had to say, straining her neck to see him was worth it. He stared down at the black dress that had a long collar hiding her pale neck and praised gently. "Mhm, the uniform suit you very well."
"Duh, of course. Elise is the prettiest woman in her town, you know. There had been many young men asking for her hand in marriage." Aryl gave a clipped tone as she raised her hand to show how beautiful Elise was to her eyes. Ian frowned from the third sentence that Aryl spoke and found displeasure running to his face. He narrowed his eyes but was able to school his expression back.
Elise could feel her face blushed from the praise and whispered to Aryl. "That isn't true."
"Really?" Ian rose his brows, chuckling as his eyes fixed back to stare her sparkling blue eyes. "With how beautiful you are, I wouldn't doubt the Sulix's words."
She found herself blushed to the tips of her ears from his praise. Ian had a delighted expression in seeing Elise face turned red from his words. He raised his hand, wanting to touch her pink-tinted cheeks but then pulled his hand back and asked. "Have you had your dinner yet?"
Elise shook her head. "No, my lord."
"Then come with me." Ian stated with a following grin. He waved his hand to cue the rest of servants to go back to their works.
Elise couldn't fathom his words and blurted out. "Pardon?"
Ian turned his head and generously repeated. "Have your dinner with me."
As he spoke those words, he walked off to the dining room. Following his steps, the black Raven also sat on his shoulder. Elise followed his steps for, behind gingerly, because she was raised in a commoner's family, she doesn't know how most of the things work in a nobleman's house, much less the house of the Lord. However, she knew that eating with the lord is regarded as the highest honor and part of her heart was asking herself could she really eat at the same table as the Lord? Her eating manner was normal as a person but as the person who would eat with the lord, she doubt that they would eat like how she usually does with her family. Fortunately, Elise had a absorbed herself in reading various books, one particularly spoke about tables etiquette and she braven herself by remembering the book's content.
Thinking of it, Elise recalled the time when Ian helped her eat and how they always eat when she was still younger. But now that she had grown, everything has change. The sentence "eating with the lord" made her heart even more jittery. It was because that she was going to eat with Lord Ian did her mind was filled with nervousness and indescribable delight. Especially when she remembered the smile that accompanied his offer that passed by her blue eyes a moments ago, she could feel a knot tying down in her heart.
Carmen who stood right beside Elise knew better not to speak or utter a word in front of the Lord's presence but now that Elise left, her eyes widened in surprise and a mutter loosely escaped from her mouth. "What just happened?"
While Elise walked behind Ian, the man had a satisfied smile painted over his charming face. At times he noticed Elise walking behind him and he deliberately slowed down his pace so they would walk beside each other.
"How was your day?" Ian asked as they entered the dining room, taking Elise's blue eyes to be filled with him.
"Under Mila's guidance, I learned more of my works and duty here, my lord." Elise replied with her soft tone, following Ian inside the dining room.
Ian replied with a hum in a sense Elise thought that perhaps her words were boring but little did she know that Ian had his own fun in hearing the girl's voice. "It seems that you have made yourself home in this mansion, that's great. Speaking about it, you haven't met your little friend yet? He missed you quite a lot."
Elise turned her eyes in question, "Little friend?"
Just as she finished her words, Ian suddenly come to an abrupt stop and Elise who didn't expect him to stop suddenly, bumped at his firm back. She faltered back a little and bowed in surprise. "My apologies, my lord!"
Her bad habits of forgetting her surrounding while her mind was filled with thought hadn't change the least and now of all people she bumped to the Lord! How embarrassing! She thought to herself. In her heart she mulled over many times how could she bump at the Lord when Mila had just warned her that Ian disliked physical contact the most.
Ian chuckled, making Elise to look up obliviously. "Don't worry, instead are you alright?" Even if Ian didn't say it himself, his body was different than a normal person thus bumping to him must've been hurt.
Elise shook her head. "I'm alright, thank you very much for your worries, my lord."
Aryl who had tried to keep quiet since a long time ago scoffed and chided. "Don't apologize Elise, it's this damned dem- I mean, Ian's fault for bumping at you!"
"Aryl." Elise whispered, giving her little friend a warning for her rude behavior. But Aryl didn't have any intention in apologizing her words and instead felt proud for speaking up. She crossed her hand and harrumphed to sit at Elise's shoulder.
Ian wasn't in the mood in entertaining the Sulix nor giving her the reply to her bickering. His crimson eyes stayed fixed across her forehead turning reddish from the previous bump and swiped his finger across her forehead to heal her. "The little friend I'm talking about is your pet. Don't you remember him?"
Pet? She asked herself and clasped her hand with her eyes twinkling like a bright star that glimmered in the night sky. "Curly!"
Hearing the name Elise called, Aryl's face broke to cold sweats as she gasped.
The Curly that she called was none other than her best little friend that always accompanied her along with Aryl. Times had passed and she almost forgot about her little friend who have saved her life nine years ago. She couldn't wait to meet him and asked again. "My Lord, may I meet him?"
Ian moved from his place, taking a seat at his chair and had a very faint knit on his brow. Every time Elise had called him "Lord" and "Lord" over and over again but when she called the Cerberus by its name he found it rather irritating that he had lost from the small dog.
"Sure." He gave his consent lightly, his eyes deeply thinking something as he grinned. "He's a little fierce so mind his behavior, at the moment he's staying at the shed you could meet him later when time permits. Also, take a seat puppy."
Elise glance at the seat that he pointed on the right side of his arm and took a seat carefully. Although, Elise had a good memory and remembered the book's content of table etiquettes fairly well, she had never have the chance to use it in practice. Thus she took her time examining the different silver utensils at the table and chose the one she remembered her book said to eat the dishes that the rest of the maids and cooks prepared.
Ian didn't say anything, he stared at Elise moving her hand, being particularly careful in everything she did and spoke lightly. "You can eat and relax, puppy don't mind the little things."
Elise turned her head and felt her heart thudding loudly again when she realized how close the distance between them was. She nodded faintly, "Yes, my lord."
Ian had stopped counting how many times she had been calling him "as a nameless Lord". He placed down his fork faintly and brought up the matter. "Master Ian."
Elise didn't quite catch what he said and turned to ask. "Pardon?"
"Master Ian. I thought that was what you called me in the past." He smiled picking his fork again, "I like that better than 'Lord'."
Elise's eyelashes fluttered, the gaze that accompanied his words were deeply bewitching that she couldn't look at him straight without having her heart bursting to a loud thumping. "Yes, my lord."
"Master Ian." He corrected.
She evaded his gaze with her eyelashes draping down and hint of pink had spread over her cheeks replied again. "Yes, master Ian."
Finally achieving what he wanted her to say, Ian had a face of satisfaction as though he finally achieved something grand. He pulled his right lips and chuckled while praising. "Good girl."
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