Misfortune 73

Chapter 73

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Roan asked, as if he had heard something unexpected, and Delnia calmly explained.

"You saved me when I fell off the ship."

"Ah."

Roan let out a short sigh. As if he hadn't expected to be thanked for something so obvious.

But to Delnia, he had indeed saved her life.

He hated her more than anyone in the world, and yet he wouldn't let her die.

What Roan was thinking when he saved her was unknown. Was it simply an extension of his sense of duty to leave no drowning person behind? Or something else.

But whatever it was, there was no doubt that she had him to thank.

Without hesitation, therefore, Delnia bowed deeply.

"Thank you for saving me, master."

Roan felt a definite twinge of displeasure at the woman's stiff bow.

It wasn't the greeting, if anything, it was the title that came out of her mouth.

She seemed to have no qualms about calling him master now.

But the more she seemed unconcerned, the more uncomfortable he felt. The title stuck in his throat like a ton of sand in his ears.

It was he who had once vowed to make her mouth say "master" obediently.

He deliberately looked away, as if rebelling against the uncomfortable sensation that had been grating on his nerves.

The plump grapes he'd left on the far corner of his desk invaded his vision. At the same time, his full lips drew a stiff arc.

"That's enough, come closer."

"What?"

Delnia stiffened at the unexpected command. Roan was gesturing for her to approach him.

She still didn't understand why, but Delnia obeyed his orders. Meanwhile, Roan pulled the tray from the corner of the desk back in front of him.

Delnia's eyes fluttered slightly as she caught sight of the luscious grapes on it.

Roan, on the other hand, plucked a grape leisurely with his long fingers.

The clear green color of the grape in his large hand transported her back to the past. As always, she couldn't help it.

She had snatched a handful and ran looking for him, eager to give him a taste of the sweet fruit she'd tasted for the first time.

And when she finally found him, she remembered with painful clarity the moment she'd spilled the grapes all over his big palm.

She wanted to give him only the best. She felt like she could give and give and give and give and never run out.

Even though she was young, even though she didn't know anything, it was still a clear love.

She loved him so much. This man.

Now it was so vivid that she felt lightheaded, as if she could grab hold of a heart she thought would never beat again.

Delnia tore her eyes away from the fresh green. She'd seen how the irises were trampled, and she'd had enough of having her heart broken by the remnants of a past that only she could cherish.

But at that moment, something was thrust towards her face. At the same time, a sweet smell hit her nose.

"What.................."

Delnia reflexively lowered her head, and her vision caught a glossy, lime-green grape at her chin.

Delnia's gaze slid down to the fingers holding the grape. It didn't take long before her eyes locked with the man's, who was staring at her, his chin set at an angle on the desk.

The man's mouth was set tightly shut as he held the grape to her lips, but his blue eyes were suggestive.

Delnia raised her hand to take the grape, feeling a little hesitant.

But his hand slipped away from hers.

She frowned slightly at the inexplicable behavior and withdrew her hand, and his hand, which had fled, returned to its original position.

Then, as the smooth grape grazed her full lips, a thought flashed through her mind.

'No way................'

Did he want her to eat it directly from his hand?

Delnia couldn't help but be horrified at the thought.

Feeding was something she had never done before, not even when she was pouring her heart out to him.

But Roan couldn't help but watch with amusement as Delnia's face flushed with horror. He was pleased that she finally had the right answer.

"I, I.................."

"I thought you said you'd do anything."

Delnia's attempts to avoid the situation at all costs were cut short by the man's simple words.

There seemed to be no way to beat a man who wielded her words as if they were a decisive weapon. She felt like she had walked into a trap of her own making.

What the hell was she thinking?

His lake-blue eyes were transparent enough to see right through, but they were also eerily deep enough that she couldn't guess what lurked beneath them.

Delnia finally gave up trying to decipher his meaning and opened her mouth slightly. Better to get it over with than to have to deal with something she couldn't understand anyway.

As if in anticipation, his fingers slowly slid the grape  through the tiny crack of her parted lips.

The grape slowly slid into her mouth at such a slow pace that she couldn't tell if his hand was too relaxed or if time was slowing down.

Why?

Her hands and feet were stiff and her breathing was labored over nothing. She wanted to run away from this tense silence, from the sound of her own swallowing.

She wanted to just swallow the grape and get rid of this mysterious tension, but her already stiffened tongue was in no mood to listen to her.

As she struggled to breathe, the grape was now halfway to its round shape, filling her mouth.

The problem was, the man's hand still hadn't pulled away.

Long fingers crept up to the inside of her lips where the grape had been pushed in. Her lips parted a little further in surprise as the firm fingertip touched them.

The persistent fingers slowly withdrew, leaving the grape  firmly planted deep inside her mouth.

Delnia let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding.

But her guard had been raised somewhat.

His fingers, which she thought were withdrawing with her hot breath, grazed her lips one last time.

The heat of his fingertips flickered across her lips, and Delnia jerked away, chomping her teeth.

The grape rolling around in her mouth popped under the sudden pressure.

By then, the man was still staring at her, his jaw still clenched.

She wondered if it was just her imagination that the smile at the corners of his mouth seemed somehow lascivious.

“It’s okay.”

The man muttered calmly, as if he knew it well enough without having to taste it. He slowly touched his own lips with the fingertips that had touched her lips.

Delnia’s mouth was filled with sweet juice that she couldn't swallow or spit out.

The green grapes she ate after a long time were so sweet that her tongue felt numb.

***

It was an unusually peaceful weekend. The air was crisp, the sun was warm, and the laundry looked like it could not have been drier.

Sadly, Roan was not rewarded with such a nice day, but was instead being tortured by his maid.

"I don't know what the lady had been through in the capital to hear the doctor diagnose her condition of being weak."

The nuance of the doctor’s words was tinged with a hint of annoyance at him.

Roan was not surprised to hear of the woman's weakness, of course.

But given everything that had happened to her recently, it was hard not to be. He had seen her lay sick in bed more times than he hadn't.

Feeling a sense of responsibility, he threw his full support behind Leticia's efforts to care for Delnia. Mostly financially.

But that didn't seem to be enough to satisfy the stern maid.

"After just a few days of eating and sleeping, her condition is noticeably better."

Roan endured Leticia's nagging in silence, remembering the woman who was changing from day to day. As always, his maid was never wrong.

Leticia was, after all, a woman of generous nature, and she had a special talent for taking care of others, and Delnia was reaping the benefits.

The color had returned to her pale face, and her dry skin had begun to glow with a silky sheen, as if the nutritious diet of expensive ingredients had shown its effects. He couldn't help but feel lighter.

It must have been rewarding for Leticia to see the change in Roan's eyes.

"So."

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