48. The Duke’s Seal and a Date

 By Antoinette Vanessa February 7, 2023

At a later date, on a holiday…

Invited by Dylan, Avril came to visit a villa of the Duke of Lancester located in the outskirts of the royal capital.

“…For there to be a palace in a place such as this—!”

A spacious garden and a white castle. The majestic appearance of the villa was comparable to the townhouse in the royal capital. At the gorgeousness that was almost on par with the “palace” that Avril had resided in until not too long ago, she couldn’t help but be blown away.

“Now that I think about it, doesn’t Avril refer to our house as a palace?”

“Well…”

…Come to think of it, the Duke of Lancester is a millionaire with more than a dozen of villas in the country.

If so, why would such a wealthy duke ask her to marry him? Furthermore, he even prepared a large sum of money and alimony. Still, what an amazing contract marriage it was. As such, she couldn’t help but be grateful towards the circumstances of the Duke of Lancester and Corinna’s nightlife.

“…That’s right, did you bring lunch?”

“Uh-huh! I thought it’d be fun to pack some lunches for our long-awaited outing!”

“We have a chef at the villa. You don’t have to force yourself. Let me carry that basket.”

When Dylan offered to hold her basket, Avril refused.

“I made this lunch box. Until lunchtime, it’s my responsibility to handle.”

“…!?”

Immediately, Dylan’s sky-blue eyes widened in astonishment.

“A lunch box… made by Avril?”

“Yes! Earlier, when I offered to make some light-night snacks, you didn’t seem to hold any objections to it! Moreover, everyone in the kitchen—including Sir Chris—has poison tested it, there wouldn’t be any problems if Lord Dylan were to eat it!”

“…Basically, Chris ate it first? Without even telling me?”

“? Uhm, he was merely testing the food?”

Dylan sent a gaze of absolute zero temperature towards Chris who stood some distance away from them.

In return, Chris smirked, which seemed to annoy Dylan even more. Was he worried that Chris might be poisoned? Avril truly didn’t know.

The only thing that was certain was that he blushed slightly, with a scowl on his face.

Just what on earth happened to Lord Dylan? He was calm until a moment ago…

“Uhm, Lord Dylan?”

“Then, let’s have lunch—right at this very moment.”

“!? But there’s still a few hours until lunch? Should we really eat right now…?”

“Yes, let’s do so right away. I’ll have a table set in the garden right away.”

Dylan immediately instructed some servants. Chris said to Dylan, “But you’ll only get hungry later?” As if admonishing a child. 

In response, Dylan waved his hand as if to drive him away. He seemed fed up. Clearly, it was a show of dissatisfaction—

—Still, why?

Is Lord Dylan that hungry?

Thus, setting aside all doubts, a table was prepared for lunch amidst the rose garden where the flowers were in full bloom.

A garden sofa and a low table. Unlike a usual garden party, the setting resembled that of a picnic, and Avril’s heart fluttered in joy.

“What a dreamlike palace and garden! The Duke of Lancester has dozens of mansions in the country, right? Are they also as equally gorgeous as this one?”

“Yes, it seems to have been a hobby of my predecessors. Even so, Avril is quite knowledgeable.”

“That’s not the case! It’s only common sense mixed with imagination!”

She spoke too much…

While it was a piece of knowledge that she recalled reading from somewhere, it might not be something that a villainess would be interested in. To divert the subject, Avril swiftly opened the basket.

“Anyway! Today’s lunch is a crepe! I brought a lot of vegetables, meat, and fruits! Be sure to wrap them up and enjoy!”

“Crepe…”

“When I asked Sir Chris about Lord Dylan’s favorite food, he pointed to this. I also happen to love it! I memorized the recipe when I was a child, so I used some leftover flour and ingredients from the kitchen to make it…”

While the memory was too grimacing to be from a villainess’ childhood, Dylan never pointed that out. Instead, he eagerly peered into the basket.

“Certainly, crepes are my favorite food, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had a lunch like this…”

“That must be because you’re busy. If you don’t mind, why don’t I make it for you from now on?”

In this country, crepes were the menu of choice for special occasions such as picnics. However, being busy with work, Dylan barely had any chance to enjoy them.

Avril took a crepe and arranged vegetables, ham, and cheese on it. Then, she proceeded to roll it. Other than raw vegetables and grilled meat, the basket also had vegetables simmered in tomato sauce, along with some egg salad. Despite how simple it looked, it was a product that took a lot of effort.

“Here you go.”

“…Thank you.”

“Hehe.”

Dylan gladly received the crepe prepared by Avril and brought it to his mouth.

“…Delicious.”

“I’m glad! This is my favorite dish. Earlier, Sir Chris and the kitchen staff remarked that it was delicious, nor did it cause any upset stomachs.”

“The batter has a slight sweetness, creating a harmony with the salty ingredients. This is truly delicious.”

“Hehehe, I’m glad.”

“…But, if I had one complaint, it’s the fact that Chris was the first to taste it.”

“Hm?”

“Never mind.”

Apparently, she misheard him. A refreshing breeze, carrying the hint of flowers, blew in the rose garden.

Avril diligently wrapped various vegetables and fruits in a crepe which Dylan then ate. He urged her to eat as well, but she only smiled and prepared more crepes.

…I had too much during the tasting period.

Avril was so full, she wouldn’t feel like eating until at least dinner. Yet, who’d expect for “lunch time” to come so early in the morning?

After finishing the meal, Dylan had some tea prepared.

“…It was truly delicious. It reminded of a time when I came to this garden with my mother.”

…That was probably the main topic of the day.

Thus, Avril placed the rest of the crepe on the plate and turned to Dylan who had a serious look on his face.