The Night I Was Told to Stay

“By no means did I have any such intention, Your Grace.”

It was a situation similar to the porcelain incident.
Eren had been mindful of the letter, but Jerry had not properly followed his instructions, leading to this mess.
Thus, to get out of this awkward situation, he could have blamed Jerry.
After all, it was actually his fault.

However, Eren knew Kazen well.
In any case, Kazen had entrusted the task to Eren, so Eren had to take full responsibility for the outcome.
Pointlessly mentioning someone else would only stoke his anger further; that much was obvious.

“I forgot to send the letter.
My sincerest apologies.”

Without hiding his devastated feelings, Eren bowed his head to him.
Sensing that Kazen’s harsh rebuke would follow any moment, Eren tightly shut his eyes.
Instead, however, the shoe that had been pressing down on the back of his hand slid away.

“Look up.”

At the sound of Kazen’s cold voice dropping onto the crown of his head, Eren lifted his bowed head.
Kazen took a step back and slowly lowered himself into a seat.
Bringing his eye level even, Kazen reached out and flicked Eren’s nose bridge with his finger, not hard enough to hurt.

“I’ll let it slide just this once.”

It was the first time Kazen had so graciously forgiven his transgression.
Therefore, rather than feeling relieved, Eren felt bewildered and even more frightened.
He wondered if, just as he had let Jerry’s mistake slide, Kazen had now given up on him.

“Stop disappointing me.”

The word ‘disappointment’ coming from Kazen’s lips felt like a heavy responsibility to Eren.
He couldn’t bear how pathetic he was, unable to properly handle even a trivial matter.

“My most sincere apologies, Your Grace.
Even if I had ten mouths, I would have nothing to say for myself.
I will do anything to make amends for my failure.”

“Good.
Naturally, you should.”

Kazen nodded as if he had naturally expected Eren to say that.

“Is there something you wish to command me to do?”

“I’ll tell you about that later.
For now, start preparing for dinner.
You know how picky Lady Aila’s tastes are, don’t you?
Make sure everything is well-prepared so there’s no complaining later.”

One of the many reasons Kazen disliked Aila was that she was too finicky.
She was quick to find fault with this and that, often irritating Kazen.

“Yes, I will prepare everything without any shortcomings!”

Eren shot to his feet and answered with grave determination.
Having already disappointed Kazen once, he could not allow a second time himself.
He wanted to fulfill his duties more perfectly than ever before.

Brimming with motivation, Eren immediately dashed to the kitchen and threw himself into the dinner preparations.
While Brennen went down to the underground wine cellar to select the finest wines, Eren polished the silverware and set the table.

“Use pork and beef to an absolute minimum.
Lady Aila does not care for red meat.
Take out all the seafood we have and use it; if it’s insufficient, go out and buy more immediately.”

Originally, overseeing a grand dinner like this in a large mansion was the role of the mistress, the Duchess.
But in the Ducal residence, currently lacking a Duchess, Eren was the only one to shoulder the task.

For something prepared in a hurry, the table was being set without major issues.
While Eren was busily running between the kitchen and the dining room, someone made an appearance.

“It was so noisy, I came to see.
Is the preparation still not finished?”

“Greetings, Madam.
It has been a while.”

Eren bowed his head to Catherine, who was scanning the dining table with a displeased look.
Her cold blue eyes, so much like Kazen’s, swept over him dismissively.

“Tsk.
What a mess.”

At Catherine’s brief assessment, Eren gulped.
She sighed deeply, her eyes roaming over the table with evident dissatisfaction.

“What kind of presentation is this?
I’ve always said the appetizers, main dishes, and desserts must harmonize.”

When Catherine had lived in the Ducal residence, every single day truly had been hell.
She had a personality that couldn’t tolerate anything less than obsessive perfection in all matters, and she never found anything Eren did to her liking.

“It’s quite a skill, not improving even after doing this so many times.
It seems there are some things that, with a base birth like yours, can never be overcome.”

As Catherine’s sharp personal attacks poured down, Eren hung his head low.

“My apologies, Madam.
If you could point out what can be corrected, I will do my utmost to rectify it promptly.”

“Rectify?
Now?”

Hearing the icy edge in Catherine’s voice, memories he had barely forgotten resurfaced.

‘I suppose you’ve heard about the missing silver candlesticks and cutlery?
Confess your fault now, and I will forgive you.’

‘Madam, I know nothing of this matter.’

‘Then, are you saying a servant I selected stole them?
You are the only one in this residence with an unclear background.’

Whenever an unfortunate incident occurred in the mansion, Catherine would summon Eren and reprimand him.
Eren had to bow his head and beg for forgiveness even for things he hadn’t done.
He was terrified that if he were wrongly accused and driven from the mansion, he would never be able to serve Kazen again.

“This is truly the worst.
Take it away.”

Catherine picked up the Tourte containing veal and threw it at Eren.
In the blink of an eye, the pie dish the head chef had painstakingly prepared hit Eren’s chest and fell onto the carpet.

‘That expensive thing….’

Eren’s heart ached more at the waste of the costly food than from being hit by the pie itself.
Regardless, Catherine, paying no mind, picked up plates from the table she didn’t like and pushed them aside into a pile.

“Mother, we have a guest.
What is all this commotion?”

At that moment, a heavy voice echoed into the dining room.
Catherine, who had been huffing as she sorted plates, turned to look at the speaker, Kazen.
In the meantime, Eren swiftly picked up a napkin and handed it to her.

Catherine snatched the napkin, wiped her hands, and glared at Kazen.

“Kazen, what kind of hospitality is this?
Did you intend to receive Lady Aila with a meal like this?”

Then, as if she had been waiting for Kazen to appear, she launched into her complaints.
Eren finally understood the reason for her anger.
It wasn’t so much that she was displeased with the meal Eren had prepared, but clearly she was upset that Kazen wasn’t welcoming Aila warmly enough.

“Wasn’t this what you dined on daily when you resided in the Ducal residence, Mother?
Are you saying you didn’t care for it?”

Kazen asked, looking over the dishes Catherine had pushed to one side of the table.
For a moment, Catherine’s eyes widened as if she was at a loss for words.

Originally, Catherine had lived in the Ducal residence, so these dishes were familiar menus to her as well.
It was just that she had grown accustomed to the palate of the Felosia royal palace after entering it following Aila.
Ultimately, it created a contradictory situation where she was denying her own past.

“I was merely trying to ensure Lady Aila is received without any discomfort.”

Catherine grumbled, sounding aggrieved.

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness for me, but I am not experiencing any discomfort even now.”

Just then, Aila, entering the dining room, interjected into their conversation.

Startled by the sudden voice, Eren also turned to look toward the entrance.
Aila, dressed in a flowing empire-waist dress, looked exquisitely delicate and beautiful.
With elegant steps, she approached the table and examined the food Catherine had pushed aside.

“I find everything you’ve prepared quite lovely.
Since I didn’t bring my own chef, I will be content with what you offer.”

Her tone was gentle, but the implied meaning was that the table setting was not entirely to her liking.

“How is it that you, My Lady, are as gracious and saintly as silk?”

Whether she understood the implied meaning or not, Catherine beamed brightly.
All traces of her earlier indignation gone, she approached Aila with a gentle demeanor and took her hand.

“Please understand, even if the food is humble.
I have been away from this residence for so long that there are too many shortcomings; it’s simply embarrassing.”

“I was taught that being picky about food is a shameful thing.
So, why don’t we stop worrying and all take our seats?”

Aila’s appearance, seen after so long, was truly full of grace.
Unconsciously, Eren stood to one side of the dining room, stealing glances at Aila.

Aila was a princess from the neighboring kingdom of Felosia.
Born the eighth child among nine siblings, she had been raised receiving truly precious treatment.
Thanks to her noble birth, there likely existed no curves in the path of her life.

Perhaps the only stumbling block in her life was Kazen alone.
To anyone seeing them, the two did not seem to get along very well.
It hadn’t been like that from the start, but recently, they felt a bit more distant.

“Let us begin by serving the aperitif.”

Just then, Brennen appeared in the dining room carrying wine.
From here on, it was the butler’s role to step forward and attend to the guests.
After all, Catherine also favored Brennen more.

“Then, please enjoy your meal, and if there is anything lacking, please call for me.”

As Eren bowed and tried to extricate himself from the family gathering, Kazen suddenly grabbed his hand.
Caught off guard, Eren nearly let out a yelp.

“Stay here.”