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I would just eat in my bedroom, but the view of the garden was so beautiful, and I needed a change of scenery. Otherwise, I would lose my mind stuck in my bedroom all day. Gilbert lifted the teapot and poured the lavender-flavored tea into my teacup before he excused himself.
Footsteps sounded behind me, loud and quick, moving with purpose.
“Your Highness?” Gilbert’s voice turned a little frantic at the unexpected visit. “I was just about to bring your tray—”
“I’ll take lunch here.” He moved to the seat across from me, in a long-sleeved black shirt, his eyes immediately absorbing my face like he hadn’t stared at it for hours last night. There were no bags under his eyes, like he never got tired, even when he hardly slept. “As I will every day from now on.”
Gilbert looked like a cat thrown out into the rain. The unexpected change in schedule and setting made a fuse burn in his brain. He took a moment to recover himself before he headed into the kitchen to grab the tray.
I watched Fender stare at me, hardly recognizing the man right in front of me. One conversation had changed everything, brought back the man I’d missed since the camp. His eyes didn’t burn with resentment and bitterness. Now, he looked at me openly, like he could stare at nothing else but me and be perfectly content.
Gilbert returned a moment later and placed Fender’s lunch in front of him, which was different from mine. He had a big portion of pasta, a salad, more bread, and desserts. A glass of water was placed next to his food since he didn’t drink tea. “Anything else I can get your, sir?” Gilbert had composed himself once more, overcoming the shock of Fender’s decision.
Fender dropped his gaze to my meal, which was a salad with a small piece of salmon on top. “Gilbert?”
“Yes?” he asked eagerly. “How may I service you?” The look he gave Fender was full of so much enthusiasm that he would obey any command that Fender gave. If Fender told him to jump off a bridge, he would consider it a great honor and do it. The interactions I witnessed were limited, but it was very clear that Gilbert’s entire existence was dependent on Fender’s satisfaction.
“Her meal is different from mine.” He shifted his gaze to Gilbert. “Why?”
Gilbert instantly breathed harder at the eye contact, faltering for a moment when he was the recipient of that stare, but not out of fear. Another reason altogether. “Sir, I just thought—”
“I’d been gaining some weight.” I cleared my throat. “Thought I needed to cut back a bit…”
Fender stared at Gilbert for another moment before he slowly turned to face me, his dark eyes regarding me with suspicion.
Gilbert glanced at me.
Fender started to look angry, as if he knew I was lying. He turned back to Gilbert. “Melanie and I will have the same meals. Is that understood, Gilbert?”
Gilbert held his breath and nodded. “Of course, sir.” He turned to leave.
“And that starts now.”
Gilbert stilled then turned back around. “Sir, the chef—”
“We’ll wait.” He grabbed my plate and held it out to Gilbert without looking at him. His eyes were on me, still angry, like I would get punished for this when we were alone together.
Gilbert hesitated before he took the plate. “Of course…right away.” He excused himself from the dining room in a hurry.
Fender pushed his food across the table in front of me. “Eat.”
My heart raced so quickly in my chest, and my blood pressure immediately spiked. It made it hard to hear because of the loud thumping noise. My eyes even began to hurt. “I’ll wait for your—”
“I said eat.”
I immediately grabbed the fork and spun it inside the pasta, which was still steaming because it was just prepared by the chef. His lunch looked way better than mine had, and I could sense the taste before the food was even in my mouth. “I just didn’t want Gilbert—”
“You’re the lady of this house. You will eat as such. You will enjoy every single luxury that I’ve worked for. If you’ve gained weight, I haven’t noticed. If you continue to gain weight, I still won’t notice. Do you understand me?” He spoke to me like he did his men at the camp, issuing orders in expectation of complete obedience.
I gave a slight nod. “Yes.”
He nodded to the food. “Chérie.”
I still held the fork, the steam rising up and filling the air with the scent of fresh pasta with hints of olive oil and basil. I spun my utensil around and caught the noodles before placing it into my mouth, my tongue flooded with the incredible goodness that made me close my eyes for a brief moment.
His eyes were glued to my face, watching every little reaction I had like it was fascinating. That was how we spent the next few minutes, me eating and him watching.
