Page 118 of King of Ruin

“Even when he thought I wasn’t noticing, I could see it. The small things he did. The little changes he made for me.”

Her eyes softened.

“And honestly… those things meant more to me than grand gestures ever could.”

For a moment, she became quiet, lost in the memories of a time that now felt impossibly distant.

Then she smiled again.

“You know, I’m actually allergic to seafood.”

Astrid tilted her head slightly, listening.

“I can’t eat it at all. Even a small amount can cause a reaction. I get rashes, and sometimes it gets really uncomfortable.”

Elise gave a small embarrassed laugh.

“One day, Xavier was eating seafood, and I didn’t know one of the dishes the maids had prepared had shrimp in it. I accidentally ate some.”

Her smile faded slightly as she remembered.

“The reaction was terrible.”

Astrid’s brows immediately drew together, concern flashing across her face.

“What happened?”

“I broke out in rashes everywhere.”

Elise looked down, the memory bringing back the chaos of that day. She could still remember Xavier’s expression when he saw her skin turning red, the way his usual calm composure had disappeared in an instant.

A small smile returned to Elise's lips, her eyes growing distant with the memory.

"Later, one of the maids told me that after finding out I'd had an allergic reaction because of the seafood, Xavier ordered them not to cook seafood in the house anymore."

A soft laugh escaped her, warm and almost embarrassed.

"I swear... it was so sweet that I almost cried."

Astrid couldn't help smiling at the tenderness in her voice.

"But I also knew how much he loved seafood," Elise continued, shaking her head with quiet amusement. "He used to eat it every two or three days. I think it was probably his favorite food."

Her smile lingered, though it carried a trace of melancholy now.

"I didn't want him to give up something he loved just because of me. Even if he was willing to do it... it didn't feel right. I couldn't accept the idea that something made him happy, and he had to lose it because I couldn't eat it."

She lowered her gaze, absently tracing the rim of her teacup with her fingertip as the memory unfolded in her mind.

"So after he told the staff not to prepare seafood anymore, I secretly went to the kitchen and asked the maids to cook it anyway."

Astrid let out an amused laugh.

"You did?"

Elise nodded, laughing with her.

"I would ask them to make it during one of his meals—sometimes lunch, sometimes dinner—and then I'd carry it to him myself."