Chapter 10: Feeding That Man

It was the first thing Lucian saw when he opened his door that morning.

His face was dark and unreadable. After a long moment, he spoke. "So you're a bastard."

Damn it!

Evelyn retorted in her heart but didn't dare say a word aloud.

She had made that promise last night.

And her memory was terrible.

It's my mild sleepwalking. It flares up every time I sleep somewhere new.

When she first returned to the Hart family from the countryside, she had sleepwalked in the middle of the night and chopped at Clara's door with a kitchen knife.

It had made the Harts, who already disliked her, hate her even more.

Since then, she always remembered to lock her door in hotels.

How could I forget last night?

I was too tired, that's all.

Now that it had come to this, she knew explaining was pointless.

Fine. I give up.

She brushed herself off, said nothing, and turned to leave.

"Stop." Lucian called after her.

Evelyn looked back. "What?"

"I don't like people who break promises. This is the last time. If there's a next time, Miss Hart... you know what will happen." His voice was heavy with warning.

Evelyn took a deep breath.

Under another man's roof, you bow your head.

She raised a hand as if swearing to heaven and said with great solemnity, "It was an accident. If I ever come up here again, I'll be a dog. Is that good enough?"

Lucian looked at her, at those clear, honest eyes, and his heart gave an involuntary jolt.

The feeling was strange, and his first reaction was to resist it.

I shouldn't feel this for any woman except her.

To bury the thought, he put on a mask of calm. He glanced at Evelyn's face and said lightly, "Did you ask the dog how it feels about that?"

Then he turned and walked off.

Evelyn was so angry she nearly jumped up and down.

What kind of language is that?!

Once I'm out of this engagement and he's no use to me, I'll get my revenge in a heartbeat!

For now, I endure.

She stormed back to her room to wash up.

When she came down to the first floor, the smell of food greeted her.

A beautiful breakfast was laid out on the table.

A handsome, elegant man sat at the end, sipping coffee, a tablet in his hand, radiating a mature, polished air.

Evelyn couldn't help looking twice.

*He's a jerk. But I have to admit, that charm is dangerous!*

She dragged her eyes away and found the white wolf seated at the table, happily eating rice from a bowl.

Frost sensed her, lifted his head, abandoned his food, and pounced on her in delight.

"Awoo!" he greeted her.

"Good morning, Frosty." Evelyn patted his head.

Lucian frowned. His majestic, domineering wolf now had a babyish nickname.

"His name is Frost," he said coldly. "Not Frosty."

"But I think Frosty sounds better. Right, Frosty?" Evelyn grinned.

The wolf nodded like a bobblehead and wagged his tail.

A wolf. Wagging his tail like a dog.

Lucian couldn't bear to watch. He decided to suspend his master-and-servant relationship with the wolf for one hour.

After playing with Frost for a while, Evelyn got hungry. She skipped the food on the table and went into the kitchen instead.

She found a whole spread there!

Soy milk, regular milk, bread, steamed buns, fried eggs, in both hearty and light styles.

The variety was huge and the smells were irresistible.

She called out to the man in the next room, "Can I eat these too?"

"Whatever." Two indifferent words floated back.

She took a few steamed buns, some eggs, and a glass of soy milk to the dining table.

Sitting down, she asked, "Did you make all this yourself?"

"It's delivered by someone," Lucian said casually.

His time was precious. He didn't waste it on cooking.

"Oh, takeout. Order me some next time. We'll split the bill, I won't take advantage of you." She bit into a bun.

Lucian didn't answer.

That "private breakfast from a high-end restaurant" cost enough to make Evelyn question her life choices.

Better not to wound her.

He went back to watching the morning news on his tablet.

When Evelyn finished eating, she finally noticed that Lucian had only had coffee and hadn't touched any food.

Her sense of duty kicked in. "Why aren't you eating?"

"I have no appetite." It was the truth.

He had lost his sense of taste. Food was bland and uninteresting to him, and in the mornings he basically drank only coffee.

This breakfast service had been arranged for him by the old family home.

Evelyn knew nothing of this.

Out of a doctor's instinct, seeing his picky habits, she couldn't help but advise him.

"Regular meals are good for you."

"Look how pale you are. You obviously have stomach trouble."

She picked an egg from her plate and held it out. "Eat this."

"No." Lucian refused without a pause.

Just then, Frost trotted over, pleading with big eyes. He clearly wanted the egg.

"Frosty, stop begging. This is for your master," Evelyn said softly.

She peeled the egg.

The warm scent of egg white spread through the air, and its smooth, tender surface looked irresistible.

Lucian, whose taste had been dulled for years, suddenly felt a strange urge to eat the egg in her hand.

Seeing him hesitate, Evelyn cut the egg in half and pushed one half straight into his mouth!

Lucian instinctively tried to resist. But the moment it touched his tongue, a rich, savory flavor bloomed across his mouth.

It was only an ordinary egg. But somehow, fed by this woman, it tasted especially delicious.

My sense of taste... is it coming back?

He couldn't help chewing.

The more he ate, the better it tasted.

Seeing how happily Lucian ate, Frost grew even more interested in the other half in Evelyn's hand.

"Awoo!" He leapt up, aiming for the rest.

But Lucian was faster. He leaned forward!

He bit down on the remaining half of the egg, and on Evelyn's finger along with it!