6 - Lesson Before War

Sienna POV

I had a feeling that after I finished eating, Red would make me do something intense. He was probably going to talk to Belle and tell her to give me a hard time. I narrowed my eyes at him. Behind that serious face, I was sure he was planning something to get back at me for what I did earlier. He was lucky he only had to smell my morning breath.

Suddenly, someone pushed me, almost making me fall flat on the floor. Irritated, I turned to Nicolas, who was giving me an awkward smile. I glared at him.

“Why did you push me?!”

“Sir has been calling you for a while. Maybe because you haven’t eaten yet, your mind is flying somewhere else.”

“Even you, Nicolas, would probably go crazy if you hadn’t eaten anything.” I looked at Red. He was sitting facing them, so I had a clear view of his expression. “What was that? Can you repeat it? It didn’t reach my ears.”

Red slowly shook his head.

“I do have plans for you—to learn everything Belle will teach you as soon as possible.”

“I can handle that, as long as you feed me first.”

Red sighed and gestured to Nicolas.

“Take her to the kitchen, Nicolas. Feed her everything that will help her brain function.”

My eyes narrowed. Did he really think I wasn’t smart? I graduated with honors in elementary school!

“Let’s go, Ms. Sienna.”

I rolled my eyes at Red. Not like he could see it anyway, so it was fine. I flashed Belle a big smile, even though she was already frowning while examining every inch of me.

---

Nicolas and I walked through the extremely long hallway—far longer than any palace corridor. Seriously, only a few people lived here yet the house was massive. I glanced at every display we passed, resisting the urge to touch anything. I didn’t want to accidentally break something and end up paying for it with more than my salary.

We entered a spacious kitchen. I actually enjoyed cooking, so seeing such a clean and elegant kitchen made me excited. It looked so fresh and inviting, perfect for cooking. Maybe I could try it sometime—when Red wasn’t around.

“The maids here must be earning a lot, right?”

Nicolas stopped beside a narrow stone island table, as tall as our chests, paired with equally high chairs.

“Yes. Around one hundred thousand a month.”

My eyes widened and I moved closer to Nicolas, so close I could see his pores despite how handsome he was. He pushed my forehead back, clearly uncomfortable.

“You’re a little too close, Ms. Sienna. And that salary isn’t really surprising.”

“What do you mean? The highest I’ve heard is fifteen thousand! And here, it’s one hundred thousand. If it’s not surprising to you, it definitely is for me.”

For someone as strict as Red, he sure paid his staff generously. Maybe I should just become a maid instead of his fake girlfriend. That sounded like a good idea. I should try asking him later.

“I may not be a mind reader, but I can already tell what you’re thinking, Ms. Sienna. Sir won’t change his mind. You already signed a contract, so there’s no backing out.”

I grinned so wide my eyes were basically smiling too.

“It was worth a try.”

Nicolas shook his head and instructed one of the maids to prepare food. I climbed onto the tall chair, almost falling off in the process. I waited quietly while Nicolas stood beside me.

“Do you want to sit? Have you eaten?”

“Yes. I eat before Sir Red.”

“Why?” I asked, confused.

“I wake up earlier, and besides, after he eats, we immediately leave. I can’t afford to be late unless I want to starve while we’re out.”

“You’re a butler, right?”

“Yes.”

“Shouldn’t you be staying here at home?”

He blinked several times, as if he just realized that too.

“Just because I’m a butler doesn’t mean I should stay in the house. I’m practically Sir’s secretary as well, even though he already has one at the company.”

“Wow. You really do a lot.” I pouted.

“You’re here to eat, Sienna. Not to chat with Nicolas.”

I turned around. Seriously, Red must be on his period—his mood was terrible. And my food wasn’t even served yet.

“We can still talk. And besides, what are you doing here?”

Red tilted his head slightly.

“As far as I know, this is my house and my kitchen.”

“I never said it wasn’t your house. I just asked why you were here in the kitchen.”

I wasn’t saying anything wrong.

Nicolas moved closer to me and gestured me to calm down, fear visible in his eyes. I glanced back at Red, and of course—there it was again, that dark aura surrounding him. His face was scrunched up in annoyance.

“What are you doing here? Do you want to eat too? We can eat together,” I said cheerfully.

“I can eat alone.”

I pursed my lips. He was so grumpy.

“Hurry up. You’re wasting time.”

“Yeah, yeah, you can go now.”

I faced the table as the maid set down an excessive amount of food, as if I had ordered for five people. I dug in, ignoring whether Red had left or not.

---

After eating, I leaned back against the chair. I was so full from the dishes that were all new to my taste buds. I needed the energy, so I ate until I couldn’t take another bite.

“Stand up, Ms. Sienna. Let’s go back to the living room.”

I looked at Nicolas, who had been standing beside me the whole time.

“Can I extend for thirty minutes? My stomach’s too big to walk right now.”

Nicolas smiled. He really was handsome.

“We can’t stay here any longer. You might face the worse version of Sir Red.”

“Tsk… even if he breathes fire, I don’t care. But fine!”

I stepped down from the tall chair, nearly throwing up because of the sudden drop. Who designed chairs like these?

We walked out of the kitchen, though I lagged slightly behind because walking fast with a full stomach was torture.

When we reached the living room, Belle immediately stood up. Red was there too, standing in front of a transparent wall that showed the outside view.

As if he could actually see anything out there.

“Let’s start!” Belle said with a bright smile.

My smile, however, didn’t even reach my cheeks. I was definitely not ready.

“Our first lesson today is Poise and Posture.”