NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
4
“Eat, why won’t you eat?” Roy was puzzled. He remembered that at the beginning of the original work, it was mentioned that Alice had spent her first night in the Ainsworth house in hunger.
But to Alice, his words sounded like the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
A maid must obey her master’s orders.
“I will eat.”
Alice, who had been abused since childhood, had never eaten proper food, let alone used a knife and fork.
Yet she dared not be rude in front of her master, so she clumsily picked up the knife and fork and began to cut the meat in front of her.
Perhaps her fingers were too stiff, or maybe she was too weak, but the knife and fork trembled and slid over the meat, leaving ridiculous scratches but never breaking through.
After all, why would the master bestow upon her such fine food?
Did she truly deserve the master’s grace?
Alice’s vision gradually blurred.
She suddenly remembered similar past events.
Whether wandering the streets, scraping by in a bar, or being held captive by traffickers in a cell.
The street vendor who threw her rotten fruit did so only to mock her, the foster father who took her in sold her off after she grew up, and the trafficker who gave her a piece of bread also bestowed upon her tenfold lashings, to engrave in her the lesson of obeying the master’s orders.
In her short life of just over a decade, she had never encountered anything good.
Not even once.
How could there be?
She was oblivious to the warmth and coldness of the world; to her, it had always been nothing but ice-cold.
Roy Ainsworth was no different.
Either he was deliberately making things difficult, to mock her ridiculous posture, or after she had eaten her fill, he would impose punishment many times over.
Alice could see no more.
Her eyes only held the dilapidated streets, the noisy taverns, the cold cells, and the terrifying faces of those who mocked her, insulted her, and treated her as an object.
Clang.
The knife and fork fell.
Alice’s breathing became rapid, cold sweat trickled down her forehead, and her heart ached as if it was about to tear apart.
It was as if those terrible memories were sweeping over her like a tidal wave.
No matter how she clutched at her chest, no matter how deeply she gasped for air, it was to no avail.
“Tsk.” Anya, who was nearby, couldn’t stand it any longer. Regardless of what Roy intended to do, she could no longer stand idly by.
However, just as Alice’s breath was about to stop, Roy’s figure came to her side.
Like a soothing lavender brought by the evening breeze.
“Take a deep breath, relax a bit.”
Warm words flowed like a gentle stream into the girl’s heart.
Alice’s breathing gradually smoothed, and the tightly furrowed brow also slowly relaxed.
She lifted her head, and it dawned on her, this place was not the cold streets, the bustling tavern, not the dark dungeon, nor was there any malicious presence.
Beneath the warm and bright dining room, there was only the boy’s handsome and gentle smile, like the stars in the night sky, and the faint scent of lavender.
Only Roy Ainsworth was by her side.
Alice felt her chest throb again, but this time it wasn’t painful, unfamiliar, tense, yet not unpleasant.
She then came back to her senses, realizing her lapse: “I’m sorry, master, I…”
“It’s okay, does your chest still hurt?” Roy asked with concern.
Alice hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
“I’m sorry, master clearly graced me with a meal, and I…”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I guess you’ve been through some bad things, but I can assure you, I’m not like them.”
Roy knew that Alice could be triggered by PTSD at the noble’s dining table, and he knew the dark past she had endured.
Despite Alice’s indifferent face, showing no emotion, and a sense of maturity beyond her age, she was after all just a fifteen-year-old girl.
The pain suppressed in her heart was bound to erupt eventually.
From noble mtl dot come
In a certain princess’s storyline, Alice even fainted directly at the dining table. And afterwards, she was cared for by the princess, which led to a romance.
But Roy was not satisfied with just replicating the original work.
He wanted to go further.
“Thank you for your concern, master, I’m fine now.”
As Alice spoke, she was about to pick up the knife and fork again, to battle with the roasted lamb chop.
However, Roy took Alice’s knife and fork first.
“Let me cut it for you.”
“How can this be?” Alice was somewhat panicked.
Even the maids who had been quietly standing by were all dumbfounded.
A noble serving a servant was rare enough, let alone Roy, the notorious young master!
“Be obedient.”
Roy’s attitude was firm, and he sat down next to Alice.
The fragrance of lavender wafted over, causing Alice to momentarily forget the respect and restraint she should have in front of her master, and she obediently nestled in Roy’s arms.
Roy, with the memories of ‘the notorious Roy’, handled the knife and fork as skillfully as he did chopsticks in his previous life, quickly cutting the sizzling, oily roasted lamb chop into bite-sized pieces.
“Be careful, it’s hot.” Roy picked up a piece of meat and placed it in front of Alice.
Alice had never been treated so gently by anyone before, and for a moment, she was taken aback, but Roy’s actions were so gentle, like a late breeze, making her not want to dislike it at all.
Moreover, Alice was indeed quite hungry.
Alice mustered her courage, opened her cherry-shaped mouth, and took the meat chunk into her mouth.
“Uh~!”
The aroma and oiliness, mixed with the unique texture of the meat, burst forth in Alice’s mouth.
The girl’s dark blue eyes, which had been dull until now, suddenly lit up for the first time!
“Is it delicious?” Roy asked with a smile.
“It’s great!” Alice said, and only then did she cover her mouth in surprise.
Under the sudden intense gaze of the youth, she felt a sense of embarrassment for no reason.
But Roy was unable to suppress his excited emotions at this moment!
【Goodwill +1】
It worked, the wind and tears of the night, plus these delicious foods, finally let the little maid put down her guard!
In the original work, one of the female protagonists had successfully narrowed the distance with Alice by feeding her sweet treats, which is why Roy copied this move.
Unfortunately, there were people like Anna watching from the side, and no matter what, they couldn’t give the maid sweet treats to eat.
Desserts in this era were quite expensive and belonged to a luxury item, and feeding them would make it easy for Anna and others to suspect.
It was impossible to continue the original work’s famous scene, letting Alice enjoy the sweetness and Roy being a little disappointed.
But the hot meal was enough for the hungry girl.
“Open your mouth, ah~”
Alice dazedly imitated Roy’s actions, like a fledgling waiting for its mother to feed it, slightly lifting her head in Roy’s lap, and cutely opening her small mouth, saying “ah~” softly.
Another bite of salad went into her mouth.
Alice may still have no expression, but she was like bathing in the noon sun, with her eyes half-closed, her bare feet under the table swaying like a wind-blown lotus flower, radiating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Giving goodwill so generously, and being so cute, she was indeed the “little angel” praised by the players of the previous life!
Roy couldn’t help but laugh like an aunt, and if the goodwill wasn’t high enough, he would have been too impudent, and he really wanted to scoop Alice up in his arms.