Lucien stood upright, his back as straight as ever, and his hands buried in his trouser pockets. In front of him was Melissa, her face twisted in a ghastly expression of fear, as if she had seen a ghost in the flesh. Her eyes trembled, and her hands covered her mouth. She looked so comically afraid that he would have burst out laughing if his body ever allowed such outbursts. All he could remember were the faint smiles he offered when something was truly laughable, and even those were rare, for he seldom found himself laughing in jokes.

  ?

  "What are you doing here?" Lucien asked sharply. He had intended to ask in a gentler manner, but his body was ill-suited for soft words.

  ?

  "..I-I was just looking out the window. And why do you care what I'm doing, huh?" Melissa replied, her voice quivering at first, but she tried to regain her composure. She adjusted herself, attempting to push back, but it was not very convincing; her eyes darted as though she were hiding something from him.

  ?

  "Let me see why you were looking out the window," Lucien said, gently pushing her aside. She was so lightweight that she yielded instantly, almost as if she offered no resistance at all.

  ?

  Lucien approached the window and only saw the garden. There was nothing special about it. He squinted, searching for something he might have missed. Then his own faint reflection appeared on the glass as he leaned closer. His eye twitched. Reaching into his dimensional ring, he drew out a comb and meticulously adjusted his hair, compelled by an obsessive urge that screamed at him to perfect his slightly unadjusted hair.

  ?

  When Lucien finished, he found Melissa silent as a squirrel. He finally understood what she had been doing and why she had been jumping earlier. She was overjoyed by her own transformation, clearly excited because she had become even more beautiful. Her hair, which had been black, now shimmered gold and tumbled down her back like a waterfall, though it needed to be combed. Her hair was unkempt, but he did not say so out loud. Her face now glowed with a youthful luster, as if it had never been exposed to the sun.

  ?

  Melissa immediately covered her face with her hands. Lucien felt a twinge of embarrassment for having studied her so intently. He waited for her to lower her hands, and he waited some more. She kept them pressed against her face for what felt like hours, until at last she parted her fingers slightly and peered at him through the gap.

  ?

  "Let’s go and have something to eat. You must be hungry since you have not eaten anything since yesterday," Lucien said. After much reluctance, Melissa finally lowered her hands, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

  ?

  Lucien received neither a reply nor a nod from her. "Do you not want to eat or not?" he asked, raising his right eyebrow ever so slightly. He was genuinely wondering whether she was feeling hungry or not.

  ?

  "...Umm, I ate the bread I brought with me. I am not that hungry," Melissa said, but as if on cue, her stomach growled loudly, betraying her. Melissa's already flushed face deepened to an even brighter red. At last, she nodded.

  ?

  Hearing her stomach growl, Lucien’s own stomach rumbled in response. He realized he was also quite hungry. Lucien’s eye twitched slightly, and Melissa turned her head toward the window, clearly trying to hide her face. Whether she was hiding her laughter or was just too embarrassed to show her face, Lucien did not know.

  ?

  "Follow me," Lucien instructed, taking the lead. Soon, Melissa fell in step behind him.

  ?

  ***

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  In the dining room, Lucien sat directly across from Melissa, facing her. She looked very uncomfortable in her chair.

  ?

  Lucien glanced around the dining room. It was a vast rectangular space with a table that stretched so long it could easily seat more than twenty people. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and lamps lined the walls. Beautiful murals were carved and painted across both the ceilings and walls.

  ?

  Lucien glanced at Melissa's plate. She had barely eaten anything since yesterday, except for the bread she mentioned. Her plate held only a small portion of vegetables and rice, so little that he questioned whether it would satisfy her hunger. The table was laden with food, so much that most of it would surely be left over. Yet Melissa had only taken rice and vegetables that were near her on the table. He was at least glad that the leftovers would be eaten by the servants and maids later, rather than being thrown away.

  ?

  Melissa was likely having a hard time sitting at a table that was so huge and so heavily laden with food; it was probably her first experience in such a setting. He sighed inwardly at her reluctance to eat anything but vegetables and rice, not daring to reach for the meat that was placed in the center of the table. She seemed embarrassed to reach for the meat that was faraway from her.

  ?

  "You can ask the maids to serve you food that you like. Why are you only picking vegetables and rice? Do you not like meat?" Lucien asked, irritation creeping into his voice at how shy she had become, refusing to reach for the more substantial and tastier dishes like meat and sweets.

  ?

  Melissa squeaked in her seat at his words and looked up at him. "...Umm, ..aahh, I do like meat. It’s just that it is so far away from my seat," she stammered, then stood and tried to reach for the plate piled with grilled meat skewers.

  ?

  "Maids, put some meat on her plate. One of you stands beside her the entire time, and if she wants anything, place it on her plate," Lucien ordered. Immediately, a maid who had been standing in the corner walked toward Melissa, her steps dignified, and she held that trained poker face. Melissa quickly sat down in her chair.

  ?

  "Allow me to serve you, my lady," the maid said, effortlessly placing the meat skewers on Melissa's plate with a pair of tongs. The maid's brown hair was braided back into a bun, her black eyes striking against her beautiful, youthful face; it was clear she took great care of her appearance. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and wore the standard black maid's outfit with white embroidery.

  ?

  "Um, okay. Thanks," Melissa said, a smile breaking through as she expressed her gratitude. At last, Lucien felt good to see her plate filled with meat.

  ?

  The brown-haired maid stood just behind Melissa, poised to assist her at any moment.

  ?

  "Eat as you please. There is no need to worry about me," Lucien said as he reached for a meatball with his fork. He ate with effortless grace, chewing in silence. Melissa watched him, but he felt not the slightest bit self-conscious about being observed by such a beautiful girl while he ate. In his previous life, he would have stammered and quivered if someone so beautiful looked at him while he ate. He would have likely choked on his food.

  ?

  Melissa nodded and began to eat with less hesitation. Lucien's words proved effective, for Melissa soon asked for a drink, and the maid promptly filled a glass with fruit juice and handed it to her.

  ?

  Lucien finally felt relieved to see Melissa eating a proper meal. He remembered that she had been about to eat dinner the night before, but because he had needed her to hurry, she had arrived on an empty stomach. He felt a pang of guilt, knowing she must have been hungry all this time. Although she claimed to have eaten bread, he knew it was hardly enough to satisfy anyone's hunger.

  ?

  Lucien saw Melissa struggling to cut the meat skewers with her knife. Thankfully, the maid standing behind her immediately stepped in, slicing the skewers into small pieces and removing the bones with practiced ease. Melissa thanked her quietly.

  ?

  Lucien turned his gaze down at his food, not wanting to make her feel timid or embarrassed by his looks. He was pleased to see that, despite her earlier struggles with the meat, Melissa ate gracefully; she did not make any noise while chewing, and her mouth remained closed while she chewed her food.

  ?

  Lucien gave her an internal nod of approval.

  ?

  "Umm.. What about the duke and duchess? Won’t they get angry seeing that we did not wait for them?" Melissa asked, her face latched with worry, as if she had committed some grave offense by not waiting for them.

  ?

  Lucien finished chewing and swallowed before answering. "They will be dining privately in their chambers," he replied. Only then did Melissa's face relax in relief. One of the servants had informed him beforehand that they would not be joining them for lunch. Otherwise, he would have waited for them. It had been ages since the whole family had shared a meal together.

  ?

  Soon, the dining room grew quiet as both of them focused on their food. They busied themselves with their meals and did not speak until they were full. Lucien was very hungry and ate huge chunks of food without a single shred of shame; he had not eaten anything since leaving the stronghold in search of Melissa. He had only managed to have tea and cookies in the morning, and that too only after healing his mother with Melissa's help.