Love Me a Little More

Cedric didn't stick around for long—he knew he wasn't exactly welcome here.

Huh, good for him! Wait a second... I suddenly realized I was acting like a smug little puppy, sitting on Annalise's lap, showing off to Cedric.

But now that he was gone, I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable sitting on her lap. The chair across from us was empty, and it felt like I couldn't stay like this much longer.

So, I decided to get up.

I jumped off the chair, but just before my feet hit the ground, I was suddenly lifted off the seat—Annalise had grabbed me around the waist with one hand and pulled me back onto her lap.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

What am I doing? I'm trying to escape!

I couldn't exactly say, "I was just using you to scare off Cedric," so I quickly threw on a silly grin to cover up my true intentions.

Thinking fast, I said, "I must be heavy, right? I don't want to tire you out. I'll get off now!"

Annalise didn't even hesitate. "Yes, you're heavy, but I'm not tired."

...Ouch. That one sentence hit me harder than it should've.

By the time dinner came around, Annalise finally let me go. She didn't seem as intimidating as I had thought, but she was still tough to figure out.

When I left, she didn't even look at me, just staring at the flowers like I'd never even been there.

Mila was thrilled when she saw me come out unharmed and nearly scooped me up, but I stopped her.

I wasn't in the mood to be carried again today—I had developed a bit of a psychological aversion to it.

"My legs are a bit stiff. Let's walk back, Mila," I said.

That was actually true. I hadn't dared lean back on Annalise like she was a chair, so I had been sitting up straight all afternoon. My legs had been frozen in place, making me feel like a stiff puppet. Now my whole body ached.

Mila asked, "What do you want for dinner? You barely ate anything for lunch."

I thought about it for a second, and the sugary aftertaste from earlier rose up in my stomach. I frowned and said, "I don't think I can eat..."

I hadn't eaten at lunch because I was too scared, but now I genuinely couldn't—my stomach was still full of cake, and it hadn't even had time to digest yet.

After that day, Annalise often invited me to the rose garden with her. It seemed like she spent every day there, surrounded by flowers.

The garden only had red rose, but she never seemed to get tired of it.

Cedric hadn't shown up again. He had said Annalise never took anyone to the rose garden, and it turned out he was right.

For the past few weeks, it had just been the two of us, enjoying the flowers. Even the Duke hadn't shown his face.

A noble young lady like Annalise should have been invited to all kinds of social events. After all, she was the eldest daughter of the Velmont family, so she should've been drowning in invitations. But instead, she locked herself away in the rose garden every day.

I watched her from the side as she stared off into the distance, and a sudden wave of sadness washed over me.

Is she lonely?

I tried to break the silence. "I've been going to classes lately!"

...I really need to stop blurting things out—maybe she liked the quiet. Besides, if she wanted a gossiping friend, there were plenty of noble girls who could fill that role. Definitely not me.

Annalise blinked and turned her amber eyes toward me, soft and warm.

Even though she was described as a... how should I put it... scold-happy woman in the servants' gossip and in the novel, she was always calm and composed with me.

She'd never gotten mad at my rudeness, and instead, it almost felt like she enjoyed talking to me.

I continued, "They found me a really strict tutor. I've been studying etiquette and history the moment I open my eyes every day, even memorizing things while eating lunch. It's so exhausting."

Orin wouldn't show up for a while, but in the meantime, I couldn't just sit around. Plus, the butler said he was still helping me search for a better one, so I figured I might as well keep learning while I waited—no point in wasting time.

"Why don't you move the lessons to later in the afternoon?" Annalise asked.

I didn't hesitate for a second before replying, "That would take away from our time together! It's not an option!"

I didn't tell the full truth. The real reason was that I'd discovered Annalise's cakes were way better than the ones at my afternoon tea! Meh.

That answer seemed to work, because I could almost see a fleeting smile cross her face.

Yes, that's right, keep liking me just a little more.

That day, like usual, I finished my lessons in a rush and ran out, planning to visit Annalise.

My tutor was a strict middle-aged woman. I'd been doing my best to feign the learning speed of a toddler, but even so, she was constantly shocked by my ability.

Following her principle of not letting talent go to waste, she made sure to load me up with piles of assignments every day.

I am so tired. I really need some cake right now.

Mila had been called away to do some chores, so I ran toward the rose garden alone. I was already at the entrance when, out of nowhere, a plump woman suddenly blocked my path, and I nearly bumped into her.

She frowned down at me, not even lowering her head, like she was looking at dirt on the floor.

I recognized her—it was the head maid. She often scolded Mila, and I couldn't stand her.

True to form, she was cold and harsh. "Miss, the rose garden was the Duchess' favorite garden when she was alive. It's not a playground for commoners like you. Please return to your room."

"But—" I wanted to explain that Annalise had asked me to come, but the woman clicked her tongue sharply, irritated. She shot me a disdainful look and reached out to push me aside with her finger.

"Get lost!" she hissed, her voice low but sharp.

I immediately fell silent.

The head maid stood there like she was guarding against a stray cat, watching me walk away. I returned to my room, sitting quietly on my bed.

In my past life, I had spent some time moving between various foster families. That experience of living under someone else's roof had taught me how to obey. Or rather, the consequences of disobedience had been ingrained into my subconscious.

I knew better than anyone that resistance would only bring me more pain.

Suppressing my instincts and ignoring my emotions were survival tactics I had learned over time.

Emotions surged like a rising tide, but I slapped my face and randomly picked up a book to study. I knew that whatever emotion it was, it would eventually fade away. No need to process it.

Not long after, someone knocked urgently on my door. It was loud and insistent. I opened it, and Annalise's angry face appeared.

I wasn't scared.

That was a big change, given that the first time we met, I was so terrified that I didn't dare breathe when she furrowed her brows.

"You live HERE?" Annalise snapped, her voice full of irritation. "Who put you here? No wonder I've never seen you around."

The butler answered from behind her, "It was Lord Velmont's arrangement."

Annalise waved her hand in frustration. Hearing "Lord Velmont" always seemed to rile her up. She crouched down, her eyes level with mine.

She then said, "We'll talk about that later. But why didn't you come today? I waited in the garden for you for an hour."

Emotions crashed over me like a tidal wave, and before I could stop them, tears welled up in my eyes. I didn't even understand why I felt like this.

Of all the things I'd been through, this moment wasn't even close to being one of the worst. Yet, somehow, I felt so utterly wronged.

Annalise immediately panicked. She scrambled, trying to wipe away my tears, and the butler handed her a handkerchief.

Then she realized that she had one herself. She quickly pulled it out, gently pressing it to my cheeks to wipe away the tears.

The scent that came from it was sweet—roses.

"What happened? Who upset you? Was it Cedric?" Annalise asked, her voice softer than I had ever heard it. She cupped my face in her hands, her tone surprisingly tender as she tried to comfort me.

But then, her expression changed. Her teeth clenched, and a sudden hardness took over her face. "Who was it? Tell me, and I'll make sure they regret it."