Chapter 29: Eat, Sleep, and Then Eat Again
Outside the window, the twilight cast a warm, golden hue.
The soft glow spilled into the living room, where a young woman was fast asleep on the sofa, a beam of light dancing across her cherubic face.
She lay sprawled on the couch, her little sleeping face utterly adorable, long lashes fluttering slightly. One could only wonder if she was dreaming again, as her closed eyes occasionally rolled around beneath the lids.
The entire living room was eerily silent, except for the faint sound of her steady, shallow breathing.
“Hu… Hu…”
Her left hand rested on her belly, rising and falling in sync with her breath.
After a moment, perhaps feeling a bit too bright, the sleeping girl smacked her lips and furrowed her brow.
“Mm… Mmm…”
She mumbled some incomprehensible gibberish, wriggling her body and nuzzling towards the edge of the sofa to escape the sunlight, then promptly stuffed her entire right thumb into her mouth.
“Smack… Smack…”
The young lady was munching on her thumb with the enthusiasm of a gourmet dining on a five-star meal.
“Mmm… I want more, umm… a whole feast…”
With her finger still in her mouth, she mumbled dreamlike words. A few moments later, her brow furrowed even deeper.
“… No… No… don’t take it away… give it back… hurry!”
Suddenly, she rolled towards the edge of the sofa, her thumb popping out with a ‘pop,’ and her right hand reached out, as if trying to grasp something elusive. The next moment, the girl’s entire upper body tumbled off the sofa, her head headed straight for the floor—
Thud.
A dull sound echoed.
“Ow!”
Half a second later, I rubbed my forehead and groaned, sitting up from the floor, grimacing in pain.
Ouch, ouch, ouch…
I was a bit dazed from the fall, my gaze blurry as I looked around.
Under my bottom was a fuzzy carpet, beside me was a simple four-cornered tea table, perfectly aligned with my line of sight, on which sat some unwashed empty plates. To my right was the sofa I had just fallen off of… oh boy.
I fell off the sofa…
… Great.
My forehead throbbed as I rubbed it while hastily scrambling to my feet. I patted down my skirt, took a couple of steps, turned back, and stomped twice on the spot where I hit my head, feeling a bit satisfied.
Without looking back, I headed toward the bedroom.
“Yawn—”
I opened the bedroom door, strolled past the big bed, and went straight into the bathroom, lifting my skirt to remove my undergarment and squatting down to relieve myself.
“Ah—”
I had drunk way too much water before bed; it felt like I’d been holding it forever… Ah, what a relief!
Afterward, I cleaned myself up in the washroom, stepped out to see my slightly wrinkled dress, tilted my head in thought, pulled the curtains to remove the dress, and rummaged through the wardrobe… I dug out a light blue long dress and slipped it on.
Then I casually walked over to the mirror for a look.
Black hair, black eyes… Hmm, no issues here!
“Today, I am still that adorable little cutie.”
But wait, how long have I been asleep?
I sensed that I had been asleep for a while, or maybe not that long, just a dreamy haze… but I was feeling much better now. My limbs were a bit tingly, but I felt energized, and my mind was far more alert than before; at least I wasn’t so drowsy anymore.
Just a tad hungry, though.
Why am I hungry again… I must be alright, right?
I stared at my reflection for a good long while and gently shook my head.
I am definitely okay.
Definitely.
Letting out a soft sigh, I turned to the vanity, took out a white hairband from the drawer, gathered my flowing black locks into a loose bun, and left the room.
Well, since I’ve napped enough, it’s time to go out and look for food.
As I exited the house, I noticed it was already close to dusk.
The sun had sunk low on the horizon, and I could just make out the contours of two pale moons behind the fiery clouds above.
Hmm…
If I counted right, I must have started sleeping the night before last and slept all the way into today’s dusk? Almost two whole days… Well, I did wake up a few times in between.
I really…
Feeling light on my feet, I stepped through the iron gate and made my way through the streets, quickly arriving at the nearby market.
Unlike at night, the market was bustling at this hour, with stalls of all kinds lining the streets. Bearded uncles and grannies in coarse headscarves were shouting their wares, and the laughter and chatter of groups of people filled the air.
I strolled slowly among them, scanning my surroundings with eagerness. Soon, I wandered into a relatively large grocery store, buying some vegetables, fruits, a few spices and black pepper that wouldn’t spoil easily, and most importantly, butter and cheese—essential ingredients for making Captain Gray’s dish.
It’s been days since I had Captain Gray’s cooking!
Then I dashed to the butcher and got the uncle to slice me three pounds of raw beef for a delightful steak.
I remembered I had more than half a bag of flour and plenty of honey back at home. Cutting back a little, with these purchases, I should be set for two days… maybe three if I’m careful.
I planned to embrace the life of a homebody for two days—eating, sleeping, and waking up just to eat again. Until I was absolutely certain my body wouldn’t throw another tantrum, I wasn’t going anywhere.
As I was about to leave the market, I noticed someone selling opera almond cake on the street corner… I’d never tried that cake before.
Following my nose, I was drawn to the cake stall, unable to resist the sweet aroma. The stall was small, and the owner was a slender middle-aged man dressed not quite luxuriously but with a certain charm.
“Ah~ Praise you, my beautiful lady. What can I get for you today?”
I looked up at him.
Men with such delicate features don’t usually appear tough; they tend to have a keen sensibility and usually make more refined food that undoubtedly tastes great—you could tell just by smelling it.
“I want a big bag of cake!”
I widened my eyes at the boss, flaring my arms in a grand gesture, sticking my chest out as I tried to convey just how massive of a bag I wanted.
“Very well! Just a moment, miss~”
The boss made a delicate gesture with his fingers.
Before long, he pulled out an enormous bag full of cake, nearly all of it from his stall.
“Thank you! You’re so generous, beautiful lady~ I think I can close up early today; I’m off to surprise my dear at home~”
Seeing my hands nearly overflowing, he insightfully helped drape the bag around my neck and rather casually took out several silver coins from the cloth bag at my waist, counting a few before putting three back.
“That’ll be fifteen silver coins, miss.” He winked at me, looking rather flirtatious, “Thank you for your patronage~”
“I-Its nothing…”
I felt a bit flustered, quickly bowing to him and hurriedly fleeing the scene.
Not that I have anything against it, but deep down, I found it hard to handle that kind of…
Give me a rugged man any day, please.
Oh, not that I’m saying I like rugged men—I mean, I’ve totally made it my mission to become one myself… wait a minute.
Furrowing my brow, I felt something was off.
Did I say something akin to ‘I’m a little cutie’ while I was in the bedroom?
…Did I say that!?
No, I didn’t.
I’m a rugged man. Rugged men don’t talk like that.
Even if it was unconscious, unintentional, or whatever, rugged men wouldn’t think of themselves like that—that’s not my character, so I never said it.
…I didn’t say it, right?
On my way back to the mansion, I kept mulling over this thought, and by the time I reached the large iron gate of the courtyard, I still hadn’t figured out if I actually said something like that.
Never mind, rugged men don’t sweat the small stuff.
Just as I was about to open the door, I noticed a few letters stuck in the mailbox beside the gate… no, that’s a bulletin, right?
