I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Little Angel

“Eat, why aren’t you eating?” Roy was a bit puzzled; he remembered that the original story mentioned Alice spent her first night in the Ainbrad household starving.

But to Alice, it felt like the scythe of death urging her on.

The maid must obey her master’s orders.

“I’ll eat.”

Alice had been abused since childhood and had never really eaten proper food, so of course, she didn’t know how to use a knife and fork.

But she also didn’t dare to be rude in front of her master, so she clumsily picked up the utensils and tried to cut the meat on her plate.

Maybe her fingers were too stiff, or she was too weak; the knife and fork wobbled as they slid across the meat, leaving behind ridiculous little scratches but not managing to actually cut it.

After all, why would her master reward her with such a delightful meal?

Did she really deserve her master’s kindness?

Alice’s eyes started to blur.

She suddenly recalled similar experiences from the past.

Whether it was wandering the streets, scraping by in a bar, or being locked up by human traffickers.

The street vendors threw her rotten fruit just to mock her, her adoptive father sold her off once she grew up, and the traffickers would give her a piece of bread only to inflict tenfold whippings, reminding her to obey her master’s commands.

In her short fifteen years of life, she had never encountered anything good.

Not once.

How could she?

She didn’t know the warmth of the world; to her, this world had always been cold.

Roy Ainbrad was no different.

Either he would deliberately make things difficult, just to laugh at her pathetic state, or he would punish her tenfold after filling his belly.

Alice could see nothing clearly.

Her mind was filled with images of crumbling streets, noisy taverns, cold prisons, and horrifying faces that mocked her, insulted her, and treated her as an object.

Clang!

The knife and fork fell.

Alice’s breathing grew rapid, cold sweat dripped from her forehead, and her heart felt like it was being torn apart.

It was as if those terrifying memories came crashing over her like a wave.

No matter how much she pressed her hand to her chest and gasped for air, it was futile.

“Tsk.” Anya, who couldn’t bear to watch any longer, decided she couldn’t just stand by while Roy kept doing whatever he wanted.

Yet just when Alice felt like she might stop breathing altogether, Roy’s figure suddenly appeared beside her.

Like the soothing scent of lavender brought by a gentle evening breeze.

“Take a deep breath, relax a bit.”

Warm words flowed into the girl’s heart like a gentle stream.

Alice’s breathing gradually got smoother, and her tightly knitted brows slowly unfurled.

She lifted her head and suddenly realized that she wasn’t on a cold street, in a seedy tavern, or a dark dungeon, and there were none of those malicious figures around.

In the warm and bright dining room, only the gentle and handsome smile of the young man, resembling stars in the night sky, and the faint scent of lavender lingered.

Only Roy Ainbrad was by her side.

Alice felt her heart flutter again, but this time, it wasn’t painful; it was strange, tense, yet not unpleasant.

Finally snapping back to reality, she realized her lapse in behavior: “Sorry, Master, I…”

“It’s okay, does your chest still hurt?” Roy asked with concern.

Alice hesitated for a moment and shook her head.

“I’m sorry, you graciously provided me with food, yet I…”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I assume you’ve been through some bad experiences, but I can assure you, I’m not like them.”

Roy knew that sitting at a noble’s table would trigger Alice’s PTSD, and he understood how dark her past had been.

Though Alice appeared indifferent, her emotions hidden away, she had an inexplicable maturity uncharacteristic of a fifteen-year-old girl.

The pain she suppressed deep in her heart would eventually erupt.

In one of the princess’s story arcs, Alice even fainted at the dining table and was later cared for by the princess, which ignited a romantic subplot.

But Roy wasn’t satisfied just replicating the original.

He wanted to go further.

“Thank you for your concern, Master, I’m fine now.”

As Alice spoke, she reached for the knife and fork again, ready for battle with the roast lamb.

However, Roy snatched her utensils first.

“I’ll cut it for you.”

“What? How can that be?” Alice was a bit panicked.

Even the maids who had quietly stood by were left dumbfounded.

It was already strange for a noble to serve their servant, let alone a rogue like Roy!

“Be good.”

Roy’s tone was firm as he directly sat down beside Alice.

The scent of lavender surrounded her, causing Alice to momentarily forget about the hierarchy and restraint she should have faced with her master, and she obediently nestled into Roy’s embrace.

Roy, merging the memories of ‘Rogue Roy,’ handled the knife and fork with finesse, as easy as if he were using chopsticks in his previous life, quickly chopping the sizzling roast lamb into bite-sized pieces.

“Be careful, it’s hot.” Roy speared a small piece and held it in front of Alice.

Never having been treated so gently before, Alice was momentarily taken aback, but Roy’s actions were tender, like a gentle breeze, making it impossible for her to feel anything bad about it.

And Alice was indeed starting to feel a bit hungry.

Gathering her courage, she opened her cherry-like mouth and let the piece of meat slip into her mouth.

“Yum~!”

Flavors of spices and grease, mixed with the unique taste of the meat burst in Alice’s mouth all at once.

Her dim, light blue eyes brightened for the first time!

“Is it good?” Roy asked, grinning.

“Super delicious!” After saying this, Alice suddenly realized she covered her mouth.

Under the suddenly heated gaze of the young man, she felt a bit shy for no reason.

But Roy couldn’t suppress his excitement any longer!

[Affection Level +1]

It worked! With the wind and the tears of the night, plus this food, the little maid finally lowered her defenses!

In the original story, one of the female leads got closer to Alice by feeding her desserts, so Roy decided to replicate that tactic.

Unfortunately, with Anya and the others watching, he couldn’t feed the maid any sweets even if he wanted to.

In this time, desserts were quite expensive, seen as luxury items. Throwing food at someone as a spontaneous act was one thing, but feeding them sweets raised too many questions from Anya and the others.

Unable to recreate that classic moment from the original story, where Alice could enjoy the bliss of dessert, Roy felt a pang of regret.

But a steaming hot meal was already enough for the hungry girl to feel happy.

“Open up, ah~”

Alice, in a daze, mimicked Roy’s actions like a chick waiting for its mother eagle to feed it, slightly lifting her head and cutely opening her small mouth, softly saying, “ah~”

Another piece of salad entered her mouth.

Though Alice still wore a blank expression, it felt like she was bathing in the bright noon sun, enjoying it with her eyes squinted, while her pale bare feet swayed like irises in a gentle breeze, radiating a warm, lovely atmosphere.

Giving affection so generously and being so adorable; no wonder players from previous lives called her a ‘little angel’!

Roy couldn’t help but let out a motherly chuckle. If only his affection level were higher, he would have happily pulled Alice into his arms.