Chapter 382

Chapter 6 Blissful Naivete

Sophia… injured?

After hearing Victoria’s words, my heart sank abruptly. I didn’t have time to think about what she might have told Victoria, grabbed the Queen’s hand, and urgently asked, “Where is she? How is she now?”

Victoria raised her delicate eyebrows, her face suddenly turning towards me, expressionless for about a second before she spoke, “Just some external injuries. She fainted from overstimulation. She had already woken up when I carried you back to the church.”

Thank goodness…

I felt slightly reassured, and my grip on Victoria’s hand loosened unconsciously. Just as I was about to ask more questions, the main door of the inner courtyard opened again, and several servants pushed in meal carts with dishes.

It’s dinner…

As soon as they entered, I smelled the food. I sat upright from lying on the sofa, eagerly watching the maids place the dishes on the table. My heart was filled with anticipation, though not exactly excitement.

If everything goes as usual, this dinner will be…

When the metal lids on the plates were lifted, the table was covered with lush green vegetables, almost no oil visible. Although I knew it was healthy, it was truly… completely unappetizing.

“Wow, this is indeed… a very disciplined dinner.”

Carlos rubbed his temples with a headache, staring at the exquisite dishes on the table in disbelief.

That’s right…

I couldn’t help but glance at the brown paper bag that had been placed at the corner of the tea table, then looked at the clear soup on the table, furrowing my brows.

Let’s try it…

After the servants left, I grabbed a fork first, not wanting to be picky. I picked up a large piece of some green leafy vegetable from the nearest plate, opened my mouth wide, and stuffed it in, chewing quickly with my eyes wide open.

Crunch… crunch…

It was crisp, juicy, a bit slimy, like okra but not quite… I could taste that it was a high-quality ingredient, but there was no real flavor, feeling like I was eating grass.

Not very tasty…

But I still wanted to try another bite…

My mouth was full, and the green leaves wouldn’t go down, so I raised my fork again, ready to reach for the next dish.

“Take it easy.”

Victoria hadn’t touched her utensils. From the beginning, she seemed to be watching me. She took out a clean square handkerchief and wiped the juice from my lips, moving a plate of food closer to me, saying softly, “Don’t eat greasy things tonight. Eat these, they are good for your body.”

Carlos, who had already raised his fork toward the plate, froze as Victoria moved the dish away. His arm hung in the air for a moment before he shrugged, smacked his lips, and didn’t seem too bothered. Instead, he turned his attention to the nearby soup bowl.

“Oh, Mr. Carlos. That soup is specially made for Pepé by the kitchen; it nourishes the blood. It may not be suitable for you.”

“…”

Carlos pouted.

And just as I was putting the third bite into my mouth, I heard Victoria’s words and froze in surprise.

She… actually knows about my cycle!

“Your Majesty, please tell me directly. Which of these can I eat?”

“Except for the soup, everything else.”

“Oh.”

Carlos nodded and started using his knife and fork again.

From then on, the entire dining process was almost silent. The atmosphere became quiet. In the large living room, only the clinking sound of forks and knives hitting plates could be heard.

This dinner was somewhat uncomfortable.

Clearly, Carlos also noticed this issue. So when the servants began to clear the empty plates and prepare dessert, he stood up from the sofa.

“Your Majesty, would it be alright if I take little Shirley to the courtyard for a walk? It won’t take long.”

Hmm?

Having just swallowed the last bite, I wiped my mouth on the sofa and looked up at him in confusion, “What for?”

“Come with me.”

Carlos didn’t explain anything to me, just nodded slightly and turned to walk out. At the door, he turned around abruptly, put his right fist over his heart, and bowed to this side.

“Your Majesty, thank you for your hospitality.”

Without waiting for a reply, he left through the door.

I turned to look at Victoria, twisted my body on the sofa, and blinked my eyes.

“What are you looking at me for?”

Feeling my gaze, the Queen, who was lost in thought staring out at the moonlight, sounded somewhat impatient.

“Mmm…”

I could guess what Carlos wanted to say, but I didn’t know how to explain it to Victoria and feared she might misinterpret it. After hesitating for a while, I suddenly heard her say, “Go quickly and come back soon, don’t let the dessert sit too long.”

“Oh oh!”

This sentence sounded like a pardon to me. For some reason, I felt relieved and nodded repeatedly. I jumped up from the sofa with a “whoosh” and ran out.

Outside, the night was dark, with stars filling the sky.

The warm evening breeze gently blew, carrying the leaves outside, making the streetlights flicker, passing over the emerald lawn, brushing past Carlos’s slightly desolate figure in the center of the courtyard.

I tucked a stray hair behind my ear and walked slowly towards him.

Hearing the footsteps, he turned around. Before he could speak, I interrupted him.

“You… leaving tomorrow?”

Carlos hesitated for a moment, then revealed a relaxed smile.

“If nothing unexpected happens, yes… But there will be attendants with me, so there might be quite a few troubles, and I won’t have time to come and say goodbye.”

“Oh…”

I nodded.

Then I didn’t know what else to say.

Carlos waited for a moment, seeing that I wasn’t speaking anymore, he reached out to touch my head.

“I came today to tell you about this… This time, when I returned to the royal city, it was for the matter involving my teacher. If not for the sudden disaster that happened… and if not for you being unconscious for such a long time, I probably wouldn’t have stayed until now… Oh right, you don’t need to worry about the affairs of the Valen Empire. I met Duke Scalliger again, and he is in good condition, his thoughts are very clear, and he has received strong support from the Church… Perhaps the end of the empire’s chaos will come sooner than we imagined. As for you…”

At this point, Carlos paused slightly, lowering his hand from my head.

“It was inconvenient to talk inside just now. Little Hill… actually, both His Holiness and I are most worried about your current situation… You should understand a bit of this, right?”

A bit of understanding…

What am I supposed to understand…

I looked at Carlos’s serious face blankly, feeling confused and not knowing how to respond.

But Carlos didn’t expect me to answer him.

“You probably can’t tell much from Angel, but you must trust me… Margaret told me before she left that her personality isn’t suitable for interacting with you, and she can’t handle this well, so she asked me to take care of you in the future… I remember her despondent look when she spoke, but… I’m also not sure how to do this… Tsk…”

He scratched his head irritably, trying to organize his words.

“Little Hill, you know I’m not good at giving long speeches… In short, our current consensus is that you shouldn’t do anything. In the coming days, you must get plenty of rest. If, by any chance… although none of us want this to happen, if something unexpected occurs… whether it’s your strength, your body, or anything else, as long as you feel anything unusual, you must find Angel immediately, okay? He will stay in the royal city for a few more days specifically for you.”

“As for this trip to the Eastern Continent, I originally planned to go with His Holiness, preparing to bring you along. Regardless of whether you were willing or not, having you by my side made me feel more secure, and His Holiness seemed even more assured… But after what happened in the royal city. Considering the circumstances we’re facing, I decided not to bring you along. You need a peaceful and quiet environment to adjust yourself.”

Finally, Carlos spread his hands out to me.

“Do you… understand what I mean?”

“Yes.”

Of course, I understood.

“It means for me to do nothing and just be happy and carefree.”