Chapter 4: He Keeps Guilt Tripping Me With "It"d be a Waste" Any reproduction, distribution or other type of use of these translations elsewhere is not allowed. In other words, do not repost. Hosted exclusively at Foxaholic.
"Hi Nora."
He really came back.
When she opened the door to go out shopping, a handsome gentleman with a dashing smile greeted her.
"h.e.l.lo… What brings you here?"
"Didn"t I tell you that I"d come back to see you?"
I mean, I"m asking why you came to see me.
"I"m on my way out, please excuse me." Closing the door as quickly as she could, Nora tried to leave.
"In that case, how about I come with you?"
"No need, I"m going shopping."
"I can carry your things."
"No, thank you."
"I"ll come with you no matter what so just let me carry your things." Saying so, he quickly went beside Nora who started walking briskly. Elias was able to catch up to her immediately, possibly due to the difference in the length of their legs. She couldn"t outrun him after all, so they ended up walking together. Musing how unfair that not only was he blessed with good looks but long legs as well, Nora heaved a sigh.
"I didn"t agree that you can come with me."
"I"m tagging along because I want to."
What"s with that willfulness.
The night before, Nora heard from her father that due to her engagement with the son of the Marquis Callum, they will be given compensation. It was probably to make up for the fact that they changed their minds and inconsiderately threw Nora aside.
Such a striking difference between a baron and a marquis. No matter how unreasonable they are, they could easily cancel an engagement of their own accord.
Still, Nora was quite surprised that they were giving them some compensation money. It seemed like it was their way of expressing their sincere apology for the commotion that happened.
Although she had mixed feelings regarding it because they"re most likely only doing it to keep up appearances, she might as well just take whatever she"s given.
That"s also why she didn"t want to get involved with people from the House of Marquis as much as she could.
But if she ran away from Elias, she might not get that compensation money. Or if the amount got reduced, that would be quite a loss.
If it wasn"t for that, she would have ran away from him with all her might. Thinking thus far, Nora heaved another sigh.
"How surprising." Nora muttered to herself while sitting on a bench.
Because of the presence of citrus fruits nearby, the air was filled with a refreshingly sweet and sour scent. After arguing back and forth, Elias ended up carrying the fruits and was currently away from Nora. That"s why she muttered to herself.
To say the least, it was surprising.
She had always thought that upper-ranked n.o.bilities were selfish and egoistic. It was further amplified by the fact that she got involved with the troublesome twins of the House of Marquis.
But Elias seemed to be quite different from her image of an "annoying spoiled young master".
He picked up an apple that rolled out of an old lady"s grasp, rea.s.sured a crying lost child and helped him find his parents, and even guided people who couldn"t find their way.
Even though Nora also helped, it was Elias who first initiated to offer help. For someone who was involved in an engagement cancellation and proposal prank, she was impressed that there was a decent side to him.
"Sorry for the wait, Nora."
"It"s fine."
Even though she wasn"t particularly waiting for him, she couldn"t be rude because he was helping her carry the fruits she bought. She shouldn"t have bought more than she could carry but they were rarely in stock and she didn"t want to waste such a good bargain.
When push comes to shove, she gotta do what she has to. There was no helping it.
Just as she was mulling over her sad fate as a poor baron"s daughter, a small bottle was offered to her.
"You must be thirsty. Here, have some apple juice."
"No, thank you."
"I can"t finish two bottles by myself. Since it"d be a waste, I"d appreciate it if you could help me finish the other one."
I"m sure you can finish two bottles by yourself. Or better yet, you should"ve just bought one. You obviously did it on purpose.
He definitely knew how Nora would react to the words, "It"d be a waste."
"Then, thank you."
She couldn"t stomach throwing it away because her austere nature always triumphs over her. Nora found it vexing because she wasn"t sure if he was making fun of her or she was simply too easy to read.
Drinking it in one go, the sweet aroma of apple wafted through her nose. She had been walking around since morning so she was indeed thirsty.
"That was delicious!" It was too late to realize she had said it out loud.
Hearing her blurted out thought, Elias" face gradually softened into a smile.
"That"s good to hear. It delights me to see you happy."
"It"s enough. Please don"t buy anything else anymore."
Even though she clearly spelled it out to him, she wasn"t sure if the message got through to him properly because Elias kept smiling the whole time. In the end, she concluded that what she said went on deaf ears.
Since then, Elias has been frequently visiting her and accompanying her around. He seemed to be obsessed over the taste of apple juice.
With the excuse that "it"d be a waste to throw it away", he kept giving Nora all kinds of inexpensive food such as sweet baked treats.
Had it been an obvious "gift" like flowers or jewelry, she"d have refused him without a second thought. But because it was excess from what he bought, she"d rather eat what he offered that have him throw it away.
He obviously did it knowing she couldn"t bear throwing food away.
On top of that, there was a smile on his face every time he sees her eating.
What"s up with him? Does he feel obligated to keep feeding a poor baron"s daughter?
Nora wondered if he hadn"t given up on their bet of offering a proposal after the cancellation of the engagement. Or perhaps he was trying to win her over through food.
Taking advantage of his financial resources, what a mean and enviable plan.
She wanted him to report and say she already consented so everything would finally end.
Instead, Elias kept visiting her and accompanying her around.
Even though he kept feeding her with the excuse that it"s a waste to throw it away, he had never touched on the topic of the engagement at all. She was never bothered over what had happened, but it"s troublesome to force an issue that"s already closed.
Until she receives her compensation, she wanted to keep things peaceful. However, if he didn"t come to discuss the engagement, then what did he come for?
A possibility suddenly dawned on Nora.
Perhaps he"s using it as an excuse so he can try and enjoy commoner food?
In that case, she"d consider it as some sort of compensation for troubling her.
Just as she was pondering over it, he approached her.
"Nora Kranz, I"m revoking our engagement cancellation."
The gentleman with the same grayish brown hair as Elias said gallantly. What distinguished him from Elias was his overbearing demeanor and lemon-colored eyes.
Translated by