Give Me Back My Glass Shoe - Chapter 22

Hello everyone! there are changes in the chapter numbering, I had edited it to the correct arrangement as there was confusion in the chapter count. Apologies and enjoy the translation!

A moment later, someone stepped inside. Aniella, pretending to sleep, listened to the footsteps approaching the bed. The footsteps stopped beside the bed.

“Sleeping soundly again today,” Paiki said in a satisfied voice. From this, Aniella calculated that today was roughly the fifth day of her confinement here.

She could just keep pretending to sleep, wait for Paiki to leave, and then eat the meal laid out on the table. That’s what she had done for the past few days.

“Your Grace.”

Today was different. Until now, she had been too afraid to face him, but she could avoid it no longer. Today, she absolutely had to speak to him.

“I didn’t know you were here, I was asleep.”

Courage doesn’t appear instantly. Aniella acted, her tone, even to her own ears, awkward and stiff. As she lowered her eyes in embarrassment, Paiki spoke.

“I’ll leave, so don’t worry and get more sleep.”

Aniella’s head jerked up. That wouldn’t do. She couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Who could guarantee she would have more courage tomorrow than today? She didn’t trust herself.

“Your Grace…!”

Aniella urgently called out to stop Paiki as he was about to leave. Paiki turned to look at her with a puzzled expression.

“Why?”

“……It’s nothing. Have a safe trip.”

Aniella worked her lips for a moment, then finally hung her head. Another failure today. Disgusted by her own timidity, her inability to say a single word properly, she let out a small sigh.

“It seems you have something to say. I’m listening.”

Perhaps having heard her sigh of self-reproach, Paiki turned around and sat at the table. Aniella carefully got out of bed. She was barefoot, but a plush carpet covered the floor, so it wasn’t cold.

Standing before him, Aniella suddenly became aware of her own state. Barefoot, in pajamas, and she hadn’t even washed the sleep from her eyes.

Even though this wasn’t the first time she’d stood before him in her pajamas, today she felt particularly embarrassed. If I’d known it would be like this, I should have at least washed my face before he came.

“Sit.”

Paiki indicated the chair opposite him with his eyes. Aniella hesitantly reached to pull the chair out. But before her hand could even touch it, the chair moved via his magic. Startled, Aniella’s eyes widened.

“Just act as if there’s a butler and sit. You won’t end up falling on your backside, so don’t worry.”

Despite his reassurance, Aniella couldn’t easily believe him. She very carefully aimed for the chair and lowered herself. Then, the chair automatically moved to accommodate her. It wasn’t a swift, flying motion like the furniture she’d seen before, but a gentle one.

Once her bottom was safely settled in the chair, Aniella let out a sigh of relief. Then, she abruptly lifted her head.

Paiki was staring at her intently, as if observing her. ‘You didn’t believe me?’ she thought he might be accusing her. Feeling unnecessarily guilty, she grew self-conscious and her lips curled inward.

“So, what is this about?”

Paiki picked up his fork and knife and asked. Only then did Aniella realize that the single serving of food always laid out when she woke up was today set for two.

“Um, Your Grace.”
“You can talk while you eat.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you…”

Aniella hurriedly picked up her fork and knife and cut into the meat. The chicken was so tender it required only one cut, but as she watched for his reaction, trying to find the right moment to speak, she ended up moving the knife unnecessarily slowly.

“Thanks to you, Your Grace, I’ve been able to get a lot of sleep during this time. So much that I wonder if it’s alright for me to be this lazy.”

She desperately tried to smile, pretending to be grateful for his… non-hospitable hospitality. Here, let’s briefly cover what Aniella did over the past five days besides sleep.