The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 19

“Staring at it won’t make the turtle dove magically fall off the bone.”

At that moment, Igmeyer unexpectedly spoke to her. His low, rumbling voice carried a suppressed laughter.

Amber blinked slowly, as if waking up from a dream. The habit of being completely absorbed in something, oblivious to everything else, seemed to persist even after her return.

“We might need a separate servant for dining. Since there isn’t one today, I’ll gladly play the servant and serve you.”

In the fleeting moment when she reached for the knife, Igmeyer took her plate away. Caught off guard, Amber had to watch as he skillfully dissected the meat.

As she watched, she felt a gaze on her.

The apprentice knights sitting at the lower table were staring at her and Igmeyer.

‘Oh, from the perspective of apprentice knights, he must be like a heavenly figure… I made him less refined by having him cut the turtle dove himself.’

Having realized something, Amber reached out and lightly grabbed her plate.

“I’ll do it.”

“But it’s already done.”

“….Thank you, but I’ll do it next time. It’s not like I don’t know how.”

She hoped Igmeyer wouldn’t consider her useless.

Also, trusting the words of someone useless was not a good choice in Niflheim, where no one would believe her. It wasn’t a pleasant choice to let him do everything for her one by one.

“Hansen has some skills, probably not as good as what you had in Shadroch, but still. Give it a try.”

“I don’t think it’s bad.”

Given the circumstances, before dying, she couldn’t even dream of eating such food. It wasn’t because there was no chef or a lack of ingredients.

Igmeyer, who had issued orders to send all young chefs to the battlefield, still left one elderly chef in the castle to prepare meals for her. Now thinking about it, it must have been his consideration for her during pregnancy.

The problem was that the chef didn’t like her very much, so he only provided simple meals like steamed potatoes for each meal. Amber didn’t say anything about the treatment. Even in a world that had fallen apart, she couldn’t let go of her dignity as a princess.

“…..It’s delicious.”

“Hansen would have been pleased to hear that.”

Igmeyer smirked and raised his wine glass. Amber glanced at him briefly before focusing on her plate. Suddenly, from inside her throat, something hot surged up.

‘Would you have done this for me back then? If I had been a little less depressed. If I had shown a slight vulnerability and accepted you…’

Even though she knew it was useless to dwell on past events, her nose stung. Amber struggled to control her emotions and chewed the meat he had carved out.

She didn’t have much of an appetite, but she had to eat to survive.

“…I didn’t know you would like it so much.”

Igmeyer, who had been gazing at her empty plate, mumbled quietly.

Having taken a sip of low-alcohol wine for an appetizer and wiped her mouth with a napkin, Amber finally made eye contact with him. Then, she spoke clearly and steadily.

“It was delicious. Really.”

“I’m glad if it was.”

“Yes. It was a taste I’ve missed a lot.”

A faint smile played on Amber’s lips.

Amber’s image changed significantly as her slightly downward-curving eyes and sunken cheekbones created a different look.

The moment was like a golden crescent moon hanging over the peaks of the snowy mountains in the dark night, silencing the sounds of the bustling dining hall.

The clattering noise that had filled the restaurant, where apprentice knights had been gossiping about the master and his wife, came to a sudden halt.

Igmeyer scanned the knights with a menacing gaze.

‘What are you kids peeking at now? Being so relaxed.’

He cast a harsh glance at the knights who couldn’t control their eyes and were fumbling around someone else’s wife. The situation was relaxing enough for them to sleep soundly, making them dare.

To make them not see her, the solution was simple.

The roads were impassable due to piled-up snow, and the residents were complaining about the inconvenience. Adding a bit of mischief to send them out to clear the snow wouldn’t be a big deal.

“When are you going back to the military camp?”

The voice that brought Igmeyer’s consciousness back from concocting various wicked scenarios in his mind was Amber’s. It wasn’t loud or harsh. Her tone wasn’t gentle or affectionate.

It was the indifferent tone typical of someone born to rule. If he had to pinpoint it, it was the type that Igmeyer had despised all his life.

Strangely, though, Amber was an exception.

Or rather, he could say he liked it.

She didn’t adorn herself. She didn’t try to look good. So far, Amber had been sincere, straightforward, and modest.

Maybe that’s why Igmeyer found her intriguing.

The first night had passed, and they were now entwined as husband and wife. It wasn’t a bad thing to be curious about the partner. Therefore, Igmeyer had no intention of stopping getting to know her.

“Igmeyer?”

He wanted to hear her call his name, so he deliberately didn’t respond.