Chapter 140
Through the dim interior, she could tell evening had long passed. She had an excuse for sleeping, but why would someone who was awake not eat until this hour?
Rikanan, who had been watching the puzzled Jaha, smiled slightly.
“I was reading and before I knew it, it had gotten this late.”
“You must like reading.”
To the point of skipping meals and being absorbed in reading. It must have been really interesting content. Jaha could relate since she’d once been a bookworm who read to the level of print addiction. Though she hadn’t been reading much lately…
‘Come to think of it, why did I stop reading books?’
“Let’s go eat. I’ll escort you.”
Rikanan curved his eyes and extended his gloved hand. When she reflexively placed her hand on it, his lips touched the back of her hand as if it were natural.
Jaha flinched as if she’d been ambushed. It seemed like a natural procedure according to this world’s etiquette, but she wasn’t used to it yet.
Rikanan, who had lifted his lips from the back of her hand, took her hand and escorted her.
Jaha felt slightly awkward the entire way to the dining room. In the world where she’d originally lived, men and women wouldn’t hold hands like this unless they were in a romantic relationship.
It wasn’t that she disliked it, but it was unfamiliar, so it felt embarrassing and uncomfortable.
No. Rather than uncomfortable, it was more like not knowing what to do.
The sensation where they touched was on edge, bothersome, ticklish, and she couldn’t move a muscle, but staying still made her restless, and it was rather ridiculous to be so conscious of it alone when the other person was just following custom out of politeness.
Caught up in complicated feelings, she came to her senses to find they were in the dining room.
Finally, freedom. Thinking this, Jaha waited for Rikanan to let go of her hand. But the hand didn’t drop.
What?
Jaha looked up at Rikanan, who was standing still. He gazed at Jaha quietly, then slowly let go of her hand and went ahead to pull out a chair for her.
“Thank you.”
Jaha reflexively thanked him and sat down, but her mind was complete chaos.
‘Is this a green light?’
Although she didn’t have abundant dating experience, Jaha was an adult woman who knew what she needed to know, and she wasn’t dull enough to miss the subtle signals that the opposite s*x gave off.
If I’m not mistaken, that man seems to have ulterior motives toward me.
But why? We just met today. I’m not some peerless beauty who could captivate men with looks alone, and I look in the mirror every day anyway, so how could my face possibly look pretty to me…?
This wasn’t self-deprecation. Saying a light bulb is less bright than the sun isn’t light bulb bashing, right? It’s just stating facts.
So am I mistaken after all?
No way. He definitely hesitated reluctantly when letting go of my hand. As if he had lingering feelings.
While she was unsure, dishes began coming out one by one. Jaha continued pondering while eating.
He’d made flirtatious comments in the carriage too, and circumstantially it seemed like a green light, but it was such an emotion without context.
What reason would that man have to like me?
“Ah.”
A thought completely off-topic suddenly came to mind.
I remembered. The reason I stopped reading books.
Was it freshman or sophomore year of college during exam period when I went to the school library, but suddenly my heart started racing and all the energy drained from my body. When I smelled that distinctive odor from old books, I felt dizzy and my whole body was drenched in sweat. I couldn’t stand that space—it was unbearable.
Jaha had run out of the library like she was escaping, and after that incident, she’d started avoiding books too.
Looking back, it was such a ridiculous reason. For her affection for books to drop completely because of what she felt in that one moment.
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
The man holding his utensils spoke gently. Returning to reality, Jaha naturally picked up the question that was offered.
“It’s nothing much. All the dishes are delicious.”
It wasn’t empty flattery but genuine. Even the most expensive hotel restaurant she’d ever been to, where she’d had to pay the highest amount, couldn’t produce flavors like this. Immersed in happiness, Jaha added with a sincere smile:
“Thank you for treating me to such wonderful food.”
Rikanan didn’t respond at all. He just looked across at Jaha with an unreadable gaze. Eventually, he responded quietly in a locked voice:
“I’m glad.”
Jaha didn’t mind and focused on her meal. She was too busy trying each type once and savoring the flavors to have the energy to pay attention to anything else.
Rikanan watched this scene while drinking his half-remaining aperitif. His languid gaze held strange heat and satisfaction.
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