Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Feeling a sense of crisis, I covered my mouth and widened my eyes.
"Most of them lived long lives, so get rid of that strange look. The last contractor lived healthily until the age of 95."
Mathias, as if reading my anxiety, frowned slightly and said.
So, he used them until they were 90 years old? Am I going to have to live 70 years as a slave too?
"Mathias, don't you miss your previous contractors? You must have grown attached to them. Don't you ever look at the sky and feel like crying?"
Mathias, who had unfolded the newspaper with a rustle, replied.
"I don't feel any sentimentality. Meetings may be coincidental, but farewells are inevitable. It's just the way of the world."
I wanted to say, 'You sure like things tidy,' but a faint loneliness was mixed in his voice, so I quietly shut my mouth.
At least he knows how to read the atmosphere.
That handsome ghost must have spent most of his time lonely and isolated. I straightened my back and pointed to the wildflowers planted nearby.
"Even if I'm gone, these flowers will still be here. You'll think of me sometimes, right? The more you hate someone, the longer you remember them."
Mathias didn't respond to my words. I couldn't tell what kind of expression he was making behind the hidden newspaper.
It was then.
"Master, did you happen to roll around on your way here?"
Dante's voice came from behind me. His right hand held a basket full of yellow lemons.
"Do I look that pathetic?"
"Yes, you look like you've just come from an obstacle course."
I really have nothing to say. I dusted off my clothes and asked him.
"Did you pick those from the lemon tree in the garden? Something unfortunate might happen if you pick them all."
I glanced at Mathias. He was still holding the newspaper.
Meanwhile, Dante picked up a lemon and said.
"Lemons are very useful. They can be made into sauces or drinks, and they can also be used as a cleaning agent."
Indeed, he's destined to be the King of housekeeping and support.
His blue eyes turned past my shoulder. Dante, who was looking at Mathias, gestured and asked.
"The newspaper is floating in the air, were you an Ability User?"
I can see Mathias sitting elegantly and holding the newspaper, but this man can only see the newspaper? Mathias doesn't seem to be trying to hide it, so I guess it's okay to tell the truth.
"I told you before, right? There's actually a ghost, a guardian spirit of this house. His name is Mathias Bakh…."
Suddenly, I can't remember his full name. I glossed over it.
"Anyway, yeah. He claims to be the owner of the mansion."
Dante didn't seem to care much even after hearing this surprising and scary fact. He picked up the shopping basket next to me and said.
"I see. I'll call you when dinner is ready."
* * *
After finishing planting the wildflowers and tilling the garden, the sky darkened, and a bright star appeared as if to see off the departing day.
"Master, dinner is ready."
I heard Dante's voice calling me from afar.
Before entering the front door, he brushed off my shoes and even dusted off my clothes.
"It's okay now."
He maintained a blank expression, but it seemed like I could see his inner thoughts of 'Oh my, I can't live with this.'
I felt like a child who had been rolling around in the dirt and came back. I said to him, who was even wiping my hands with a handkerchief.
"I'll wash up before eating, so stop making that face like you can't stand it."
"Yes, it's hard to bear."
I soaked in the sparkling bathtub and thought. He's not going to meticulously check if I washed properly, is he?
Just in case, I washed as hard as I could and went out to seriously tell Dante.
"I washed thoroughly."
"Good job. Master has a habit of saying obvious things like they're a big deal."
"I was worried you might check."
"Isn't that something you do between married couples?"
Fortunately, he knows his limits, so he didn't go that far.
As soon as I entered the dining room, the delicious smell of food made my mouth water.
I saw lemon chicken with cream sauce prepared by him, ravioli, salad, soup, bread, and wine. The food was stylishly plated, and flowers from the garden were also used as decorations.
Dante placed the front plate and said.
"Please eat before it gets cold."
He's a man who has lived as a soldier his whole life. There's no way he can be perfect at cooking too. Even though I may not have a talent for housekeeping, I'm quite knowledgeable about eating, so I'll definitely be able to find flaws.
I better be careful not to let my tear ducts overflow. I sat down with the heart of a chef famous for being a harsh critic.
Dante unfolded the napkin and placed it on my lap.
"Um, this taste is…."
I cut the lemon chicken and swallowed it, momentarily forgetting what to say.
The savory sauce permeated the tender meat, the savory cream, the refreshing lemon, and the perfectly blended pepper and juice.
Dante, who was sitting across from me, asked.
"Does it not suit your taste?"
"No. It's a match made in heaven for my taste."
I couldn't bring myself to lie. In fact, I almost asked him to marry me as soon as I took a bite.
He smiled faintly at my compliment.
"If there's any food you like, please tell me. I've traveled to many countries and eaten food, so I can make almost anything."
"I like spicy and sweet things."
"Then I'll make tomato chili stew tomorrow."
Truly a revolutionary man. He's even good at cooking.
Is there anything this man can't do?
Isn't he the most necessary spouse for me, who has a housekeeping ability close to 0?
Why am I thinking, 'I don't care about the rebellion anymore…' right now? I quickly changed the subject.
"My grandfather was a terrible cook. Everything he made was spicy."
I was in such a hurry that I ended up badmouthing my deceased grandfather. I quickly changed my words.
"But it's a taste I miss now. Maybe it's because I grew up eating my grandfather's food."
He picked up a salad with his fork and looked at me.
"It seems your grandfather raised you."
"Yes. I've never seen my parents."
It was a short answer that omitted many words.
My father was a mercenary who made money by hunting monsters. I didn't hear about my mother.
[Mia, I'll make a big score and come back!]
My father left such a note and left me, a baby, with my mother's family. I guess he was a gambler, not a mercenary.
The aunt who took me in was a greedy and immoral person. She didn't feed me properly, saying that the money my father sent every month had stopped, and she constantly hurled abuse at me. I think I survived by being neglected like that, eating only hard black bread and water.
Then I met my grandfather.
"Mia, let's live with grandfather now."
The arms that warmly embraced me. It was the first warmth I had ever felt in this world.
The reason I fled to the capital like a runaway as soon as I finished my grandfather's funeral was because I was afraid that my aunt's family would take away the precious money and belongings that my grandfather had left me. Besides, they were trying to force me into an unwanted marriage.
"You must always carry your father's things with you. This will protect you."
I closed my mouth and fiddled with the necklace around my neck.
"They were good people."
Those weren't my words. It was Dante's voice, which sounded somehow sad.
Could he have known my parents in the past?
"Do you know my parents?"
At my question, a gap appeared on his lips as if he was about to say something, but then closed again. He stared at me with his blue eyes and slowly shook his head.
"Just, I thought so."
I almost dropped my fork in bewilderment.
The handsome weirdo continued.
"More than that, do you like my housekeeping and cooking?"
It's frustrating, but I have to admit it. That man is the best housekeeper who extends my life.
"Yes, you're good at it."
The corners of Dante's mouth curved as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. A dimple appeared shallowly on his cheek.
"If I do better, will you give me a reward instead of a whipping?"
Is it my imagination that I can see about nine tails behind that man?
He's asking for a reward? I nodded for now.
"Then I'll promote you to level 9 housekeeper."
Under the chandelier lights, his black hair rippled like gentle waves, holding the moonlight. He was smiling suspiciously.
"Can't I tell you what I want?"
I've brought a mastermind into my house as a housekeeper.
