It’s just too bizarre.
Filin rummaged through his brain, desperately trying to figure out why Adeline looked like she was head over heels in love.
After a brief moment of thinking, he gave up.
If someone could remember grudges from kindergarten, their thought process must be beyond his comprehension, right?
Adeline is already somewhat unusual; having a strange expression is just par for the course, right?
After standing still for thirty seconds, Adeline finally pulled her hands away and shoved Filin.
“Who told you to touch my hand?”
Filin, caught off guard, found himself sprawled on the ground. Although his brain couldn’t grasp the situation, years of training kicked in, making him react instinctively.
“I’m sorry, Lady Adeline! I know I’m not worthy of you yet. I promise I’ll work harder—just give me a chance…”
Seeing Filin like this, a twinge of sympathy flickered in Adeline’s heart.
He was actually that upset over being pushed away.
He really loves me.
“Is dinner ready?”
Adeline slowly stood up, subconsciously hugging a white pig plushie tightly.
“Almost! Just a stew left, maybe half an hour more,” Filin replied, meticulously smoothing out the wrinkles on Adeline’s clothes, inadvertently grazing her soft skin.
Such physical contact is one of the secrets to building rapport with clients!
Filin had trained himself not to show even a hint of jest or flirtation; that would absolutely ruin any goodwill he’d built.
Adeline’s breath hitched a little. She stood there stiffly, and while Filin was merely doing what he usually did, today she could see the love he couldn’t hide in his eyes.
“What are you standing there for? Did you trim the lawn outside?”
Adeline forced down her emotions, crossing her arms and turning her head away.
“On it!”
Crazy people.
Both Viloti and Adeline count as that.
Those emotions are a bit too unstable.
Wait, Viloti is more stable—stably indifferent.
Filin clutched the lawnmower scissors, trimming the grass from 3.5 centimeters to a mere 3.48 centimeters.
Basically, he didn’t do anything. Just goofing off.
High salary, no boss to face.
I love mowing lawns!
Filin shouted internally.
Adeline stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at Filin’s resolute expression.
His movements were slow, as if he were sculpting a work of art.
Even a simple task like mowing the lawn, he put so much care into it and didn’t slack off.
He really loves me!
Adeline shook her head, wrapping a rose-tinted hair strand around her finger.
She had hired him to vent her frustrations, and thinking this way was dangerous.
She wouldn’t forgive him. She had to teach him a proper lesson.
But at least she shouldn’t be too harsh, right?
In the past, he had to work for her for at least five hours a day, with no weekends off.
Faced with her unreasonable demands, all he got was a measly ten thousand crowns a month, and she often forgot to give him his bonus.
She had never arranged for his paid vacation or health check, and he hadn’t gone on any overseas travels either.
She’s so heartless!
When Adeline snapped back to reality, she noticed only the lonely reflection of the house left on the lawn, and her expression showed a hint of panic.
“Lady Adeline, dinner is ready!”
The stew was finally done.
At the dining table, Filin felt like he was in a very peculiar situation, like a high school girl in a short skirt encountering a train pervert.
Adeline was chewing on her fork while poorly pretending to be casual, actually stealing glances at him.
What’s up with her?
Did that boring brain program finally break down?
“Lady Adeline, is tonight’s dinner to your taste?”
Pan-seared lamb chops, creamy mushroom soup, potato braised beef, lemon butter scallops, and Adeline’s favorite caramel pudding.
All of these were documented in the “Adeline Meal Guide,” which tracked her food preferences from the past week.
“Ah? Oh, it’s delicious, really delicious!”
Adeline jerked at the sound of Filin calling her name and hastily nodded, flustered.
They’re all things I love to eat.
He really loves me.
“I don’t think I’ve asked your opinion about the Sunday party yet.”
Adeline twisted her hair with her right hand, her gaze fixated on the golden lamb chops on her plate.
Ask my opinion?
Ask me?
Me?
Filin’s knife cutting the beef froze mid-motion.
He had only ever followed Adeline’s orders, doing whatever she told him to do.
Suddenly doing this was just weird! So not normal!
Could it be Adeline wanted some grand romance at the party?
Like, making a public confession in front of everyone?
That would be so mortifying!
“Of course, I want to go with you, Lady Adeline, but what’s the point? A person like me…”
Filin’s expression now looked genuinely heavy, not an act at all.
“If I go, it’ll definitely affect your reputation, and it’ll be troubling for your family too.”
Everyone in Seiva’s noble circles knew about Filin’s situation.
Once the “Light of Seiva,” the eldest son, now reduced to living off handouts.
If Adeline really chose to attend with Filin, she would undoubtedly face criticism.
Filin slightly turned his head to look out the window, showcasing his carefully crafted sorrow.
He wore his feelings on his face like a “please ignore me, I’m just a burden” sign.
Adeline watched Filin, her fingers tightly clutching her fork.
He must have been struggling a lot these days.
Family destroyed, parents gone, survival itself is an issue.
She was using money to insult his dignity as a noble, and yet she still took out her random frustrations on him.
Oh no, I just want to hug him! What do I do?
“It’s fine; I don’t mind,” Adeline said.
But I do mind!
Filin sighed internally; it seemed she wouldn’t easily let go of her thoughts.
After Adeline spoke, she placed down her cutlery, thought for a moment, and got up to retrieve a Spell Seal card from the other room.
“You need to dress appropriately for the party. Here’s a hundred thousand crowns; go buy yourself a dress.”
Filin’s eyes widened in panic as he confirmed it multiple times, cautiously taking the Spell Seal card with both hands.
Adeline was internally hit by a storm of emotions—she needed to treat him better from now on; he was too pitiful!
“Clearly, I was in the wrong first, and yet Lady Adeline is so gentle with me.”
“Ahem, let’s eat.”
After finishing dinner, Filin busily cleaned up the dishes alone, now in receipt of his ‘bonus’.
Adeline’s home was filled with high-end ingredients, delivered regularly, and Filin had reaped the benefits of enjoying plenty of good food.
Daily, he just had to chat with Adeline and do some chores.
And Adeline was indeed very pretty—not so bad of a personality either. Spending time with a beautiful girl every day was hardly torture.
Filin found even the dishcloth in his hands quite pleasing.
Is this the charm of money?
Adeline sat on the couch with her legs tucked up, watching Filin cheerfully humming a tune.
Is this guy getting a bit too carried away?
Is my random kindness that worthy of his happiness?
He loves me so much.
Seeing him so happy, a hint of irritation brewed in Adeline’s heart.
She couldn’t even focus on enjoying her meal; this guy was just so happy.
“Miss Adeline, I heated up some milk for you and washed some strawberries.”
“Strawberries to eat? Do I look like I have time to wash my hands? Don’t you know to use a small fork?”
“Right here.”
Filin pulled out a delicate set of cutlery from his pocket.
“Don’t you know strawberries taste soggy when eaten with a small fork?”
Filin kept smiling patiently. Adeline sometimes had her whims, and that was the time to take the initiative.
“Miss Adeline, my hands are very clean already. Do you want me to feed you?”
“W-w-w-wait, feed me?”
A light blush crept up her face.
“Who said I wanted you to feed me? Are you a bit too smug about yourself?”
“Then let me help wipe your hands.”
Filin tore off a paper towel, and seeing Adeline not rejecting him, he gently took her hand.
Her hands were fair, slender, and just the right amount of softness.
Filin meticulously wiped Adeline’s hand, going through every crevice, every inch of her skin.
Watching Adeline grow quiet, Filin smirked inwardly.
Isn’t this just too easy?
Adeline was a bit emotionally unstable, not a pervert.
She never asked to be fed strawberries with feet, which was already a hundred times better than many clients he had dealt with!
In Filin’s eyes, Adeline was not lewd but treated like a sacred being.
He loves me.
It was time to give him a reward.
“Help me take off my ring.”
Filin carefully removed the ring from Adeline’s middle finger. It sparkled, looking quite pricey.
“This dinner was really good; this is for you.”
Adeline turned her head; her excuse should be valid enough.
Seeing Filin’s face light up, Adeline’s lips gradually formed a smile.
What she didn’t know was that every professional cell in Filin’s brain was working overtime.
Dinner was good, so she’s giving me a few hundred thousand crowns in rings?
Is she treating him like a child?
What’s going on with her today?
She wouldn’t dare to make me confess in front of everyone at the party, right?
Then reject me publicly for fun, wrap up for the day, and totally cut ties with me.
That would be like turning me into a self-destructive truck!
“Let’s end it here today; you can leave now.”
Adeline’s voice returned to its usual soft tone.
Despite still having twenty minutes until ten, she had never let him leave early.
Filin blinked, flashing Adeline a sweet smile.
“Miss Adeline, see you tomorrow!”
Oh no, I might just get fired!
Filin silently raged inside.
Adeline hid in the curtain folds, watching him look back three times as he walked away.
Even knowing she wasn’t watching, he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
He loves me.
It wasn’t until Filin’s figure vanished that Adeline finally stood up, rubbing her sore knees.
On the table, there was the hot milk Filin had made for her, with a note pressed under the cup.
“Goodnight, Miss. Hoping the world gets to see you sooner tomorrow.”
“Why is he always writing these things?”
Adeline muttered, pressing her lips together as she tucked the note away in a drawer on the table.
Just then, a message popped up from the Spell Seal. Linda had finished writing up the list of students participating in the joint hunting event.
Filin Solst.
Adeline’s sharp eyes caught that name.
Just a few years ago, she recalled going to the Solst Manor where the tall knight guards stood at the door, each wearing the Solst family’s honorary insignia.
Now their eldest son had fallen to the point of attending a commoner event.
Outside, the rain began to fall, tapping lightly on the window.
The bedroom was dimly lit, with only the desk lamp casting a warm glow.
Cuddled up on the couch, Adeline cradled the steaming cup, enveloped in the sweet scent of milk mingled with the sound of the rain.
She picked up the communication Spell Seal and began slowly typing.
“Linda, I wonder if I could take charge of the group divisions the day after tomorrow?”
