Chapter 11
Eleanor quickly turned around.
At some point, Matthias had appeared right behind her, smiling brightly.
He looked down at the baby and said,
“Did you sleep well, little one?”
“Wh–why are you here?” Eleanor gasped, taking a step back.
“I thought you left the inn yesterday.”
“You’re quite interested in me, even while pretending not to be,” Matthias said, placing a hand on his hip and leaning forward slightly.
“You were watching to see if I’d really leave?”
—She had checked because she wanted him to leave.
If she was going to be watched anyway, she’d rather it be by one of his subordinates than by the man himself.
Is he really going to monitor me personally?
It made her uncomfortable. Irritation bubbled up inside her, and she pursed her lips.
Sensing her displeasure, Matthias smirked faintly.
“Have you had breakfast?”
“……”
“I haven’t yet. How about we eat together? They say families should start the day together.”
Family? What family.
They were nothing more than strangers—at best, reluctant allies.
There was no need to get close to such a dangerous man.
“Hmm? Let’s eat together.”
Eleanor ignored him and went downstairs.
“Oh my, you two came down together today. Oh my goodness!”
Sophie, the innkeeper, beamed when she saw Eleanor and Matthias coming down together.
No one pitied Eleanor—a single mother raising a baby alone—more than Sophie did.
“You two talked for quite a while last night. Did you make up?”
Honestly…!
This was exactly why she didn’t want to be seen with Matthias.
Eleanor replied sharply, “No. We were never like that to begin with.”
“Oh dear, looks like the husband still has some work to do, then.”
“No, really! Why do you keep misunderstanding—”
“All right, all right. Calm down. I’ll bring you breakfast. Just sit.”
Sophie gently pressed Eleanor into a chair and smiled faintly before heading to the kitchen.
Naturally, Matthias took the seat across from her, his attitude relaxed and self-assured.
Eleanor frowned deeply.
“Please sit somewhere else.”
“I can’t do that. I’m playing the devoted husband, working to fix our relationship.”
“Is that really necessary? I already told you yesterday I’d cooperate with you.”
“Exactly why we need to keep up appearances. If we weren’t husband and wife, how could I justify staying here with you?”
“You could’ve come up with another lie,” Eleanor sighed.
“You could’ve said you were a brother looking for his runaway sister. We didn’t have to be married.”
“If you ever try to run to another town, I’ll use that one then,” Matthias replied smoothly.
It was a teasing response—but also a subtle warning not to think about escaping his sight.
There was no winning this argument.
Eleanor decided once again to ignore him.
But Matthias wouldn’t stop.
“Isn’t the baby eating?”
“……”
“I asked if you’re feeding the baby.”
“……”
“So you’re eating but not the baby? What kind of mother does that?”
“She already ate in the room,” Eleanor snapped.
“I take good care of her, thank you. You don’t need to concern yourself with someone else’s child.”
“How could she be someone else’s child? She’s ours, isn’t she?”
“Goo.”
Right on cue, the baby babbled.
Matthias tilted his chin smugly. “See? Even the baby agrees.”
“A two-month-old can’t understand words! That was just coincidence.”
“Really? Then let’s ask again. Sweetheart, do you like having Daddy here?”
“Wooo, ah—”
The baby let out an adorable sound and giggled.
Matthias looked triumphant.
“Seems like she’s happy to have her father around.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh, come on. Look at that smile. If only Mommy would welcome me like that too.”
Matthias smiled charmingly, teasing her.
He truly had a gift for getting under her skin.
This is why I wanted him gone.
If it had just been one of his men, they would’ve watched her silently without getting in her way.
Eleanor bit her lip hard.
She wanted to retaliate—to wipe that smug look off his face.
Why should he be the only one acting?
If he insisted on talking to her no matter what, maybe she should just play along.
“Do I really have to act friendly toward a man who abandoned his wife and child?” she said coldly.
“Huh?” Matthias blinked.
Seeing his reaction, Eleanor leaned into her role.
“You listened only to your mother and threw me away. You didn’t believe me when I said I was innocent. Our trust shattered that day. So no—I’ll never forgive you.”
Just then, a loud clatter sounded behind them.
Startled, Eleanor turned around.
“Ah, um…”
It was Sophie, standing there with their breakfast trays.
The air instantly grew awkward and heavy.
Meeting Eleanor’s gaze, Sophie gave an embarrassed little laugh.
“Haha… breakfast time! Here you go…”
As she set the plates down, she hesitated—then, after a moment of thought, switched Eleanor’s and Matthias’s dishes.
The meals were identical, except that the plate now in front of Eleanor had a noticeably larger piece of chicken.
“Um… right. You hang in there.”
After patting Eleanor’s shoulder encouragingly, Sophie shot Matthias a glare and left.
A quiet chuckle came from across the table.
“Heh. Sure, it’s all my fault. I’ve been a terrible husband. I’ll try harder so you can forgive me.”
Eleanor’s face turned red.
She’d only wanted to see him flustered—so why was she the one embarrassed now?
“What should I do, then? How can I earn your forgiveness?”
“N-no, that’s not—”
“Should I kneel again? Or bring my mother here? If we want to fix things, we should clear up why she tried to drive us apart, right?”
“Enough! Just eat your food.”
Eleanor ducked her head and quickly picked up her spoon.
It was best not to engage with Matthias any further.
I shouldn’t have said anything.
“Ha ha ha,” he laughed heartily.
His cheerful voice filled the room—and for some reason, it made her skin prickle.
* * *
Piacenza was a quiet, peaceful rural village.
Which also meant it was a bit dull and uneventful.
If you wanted to shop or enjoy a cup of tea at a café, you had to go to the next town over.
The shops, the amusements—everything interesting was outside of Piacenza.
Maybe that was why someone couldn’t handle the boredom.
“Hey, Mama.”
From the very day they decided to stay at the inn, Matthias hadn’t left Eleanor’s side for even a moment.
At first, she thought it was because he wanted to keep a close eye on her—
to make sure she wouldn’t try to escape.
But as the days went by, Eleanor started to think otherwise.
“Mama, why doesn’t the baby have socks on?”
Maybe he was just bored and tormenting her for fun.
“Tell me—why didn’t you put them on? Did you forget? Or did you think she didn’t need them?”
Here it was again—Matthias’s daily routine of nagging and nitpicking.
Yesterday it had been about how she held the baby; today, it was about socks.
“……”
Eleanor ignored him and kept walking.
Matthias quickly caught up and gently grabbed the baby’s foot.
“See? Her feet are cold.”
“Let go,” Eleanor said sharply, pulling the baby’s foot back.
She touched it herself—soft, warm, and toasty.
