"Does she not have a mouth to speak for herself?"
"You—" Saina shot him a glare, then turned and shouted upstairs. "Elena! Are you eating lunch or not?"
Upstairs fell silent for two seconds.
The door opened.
Elena came down the stairs empty-handed.
She walked over to the stone table and sat down, crossing her legs with a blank expression.
"Eating."
Saina gave an acknowledging hum and went into the kitchen.
Elena sat at the stone table, her fingers tapping against its surface again and again. She glanced toward the kitchen, then at Su Li.
Su Li sat opposite her, idly teasing Silver with a blade of grass swaying back and forth before the cat.
The two simply sat there without saying a word.
Silver leaped up, bit down on the grass stem, and ran off with it in its mouth.
Elena's fingers stopped.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"The chain you gave her... is she wearing it?"
"Didn't you see for yourself?"
Elena gave a huff and turned her gaze away.
"Fine... at least you didn't give her a kitchen knife."
Su Li looked up at her.
Elena's hand rested on her thigh, her fingertips repeatedly rubbing the fabric of her skirt. It was a little habit she only had when she was nervous.
The iron-blooded grand duchess who had controlled an intelligence network for forty years in her past life was no different from a sixteen-year-old girl when it came to this sort of thing.
Su Li didn't expose her.
He stood and dusted off his pants.
"I'm heading to the woodshed. I still need to forge two knives this afternoon."
"Wait." Elena stopped him.
Su Li turned around.
Elena sat there with her chin raised, maintaining that naturally lofty posture of hers. But she pressed her lips together, her voice