* * *

“Miss! Lord Antes is here! Please wake up!”

Although it seemed Luna hadn’t slept for long, she was woken up by Laura, who was shaking her body, saying that Antes had arrived.

“Who came?”

“It’s young lord Antes!”

“…What time is it now?”

It was still dark outside, and wondering if she had slept through the day and it was night again, Luna asked, and Laura awkwardly smiled as she replied.

“It’s five.”

Five?

“In the afternoon…?”

It was too dark to be afternoon. Transitioning from spring to summer, 5 pm seemed a bit too dark.

Still drowsy and confused about the time, Luna blinked her eyes slowly. Laura, understanding her feelings, shrugged and replied:

“Uh, well… I guess it’s dawn…?”

What? So Antes visited the mansion even before dawn? Luna frowned at the realization.

So, she only slept for about five hours? No wonder Luna felt so sleepy.

Luna, who always ensured eight hours of sleep even when busy, couldn’t hide her irritation.

“Is he crazy?”

Unless there’s a good reason, who would visit someone’s house at dawn? Even if it’s an urgent matter, he should wait until sunrise.

“Ask him to leave and say I’ll see him in the afternoon.”

Luna replied as if she intended to go back to sleep, laying down on her bed.

When she covered herself with the blanket and closed her eyes, Laura, with a puzzled look, spoke up:

“How can you say that? He said you called for him.”

“…Me?”

It’s not like she’s out of her mind. Who would call someone at dawn? When Luna looked clueless, Laura conveyed Antes’ words.

“Yes. He said you requested food. So, he came to prepare breakfast.”

Luna then remembered the letter she sent the previous night, following Rosemary’s advice, asking for an absurd amount of dishes.

He really came to make them? And this early in the morning?

Suddenly wide awake, Luna quickly got ready and went downstairs.

“Good morning.”

Antes, who was chatting with Emma, greeted Luna with a fresh face.

“I came early because you ordered so much. I hope it’s not inconvenient.”

Adding that he needs to start now to make everything in time.

“Miss, why did you have to ask young lord Antes? It’ll take half a day just to buy the ingredients.”

Emma grumbled, seeming prepared to help Antes with the massive cooking task.

Only then did Luna realize why he came so early. He really seemed to be here to cook that enormous amount of food.

She thought he’d either get angry or dismiss it as a joke. But he came, this early, without a word.

“…Did you really come to make all that?”

“Weren’t you the one who sent the letter? You said you enjoyed the food I made.”

When she asked in disbelief, he answered as if it was obvious.

She had added that the food was delicious just to not upset him with the absurd list, but that alone seemed to have motivated him.

“You should go back to sleep. It will take some time to prepare everything. You’re busy with the upcoming opening.”

Even though he was the one busier than her, he kindly told her to rest. But everyone was equally busy.

At best, Antes, who managed several business partners, might be busier than herself, who was opening a single shop.

Nevertheless, without another word, using the ingredients on hand, he and Emma went to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Luna couldn’t possibly go back to sleep in such a situation. Staring blankly in the direction Antes had left, Laura, surprised, asked:

“Miss, what’s going on…? Why is young lord Antes cooking…?”

But Luna wasn’t in the state to answer.

The sudden and rude letter didn’t bother him, and he was here to cook. Luna was sure of her suspicions.

‘Does he… really have feelings for me?’

It was real. After coming to a conclusion, Luna’s face suddenly flushed red.

In fact, to say he has feelings or is interested isn’t enough. To describe this situation accurately, Antes was trying his best to impress the person he liked, even coming at the crack of dawn.

And thinking that the other person was herself, she couldn’t calmly accept it. Without a response, Luna’s complexion changed as if she was in pain, and Laura’s eyes widened in shock.

“Miss! Are you in pain somewhere?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

“You seem to be in pain? It looks like you have a high fever! Should I bring some fever medicine?”

What she needed at the moment was a calming pill.

Realizing that what she had only imagined was true, her face became unbearably hot, and her heart began to race.

“It’s just… hot. I’ll sit on the terrace for a bit. Could you please bring me some tea?”

She hadn’t even received a direct confession, but it was still too much to handle. Luna, fanning her face with her hand, quickly moved to the terrace.

She needed to calm down and breathe some fresh air.

As she sat on the terrace, trying to calm herself for quite a while, she ultimately failed.

This was her first time in such a situation, and she didn’t have enough time to think about how to interact with Antes in the future.

‘Should I ask directly…? Or should I just pretend not to know?’

No, no. Asking if he likes her out of the blue was weird. It was best to not show any signs or say anything.

“Young lady Luna.”

Unfortunately, when Antes, who had finished preparing the meal, reappeared, Luna couldn’t pretend she didn’t know him and act normally.

“A-already?”

“It took about three hours and you say ‘already’?”

Seeing Antes’ puzzled expression, Luna realized that quite some time had passed and she got up from her seat.

“Oh…! I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice the time. So, should we go eat?”

Luna couldn’t meet his eyes, her speech was stumbling, and her face turned bright red. Antes followed her, furrowing his brows as if he found her behavior odd.

This strange behavior continued at the dining table.

Despite the impressive meal in front of them, Luna could hardly eat as if something was bothering her.

“Is there something you don’t like?”

When Antes, concerned, asked her this, Luna, startled, dropped the fork she was holding.

Clang!

“…”

The mood suddenly became tense. After watching Luna’s strange behavior, Antes broke the silence and asked:

“Did I do something wrong?”

Did he come too early from the crack of dawn? Did he come too early because of the delicious food last time, as Luna wanted to eat a variety of dishes mentioned in her letter?

“Did I visit too early? Should I come back in the afternoon?”

“No, why would you…!”

Hearing this, Luna hastily denied it.

“Then why have you been acting like this since earlier? Are you sick? Should I call a doctor?”

“No, I’m fine. Really. I’m always like this in the morning.”

She hadn’t been, though. Luna kept making up excuses even though they had already met several times in the morning.

This only made him more suspicious. Not only Antes but even Laura and Emma, who were nearby, looked puzzled.

Suddenly, an unexpected visitor arrived.

“Young lady Rosemary? What brings you here so early?”

“Huh? Ah, just yesterday’s conversation has been on my mind. More importantly… It seems brother is with you.”

It was Rosemary. She had sent the letter as instructed and was wondering if there had already been any response. She came to urge Antes, who was unaware of anything, to quickly come up with a solution. It was a good opportunity.

Rosemary, without waiting, pulled Antes by his arm.

‘What’s this about?’ He didn’t even feel like exchanging a few words, and she was touching his arm out of the blue.

Antes, with a displeased expression, shook off Rosemary’s hand.

‘It’s not like I’m doing this because I want to, seriously.’ Looking annoyed, she made it clear she didn’t want to do this either and beckoned Antes outside.