Chapter 15

– It's a bad morning because I fell out of bed!

– Father, drink some water first.

– Hello, Grand Duke, – Esther greeted, following Judy and Dennis, only a second late.

When everyone took their seats, hot dishes began to be put on the table.

Soup, bread, salads, goulash and chicken of various kinds.

'How much food is there?' – Esther's eyes widened when she saw the magnificent dishes, the smell of which made her knees buckle.

'All the food looks so delicious.

I don't think that even on a holiday in the temple they prepare as much food as here for an amazing, but only meal…'

Especially the girl's eyes were attracted by a thick chicken with a bright golden crust. Esther instantly drooled when she saw this juicy meat that was right in front of her.

– Let's eat.

– Thanks for the food. I'll have this, this... and this! – as soon as the Duke stopped talking, Judy immediately reached for the chicken, and then tore off one of the chicken legs, of which there were only two.

'Can I do the same?' – noticing this, Esther was instantly interested.

She did not lose sight of the delicious and good pieces of food, however, naturally, when they were distributed, they never reached Esther.

Judy chose only the most delicious parts from each dish and put them on his plate. After filling it, the boy turned his head and saw that Esther still hadn't touched the food:

– Why don't you take anything? – Judy immediately tore off the remaining chicken leg and put it on Esther's plate. – You'll eat one too. I love chicken legs.

Esther was embarrassed to see a chicken leg on her plate:

– It's okay, because she's the last one?

The girl thought it was for the Duke, since it was meat, but Darwin was not particularly interested in meat. The same applied to Dennis.

They enjoyed a light breakfast, preferring bread and salad.

Hearing Esther's words, Judy laughed out loud:

– What? Ah-ha-ha-ha, you're so funny. And what if she's the last one? If you need more food, then tell the chef and he will cook more.

– Ah, – Esther bit her lip in embarrassment.

She realized that she was indeed part of the Grand Duke Dehsin's family.

'If you think about it, you can buy ten dresses without looking, but I often wondered if it would be the same with food…

I can eat as many chicken legs as I want without any problems!

I won't have to worry about hunger anymore!' – Esther was drooling.

The girl had to try a chicken leg with so much meat for the first time.

– Thanks for the food, – Esther said softly and was about to pick up the fork that was lying next to the plate.

However, there were too many forks.

The girl didn't know which fork she should use, because they all looked the same, so Esther chose a fork about the right size and took a knife.

She wanted to cut a piece of meat from a chicken leg, but she did not know how to do it correctly, because she had never cut meat before.

When Esther pressed down on the fork, it bounced off, and meat juice and spices splattered the white tablecloth.

– I'm sorry. I do not know how to use them ... – the girl hurriedly tried to correct her mistake, however, when she wiped the sauce with her hand, the stains became even bigger.

Esther's face paled as she realized that she had only made things worse.

'I will be sent back to the temple immediately…'

Naturally, the girl thought that she would be scolded, but the reaction of the Dehsin family was completely different from Esther's expectations.

– Father, I think it's worth changing the tablecloth. She's too white.

– A great idea, – Darwin instantly gave the order to the butler.

When no one scolded her, Esther was stunned:

– Aren't you angry?

– Why should I be angry? – Darwin asked, wiping the corners of his lips with an expression that seemed to mean he hadn't noticed anything special.

– I ruined an expensive tablecloth.

–Why should I be angry with you for ruining the tablecloth? – Darwin asked, and when he saw that Esther's gaze darkened, he added shortly: – A child is naturally prone to mistakes. Don't be impatient, soon you will start slowly learning everything new. All you need to do now is eat well and have a good rest. Do you understand me?

– ...yes, – Esther nodded, squeezing her sleeves.

'In the world I lived in before, even the slightest mistakes were not allowed.

It's always been that way. If I did something wrong, I could be punished several times.

However, this place seems different…

I am not blamed for an obvious mistake. They don't lock you in a room alone and don't punish you...' – the girl felt uncomfortable because she didn't have to apologize for her offense.

Esther was grateful for these soothing words, but she felt awkward when she was released just like that.

'Maybe I shouldn't eat it? Then I won't make any more mistakes,' – Esther couldn't move her hands, afraid of making another mistake.

Suddenly, Dennis cough reached the ears of the girl who didn't dare to eat.

'Eh?'

Dennis, sitting across from her, was putting food on his plate. The meat, which he had not noticed at all recently, was lying on a plate and resembled Esther's meat.

Dennis moved his hands slowly. First, he picked up a fork and a knife of the second size among the cutlery near his plate, and then began to slowly slice the meat.

Without understanding anything, the girl watched Dennis actions and suddenly realized his intentions.

'He wants me to repeat after him!'

Thanks to this help, Esther learned how to use every cutlery that differs only in its size. She learned how to cut food properly.

Thanks to the years she had lived through, Esther learned everything very quickly. That is why she was able to learn some manners necessary at the table during a meal.

Only the girl did not understand whether Dennis, who seemed indifferent, was helping her on purpose or just eating himself.

Thus, breakfast went well.

Darwin, busy with work, finished his breakfast and quickly left the dining room. Shortly after that, Dennis finished breakfast and said that it was time for him to read.

Esther emptied a few more plates and put the spoon on the table.

After a long time, the girl was able to eat as much as her heart desires for the first time – happiness blossomed in her soul.

– Are you still hungry? – Judy asked, who was chewing on a hard baguette.

Esther patted her stomach and shook her head:

– I ate a lot.

– Pfft, you won't gain weight if you eat like a bird.

'Gain weight?..' – Esther looked down at her plate in embarrassment.

The girl ate a total of four servings. She ate until she felt sick, because this was the first time Esther had eaten such delicious food without having any restrictions.

Therefore, Esther did not understand how she could eat even more.

Leaving the thoughtful girl behind, Judy clapped his hands:

– Exactly! You haven't forgotten what you promised me yesterday, have you?

– Mr. Sebastian?

– Yeah. I'll meet you later, at two o'clock in the afternoon.

Esther nodded to show that she understood.

*****

'Why is time going so slow?' – Esther was lying on the bed and did not take her eyes off the clock. She had been in such a state since the moment she returned from breakfast.

The girl was so upset that the hands of the clock were moving extremely slowly that she had a desire to turn them by force at the right time. Esther looked at her watch as if the outcome of a snow battle depended on it.

When the clock showed 1:20 and there were 40 minutes left to wait, Esther jumped out of bed and began to cut circles around the room. So 10 minutes passed.

– Hurrah! – When the clock struck one–thirty, Esther clapped her hands.

The meeting was scheduled for two o'clock, but the girl decided that it would be better if she went downstairs and waited there for half an hour.

'Such a charm,' – Dorothy thought Esther was very cute, but the girl herself did not even suspect that her excitement was so obvious.

– I'm going downstairs.

– Miss, would you like to take some cookies with you?

Esther, running to the door, turned around:

– Can I take them with me?

– Of course. No one will blame you for this, – Dorothy put the cookies in the picnic basket prepared for Esther.

Esther went down to the first floor of the mansion, tenderly clutching the basket to her.

Judy was still nowhere to be seen.

Esther stood at the door, thinking that it was not yet time for their meeting.

– Miss Esther, you can sit down instead of waiting standing up.

– No, I just want to stand.

Despite the fact that the girl pretended to be indifferent, her feelings trembled.

Esther was excited because she had never made promises to anyone before. Just having a person to wait for was something special.

It was almost 2 p.m.

When the big clock on the wall of the living room struck two o'clock, the church bells rang loudly outside.

Esther's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

The girl, already ready to leave, stared at the door, thinking that Judy was about to open it.

But even after 5 and 30 minutes, Judy did not come.

As this time passed, Esther's face darkened.

'Why doesn't he come?' – Esther, who had no friends and had an appointment for the first time, waited patiently, but her disappointment was as great as her expectation was.

– Do you think Mr. Judy will come?

– I think so, it's the request of the Master.

The butler and Dorothy looked at each other and were scared.

Dorothy stepped forward, thinking she couldn't let Esther keep waiting any longer:

– Miss, do your feet hurt? Why don't you go up to your room and wait there?

– I'll do that, – Esther smiled vaguely, for some reason feeling that Judy would not come.

It was a smile filled with darkness.

'When I came here, I felt such joy that I relaxed my vigilance…

I decided not to trust people, but I was happy to come all this way for Judy… I enjoyed talking to him. It even seemed like he was opening up to me easily…

Keep your back straight when you're in pain, even if you're waiting for that pain,' – Esther's eyes were full of sadness as she looked at the picnic basket she was hugging so carefully.

The girl slowly turned around and headed to her room.

However, just at that moment, the doorbell rang.

When the butler opened the door, one of Judy's escorts hurriedly ran inside:

– Miss Esther! Mr. Judy told me to give you this! – the knight ran for so long that his hair was disheveled, and he was a little out of breath.

What this knight brought was a carelessly written note.

["Something happened, so I'm late. Go to Havel's garden first!"]

The handwriting of the writer was crooked and it seemed that the message was written in a hurry.

However, after reading it, Esther relaxed.

'Should I wait some more?' – the girl did not like the one–sided delay, but she decided to show understanding.

'At least I wasn't abandoned.'

– Thank you for the message, – Esther thanked the knight and called Dorothy: – And where is Havel's garden?

– It is necessary to climb the hill located to the west of the castle, but the way is difficult to explain in words. I'll take you.

The road outside the mansion was unfamiliar to Esther and even seemed strange.

'I caught a glimpse of the path when I got out of the carriage, but walking along it is completely different... too complicated intricacies, I think without Dorothy's help, I will definitely get lost right away.'