Chapter 208

Just then, the waiter brought out the food, and Carissa fell silent, watching each dish being laid out. Among them were her favorite spicy stuffed peppers; their vibrant red and green hues looked utterly appetizing. A variety of dishes, both spicy and mild, filled the room with a fragrant aroma. Carissa was ravenous. Picking up her utensils, she addressed Rafael’s earlier question.

“When we left, Frederick mentioned that over the years, Lord Henry had taken many concubines. Most of them died after giving birth. I thought that if a concubine dies, it could be due to an accident or childbirth complications, but for so many to die—it’s hard not to be suspicious.”

As she spoke, she picked up a stuffed pepper, placing it on her plate and serving some to Rafael. “Try some of this. It’s the star of the dishes.” She then spooned a small amount of red and green chili onto his plate.

“Okay.” Rafael looked at the bright red chili with a serious expression, not hurrying to eat. “Your suspicion is correct. Indeed, Henry’s concubines were all cruelly mistreated and died terrible deaths.”

Carissa asked, “I didn’t see any concubines around Grand Princess Eleanor today. Were they all killed? And the children born of those concubines are missing too?”

“Not exactly. Those who knew how to behave might have survived. After giving birth, they would offer their children to her and then serve as footmaids by her side, which allowed them to stay alive. As for the children…”

He finally took a bite of the pepper. After chewing briefly, he quickly swallowed. His eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, and he grabbed his cup to drink, coughing as he said, “It’s too spicy!”

As he coughed, he pulled out a handkerchief to cover his mouth. The handkerchief was overly conspicuous, and Carissa turned her face away, unable to look. What kind of embroidery was that? It was neither a bird nor a bee, and it was all wrinkled! Did he even remember who gave him this handkerchief? No, she needed to find a way to steal it and destroy it!

She took a bite of the stuffed pepper, savoring its spicy and smooth taste—it was truly soul-satisfying. However, her focus wasn’t on the food but on his handkerchief. Casually, she asked, “This handkerchief of yours doesn’t seem very well embroidered. Was it made by one of the seamstresses in your residence?”

Rafael, his cheeks flushed from the spiciness, continued to drink water, gradually clearing the fiery sensation from his mouth. He finally lifted the handkerchief and said, “This? It’s probably not from the residence’s seamstresses. This handkerchief has been with me for a long time. I remember it was made by a young girl who was just learning embroidery. It was the first handmade gift I received, so I’ve kept it. I’m just a bit regretful that I can’t recall who the girl was.”

He spoke with sincerity, and his eyes showed genuine regret, indicating he had truly forgotten who gave it to him.

Carissa was relieved. If he had forgotten for so long, he would likely never remember. She needed to practice her embroidery diligently in the coming days and make sure he didn’t notice how rough her skills were in the past.

“Before this handkerchief, has anyone ever given you a handmade gift?” Carissa asked while serving him more food. “Here, try this.”

He poured more water and let the food cool a bit before eating. His manners were very refined, a stark contrast to his demeanor on the battlefield. It seemed that everyone started putting on airs after returning to the capital.

“My mom never did embroidery. If I needed handkerchiefs or such, the palace had plenty. Gillian could easily fetch me some,” Rafael said, only to start coughing again. This time, the spiciness seemed to have hit him hard. He gulped down the water but ended up coughing even more.

Dylan watched him with growing concern as Rafael coughed so violently that it seemed like his lungs might come out. He couldn’t help but worry. Rafael had never been able to handle spicy food before. Why was he claiming to thrive on it today?

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