I was surprised. I knew it was her at just a glance.

“Hold on, what’s the matter here?”

I was at a loss over what to ask and where to begin.

Well, when it came to Sasha and Kyle, I was always at a loss due to the remorse that was looming in my heart.

“S-Sister…”

“You were unwell, weren’t you? Or rather, what happened to the servants? Even if you had some business in the kitchen, why were you sneaking around in the middle of the night?”

Despite my urgent tone, I had no intention of putting her on the spot.

“Wait a minute, Milady, you’re exerting too much force here.”

The head chef pointed to his eyebrows and furrowed them tightly. He was probably trying to imitate my expression. His stupid face was so strange that tension left me.

The head chef pursed his thick lips and smiled.

“Anyway, it’s cold in here. Would you like to move to the break room?”

Saying that, he rubbed his upper arms, trembling on purpose.

Then, he bent down and lowered his head so that he could peer into Sasha’s face.

“Even Lady Sasha won’t be able to speak well in such a cold place, right? I’ll make you a warm drink, so let’s go.”

Liz seemed curious, Jack was a bed confused, while I looked like a fool. The head chef glanced over at us and smiled, as if to say, ‘leave it to me.’

In the break room warmed by the fire in the hearth, the head chef sat next to Sasha and made full use of his expressions.

“—I see, is that so? Then?”

He was able to extract information from Sasha, who didn’t talk much, in a short amount of time.

It was terrifying.

“…I’m sorry. Food for the ill is a bit bland, so I wanted something a bit saltier.”

I know, I understand, the head chef nodded his head.

I never thought that Sasha would steal food…

That behavior was hardly considered good manners.

However, Sasha revealed the circumstances that led to that in excruciating detail, and the heartbreaking feelings that led her to think that she had no other choice but to do so.

“Even though I’m happy that people are expecting something of me, it’s difficult. I have a bad memory, and I am clumsy and slow. I was only pretending to be sick just so I could have a small break, but I just felt like I had no energy. Even though my sister taught me a spell…”

Soon enough, Sasha’s blue eyes were brimming with tears.

So, it was just a fake illness…

At that moment, I was truly at a loss due to the shocking truth that was revealed. Sasha lowered her gaze and sniffled.

“My sister is a quick learner. She is skillful, while I lag behind. My teacher and tutor must’ve been comparing me to Lady Larissa and Lady Stephanie… I can’t help but think so.”

Aren’t you overestimating me too much?

I wanted to point that out, but I held back. It was uncalled-for at the moment.

“I understand. It’s difficult to be compared. Being saddled with excessive expectations can be difficult. I ran away from home because of that.”

The words of the head chef, who seemed to be going through some ups and downs, seeped into my mind.

I thought I was doing it for Sasha’s sake. Who would’ve thought that I ended up cornering her this far…?

Such arrogance!

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***T/N: That’s true tho, she’s kinda imposing her ideals and goals onto Sasha

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