SEC Chapter 14 Sarah and Roselle
Chapter 14 Sarah and Roselle
The first rays of morning light peeked through the cracks in the window and gently fell on Luo Xu's face.
He was still asleep when he unconsciously turned over, and a dull pain in his side immediately woke him up.
"Hiss~" Luo Xu gasped.
His hand groped along the headboard and then pulled a rope.
Yesterday, before the young maid left, she told him that if he needed anything, he only needed to pull the bell by the bedside and a servant would come.
After a moment, a maid pushed open the door and entered.
"I want to wash up and have breakfast."
"Yes, sir."
The maid brought over a set of toiletries and linen clothing.
Looking at the toothbrush and the bag of tooth powder, Luo Xu was a little surprised. He had thought that people in this era didn't brush their teeth; it seemed his knowledge was lacking.
"Please wait a moment for breakfast."
After washing up, Luo Xu put on his clothes. His coarse cloth clothes were already dirty; he had taken them off yesterday.
The door was pushed open, but it wasn't a maid who entered; instead, it was Galon's eldest son, Otto.
He moved in a makeshift bed, making the already small guest room even more cramped.
"Are you feeling better?" Otto asked Luo Xu after making the bed.
"I'm feeling a bit better," Luo Xu replied politely, pointing to the makeshift bed. "Does anyone want to stay here?"
Otto's face immediately showed embarrassment, and he stammered as he turned and left the guest room.
Sara walked in, leaning on her cane, under Luo Xu's questioning gaze.
"Luo Xu!" She couldn't hide her smile.
"Sarah!"
Luo Xu's lips unconsciously curled up; after suffering from insomnia the previous night, he had been looking forward to meeting Sarah.
Sarah lay down on the makeshift bed. Her face was calm, but her ears were red.
Otto came in and placed a soft linen bag filled with bran under her right foot, then left the room.
Luo Xu looked at her right foot, which was in a splint, and asked with concern, "Does your foot still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt much anymore," Sarah said. "Yesterday I noticed my right leg was bent, but thankfully the herbalist helped me straighten it."
"Then why don't you lie down properly?"
"Lying down is so boring. Besides, aren't you lying down too? You'll have company."
Sarah's voice trailed off; she had realized that the statement was somewhat ambiguous.
She lowered her head and pretended to tidy up the blanket, her face flushed.
Luo Xu didn't know how to respond, and the atmosphere between the two became somewhat awkward for a moment.
Just then, a maid came in carrying breakfast, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
Luo Xu turned his head to look at Sarah, who also turned her head to look at him.
They both paused for a moment, then simultaneously looked away.
"Have you had breakfast?" Luo Xu asked first.
"not yet."
"Let's eat together then."
Their eyes met again, but this time neither of them looked away.
On the tray was a bowl of steaming hot wheat porridge, topped with a few nuts. Beside it were several slices of fine dark bread, exuding a pure wheat aroma.
There were also two eggs and a bowl of soup on the tray.
"Miss Sarah, would you like me to bring you another breakfast?"
"No need, you can go now," Sarah urged.
The maid placed the tray on the bedside table and left the guest room.
Sarah picked up a piece of bread and looked at Roxus: "Roxus, can you tell me your story? Like, how did you come to Lantas Village?"
Luo Xu scooped a spoonful of wheat porridge into his mouth and uttered the words he had already said before.
"I come from a country in the East. I love to travel, and I came to the Southern Empire with a caravan. But a group of bandits attacked us, and I unfortunately got separated from the caravan. Luckily, I came to the village of Lantas."
"Is your family quite wealthy? Your mannerisms and behavior don't seem like those of a farmer," Sarah asked curiously.
She observed Luo Xu for a while yesterday at noon and found that although his manners were not exactly elegant, they were certainly civilized.
"My father was a nobleman's servant. I grew up around nobles and was influenced by them over time."
Luo Xu nodded and continued to play the role he had created.
Before we knew it, the tray was completely empty.
Sarah continued to ask Rosu questions, from dietary habits to festival customs, clearly showing great interest in the Eastern country he mentioned.
During this time, the two kept their eyes on each other while talking, tacitly avoiding looking away.
After some time, Sarah began to yawn frequently, and her speech gradually slowed down.
Luo Xu noticed two dark circles under her eyes and said softly, "Why don't you go back to sleep for a while?"
"Mmm." Sarah lay down and closed her eyes.
Luo Xu's eyes widened.
Why is she sleeping here?
How could a man and a woman, alone together, be in the same room?
However, Luo Xu didn't say anything more and slowly lay down as well.
Although he felt this was inappropriate, he didn't seem to be too opposed to it.
The room quieted down, and Sarah's breathing gradually calmed down.
Luo Xu couldn't sleep, even though he had insomnia the night before.
Sarah wasn't far from him, just an arm's length away, and he could clearly smell her fragrance.
After a while, Luo Xu opened his eyes and couldn't help but turn his head to look at the girl beside him.
Sarah also turned her head towards him. Her breathing was steady; she seemed to be asleep.
Luo Xu watched for a while, and a strange flutter rose in his heart.
Then he suddenly noticed that a few strands of hair were stuck between Sarah's lips.
Sarah seemed a little uncomfortable; she moved her lips, trying to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, but couldn't.
Luo Xu stared at her slightly furrowed brows and, as if possessed, reached out his hand.
My fingers stopped abruptly when they touched the strand of hair.
Holy crap! What am I doing?!
Luo Xu was stunned; he couldn't understand why he had done that.
But since my hand was already out, I decided to help Sarah get her hair out.
He gently pinched a strand of hair, accidentally touching Sarah's lips.
Soft and slightly moist, it stirred something within Luo Xu.
Sarah's breathing suddenly became rapid, and her pretty face flushed red. Her eyelashes trembled twice, but she kept her eyes tightly closed.
Luo Xu thought she was about to wake up, so he quickly pulled her hair away and tucked it behind her ear.
After doing all this, Luo Xu quickly withdrew his hand and closed his eyes.
"Thump, thump—" His heart almost jumped out of his chest.
Could I have actually fallen for her?
"Coo-coo~coo-coo~" Several calls of turtledoves rang out from somewhere.
A wave of drowsiness washed over Luo Xu, and he stopped his random thoughts.
He turned his head, wanting to take one last look at Sarah before falling asleep.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and a few strands of hair suddenly fell from behind her ears to her face.
Luo Xu didn't think much of it, and withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes.
"Coo-coo~coo-coo~" The call of the turtledove could be heard intermittently.
Luo Xu's consciousness quickly detached from his body and sank into darkness.
When he opened his eyes again, Sarah was no longer there.
Even the makeshift bed was nowhere to be found.
Luo Xu suddenly felt something on his face. He reached out and grabbed it, only to find it was a long chestnut hair.