Heiress' Househusband is a Secret Billionaire - Chapter 200

Chapter 200: A Curious Case of The Missing Pancakes
Lariette and Ruediger walked around the area for a little bit before resuming their journey. Like before, they shared stories as the truck glided down the expressway with a vast greenery surrounding them.

The road stretched endlessly ahead, bathed in the golden glow of the morning sun. The distant fields rolled across the landscape, occasionally dotted with farmhouses and grazing animals.

Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, Lariette reminded herself to stop every hour. At least, Ruediger could stretch and rest his back. She wouldn’t reapply the ointment until they reached home to allow it time to absorb.

“Lettie, it’s your turn.”

“Huh? What? My turn?”

Lariette was taken aback when Ruediger, sitting comfortably in the reclined seat, threw those words to her. She glanced at him, her brows arching.

A smirk was drawn on Ruediger’s lips. His emerald eyes carried a mirthful glint as he said, “You made me talk about my travels on our way to Moonville. Shouldn’t you talk about yourself this time?”

Lariette groaned, pretending to find the idea distasteful. She replied, “I haven’t traveled much. And I certainly never experienced being chased by an angry ostrich.”

Ruediger burst out laughing. He winced when a sudden pain flared from his back just from laughing too much. Shifting slightly in the seat, he stretched his long legs.

“Haha… How about your childhood stories? I think Aunt Mel and Uncle Paul hadn’t told me everything.”

Narrowing her eyes, Lariette shot Ruediger a glare. She grumbled, “You’ve heard enough. I’m sure Aunt Mel and Uncle Paul shared more when I was still asleep.”

Lariette recalled the late afternoon of the previous Thursday. She was surprised that Melissa and Paul had warmed up to Ruediger, enough to tell him funny stories about her childhood.

“No, they didn’t,” Ruediger raised one of his brows, his smirk widening, “Come on, Lettie. I bet you were an adorable little menace.”

“I was not a menace!” Lariette huffed, her cheeks flushing red.

“Really?”

Ruediger lowered his voice, eyeing Lariette with a knowing look. She couldn’t help but feel quite guilty as he smiled at her.

“…maybe a little bit.”

Ruediger chuckled, amused by Lariette’s admittance. She huffed again, eliciting more laughter from him, causing him to shift again because of his throbbing back. Thankfully, the ointment’s cooling effect was decent.

“Fine… I’ll tell you about this curious case of missing pancakes.”

Ruediger was blank for a moment, he unconsciously blurted, “Missing pancakes?”

Keeping her eyes straight on the vast road ahead, Lariette brought up one of her embarrassing yet lovely childhood stories. Her voice echoed above the music as Ruediger lowered the radio’s volume.

“When I was eight, I was caught with a pancake bug. I was so obsessed with eating pancakes every single day.”

Chuckling, Ruediger nodded. He liked the term ‘pancake bug’ Lariette used, “I respect that, Lettie.”

Hearing the obvious jest in Ruediger’s tone, Lariette rolled her eyes. Still, she continued her story.

“Well, my grandma made a huge stack of pancakes for breakfast one morning. She left the kitchen for a few minutes and… when she came back, half of it was missing.”

Holding back from laughing, Ruediger asked, “Did she immediately suspect you? There’s no one else in that house aside from you, wasn’t it?”

Lariette cackled, the merry sound filling the air inside the truck. A mischievous grin tugged on her lips.

“Hehe, she did. I denied everything with the most innocent face ever when my grandma asked. I told Grandma that a pancake ghost must’ve stolen them.”

Ruediger almost choked on a laugh, unable to stop himself, “No. You didn’t.”

“Oh, I did,” Lariette said proudly, her whole face beaming at the fond memory, “Hehe, I even tried to frame Uncle Paul because he dropped by that morning to send us some fresh milk.”

Ruediger clutched his stomach. He tried hard not to laugh for the sake of his back, “Wow~ Poor Uncle Paul! Hehe, what did your grandma say?”

“Ahem,” Lariette pretended to cough. Then, she spoke, trying to imitate the late Mrs. Evans’ higher-pitch voice, “‘Lettie, you have syrup all over your face.’ That’s what Grandma said.”

Ruediger shook his head, helpless by the little funny story that was a part of Lariette’s childhood. He remarked, “Truly, you were an absolute menace of a child.”

“Excuse me?” Lariette gasped in mock offense, “I was a perfectly angelic child. You wouldn’t find any other like me.”

Ruediger snorted, side-eyeing Lariette, “Yeah, yeah, sure you were.”

Lariette shot another glare at Ruediger. She didn’t know how many times she had done so today. The man simply chuckled, seemingly entertained by her missing pancake story.

Nevertheless, Lariette quickly switched to another childhood story. Despite feeling embarrassed about how mischievous she could be as a child, she couldn’t help but tell Ruediger.

More laughter erupted in the truck as the time passed with Lariette sharing her stories. Some of them were funny, while the others were heartwarming.

The truck rolled down the expressway, still surrounded by the picturesque scenery. The sun had reached the peak, casting its bright light and blazing heat all over the fields.

As a chatty Lariette opened a new story, a thought crossed Ruediger’s mind. A slight sense of unease and guilt pricked his heart.

‘I wanna ask her about the time she still lived in Amberwood, but… I shouldn’t yet, right?’

Ruediger appreciated how Lariette had grown more comfortable with him, signifying their relationship had become better. Still, he would be worried whenever he thought about bringing up Amberwood.

The one and only time he had done it before was during their trip to the island[01]. Since then, he only swallowed his curiosities about it.

‘It’s clear that she didn’t remember that boy much. I… will I ever get to tell her the truth?’

Ruediger was glad that Lariette didn’t remember that particular incident, but he was still uneasy. His stomach churned and his heart sank whenever he thought that he was the only one clinging to the past.

Would the day ever come?

Or… should he just bury his intention of making her remember him?

———-

Reference:

1 – Chapter 111