Je T'aime: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cloud didn’t know whether to laugh or feel sorry for Lord Jacques as he forced himself to finish the vegetable salad he wanted to try. The way Lord Jaques’ eyebrow furrowed and his face contorted in confusion with a little hint of disgust were enough for Cloud to conclude that he was not enjoying the food.

“You okay, Jacq?” Lady SM asked in a gentle voice.

While his master, Knight, scoffed. “Why are you even eating a vegetable salad, you motherfucking Marquess? Look at your face. It’s like someone’s torturing you.”

“Fuck you, you motherfucking Count,” the Marquess snapped at Knight. “Don’t fucking talk to me.”

Now Lady SM was worried. “Should we change your food instead, would you like that?”

The Marquess shook his head and smiled at Lady SM. Gone the hostile Marquess. “It’s good, milady. Don’t worry.”

That’s clearly a lie to appease Lady SM and Cloud knew that Lady SM was not buying it, but still, she let the topic go.

Cloud could only shake his head and stare at the Marquess again. Lord Jacques was really having a hard time swallowing the vegetable without making a face. He was certain that if the Marquess were alone, he would have thrown up his food by now. He’s just holding himself up for dignity.

And it’s getting on Cloud’s nerves!

He can’t watch the Marquess trying to finish his vegetable salad. It’s maddening seeing him turning green but not doing anything about it!

Where’s the bossy Marquess who would surely push away the food if it didn’t satisfy his tastebud? Where’s that pompous ass? Where’s that spoiled brat Marquess he knew that would cuss nonstop if it’s not to his liking?

Is he trying to look good for Lady SM? Is that it? Cloud was pissed even more.

Until dinner was over, the Marquess never pushed his plate away. He endured the vegetable salad, even though Cloud was sure it tasted horrible for the Marquess.

And when his master and Lady SM excused themselves after dinner, the Marquess followed and left the dining table.

Cloud could only shake his head as he was left alone in the kitchen. He waited a few seconds before standing up from his seat and began clearing the table.

While washing the dishes, he couldn’t get the Marquess’s earlier expression out of his mind. Lord Jacques had looked really uncomfortable while eating, and Cloud was absolutely certain that the vegetable salad hadn’t appeased the Marquess’s hunger.

He must be hungry right now.

Cloud could only sigh and shake his head, puzzled by his own concern for the Marquess’s well-being. And it was rare for him because he only worried about one person, and that was his crazy boss.

After finishing the dishes, Cloud found himself cooking.

Maybe it was because he was supposed to guide him, as per his boss’s request.

Cloud air-fried a chicken breast that he had dipped into a mixture of egg and flour, then pressed into a coating of panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Then he drizzled some oregano on top after it was done.

He placed the food he made on a tray, along with a glass of water and a glass of fresh mango juice, then pulled his phone from his pocket to call the Marquess.

“Where are you?” he asked immediately when the call was answered. He didn’t want to search the entire house just to find him.

“Why the fuck are you asking?” The Marquess was hostile again.

He sighed. “Just tell me. I’m not in the mood to be nice to you.” Several seconds passed before he answered. “My room...”

He ended the call and lifted the tray with one hand. He’d been a butler for so many years that he had perfected carrying and balancing a tray full of food with only one hand.

Cloud left the kitchen and climbed to the second floor of the house, heading toward the Marquess’s room.

He didn’t even know why he was worried or why he was doing this. Before he knew it earlier, he was already cooking for the Marquess.

Cloud shook his head and stopped in front of Lord Jacques’ room. He knocked first before opening the door and entering.

Then he froze mid-step when he saw the Marquess in the middle of putting on his shirt.

He had a great body. That’s the first thing that entered Cloud’s mind seeing the Marquess half-naked. He had muscles in the right places, but not the bulky kind. Just enough to fill out his arms, chest, and abdomen.

Cloud immediately shook his head when the thought finally sank in. Since when did another man’s body look great in his eyes?

Now, I’m being weird. Was he sleep-deprived? Must be.

Cloud cleared his throat before walking toward the long bench at the foot of the bed.

Cloud carefully placed the tray on the wooden bench before standing straight, then he stilled when he looked at Lord Jacques and their eyes met.

His eyebrows furrowed when he noticed something odd about the Marquess’s appearance. For some reason, he looked pale. And it seemed the Marquess noticed the confusion on his face because he explained immediately.

“I vomited a little.” The Marquess tsked irritatedly. “Fucking vegetable.”

Because of the salad? “Why did you force yourself to eat it if you didn’t like it? You should have pushed the plate away.”

“You made it. I didn’t want to make you feel bad.”

So that’s why he forced himself to finish it? He shook his head and gestured to the tray. “I know you didn’t enjoy the vegetable salad so I cooked you something. Eat up.”

The Marquess’s gaze dropped to the tray on the bench. “Looks good...”

“Tastes good as well.” Cloud wasn’t bragging, but he really was a good cook.

“So fucking cocky...” Lord Jacques commented with a shake of his head, but then sat on the bench and began eating.

Cloud just watched him. It was good to see the Marquess was enjoying the food he had prepared.

He cleared his throat. “Anyway, are there any food allergies I need to know about?” he asked to break the silence in the room. “I’m the cook, so I need to know what you can and can’t eat.”

The Marquess shook his head. “No allergies.” Then he sighed, “but no fucking grass anymore.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Vegetables are not grass.”

“They are to me.” Lord Jacques tsked. “I am not eating that again! But some say it’s delicious though,” he looked up at Cloud, “maybe you made it wrong?”

Cloud looked at the Marquess flatly. “Maybe I shouldn’t have cooked you another meal.”

“I’m kidding.” He laughed softly. “By the way, do you have another set of bedding? This one is giving me rashes,” he said, referring to his current bedsheets.

Both of Cloud’s eyebrows rose at what he heard. “Rashes?”

“Yeah, the fabric is giving me rashes. I don’t like it.” Yep. He’s back to being bossy again. “Change it for me. I don’t know how.”

Cloud discretely massaged his temple.

“I want a Gucci bedsheet,” the Marquess added, which gave him a headache. “And Gucci pillowcases as well.”

This is what he gets for worrying that this ass of a Marquess might get hungry at night. Now, he’s bossing him around. This motherfucker!

Cloud took a very deep breath to calm down. “First of all, Lord Jacques, I’m not your butler for you to boss me around. Second, we don’t have Gucci bedsheets and pillowcases. So just suck it up. You’ll get used to it.”

“No, I won’t,” Lord Jacques mumbled and didn’t say anything more than that.

Cloud thought he would curse or swear at him like he always did when facing his master or when he didn’t get what he wanted, but he remained quiet.

He shook his head and spent time cleaning the Marquess’s room, including the bathroom, while the other ate.

And after Lord Jacques finished eating, Cloud carefully picked up the tray and glanced at the Marquess.

“I’ve already prepared your toothbrush in the bathroom,” he informed him. “And if you want to bathe, I’ve already prepared the bath and towel for you, but give it a little time since you just finished eating.” Then he slightly bowed his head to show respect, as he was so used to doing that it had become a part of him. “Goodnight, Lord Jacques,” he said before leaving.

He hadn’t left the room yet, was just about to open the door when he heard the Marquess speak.

“Gracias.”

A small smile made its way to Cloud’s lips. So the pompous ass knows how to say thank you.

“De nada,” Cloud replied before leaving the room.

He returned to the kitchen to wash the Marquess’s dishes, then made his rounds through the house to ensure all doors and windows were locked before heading to his room.

As Cloud lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, the Marquess entered his mind.

As per his observation, the Marquess was a pompous brat. Bossing around people looked so natural for him, maybe because of his standing in life. But even though he was a pompous ass, he did know how to say thank you and appreciate someone’s effort.

He actually ate the salad, even though he didn’t like it, because Cloud had made it for him.

A smile slowly formed on his lips, but then he shook his head when he caught himself smiling.

Because of that Marquess, he was being weird.

Maybe it was because it was his first time meeting someone with noble status.

But his master was a Count — well, Lord Knight was crazy, so he was in a different league. He couldn’t compare the two.

Cloud blew out a loud breath. Instead of ransacking his mind and confusing himself, he’d better get some sleep.

He was about to close his eyes when something suddenly occurred to him. Irritated, he got up and retrieved something from his walk-in closet before leaving his room and heading to the Marquess’s room.

Cloud knocked on the door, then gave it twenty seconds before entering.

Upon entering, he immediately saw the Marquess lying on the bench at the foot of the bed. He was awake alright, but hadn’t even made an effort to open the door for him. What an ass.

He frowned at him. “Why are you lying there?”

“The sheet is going to give me more rashes,” he answered. “I don’t like it.”

Cloud sighed before showing Lord Jacques what he had brought from his closet. It was a set of bedding. “I don’t have Gucci, but... is Versace okay?”

The Marquess immediately sat up from the bench as a wide smile spread across his lips. “Fuck, yeah. I like Versace.”

“Of course, you do,” Cloud mumbled sarcastically before changing the Marquess’s bedding.

“Should I help—”

“Don’t bother,” he quickly stopped the Marquess who was about to stand up from the bench. “I’ll do it. Just sit there and shut up.”

“Who the fuck are you to tell me to shut up?” the Marquess asked irritably.

“The one changing the bedsheet so you can sleep better at night,” he answered sarcastically.

The Marquess didn’t say anything more, but while Cloud was changing the bedsheet, he could feel Lord Jacques’ eyes on him.

He sighed and looked at him. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” the Marquess replied. “You just make changing the bedding look so easy.”

“That’s because I’m a butler,” he answered and went back to fixing the bed.

“I have three butlers back home,” the Marquess shared, “but none of them put toothpaste on my toothbrush for me like you did.”

“Yeah?” He said nonchalantly while changing the pillowcase.

“Yeah.”

“Then they’re not one hell of a butler like me,” he playfully said before spreading the comforter on the bed and smoothing its edges. “There. Done,” he said when he finished, then gathered up the old bedding and carried it out to his room.

He placed the bedding on the sofa inside his room before lying down on the bed.

This time, Cloud was able to sleep peacefully, without worry.

Done with everything in the house, Cloud was looking forward to resting. But because of his crazy boss who wanted him to go to Lady SM’s café, he couldn’t rest.

From: Count Crazy

‘Come to SM’s Café. ASAP. Need alone time with my baby. You take care of the café.’

Cloud could only sigh. So much for resting.

Cloud went to the garage and stepped inside his car— a Mercedes-Maybach Exelero— a gift from his older brother for his birthday last year.

He drove it to Lady SM’s café.

While driving out, he passed his crazy boss on his motorcycle with Lady SM sitting behind him.

Cloud didn’t need to be a genius to figure out what those two were going to do.

He drove straight to Bitter Sweet Café, parked his car in the parking lot, and went inside. He immediately saw Lord Jacques serving orders to customers.

The corner of his lip turned up as he watched him. He looked awkward serving people, but he was still doing it.

All for Lady SM.

The Marquess was really trying his hardest for the woman he liked.

Cloud sat at an empty table and waited for the Marquess to notice him.

He was still busy delivering orders to customers. As time passed, Cloud noticed his face getting darker, especially when customers added more food after he had served their initial orders.

The Marquess looked pissed, making Cloud chuckle. It was fun to watch Lord Jacques trying to calm himself down to not explode in anger in front of the customers.

Then accidentally, their eyes met.

Using his forefingers, Cloud drew a smiling lip near his own, motioning Lord Jacques to do the same.

With his pissed expression, he mouthed ‘Fuck you’ in reply.

Cloud couldn’t hold his laughter. The pissed face of the Marquess was really amusing to see.

The Marquess looked cute when he was pissed.

Cloud stilled. His smile disappeared. Since when did he find a man cute? He was being weird again. Maybe Lord Knight’s attitude was rubbing off on him. His boss was weird after all.

He shook his head and looked again at Lord Jacques, who was now walking toward his table.

“What are you doing here?” The Marquess asked him. He was pissed alright.

“My Lord asked me to be here,” he answered, then his face turned serious. “It’s a good thing that I’m here. How about we start our lesson?”

His brow furrowed. “Here?”

“Yeah.”

“How?”

“Serve them with a smile.”

“I don’t want to,” he said immediately. “They’re not milady.”

“It’s called practice.”

“I can smile just fine at milady. I don’t need practice for that.”

Cloud sighed to release the irritation building inside him. “If you say so. Let’s just forget about teaching you how to be a butler then. It’s no use.” He stood up to leave when the Marquess cursed softly while grinding his teeth.

“Fuck it! Fine!” Lord Jacques hissed between his gritted teeth before leaving his table and turning back to the customers and serving them with a smile.

The Marquess was still pissed alright, but he was still smiling.

Cloud sat back down and watched the Marquess. It was amusing really, but it wasn’t just that. The Marquess really needed to learn how to be courteous with strangers if he wanted to be a butler. He was Lady SM’s butler — that meant Lady SM must be an important person somehow. He needed to learn now how to properly face other people even if he didn’t like it.

Courtesy was everything. And then followed by showing manners.

He watched the Marquess for a few more seconds before standing up and ordering food at the counter.

Chicken Avocado Pita Sandwich and coffee.

When he returned to the table, he took his cellphone from his pocket and sighed when he saw a message from his mother.

He opened it.

From: Mamá

‘Cloud Sebastian Beaumont, when are you planning to settle down? My friend’s daughter is very beautiful. She’ll suit your taste.’

Cloud sighed before turning off his phone without replying to his Mom’s message.

That was always his mother’s question. Well, he wasn’t getting younger, he knew that, but he wasn’t ready to settle down yet. He was nearing thirty, but that didn’t really concern him.

His concern was... who would take care of his master if he got married? He had promised his lord that he would help him and stay by his side until he no longer needed him, and he wanted to keep that promise. He wanted to support him in any way he could. Of all people, he was the one who knew best that his Lord didn’t like being left behind and abandoned, and he would not do that to the Count.

He was certain that if he got married, his wife would surely stop him from serving his master whom he already considered family.

He would never leave his lord’s side. For as long as he needed him.

Cloud was pulled out of his reverie when someone served him his order. When he looked up to see, it was Lord Jacques.

“Enjoy the fucking food,” the Marquess said with a fake smile.

Ignoring the cursing, he just gestured to the chair across from him. “Sit.”

“I’m fuckin’ working.”

“Just sit,” he said. “This won’t take long.”

Though reluctant, he sat in the chair across from him. Cloud then pushed the plate with the Chicken Avocado Pita Sandwich toward the Marquess.

“I had them remove the vegetables so you could eat it,” he said before sipping his coffee. The Marquess ate silently, sighing from time to time. The Marquess must be tired since he wasn’t used to this.

Cloud held out his hand to the Marquess. “Give me your apron.”

Lord Jacques frowned at him while munching the sandwich. “Why?”

“Just give it.”

Though confused, he removed the apron he was wearing and handed it over. The Marquess became even more confused when he saw Cloud put it on.

“What the fuck are you—”

“I’ll take over,” he finished his coffee and stood up. “Just rest. You must be tired.”

He didn’t wait for him to speak further, approached Monet, the cafe assistant manager, and explained that he would temporarily replace Lord Jacques and that Lady SM knew about it.

Cloud secretly shook his head as he started working. So much for resting today.