As soon as they entered the villa, the rain started pouring down as if it had been waiting.
Knock knock.
Carol, who had just finished washing in the bathroom, hurriedly went out while drying her hair in response to the knock.
She was secretly concerned about staying in separate rooms when they came on a trip together, but she was relieved thinking that the Duke had come first as she flung the door open.
“Oh…”
But it wasn’t the Duke who appeared when she opened the door.
The most unexpected person was standing in front of the door.
“I came to thank you for lending me spare clothes.”
Margaret said with an awkward expression.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
The tone was clearly different from when they were at the Duke’s Mansion. It was an inevitably uncomfortable relationship.
“I’ll return the clothes later.”
“Alright. Have a good night then.”
Just as Carol was about to close the door, thunder struck.
Rumble, BOOM!
A white hand suddenly shot through the narrowing gap of the door and grabbed Carol’s wrist.
“…Just a moment, please.”
“Yes?”
There wasn’t much to talk about between the two. Carol had heard that the Duke worked with Margaret’s family, and while she thought they might run into each other someday, she didn’t expect to see her separately.
Seeing Margaret’s pale face, Carol asked in a voice that suggested she already knew the answer.
“Don’t tell me…you’re afraid of thunder?”
As if confirming Carol’s guess, Margaret asked for understanding in an awkward voice.
“Would it be alright if I come in for a while until the rain subsides a bit?”
“Yes, come in.”
Despite the awkward relationship, Carol opened the door.
“I also have something I want to talk about.”
“Is chamomile tea okay?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Carol placed a warm cup of tea in front of Margaret and sat across from her.
Margaret silently took a few sips of tea before setting the cup down.
“First, I want to apologize.”
“…Apologize?”
“I’ve been meaning to do it for a while, but I didn’t expect it to happen like this.”
“…”
Although she didn’t specify when exactly, it was immediately clear which incident she was referring to, as their only previous meeting had been at the Duke’s Mansion.
“I did like the Duke, but more than that, I saw marriage as my only escape.”
Margaret slowly began to explain why she felt that way. The surrounding gaze that said she was inferior to her younger sibling, her belief that marriage was the only way to improve her situation, and how the Duke who appeared then seemed like nothing short of salvation to Margaret.
Unlike what she had read in novels, the emotions were complex.
“At that time, I was impatient and had no composure. So I thought even slandering others was unavoidable.”
“…”
“Of course, that’s not the case now.”
Margaret said with a clear face devoid of any hesitation that she no longer had such feelings.
“I’m truly grateful to the Duke.”
It wasn’t just an apology because they would be running into each other more often.
“Thank you for telling me.”
Carol had no intention of being harsh to someone who realized their past mistakes and tried to apologize.
It had already been several years, and in fact, it was an incident that had passed without punishment, so they could have lived well pretending not to know. But Carol thought that digging up the past to apologize must be sincere.
“Thank you as well.”
Margaret smiled as if relieved by Carol’s words. Fortunately, the rain soon subsided.
As Margaret finished the remaining tea, not wanting to appear rude by getting up immediately, Carol suddenly asked a question.
“May I ask you one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“When did you and Louis…”
“Cough.”
Margaret sputtered out the tea she was drinking at the unexpected question that came out of nowhere. Her face, unable to maintain composure, revealed her emotions clearly.
“Here’s something to wipe with.”
“Thank you.”
“Did I ask too suddenly?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“What is it?”
“…I was surprised because you asked when there’s no relationship at all.”
“…Oh, I’m sorry. I must have misunderstood when I saw you together.”
“It’s alright.”
Margaret belatedly composed her expression, but Carol couldn’t have missed the emotions she had already spilled, like the tea she had spit out.
Fortunately, Carol didn’t ask further, but this made Margaret want to say more.
“…It’s just me who likes him.”
Margaret murmured in a small voice.
“…Pardon?”
Carol thought that perhaps her relationship with Margaret, which she had only considered difficult, might improve sooner than expected.
****
As if it had never rained, all the clouds that had hung low disappeared, and only bright moonlight was shining.
When the Duke returned to the bedroom wearing a robe after finishing his bath, he heard a small knock.
Knock knock.
The door opened slightly, and a familiar voice came through the gap.
“Are you asleep?”
“Come in.”
At the Duke’s words, Carol opened the door a crack.
“You’re not asleep.”
“The teacher who coldly insisted on sleeping in separate rooms has returned.”
“Are you upset?”
“…Of course not.”
Carol clasped her hands behind her back and drew a circle on the floor with one foot.
“…I was embarrassed because of the unexpected guests.”
The Duke sat on the edge of the bed and spread his arms.
Carol naturally sat on his lap. The Duke hugged her and lay back. As they lay facing each other, Carol smiled broadly.
“But why did you come at this hour?”
After talking with Margaret, she couldn’t resist wanting to see the Duke.
“I thought I might have been too cold earlier.”
“You could have come tomorrow morning. At this late hour.”
The Duke said, gently biting Carol’s lower lip. Despite his suggestive signal, Carol spoke with a face devoid of any suspicion.
“You wouldn’t do anything if I said no, right?”
The Duke smiled back at her voice full of trust, brushing her hair aside.
“You came knowing all that, you’re cunning.”
“Do you dislike that?”
“Of course not. Would you like a drink?”
“I just had some tea earlier.”
“Tea?”
At this late hour?
To the Duke’s puzzled face, Carol said,
“Lady Chesworth just visited me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. She was cuter than I expected.”
Carol chuckled, remembering how Margaret had said she liked Louis earlier in the room.
“…Cute?”
“Yes.”
“What did you talk about?”
“Nothing much. Oh, she apologized for what happened before.”
Carol deliberately didn’t mention Margaret and Louis.
“That’s good.”
“Is it?”
“But it’s painful not being able to be alone together.”
The Duke hugged Carol tightly.
“I never dreamed I’d long for the time when I was a monster.”
He missed the times when they were alone. But he wasn’t the only one who missed those times.
“I probably miss it more. You’ll spend your birthday in the North, right?”
“Once this rain ends, the heat will break and winter will come in no time. We’ll leave before then.”
“Though it’s not as cold as the North.”
“The capital’s winter is too warm to be called winter.”
“I want to go back soon.”
Carol snuggled into the Duke’s embrace.
The Duke kissed the top of her head. Carol, who had been accepting his actions, suddenly realized she was underneath him. She glanced unnecessarily towards the door. Even though she saw the door was well closed, Carol whispered softly, worried that sound might leak out.
“You said you wouldn’t do anything.”
“That’s right. If the teacher says no.”
The Duke gently kissed Carol’s cheek, cupping her face.
“…”
“Do you dislike it?”
“…You’re cunning.”
The Duke smirked. Seeing his eyes curve pleasantly, Carol closed her eyes and put her arms around the Duke’s neck.
“Just a little.”
“…Just a little, okay.”
With those words, hot breaths engulfed them.
What should I do?
Carol felt a very troubling emotion. An intense desire she had never felt before struck her.
She had always been afraid of spending the whole night together, and the Duke had accommodated her feelings.
She vaguely thought it would take a long time to fully accept the Duke, but that wasn’t the case.
Desire came unexpectedly.
Carol now wanted to completely possess this man.
Being cherished alone was no longer enough.
****
Carol changed into new clothes for the first time in a while. Feeling the unique stiffness of new clothes, she straightened her back, unnecessarily checked her hair again, and only then could she leave for the meeting place.
“You two, make sure to greet them properly.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll do well without you saying more.”
Kevin reassured Carol in response to her words.
The meeting place was a restaurant serving Northern cuisine.
Although they thought time would be needed to recover from the journey fatigue, they ended up meeting at the restaurant due to Lord Elais’s wish to see them as soon as possible.
“Oh my. To think you’ve grown so splendidly! It feels like just yesterday when you were tiny tots!”
Lord Elais exclaimed emotionally, embracing both Kevin and Dylan at once.
While Carol had seen him a few years ago, it had been nearly 10 years since he had seen Kevin and Dylan, so Lord Elais couldn’t hide his surprise.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Have you been well?”
They greeted Lord Elais, who had aged much more than they remembered, as they hugged him.
Now it was more like they were embracing him rather than being embraced.
After calming his excitement, Lord Elais greeted Carol who was standing behind.
“Please forgive an old man’s impropriety, Miss Carol.”
“It’s been a long time, Lord.”
Wait so did they cuddle with benefits?