Everyone seemed strangely busy, so Carol quietly stayed in her room without thinking of stopping anyone.
‘I even skipped dinner thinking I’d go to bed early.’
If she had known she wouldn’t be able to sleep all night, she should have gone to the kitchen earlier to get some food.
Carol moved quietly, holding a candlestick. She hurried her steps due to the chill in the corridor.
Since there were always light snacks available in the servants’ lounge, Carol headed straight there.
Click.
“Oh?”
Carol hesitated as soon as she opened the door and saw a figure inside.
“…Carol?”
“Norman?”
Norman inside seemed equally surprised, as his hand paused briefly while drinking tea.
Norman was wearing a robe, as if he had finished preparing for bed and come out.
Although she had planned to apologize, she hadn’t expected to encounter him like this, so the words she had prepared didn’t come out right away.
“…Aren’t you sleeping?”
“I couldn’t fall asleep.”
Norman forgot about his previous avoidance and greeted Carol warmly.
“I’m hungry.”
“Didn’t you eat dinner?”
“No. I missed the time.”
“Should I make something for you now?”
Norman spoke as if he was about to get up. Carol quickly shook her head and picked up a cookie.
“No. One cookie is enough.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Yes. I don’t want to eat heavily late at night.”
“…Alright.”
Norman sat back down on the sofa.
“May I sit across from you?”
Carol asked with an awkward smile.
“Sure.”
It was fortunate that the chairs were arranged to face the fireplace.
Norman naturally pushed the plate of cookies towards Carol. For a while, only the sound of chewing cookies could be heard. Carol, having eaten half a cookie, called Norman softly.
“Um, Norman.”
This was her chance.
“Yes?”
Unlike his recent somewhat cold demeanor, Norman seemed strangely relaxed. Just like before.
“The cookies are really delicious.”
“Are they?”
Norman’s favorite topics were simple. Although there was a bit of exaggeration, it wasn’t a lie, so the words came out easily.
“When I was in the capital, I missed you, Norman, but I really missed your food too.”
At Carol’s words, Norman’s beard twitched slightly.
“There must have been many famous chefs in the capital.”
Carol continued speaking, pretending not to notice the corners of his mouth turning up.
“But there wouldn’t be many in the capital who could match the skills of Norman, who has been at the Duke’s Mansion for so long, right?”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
Norman nodded. The conversation naturally continued as he mentioned developing a new menu.
“I missed the food, but I also missed talking with Norman like this.”
Only after Carol said this did Norman realize he had been conversing comfortably, and his mouth gaped open.
“Carol, you…!”
“I know I did wrong. But I hope you’ll give me a chance to make amends.”
“…When you say it like that… it’s…”
Norman, his heart softening at the tearful appearance, ruffled his hair roughly as if perplexed.
“I want to apologize properly. Would you please spare some time?”
“…”
“With Mrs. Wells too.”
“…Together?”
Norman furrowed his brow at Carol’s additional words.
“It’s too late now, but would it be alright if we talked briefly tomorrow with Mrs. Wells?”
“Alright. It’s the end tomorrow anyway.”
After a moment of contemplation, Norman’s response was affirmative. Carol, unable to understand the latter part, asked again.
“Pardon?”
“I’ll try to arrange some time tomorrow afternoon.”
Instead of explaining, Norman left the room with a look of sudden realization, touching his forehead.
If you’re tired, you should just go to your room and sleep nicely, why come out unnecessarily!
Carol, whom he met after a long time, was still kind and cheerful. It seemed like he had reconfirmed this fact anew.
‘It’ll all be over by tomorrow evening anyway.’
He might get scolded a little, no, a lot by Mrs. Wells, but Norman felt at ease.
When Norman first heard Mrs. Wells’ story, he opposed her opinion.
[It’s too much!]
[You can’t say that Teacher Carol is this excessive.]
[…What do you plan to do after playing such a prank?]
[Since Carol left so irresponsibly without even saying goodbye, and we didn’t get to celebrate properly, I plan to welcome her back grandly when she returns.]
[Are you holding a banquet?]
[She seemed to enjoy Noah’s birthday party very much. I’m thinking of inviting only close acquaintances.]
[Isn’t that too modest?]
[Before presenting her to the northern social circle, I want to show that our Duke’s household welcomes her first and will be her shield.]
In the end, Norman understood Mrs. Wells’ intention and participated, but he had been restless throughout. Seeing those small shoulders drooping from afar made his heart sting as if he had committed a great sin.
‘Deceiving someone really doesn’t suit me.’
Norman stretched out fully and returned to his room, thinking about the dishes he had to start preparing early tomorrow.
Unaware that he had only caused greater confusion for Carol.
Carol, left in the servants’ lounge, gulped down the cold tea. Judging by his expression, he seemed to have mistakenly said something he shouldn’t have, but she couldn’t deduce what the slip of the tongue was.
“He says it ends tomorrow…”
What on earth was ending?
The thoughts didn’t continue for long. Carol clenched her fists. Finally, she had the opportunity to apologize tomorrow.
****
Carol stood nervously in front of the tightly closed door. Knock knock. After carefully knocking, a voice answered from inside.
“Come in.”
Carol wiped her sweaty palms on her dress hem before opening the door. Mrs. Wells was sitting on the reception room sofa, her back straight, reading a book.
As Carol entered, Mrs. Wells put the book face down beside her.
Despite her strict appearance, Carol knew how warm-hearted she truly was.
“Mrs. Wells.”
Carol greeted Mrs. Wells with a pleased expression.
“Norman had something to do, thus decided to see you first. Is that alright?”
“Yes. I don’t mind.”
It was a gift she hadn’t been able to give before. Remembering the slippers Mrs. Wells had given her previously, Carol had prepared the same gift.
However, without giving her a chance to present the gift, Mrs. Wells went straight to the point, as if wanting to discuss only the main issue.
“Did you want to see me separately because of Noah?”
“…Pardon?”
Caught off guard by the sudden mention of Noah, Carol forgot the words she had prepared and opened her eyes wide.
“If you’ve entered a serious relationship with the Duke, that would be the first topic to consider.”
“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“If you marry the Duke, Noah would only be a hindrance, wouldn’t he? Didn’t you want to discuss Noah’s future living arrangements?”
Unlike Mrs. Wells, who spoke with a calm face, Carol was so shocked that her whole body trembled.
“What?”
“You might think it’s a distant matter, but the future comes sooner than you think.”
Noah had received a high-quality education at the Duke’s Mansion. Usually, adopting someone meant intending to raise them as an heir.
But if Carol married the Duke and had children, Noah’s position would become very ambiguous.
In such cases, it was most common to view the adopted child as a thorn in one’s side and drive them out.
However, Carol had never even considered this subject.
As Mrs. Wells said, she thought it was a distant future, and she assumed that people at the Duke’s Mansion who knew her relationship with Noah would naturally think they would all live together.
“I never thought…”
“Seeing that you can’t answer right away, it seems you have thought about it?”
How should I respond?
“We’re not in any relationship yet…”
“Since it’s a serious relationship, aren’t you thinking about the next steps?”
“That’s…!”
Just as she was about to refute, there was a sound from the direction of the door. Carol quickly turned her head, and Mrs. Wells’ gaze followed Carol’s.
Creeeeak.
Why do bad premonitions always come true?
Through the half-open door, Noah’s shocked face was visible.
“Noah…!”
Even without asking if he had heard everything, Carol could tell just by his expression.
‘He heard it all.’
Carol squeezed her eyes shut.
Why was the door open?
Carol thought for a moment, at a loss for words. But what use was that now?
The door had been open, and the person who shouldn’t have heard had heard everything.
Although they hadn’t explicitly talked about driving him out, it certainly wasn’t a conversation topic he would have wanted to hear.
However, it was also a misunderstanding that could be easily cleared up through dialogue.
As Carol hastily stood up, Noah took a step back.
“Noah!”
Carol urgently called Noah’s name, but he didn’t respond to her call.
Thud-thud-thud!
Noah ran away without looking back, and Carol instinctively started running after him.
She thought she was closing the distance, but by the time she turned the corner, Noah had already disappeared from sight.
“Ah…”
Carol brushed back her sweat-soaked bangs.
If she had caught up to him, what would she have said? She was confused herself.
‘Why did Mrs. Wells bring up such a topic?’
And why was Noah there in the first place?
