Right now, Mrs. Wells is pouring all her attention into the Duke, fearing that his identity might be exposed. It was a blessing in disguise.
If it hadn’t been for that, the mere thought was dizzying.
Louis noticed that Carol was using a different name in the mansion and skillfully let it slide.
It was a worldly wisdom that could not be expected from the two.
“We can go back as we are.”
“Yes. It’s not too late yet.”
“The Duke has invited you to dinner.”
“What?”
The two froze like ice.
They had already arrived and were invited to the banquet.
“We just came to really check if our sister is okay.”
Kevin and Dylan were also surprised by the sudden fact that they had to face the Duke.
“So?”
“So…shouldn’t we go back?”
“Right.”
At the awkward smiles of the two, Carol raised the corners of her mouth and said,
“You know it’s ridiculous to go back now, right?”
“……Uh. We didn’t even dress properly.”
“He will understand that much.”
To prevent such an incident from happening again, the two had to pay the price for coming here without saying a word.
But not now. The payment had to be postponed.
At Carol’s soft voice, the two’s momentum softened considerably.
“Really?”
“Even so…….”
To the two, the Duke was a distant existence, a high-ranking nobleman who could do anything to the common people depending on his mood.
“I can assure you that what you are worried about will not happen. He’s really a good person.”
“……That’s a relief then.”
It was still too early to be relieved. The problem was not the Duke, but this side.
“There are a few precautions we need to follow.”
“What are they?”
“First, agree to follow my words without asking anything.”
“Are you saying that because you think we might cause an accident?”
When it was revealed later that she was not Caroline Langston, the chances of her siblings not being involved were high if they knew nothing.
Carol bowed her head and looked at the two alternately.
“Answer first.”
“……Okay.”
At Carol’s urging, the two made a tense expression.
“Save your words as much as possible.”
“Yes.”
“Do not mention our surname to the Duke.”
The first one was understandable, but the second one was a phrase that they couldn’t understand at all.
“Huh?”
“Don’t ask why.”
“But……”
Carol cut off their response with a sigh.
“Answer.”
At Carol’s request with her eyes wide open, the two had no choice but to nod their heads.
****
The Duke and Carol walked side by side down the corridor.
With everyone else gone, only the sound of their footsteps echoed.
Despite all the doors being closed, the wind was strong, and the candles lit in the corridor flickered.
Thud, thud.
Every time they took a step, the shadows of the woman and the monster stretched out long.
After turning into a monster, he had to hold Carol’s hand and move to the banquet hall because he had only ever stayed in the room.
This place was also the Duke’s Mansion, but to the Duke, the outside of the room was as unfamiliar as anywhere else.
Carol shook her head back and forth to ignore the soft touch in her hand.
Carol apologized on behalf of her siblings who had come to the castle without knowing anything.
“I’m sorry.”
“……What for?”
His whole attention was focused on his hand, so his reaction was a beat late.
“I want to apologize on behalf of my siblings who came all the way here.”
“You don’t have to apologize for that.”
“Even so.”
“Rather, if there are many people, wouldn’t the gaze towards me be dispersed?”
The Duke’s nonchalant attitude made her feel a lot better.
“That part is definitely true.”
Because the kids are so noisy.
Carol opened the door to the banquet hall with a good-natured retort.
“It’s good to be lively.”
“I’m at an age where I’m busy just by my presence. I’ll be careful not to be too noisy.”
“I trust that you will handle it well, teacher.”
Carol and the Duke were the first to enter the banquet hall.
“By the way, I also brought the book I wanted to show you.”
“I hope dinner ends quickly.”
Carol, who mistakenly thought the Duke was nervous at the sudden remark, held back her laughter and asked.
“Pardon?”
“I trust Teacher Carol’s taste.”
“Oh. That’s what you meant. I thought you said that because you were nervous.”
“It’s also because I prefer being alone with the teacher.”
“……Pardon?”
Carol, who understood the unexpected remark a beat late, was momentarily flustered, and the Duke asked in a calm voice as if nothing had happened.
“Have we arrived?”
“Ah, yes.”
The banquet hall, which had been full of dust, was completely transformed in a short time.
The dining table was located on the side of the banquet hall wall.
On three sides, there were large, soft sofas, and the part touching the wall was draped to look like part of the interior decoration.
The draped sofa looked harmonious, showing careful attention.
Carol went into the drapery and let go of the Duke’s hand.
It was a short distance, but for some reason, her hand was soaked in sweat.
“I would appreciate it if you could say that……Huh?”
Unintentionally, Carol’s finger brushed against the back of the Duke’s hand. Her finger stiffened in mid-air for a moment.
“What’s the matter?”
“No…….”
“But why are you so surprised?”
“Did you, by any chance, brush your fur?”
The hesitant question was unexpected.
“Indeed. Is that strange?”
“No, it’s not that…….”
She knew that his fur was good, but when brushed, the fur looked even more abundant and softer.
“So?”
“Next time……No, never mind.”
She almost blurted out the question of whether she could brush it next time.
‘I must be crazy.’
Carol restrained her mouth and distanced herself from the Duke.
As the distance widened, Carol slapped her cheeks.
It was not the time to be distracted by the touch of fur.
Inside the drapery, refreshments were prepared separately from the outside, so there was no need to go back in.
Instead of sitting down, Carol lingered at the opening, gathering her thoughts.
“Teacher? What were you going to say……”
Carol cut off the Duke’s words with a feigned ignorance.
“For the next few hours, you shouldn’t call me ‘teacher’, right?”
“……That’s right.”
When everyone was present, it was correct to call her Carol, not Teacher Carol.
“The word ‘teacher’ has stuck to my mouth in the meantime.”
“Because it’s been attached for the longest time recently.”
“At first, the title was actually awkward, but it’s quite interesting.”
“Was it?”
“I didn’t expect to welcome a teacher younger than me at this age.”
“So, you don’t like it?”
“No.”
The Duke’s voice, mixed with laughter, firmly denied Carol’s words, as if he didn’t want to answer that way even as a joke.
“That’s, that’s a relief.”
She distracted herself by adjusting the hem of her dress. The wrinkled clothes suddenly bothered her.
‘So affectionate to even brush the fur for a fiancée who won’t even see his face.’
He was affectionate even to a mere servant.
A warm person who shares affection even to a wounded sparrow.
‘Even the fiancée wasn’t a true love.’
The rumor that many young nobles are captivated by the affectionate words is not inflated.
The Duke cherished this relationship in his own way. Then what is our relationship?
‘I don’t think I feel friendship from a teacher-student relationship that transcends age.’
There isn’t only romantic love in a male-female relationship. They were building their own relationships. Although they can’t name it yet, there is some affection.
When her thoughts reached that point, her stomach boiled for some reason.
“Why are you suddenly silent?”
“Huh?”
“I thought you would ask if it’s okay next.”
“……It’s already decided, isn’t it?”
“Still, I was preparing to answer.”
The Duke let out a low laugh. His cavernous voice echoed in the room.
She felt strange.
Carol looked at her face in the small mirror attached to the wall of the room.
Her reflection in the mirror was making a strange expression she had never seen before.
“What are you doing?”
Carol straightened her waist with a start. She felt his attention focused on her.
It was a strange sensation, different from seeing directly.
“……I was checking if the inside can’t be seen from the outside. Mrs. Wells asked me to check repeatedly.”
“So, is it well hidden?”
“Yes. When I peeked earlier, the inside was not clearly visible from the outside.”
Carol laughed dryly and lowered her gaze for no reason.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Would you come inside for a moment?”
“……Pardon?”
Carol asked, startled as if she had been struck by lightning.
“It seems the lady will be late. I wish you could brew the tea instead.”
“Ah.”
Carol scratched the back of her neck, feeling like she had overreacted.
“I thought it would be better to talk before everyone arrives.”
“……That’s true.”
“I’m not used to the place.”
When the Duke spoke in a voice mixed with laughter, she felt sorry.
“If you’re upset because I’m treating you like a servant……”
“No. I don’t think that way.”
It was just brewing tea. When there were guests, the drapery would be lowered and the Duke would be alone inside.
Alone in here when everyone is together.
The Duke’s weak voice was enough to stir Carol’s heart.
Carol approached the Duke.
When she slightly lifted the drapery, the Duke was visible.
“I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”
“Please do.”
Even though the inside of the drapery was wide, it was a place made for one person.
It would be most comfortable to sit down and brew tea, but Carol shook her head.
‘Let’s just stand.’
If the two sat down, they would have to press their bodies together up to their shoulders.
