Did Ian say anything? Did he hate me or was he forcing me to meet him? I was kind of uneasy. Patricia’s anxiety returned to me, making me a little nervous. Did Ian say something like that, really? I stared at her. Patricia paused for a moment before speaking slowly.
“I knew that when he came home from work, Grand Duke Berdian complained that he hadn’t said anything to you today.”
Did he? Sigh, I thought I was alone and was talking, did he even hear me? I was excited again. I thought I hadn’t heard because he was sleeping in the small room next to mine. Clearing my throat, I forced a smile.
“Is that so…?”
“And…”
“And?”
The words that followed killed her embarrassment and focused her attention right away. Patricia hesitantly replied in a crawling voice, as if she was a bit burdened by my excessive interest.
“According to rumors circulating among the maids…”
“By rumor?”
“Lady Lawrence will soon become the Grand Duchess, and she will become the mistress of the duchy…”
I blinked my eyes. Who would become the Grand Duchess? Me? What did she mean? Thinking it was just a rumor, I looked away, and Patricia continued.
“Recently, one of the attendants who serves the Grand Duke told me about it.”
Somehow, it felt like my ears were pricked up. Ian’s attendant? I moved my upper body, wondering if there was something good to say. I wondered if Patricia liked the fact that I, who was older and had a higher status than her, was paying attention to what she was saying.
“Recently, they said the Grand Duke seems to be in a very good mood. He said that even when he returned from working at a desk job, which he hated so much, from very early in the morning until late, he was smiling broadly.”
“…Smiling broadly?”
Ian laughed well, but he didn’t show his ugly face. No, shouldn’t the grand duke show such a smile in the first place?
“So?”
“I heard it was recently, but since when? Was it since he returned with a group of prisoners not too long ago? They say he seems to be in a good mood even though he must be tired. I don’t know why.”
Somehow I was embarrassed. If I was not mistaken, maybe the reason Ian was in a good mood… crazy, crazy. After kissing three times, what? No, the first time was to show it publicly, and the second time was to repay Ian, then I should treat the third as a real kiss. Something’s weird about counting.
“So everyone was puzzled, but the attendant said that. I wonder if it’s because of Lady Lawrence!”
I was thinking the same thing, so my face got a little hot. However, it was embarrassing to openly like it, so I breathed in and coughed and put on the most shameless face.
“Ah, what nonsense…”
“It’s true! The Grand Duke has never walked around the castle with a face like that. Even the butler was surprised that it was the first time the Grand Duke had shown such a face!”
“…”
Was she sure about this? Was he really in a good mood for me? Was it like that? Somehow I was trying to feel better too. Thinking that someone would feel better because of me made me tickle somewhere. It seemed like a laugh. I glanced over at Patricia, and she too had a tickling smile on her face. When their eyes met, a small smile escaped me. I laughed innocently like a child. I laughed aloud, then smiled softly at the thoughts that filled my head again. Patricia, too, when I felt depressed again, erased her smile and gently ran her fingers through her hair. It’s not some sort of bipolar disorder, why am I like this, ‘haha’.
I let out a low sigh and opened my mouth.
“Patricia. If you are in a situation with a guy you like, what would you like him to do to you?”
Whether my question was surprising or something she hadn’t thought of before, Patricia widened her eyes and tilted her head slightly.
“I think it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t do anything.”
“Why? When I’m with him, I want to get attention at least once, I want him to say something to me… don’t you agree?”
“Sure, I’d love to have something like that, but…”
“Wouldn’t it be nice?”
I stared intently at Patricia, who was wiping her tail. She forced a laugh and averted her gaze.
“…I don’t think you have to do anything because you will express yourself first.”
Express myself first? Me?
“Adults often say that the one they like the most loses, or that women have to wait, but I don’t know. Waiting quietly doesn’t mean they will understand my feelings, and there’s no point in sitting still waiting for something. Wouldn’t it be better to walk and exchange a few more words?”
From various perspectives, if there was nothing to be gained from waiting, it wasn’t bad to have a quick discussion without wasting time. Efficient from an entrepreneurial point of view. I nodded.
“I think that’s a pretty interesting point of view. Certainly a new era is coming and you can’t be left behind, can you?”
“Yes, yes…”
I looked at her, who tilted her head, smiling. Was it too difficult? Well, I would find out with time. But today I felt like I had help.
I got up from my seat. Patricia followed my movements and raised her gaze.
“I’ll go first. I think you’ve been away for too long.”
After I opened the door, Patricia came out after me and bowed her waist. I moved on with a slightly relieved feeling. Patricia, who was looking at the back of the young lady receding from her, tilted her head. What was it, the conversation just before
“Did you tell her, Patricia?”
She smiled at the familiar, soft voice and turned her head. The butler was standing.
“Yes! I was surprised to be asked the same question as you said. I didn’t know what kind of question it was, so I answered as the butler told me, and her mood improved.”
The butler chuckled. It was a kind grandfather’s smile. He patted her on the head a few times. After receiving her compliments, Patricia laughed hehehehe. She was a cute girl without fail.
“Even if the relationship between a man and a woman looks complicated, when you get older and look at it from a distance, that’s what it is all about. It’s a matter of thinking about each other and throwing away a little more pride, but these are things that happen when you can’t approach because you’re not used to it, it’s unfamiliar, and you get into competition for some reason. So you ended up breaking up, didn’t you?”
“…yes?”
She tilted her head. Fifteen-year-old Patricia lived only in the castle and interacted only with the maids, so the butler smiled softly at the little girl who knew little about anything like this. Then he stroked her hair again. The butler was the father of the young maids and servants of the castle, and furthermore, the numerous servants.
“Patricia will know everything when she gets older.”
He smiled warmly and turned around with an old answer.
* * *
After crossing the banquet hall, he opened the door to the office and showed a calm face. He didn’t want to express that he was disappointed by putting on an angry expression that hurt her pride. He liked the point of view that he had to express first, but he hadn’t thought about what to do yet. What could he do to show interest? If he just walked up to her, held her hand, smiled, said he liked her, and kissed her deeply, was it all? Thinking about it made him laugh out loud. What was this, there was no stone fastball like this. Shaking his head, he pulled a chair and sat down. Ian’s eyes contained it. He lifted his chin slightly.
“Why do you look like that?”
“…Have you had a good rest?”
“It was just like that. Ian, please go and get some rest. I’ll sort it out.”
This is not what he wanted to say, but when he looked at her face for no reason, his heartache and blunt voice burst out spontaneously. Inside, he asked to speak softly, but the voice that came out betrayed his heart. He was sorry for spitting it out for no reason, so he glanced at her face. Could it be that she was offended? It’s not good to have people do their jobs here, but there’s no need to be angry about what he just said. Wouldn’t he get up right away if she fell? When he rolled his eyes, she had a puzzled expression on her face. Was it for something he said too?
As he was contemplating whether he should say sorry for being blunt, Ian got up and approached her. She turned his head and looked up at him. One head made a difference even when standing, so she always had to break her neck, but it got worse when she sat down. She pushed the chair back slightly. Ian came up with slightly slow steps and stood behind her.
I wanted to go, so I looked up and he calmly put his hand on my shoulder. What was this? Not knowing how to react, Ian smiled as I stood still. Why, why was he smiling so much? The sudden smile was suspicious. The soft eyes approached strangely. He seemed kind, kind, or even scheming.
“…What’s wrong?”
“Lowrence.”
He just called out her name, but somehow his throat tightened. Blinking his eyes, Ian gently placed his hand on her shoulder. It was a weak force that did not count.
“If it’s okay, I’d like to give you a massage. How about it?”
“A massage?”
“Huh. I’ve often seen him turn his shoulders as if he’s been very tired lately. Are you sick here?”
It doesn’t seem like he pressed the world, but the place where he pressed it was very painful. Ian smiled.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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