♡ TL: Khadija SK
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“If you don’t get out, I’ll step out first.”
Theodore’s suggestion was mercilessly rebuffed.
“No.”
Theodore moved swiftly.
He assisted Hazel out of the carriage, then escorted Charlotte, who alighted from the following one.
The three stood side by side in front of the Lance residence, a brief silence settling before the scene erupted into clamor.
From here and there, people began greeting Theodore and Charlotte.
“Theodore, it’s been ages since I last saw you.”
“Ages? We met three days ago at the gentlemen’s club.”
“You’re a friend one never tires of, even if seen daily. Three days feel like an eternity to me.”
As Gwyn, Theodore’s friend, exchanged jests, women who knew Charlotte approached as well.
“Miss Easton, your ribbon is so charming.”
“Emily! I’m glad to see you. Hazel picked this ribbon for me. Doesn’t it suit me?”
Only then did Emily offer Hazel a slight curtsy. But she didn’t display the warm smile, kind words, or heartfelt greeting she’d given Charlotte.
Emily turned her head as if a mere glance sufficed for a greeting, then took Charlotte’s arm.
“Let’s go in together. Everyone’s waiting for you, Miss Easton.”
“Alright.”
Emily’s eyes widened.
“What’s wrong?”
Charlotte looked at Emily.
It was surprising that Charlotte, so attached to her sister, didn’t fuss over Hazel, but Emily shook her head quickly, fearing questions that might burden her with escorting Hazel alongside them.
Yet she was genuinely curious.
Why was Charlotte, who fretted when apart from Hazel, following her so easily?
“Nothing, nothing. Let’s hurry inside.”
Emily tugged Charlotte’s arm, and Charlotte was gracious enough to dispel her doubts.
“Your Grace, take good care of my sister.”
Emily nearly let go of Charlotte’s arm and shrieked.
Since seeing Hazel step out of the duke’s carriage, she’d wondered: was that rumor true?
Though she knew feigning indifference to gossip was a virtue, Emily leaned closer to Charlotte and asked:
“Is it true the duke is courting Miss Hazel?”
Charlotte merely smiled.
She wanted to shout to the whole house that it was true, but Hazel’s glare from behind was intimidating.
“What cake will they serve today?”
Charlotte blatantly changed the subject and slipped inside with Emily.
People crowded around Hazel and Theodore, trying to exchange words with him.
As Hazel realized once again how immensely popular he was and nearly stepped away, he said:
“Miss Hazel, aren’t you cold? Shall we go in now?”
Theodore excused himself from the person he was speaking to and turned his attention to her.
“I’m not cold, but I see no reason to continue a conversation out here that we could have inside. I’ll go in first.”
The atmosphere chilled due to her stiff tone, which sounded almost angry. Hazel sighed inwardly.
‘It’s best I leave this place quickly.’
Hazel was perplexed by her own persistent stubbornness too.
Even if it meant leaving Theodore behind, she turned with the intent to enter first.
At that moment, Theodore gently took her hand.
He placed her hand, rigid from surprise, on his arm, then addressed the crowd.
“You heard her? Let’s continue this inside. Since that’s the case, isn’t it better to talk in a warm place with good music?”
Theodore endorsed Hazel’s words.
“True. I don’t know why we were standing out here like fools enduring the cold. You’re right. Thank you, Miss Hazel, for inspiring us.”
Gwyn stepped forward, passing Hazel and Theodore standing side by side, and entered the house.
“Men turn foolish when gathered alone. Let’s go in too. The men were blocking the way, keeping us out. Thank you, Miss Hazel.”
The noblewomen moved, hiding their faces with feather-trimmed fans, their dresses fluttering lightly.
As the crowd dispersed, a temporary calm settled over the entrance.
Hazel breathed slowly.
She swallowed a dose of stillness, then another of fresh air.
Her restless eyes, clouded with unease, settled.
“Remarkable.”
Hazel turned to Theodore.
Her eyes met his directly, which had been watching her the whole time. He awaited further explanation for her remark.
“They say you were the student representative at Oxford. And a captain in the army too.”
“Why are you suddenly reciting my history?”
Theodore’s eyes smiled gently.
He didn’t mind her interest in him, even if it was just an objective recounting of his past.
“I understand now why you became the student representative, Sir Theodore. And how the atmosphere of your army unit must have been too.”
“I’m curious about your conclusions.”
Hazel recalled what had just happened.
The atmosphere he’d calmed with his words, the hostility toward her that flipped like the palm of a hand.
Theodore was someone who shifted the flow of the air. Like a sorcerer from legends.
‘That’s why he’s so beloved.’
His handsome face, wealthy family, and high status were mere accessories accentuating him. The true essence was Theodore himself.
His ability to make even the most obstinate person feel included in the group, the fair attention he gave everyone to ensure no one felt neglected…
Ah, he was truly a good person.
And that’s why he wasn’t suited for her—different from her to the point she wanted to say they were from different worlds.
‘He’d have been a fitting husband for Charlotte.’
Sadly, it seemed Charlotte hadn’t captured his heart.
But Hazel didn’t delude herself into thinking she had.
She looked into his waiting eyes and said:
“You’re a good person.”
Then she turned her head, signaling she didn’t wish to continue the conversation.
Theodore had prepared a reply like, “If my friends heard that, they’d laugh hysterically,” but he closed his mouth.
If she thought so, then he was a good person.
It was time to go inside for real.
Before her slender arm, not fully covered by short sleeves and long gloves, grew paler.
Theodore guided her skillfully.
The two stepped side by side, their paces slightly mismatched.
“Theodore, let’s go together!”
From behind, a carriage halted abruptly, and a man burst from the open door, suddenly wedging between them.
Hazel, ascending the steps, lost her balance from the unexpected force that struck her.
“Miss Hazel!”
“Oh!”
With two loud cries that rattled her eardrums, her arms were seized.
One side by Theodore, the other…
Hazel frowned with stern eyes, glaring at the man who’d nearly endangered her.
“My lady! In my excitement to see Theodore, I nearly made a grave mistake. Are you hurt… You don’t seem hurt. You’ll forgive my rudeness, won’t you?”
The man was shamelessly brazen.
Hazel sharply yanked her arm from his grip.
Just as she was about to speak, Theodore interjected:
“Oscar, apologize properly.”
His voice was low and rigid.
Though his voice was naturally deep, it now plunged even deeper.
If his usual tone evoked a sunlit forest, this was a fog-shrouded one.
It was a voice Hazel had never heard from him before.
“Theodore, why are you so uptight? The lady isn’t hurt, and she doesn’t seem to mind either.”
Hazel smiled coldly without realizing it.
“What’s your name?”
She asked in a dry tone.
“Oscar Sterling.”
Oscar placed a hand on his chest.
His attempt at decorum now was far too late; Hazel had already pegged him as subpar…
No, even “man” was too generous—he was a boor.
“I’m Hazel Langbelle Easton.”
“Oh, Easton!”
Oscar immediately tried to kiss the back of her hand.
Hazel candidly hid her hands behind her back.
Oscar raised his brows in surprise, left flailing in the air.
“Please apologize. Three times would be better.”
“I don’t understand. Are you saying I offended you thrice?”
“Must I teach you your errors one by one?”
Oscar furrowed his brows oddly and glanced at Theodore.
It was as if he were saying: ‘What’s with this woman?’
Theodore ignored Oscar.
“Give this ignorant creature some guidance.”
Hazel caught the faint sarcasm in Oscar’s voice but pretended to ignore it, pointing out his rudeness.
“First, your attack on someone from behind.”
“It was out of sheer excitement…”
Hazel stared coldly at Oscar, who began justifying himself.
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