The Abandoned Lady Lives in a Dollhouse

Jupiter, his gaze flitting between Juno and the book, asked with a pretentious smile, “What is it about?”

Narrowing her eyes at the sudden change, Juno shoved the book to him and said, “Look at the last page.”

“I prefer not to read the ending first…” He soon stopped talking.

Juno focused on the teapot, waiting for him to finish. After some time passed, she felt his piercing gaze on her. She ignored him, but it wasn’t long before she heard him chuckle.

Her face was turning red again.

The fact she showed him the book for no reason was on her mind. Juno tried to snatch it from Jupiter, but he caught her hand instead.

“You liked it, didn’t you? I’m glad.”

Juno looked at the bookmark next to Jupiter’s hand. As stated before, Jupiter was the only person to celebrate Juno’s birthday after Nereus’s death. He sent her a postcard as a present last year when he was away from the capital.

That postcard was Juno’s bookmark.

She glanced at the neat cursive on the postcard and snorted. “…Thank you for everything.”

Jupiter smiled and tapped the back of Juno’s hand. “Happy birthday, Juno.”

Eventually, Juno smiled. “Thank you.”

The temperature in the room appeared to rise. Yet she didn’t dislike it. It’s warm.

Juno took Jupiter’s hand and held it for a few seconds. Giggling, she was about to pull her hand away when he tightened his grip on it.

Jupiter asked, “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Jupiter glanced in the direction of the first floor, which was brightly lit up. “Music.”

There were still people at the ball, and Juno listened to the song.

“Shall we dance?”

“Excuse me?”

He replied, “You haven’t danced yet, have you?”

Juno had yet to have her debutante ball, so of course, she hadn’t danced.

“That is correct.”

“Would you like to dance with me?”

Juno frowned. Her dancing lessons were always with Jupiter. She danced with him before, so did she have to do it again?

“This isn’t the first time,” she said.

Despite that, Jupiter stood up. “Today is special.”

Because it was her birthday? Or… Juno tried her best to forget what happened earlier.

“You don’t have to.”

Jupiter didn’t back down. “I want to do this. Think of dancing as paying me back for the favor earlier. I also never danced with anyone else.”

“You?”

No wonder Jupiter often received ball invitations.

“I don’t always need a dance partner,” he said.

“You danced by yourself?”

Rather, he was able to move around more freely because he didn’t dance with anyone.

Ignoring Juno’s question, Jupiter held out his hand to her. “Honestly, I’m not a great dancer.”

Having danced with him before, Juno knew that was a lie. However, she accepted this loss and placed her hand in his. Jupiter gently pulled her close and placed his hand on her waist. It was strange this time, most likely because of the height difference that wasn’t there before.

Juno and Jupiter began to match the beat to the music from outside, maintaining eye contact with each other.

In order to pretend she didn’t see the unfamiliar emotions in his blue eyes, Juno said, “You’re quite skilled.”

“That’s good to hear,” he whispered.

The melody became more cheerful, and Jupiter adjusted accordingly. Step after step, the tension between them gradually disappeared. In its place were bright smiles that matched the song.

“I can’t imagine you dancing to this.”

As if puzzled by her words, Jupiter said, “What do you mean?”

Juno turned around. “Don’t you think it’s a dance for children?”

“Isn’t this the type of dance unmarried men and women do regularly?”

Juno didn’t know. But she always had the image of Jupiter dancing to a slow waltz in her mind.

“I think something not so fast-paced suits you better.”

“I already told you I’ve never danced with someone else before, so I’m not sure. However, I think I can appreciate this kind of dance.”

Juno noticed Jupiter’s appearance was slightly disheveled. “Your hair and clothes are messy.”

“It’s all right. How are you feeling?”

“Well… I don’t hate it.” Her hair fluttered with every turn and spin; her nightgown was wrinkled, but Juno still enjoyed herself.

The two laughed and continued dancing until they were exhausted. How much time had passed? The song changed once again.

“I can’t dance anymore.” Juno pushed Jupiter away and plopped into a chair.

He laughed softly and rang the bell to call for a servant. “There’s nothing left to dance to.”

“Hahaha, that’s right.” Juno chuckled as she heard a knock on the door.

Before she could respond, Jupiter said, “Come in.”

The door opened, and there stood a surprised servant. “My lord, how may I—”

“I don’t need to explain. Bring me some tea.”

“Ah, understood.” The servant glanced nervously in the direction of the teapot. Neither Juno nor Jupiter said anything, so the servant quickly left.

Juno smiled. “You did that on purpose.”

“Hm? I just thought you were thirsty,” he said.

It was unlikely he called a servant for that reason, but even if he did, this wasn’t a matter to take lightly.

What an interesting predicament. The servant who came running to Juno’s room was someone close to Lilith. It was also late at night, but the servant arrived as if waiting to be summoned. I’m sure you wanted me to throw a tantrum.

Staring at the spot where the servant once stood, Juno murmured, “Are you worried they’ll do something to the tea?” It was okay they did these things to her, but it wasn’t okay for Jupiter to find out about it. She looked pitifully at the door. “What if I was angry?”

Wouldn’t the servant claim it was just a mistake, and then Lilith would pretend to be forgiving while also insulting Juno?

“He’s fired. A servant who doesn’t know his master’s taste is useless.” When Juno turned her gaze toward Jupiter, he said, “Even if you weren’t angry, I would be the one to make him find a new job.”

“Huh?”

“Speaking of the people around Lilith, I think it’s time to remove them.” He sounded nonchalant, but Juno wasn’t able to do such a thing. She stared at Jupiter.

“You are Marquis Trish’s one and only red-haired daughter. You don’t need to play along with their antics.”

Juno laughed at his words. “That’s only possible when you have power, right?” She wasn’t able to do anything because she was weak despite having legitimacy.

“What are you talking about? I’m here.” Jupiter may have said that to reassure Juno, but it only offended her. Juno was reminded of how she couldn’t do anything alone.

Before she could express her displeasure, Jupiter hastily added, “And I have the family relatives.”

Juno smiled. Even though their positions were slightly different, they still had something in common. She sighed.

“Well, one day you and I will be able to get rid of them.” Jupiter winked at her.

“You’re also rebellious, huh.”

“Isn’t it natural to want to stand on your own feet when you’re older? Look at the marquis.”

“…You’re not wrong.” She felt better remembering the marquis was trying to distance himself from the branch families.

By the time she was done feeling ashamed of herself for thinking she was the only one without power, the servant returned with a new teapot.

He waited to see if they needed anything else, but Jupiter dismissed him without saying much.

Once the door was closed, Jupiter said, “Now we can have tea together.”

Juno noticed it was almost 2 A.M. “Ah yes, at this hour.”

“What’s wrong? The ball held by House Trish hasn’t ended yet.”

The party would last until dawn, so the mansion will be awake for a while. The fragrant scent of tea was very strong. It almost made Juno’s nose hurt.

And so, she spent a lot of time with Jupiter.

With a deep, soothing voice, he talked about his day. Then he asked about what she did today as if it were natural. The simple conversation made Juno sleepy.

Regardless, she wasn’t alone.