The Age Of Arrogance

‘Why are you thinking this? Isn’t this a disease at this level?’

 

Asha was starting to feel like a pervert. She kept thinking about Carlyle, even over trivial scenes or a single word he said.

 

But neither Carlyle nor Lionel seemed to notice her feelings.

 

“Anyway, we’ll need Countess Pervaz to do us a favor.”

 

Asha came to her senses at Lionel’s words.

 

“Favor… what?”

 

“You may not like it, but I’m asking you to play the role of a doting wife to His Highness Carlyle.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Asha thought about ‘doting’ with Carlyle for a moment, then quickly shook her head and nodded.

 

“Isn’t that what you hired me for? I’ll do my best, even though it doesn’t suit me.”

 

“That’s reassuring.”

 

Lionel smiled pleasantly, satisfied with the conversation, but Carlyle was not.

 

‘That damn contract, contract, contract…’

 

Carlyle was annoyed by Asha always bringing up the contract whenever he talked to her.

 

‘She’s aware of me, but she’s not being honest.’

 

Of course, he should have considered it natural for her to try to keep her distance.

 

After all, it was Carlyle himself who had warned her, “Don’t get the wrong idea just because I’m being affectionate.”

 

He knew that, but he was still strangely annoyed by the way Asha treated the incident that night as if it was nothing, pretending not to know and constantly avoiding him.

 

“Then I’ll have the servants prepare a room.”

 

“Very well.”

 

“And from now on, please sleep in that bedroom two or three times a week. That’s the only way it can be called a marital bedroom.”

 

“I see.”

 

Carlyle thought about the new marital bedroom and the prospect of spending the night in the same bed with Asha, and glanced at her.

 

She was still expressionless, but Carlyle could feel her subtly avoiding his gaze. She must be thinking about something too.

 

‘Well, let’s see how long she can pretend not to know.’

 

A mischievous smile spread across Carlyle’s lips.

 

He was now starting to feel grateful to the Empress and Gabriel. Thanks to them, he would be able to spend cozy time alone with his wife, whose true nature he could not fathom.

 

* * *

 

“There was such a place.”

 

Dorothea, who had been wandering around avoiding her father’s eyes, accidentally found a sunny balcony. After looking around again, she sat down on the windowsill of the balcony.

 

The windowsill was wide as if it was telling her to sit down and rest, so Dorothea sat there and looked out the window.

 

Below, she could see the well in the center of the castle and the corridor surrounding it.

 

‘It would be a good place to hide while checking the surroundings.’

 

A satisfied smile came over her face without her realizing it, as she was glad that she had found a good place to hide.

 

These days, she needed a place to rest.

 

Giles would come into her room at all hours of the day and nag her or pick on her about this and that. She couldn’t read a book in peace, not knowing when her father would barge in.

 

“This is no time to be reading novels!”

 

Giles had shouted that and thrown away the book Dorothea was reading.

 

The father who had graciously allowed his daughter to bury herself in books no longer existed.

 

But books had already become a part of her life, so now, if he were to press her to “do something more productive instead of reading,” Dorothea would have no choice but to suffocate to death.

 

“Sigh……. Now I think I can live.”

 

Dorothea leaned against the windowsill, took out the book she had hidden in her shawl, and exhaled deeply as she turned to the page where she had left her bookmark.

 

It was a novel called “The Portrait of Malla L’Viche,” which had been a bestseller a few years ago.

 

It was one of the books she had packed to read in Pervaz, but she had only read 80 pages so far, trying to be careful not to attract Giles’ attention. Even then, she had been reading it so sporadically that she had not been able to get into it.

 

‘I’ll just read for two hours here and then go.’

 

Dorothea opened the lid of the pocket watch she had brought with her and placed it where she could see it. It was highly likely that she would exceed the planned time, but she was determined to give it a try.

 

And she began to read the lines on the open page.

 

……Malla had never met a man like Edmund. A man who tied his cravat roughly, wore trousers with knees that were sticking out, and wore shoes with holes in them. Such a dress code called for contempt.

 

But that smile! That sweet and dazzling smile, more beautiful than any other man’s, made Edmund’s poor appearance seem like nothing…….

 

It was a novel that depicted the romance between Malla L’Viche, the beautiful and proud daughter of a count, and the young genius painter Edmund Labophy, who came to stay at the mansion to paint her portrait.

 

Malla, who was only used to the compliments of aristocratic men, was not happy with Edmund, who treated her only as a model for his painting.

 

However, she gradually fell in love with his beautiful smile and his passion for art.

 

Dorothea, who had never had anything even resembling a romance, turned the next page, her heart pounding as she read their story.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“Oh……?”

 

At the sound of a thick male voice, Dorothea gasped and closed the book.

 

Because of that, the pocket watch that had been placed next to it fell to the floor and the glass shattered.

 

“Oh, no! I didn’t mean to startle you….”

 

The person who appeared in front of Dorothea and was just as surprised as she was was Decker.

 

The moment she saw him, Dorothea’s mind flashed back to what her father had said.

 

[Try to approach Decker Donovan. There’s no one who knows more about Count Pervaz than that guy.]

 

And then she immediately hated herself for thinking about it.

 

Decker, who had no way of knowing what she was thinking, hesitated and approached her. He carefully picked up the broken pocket watch and examined it.

 

“Fortunately, the watch is still running. It was my fault for startling you, so if you give it to me for a few days, I’ll repair it and return it to you.”

 

“No, you don’t have to do that. It was my fault for being careless.”

 

“No, I often forget that I have a loud voice. As you know, this is not a place where you can speak softly.”

 

Decker then looked up as if he had suddenly realized something.

 

“Ah, are you worried that it will be inconvenient if it becomes known that I have Young-ae’s watch?”

 

In fact, that was something Dorothea hadn’t thought of, but she just smiled awkwardly without saying anything.

 

However, unlike what she had thought, Decker took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wrapped the pocket watch in it, and put it in his own pocket.

 

“Just say you lost it. That will do.”

 

“What…?”

 

“I have to repair it anyway. And you don’t know where to repair watches near here, and you don’t want to bother Sir Raphelt with this, do you?”

 

“Ah, well, that’s…”

 

“I’ll leave it here again when it’s repaired. I think I’ll be coming here often in the future.”

 

Dorothea was flustered.

 

There was nothing wrong with what he said, but she still felt uneasy.

 

Decker, on the other hand, grinned as if nothing had happened.

 

“But how did you find this place? It’s my hideout.”

 

“Sir Donovan’s hideout?”

 

“Oh, of course I’m not claiming ownership. Haha!”

 

Then she noticed that Decker was also holding a small book in his hand.

 

“<<The Secret of Barton Manor>>…….”

 

“Have you read it?”

 

“Yes. I think the author was ‘Luice Philip’…….”

 

“That’s right! Is the culprit Wagner? Or Lupero? Ah, no! Don’t tell me anything.”

 

Dorothea snickered.

 

“You seem to like detective novels.”

 

“They’ve been popular in the major cities of Zyro for 10 years already. I first came across them when I went to the capital last time, and I found them so interesting that I couldn’t sleep until I finished reading them.”

 

Decker smiled broadly and shook the book in his hand. The fact that the book’s spine and cover were dog-eared suggested that it was probably bought from a used bookstore, even though he said it was his first time reading it.

 

However, the anticipation that melted into Decker’s smile made even the used book seem like a great treasure.

 

At that sight, Dorothea strangely remembered the part she had just read.

 

[But that smile!]

 

Decker was definitely far from the noble men Dorothea knew.

 

Perhaps that was why his smile was completely different from the artificial smiles she had seen before. It was a laugh that smelled of sunshine, like freshly dried laundry without a trace of dampness.

 

‘It’s a little different than I thought……’

 

When Giles told her to approach Decker Donovan, Dorothea had found him a little scary.

 

She had seen him a few times at the dining table, but she thought he must have been acting demure since he was with the prince and the lord.

 

‘He has long hair and a big build, and he looks a little scary……’

 

However, the real Decker was a much more polite and careful person than he had been at the dining table.

 

Even now, he stands a step away, lest I be frightened, and opens the door for me. As if to say that I can run away anytime if I’m scared.

 

“Detective novels… I brought a few copies, too. Would you like to borrow them?”

 

Dorothea suddenly felt grateful to Decker and made an impromptu offer.

 

“Yes? Really? Is it okay for you to lend me books?”

 

“Of course it is.”

 

“But what if Sir Raphelt finds out, he might not like it…”

 

Decker was worried about Dorothea instead.

 

But at those words, Dorothea felt a surge of emotion that she couldn’t tell whether it was anger or revenge.

 

TL/N: they’re the cutest fr^^