“Jonathan! Ethan was trying to shake off the dirt, but how could you take it so quickly!?”
The Duchess was also on Ethan’s side.
“He touched mine all the time! It didn’t get on the doll!”
Jonathan shouted at the whale as if it was unfair. It looked really ugly.
“Because you are the older brother, you have to understand Ethan!”
Ethan then smiled contentedly inwardly and grabbed the Duchess’ skirt.
“I am fine, mother…”
Wiping his moist eyes with the soft, white back of his hand, looking up at the Duchess, her heart melted again and she said, ‘Oh, Ethan!’ and hugged it.
Ethan hugged the duchess and raised an eyebrow toward Jonathan without anyone knowing.
‘Stupid guy.’
It was repeated over and over again, and Jonathan hated Ethan very much.
Ethan liked the more Jonathan hated him.
The lovely and pathetic position of the underdog was the position Ethan loved. Even if Ethan attacks Jonathan first, everyone now favors Ethan.
Except when you have to show ‘Ethan Bronte in front of outsiders.
No matter how beautiful and kind the child is, Ethan Bronte was born to the Duke of Bronte by having an affair with a bar girl.
A small figure for Bronte.
The people of the Duke of Bronte were busy hiding Ethan’s presence when guests came.
Jonathan introduced Ethan as a servant when he was discovered by his friends.
It was all because of Jonathan’s sense of superiority toward Ethan.
Ethan was not allowed to wear clothes or articles bearing the designs of the Bronte family. Even the Duke and Duchess cared for Ethan but were reluctant to take him out to public places.
No matter how you look at it, Ethan wasn’t the Duchess’s son, and he stood out too much among the bastards.
“Ethan, we really love you. know?”
That’s what the Duchess said whenever she went to social events with Ethan.
At that time, Ethan replied with a small smile.
“Yes, mother.”
Ethan was a good listener.
“Can you help me get my violin strings when you come back instead?”
“Of course, Ethan.”
He was a child who took care of what he could get as long as he listened well.
Each time Bronte and her wife left Ethan alone or hidden, they would listen to Ethan’s wishes one by one out of a sense of regret.
Ethan was happy with the deal.
Because he doesn’t want to go to a party like that anyway. However, despite their efforts, Ethan’s existence was already known in this area.
Ethan’s presence could not be hidden in the first place. Although he was not officially recognized, none of the people living in the Cerritian region knew that he was the illegitimate son of a duke.
Because it’s a scandal, just take it easy and don’t put it in your mouth.
“Still, as a bastard, it’s good to live like that.”
People said so.
After all, it’s a good treat just to be able to live in the duke’s mansion with an outside child born to a bar girl calling his father and a duchess who is not his mother as his mother.
From Bronte’s point of view, it was to help the shame of the family.
They were ‘good enough’ for Ethan the bastard.
So, Ethan quietly lived as the ‘secret bastard of the Duke of Bronte’.
calmly waiting for the time.
However… he changed his mind.
“Master, your cheeks!”
As soon as Ethan returned to the duke’s house, he received the attention of many servants.
Jonathan slapped him so hard that he still had red cheeks.
Normally, Ethan would have gone to the Duchess and the Duke of Bronte to show off his red cheeks.
Then he said it was nothing and smiled sadly, glanced into Jonathan’s eyes, and seemed hesitant.
That way, the Duke and Duchess would know that it was Jonathan’s work. Jonathan would be furious from the first day he returned from Episteme, and Ethan would have been able to play with Jonathan’s toy for a long time.
But he didn’t really want to do that today.
“It’s okay.”
Ethan left the servants who were paying attention to him and went straight to his room.
He was not interested in making fun of Jonathan, winning the duchess’ favor, or playing with servants who would lick their feet.
‘Dorothea Milanaire.’
He came up to the room and remembered the little girl.
The last time he saw that damn expression. Ethan took a deep breath and washed his face dry.
‘Was it to week?’
Ethan looked at the mirror in the room. There was a boy with an angelic appearance that was no different than usual.
A beautiful boy that everyone admires. Ethan didn’t like how he looked in the mirror.
He ruffled his hair back and forth behind his ears, then rolled up his sleeves and pulled up his knee socks.
‘Not bad.’
He’s always looked perfect, but is it because of the marks Jonathan slapped on the cheek? No matter how much he touched it, his figure was not filled with spirituality.
It was always like that after he met Dorothea.
From the beginning, Dorothea seemed uninterested in his beauty.
It’s not that he doesn’t accept his appearance, but it ends up being “handsome.” He is unperturbed by any action.
No matter how many times she went to the private palace to play, Dorothea was greeted with him as usual.
It’s too ordinary.
There was no sign of welcoming him, nor did she smile broadly with joy when she saw his face.
‘It’s too good of a thing for me to receive. Take it back.’
She even refused the pendant that he had deliberately chosen with great care and did not receive it.
why? Is it expensive and good jewelry? Doesn’t she like this?
Ethan’s head was confused by his unexpected and different reaction to Dorothea.
But if she wasn’t interested in him at all, that wasn’t the case either.
Ethan looked at his white wrist.
‘Follow me.’
Dorothea, threatening Jonathan, grabbed his wrist and ran ahead.
Even though she is short and her stride is narrow, how fast is she?
At that time, it seemed that there was still warmth around the wrist that Dorothea was holding.
Ethan followed Dorothea, anticipating. She will be worried about his wounds soon and will be able to put her heart into his pitiful eyes. But Dorothy was busy talking to Stefan before that.
‘Aren’t normal people supposed to be concerned about my cheeks and cut hands?’
Can’t you see that one side of my face is red?
But the relationship between the two seemed so close that he couldn’t intervene.
It was inconceivable to leave him behind just to say thank you to that big bear.
‘Ugh…’
Does he really need to see it like this?
Dorothy’s gaze returned to him only after he patted His cheek and pretended to be sick. But even more shocking was after arriving at the detached palace.
Dorothea was talking with Ray and Theon as if she had completely forgotten the existence of Ethan. Dorothea only realized he existed, only after he poked her face.
Ethan stayed by Dorothea’s side.
Princess, look at me. Do you want to see such a beautiful day?
No matter how many times he called her, Dorothea treated him completely as a ghost.
And Dorothy saw Theon Fried beyond him, as transparent as a ghost.
The way she looked at Theon was so pathetic that even people who didn’t know her could recognize her heart.
The princess already likes the grand duke of Fried’s son.
Ethan recalled the handkerchief lying in Dorothea’s room. Although Dorothy hurriedly hid it, it was definitely a handkerchief with Fried’s crest engraved on it.
‘I wish I had torn it up.’
The owner of the handkerchief was Theon Fried, those red eyes.
‘Theon Fried.’
Ethan bit his teeth tightly.
He remembered the look on Dorothea’s face while talking to Theon Fried. That expression that seemed to collapse at any moment was engraved in his mind and never left.
Ethan didn’t like the look on Dorothea’s face.
A look that no matter how hard he tries in his life, he can’t give a gift to her.
That is the expression Theon Fried can give Dorothea.
‘I hate Theon, but I hate Dorothea even more, who likes Theon even with that kind of face.’
The boy in the mirror was staring coolly at himself.
Beautiful but not beautiful at all.
At that moment, the door opened with a click, and the boy in the mirror immediately took on the light of an angel.
“Master, please sit here.”
The nanny came in with a small bottle of medicine, gauze, and a bucket.
The nanny sat Ethan in the chair and looked at his red, swollen cheeks.
Ethan smiled although he didn’t like the nanny who was making a fuss about his barely red cheeks.
“Thank you, Nanny.”
At that smile, the nanny smiled.
‘Yes, this is normal. Everyone likes me when I smile, right?’
Even if his cheeks were swollen, there was no problem with Ethan’s appearance.
‘Hmm…’
Ethan pondered for a moment, then looked at the nanny.
“Nanny, but your face is a little red. Do you have a fever?”
Ethan gently touched the nanny’s forehead.
Then the nanny opened her eyes wide.
“Is my face red? Oh my, that can’t be it. Do I really have a fever? Since you said that, I think I’m really getting a fever?”
After the nanny touched her cheeks, she slapped her thighs and made a fuss.
Seeing the nanny who was making a fuss like she was going to die, Ethan thought calmly.
‘Yes, this is normal.’
If he touches her forehead while making eye contact, she should like it. It’s supposed to be exciting. Even the Duchess sometimes comes to see his face when she is depressed.
But Dorothea didn’t.
Ethan tried a few more.
After tidying up the messy nanny’s side hair, the nanny sticks out the other side as if asking for more.
It was bothersome attention and effort, but Ethan smiled and tidied up both sides of the nanny’s hair and smiled.
“I like a nanny.”
As He whispered a small whisper in the ear of the nanny who was applying the medicine to his cheek, the nanny’s face turned red as if she were about to burst a nosebleed.
“yeah! I like you too.”
The nanny answered with a happy smile. She will go to the other employees today and brag about it. She said that Master Ethan said she likes her.
Because there was enough time for the people of the duke family to talk to each other about how pretty, cute, and lovely Ethan was today.
Ethan, seeing the nanny’s reaction, rolled his tongue inwardly.
‘Look at this. Everyone likes it, but why?’
Ethan remembered Dorothea, who was staring at him.
‘If you want to go to the duke’s, tell Clara. I’ll prepare a carriage for you.’
Ethan thought he might have misheard when she said she would not even see him off.
Then she pushes his back to get out and slams the door!
absurd thing. Such a beat can only be received from Jonathan.
How come Dorothea Milanaire doesn’t look after him? why.
* * *
