〈I didn’t help with the orb expecting this kind of reward……. Thank you so much!〉
It seed that the existence of the magic stone, which I had dismissed as a re pebble, held more significance than I thought.
To the point that tears welled up in ‘that’ Lily’s eyes.
“Are you still working at the Tower?”
Then, Ricardo, who had been sitting across from , asked.
“I just ca today as Bianca.”
“I don’t think there’s any reason for a lady of the Marquis family to visit.”
“That’s what I’m saying. I didn’t expect there to be this much for a lady to do either.”
When I deflected his question without a hint of concern, Ricardo didn’t push further.
“And you? Why are you here?”
“You saw, didn’t you?”
“I did. But it seed too trivial a matter for soone like you to co personally.”
He was the type to obsess over ti. So it would’ve been natural to send a servant.
“You hate wasting ti.”
“eting you isn’t a waste of ti.”
“……”
“You must still not know very well.”
Ricardo tilted his head slightly.
“Did you think that even when I went to Bilpart?”
“To so extent……”
“Huh.”
He looked as if he had no idea where to start correcting the misunderstanding.
How am I supposed to know if you don’t say anything!
‘……Of course, not that I would’ve listened.’
Since I had coldly rejected Ricardo last ti when he said he had sothing to tell , I couldn’t claim to be entirely innocent.
I changed the subject to avoid the forbidden topic from that day.
“Did the treatnt go well?”
“Yes.”
“……Really?”
“I don’t lie.”
“Then can I check for myself?”
At that, Ricardo responded with a rather serious face.
“In tis like these, it’s natural to set a follow-up appointnt.”
“That feels unnatural.”
“If you casually say okay, it’ll be perfect.”
“People usually call that being shaless.”
Was he okay?
Still, considering he was spouting nonsense, it didn’t seem like the wound had worsened.
Just then, the carriage arrived in front of the Roygin residence. I hopped off the carriage and bid him farewell.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“……”
Ricardo repeatedly opened and closed his lips as if he had sothing to say.
“Bianca?”
At that mont, I heard Cedric’s familiar voice. He looked at with suspicion, as if unsure of what he was seeing.
Why did he have to be ho today……!
Startled, I hastily tried to explain.
“We ran into each other by chance, and he gave a ride to the estate.”
“……By chance.”
“It’s a small world. Haha.”
Cedric’s gaze imdiately narrowed. Then, the two n’s eyes awkwardly t.
“Bianca helped with sothing before, so we ended up talking for a while.”
“My sister, you an?”
Cedric’s face hardened as if he had just heard sothing he shouldn’t have.
“In Orphen……”
“You both must be busy!”
I quickly cut off Ricardo’s words, but it was already too late. Cedric let out a short laugh.
“Aha.”
I turned to glare at Ricardo with a resentful look.
Why are you like this……!
Can’t you tell from the fact that I even hid my identity?
Ricardo shrugged his shoulders as if to say he was innocent.
No, I had no one to bla but myself.
It was my fault for accepting a ride in this man’s carriage!
Just then, Cedric gave a faint smile.
“The Duke ca all the way to our estate. It wouldn’t be right to send him away like this.”
“The Duke must have matters at the estate……”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
Why are you being like this since earlier?
Do you have a grudge against ……?
No sooner had he finished speaking than Cedric flung the door open as if inviting him in. I hurriedly whispered to Ricardo, who was about to follow.
“I’ll handle the aftermath, so it’s okay if you run away.”
“There’s no such word in my dictionary.”
He clenched his fist as if he had made a firm resolution.
……I definitely gave him the chance.
* * *
Only a chilly silence flowed in the drawing room.
Normally, I would’ve eaten the cake without a thought, but I couldn’t taste it at all.
I couldn’t tell if I was eating sponge or chewing rubber.
When I silently stared at Cedric, he was glaring only at Ricardo, unaware that I was watching.
Ricardo, on the other hand, was preoccupied with switching my empty dessert plate with his.
I seed to be the only one feeling awkward amidst the mismatched gazes.
“H-how about Grandpa?”
Yes, it’s always the person in the middle who has to solve the situation.
“He’ll be here soon.”
I was counting on Grandpa.
Just as I was catching my breath, Cedric put down his teacup.
“I didn’t expect the Duke’s kindness to extend to a young lady who was once engaged and broke it off.”
“……!”
“Such affection, which he hadn’t even shown his fiancée, was enough to be bewildering.”
I was on pins and needles. I had assud there was a reason Cedric called Ricardo, but I didn’t expect him to speak so rcilessly.
His gaze beyond the lenses of his glasses was sharp like a well-honed blade.
“I know the Duke worked hard for the sake of the rumors, but such excessive consideration will surely be poison to this child.”
At so point, his eyes turned to .
‘……Is he telling to behave myself?’
It was a look that scolded for arriving in Ricardo’s carriage.
He wasn’t wrong. In fact, strictly speaking, he was absolutely right.
Especially after we had broken off the engagent……
“I was too hasty. I didn’t think it would trouble Bianca.”
“Bianca is of marriageable age.”
Ricardo noticeably flinched.
“Pointless gossip has only just died down. Proposals are starting to co in, and I expect we’ll hear good news soon.”
“……”
“Surely the Duke also hoped for that and suppressed the rumors, even if belatedly.”
Soone sent a proposal to a young lady who’d just been dumped by a Duke?
What kind of madman would do that?
Only Cedric, who had dropped that bombshell, calmly sipped his tea.
The mood sank heavily in an instant. I instinctively glanced at Ricardo and flinched.
He was completely frozen, like soone who had forgotten how to breathe.
‘What do I do with this situation……!’
I was left fidgeting in distress for a mont.
Bang.
“Grandpa!”
At last, my savior arrived. I dashed to him in a flurry, and Grandpa looked rather startled.
“Child?”
He gently patted my shoulder, then noticed Ricardo offering a polite greeting.
“It’s been a while.”
“Ah, Ricardo.”
Grandpa didn’t continue his sentence.
Suddenly, I grew anxious.
Could it be that Grandpa also…… like Cedric……
I could understand why soone would resent Ricardo. A hundred, a thousand tis over!
But right now, he was a guest.
Just as I looked up at him with desperate eyes—
“Have you eaten?”
Grandpa asked as if it was nothing.
It was a suggestion none of us—myself, Cedric, or Ricardo—had expected.
* *
‘……Who would’ve thought sothing like this would ever happen.’
I glanced sideways at Ricardo, who was sitting next to .
Ricardo, dining in the Roygin estate.
If my past self had seen this, she’d have fainted on the spot.
I just hoped nothing strange would be said.
I had no idea what Ricardo was thinking.
Then, as he quietly observed him, Grandpa finally spoke.
“When you were little, you mainly used your left hand, didn’t you?”
“Oh, you were left-handed?”
Ricardo awkwardly moved the spoon in his right hand.
“That was a long ti ago, but you still rember.”
“Haha. There’s a saying that left-handed children are smart. That’s why I kept an eye on you.”
“Maybe that’s why you’ve been leading the Ducal House so well.”
Cedric added. He probably still felt a bit bad for what he’d said earlier.
See, I knew you cared!
“Then maybe I should start practicing eating with my left hand too.”
“Even thinking that proves how foolish you are.”
“What’s his problem……”
People who can’t take a joke are no fun.
“Lord Blua, how’s your health?”
To that, Grandpa responded in a joking tone.
“At my age, no news is good news.”
“Grandpa’s sturdier than he looks.”
“Right. As long as you don’t get into trouble.”
When I silently glared at Cedric, he continued nonchalantly.
“If you don’t like it, then do better yourself.”
“You’re one to talk. You used to get into all kinds of trouble too, rember? You fell from a tree once……”
“You.”
“And you almost lost a hand trying to wield a sword, just because you wanted to be like Grandpa.”
Cedric’s face turned red and blue.
As if he thought I couldn’t speak for myself.
In the end, our squabbling erupted into a full-blown exposé war, and Grandpa cleared his throat loudly to settle us down.
Wow, what were we doing in front of a guest?
Realizing we’d lost all sense of decorum, I hurriedly turned to him.
“Um, Ricardo……”
But I trailed off.
He looked a little sorrowful, but also happy.
A smile tinged with longing and envy.
It was a faint expression placed sowhere between the two.
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