Chapter: 50
“If anything, isn’t Lord Gusto the one who missed his chance?”
Then the Duke turned back to Gregory and fired another sharp remark at him.
“Y-Your Grace?”
“You already threw away your chance to become Lady Ansi’s fiancĆ©, didn’t you? So why…”
The Duke tilted his head slightly.
“…are you only now clinging so desperately to Lady Ansi?”
His icy blue eyes stared Gregory down as though crushing him beneath their weight.
“…How pathetic.”
Whoa.
Forgetting even how serious the situation was, I couldn’t help but admire him.
That arrogant, condescending gaze. The expression of utter disgust, as if he were looking at an insect.
And most of all, that “how pathetic” comment!
No one could deny they were siblings. He was exactly like his younger sister, the young lady.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Gregory hurriedly fled.
Seriously? He had acted as though he wanted to devour me alive.
Yet in front of the Duke, he tucked his tail between his legs and ran?
I was glaring coldly at Gregory’s retreating figure whenā
“I apologize for interfering.”
The Duke cleared his throat a couple of times before speaking.
“I was watching Lord Gusto spout such nonsense that I simply couldn’t stand by.”
“No, not at all. Thank you so much for helping me.”
I quickly shook my head.
“If it hadn’t been for you, Your Grace, I would have been stuck dealing with Gregory much longer.”
At that, the Duke looked down at me with concern.
“Did Lord Gusto treat you harshly by any chance?”
“…”
My breathing suddenly became uneven.
The Duke… is worried about me.
It felt strange somehow.
Having someone worry about me still wasn’t something I was used to.
“I’m really fine.”
I forced a smile.
But the Duke still looked dissatisfied.
“Forgive me, but from what I saw, you did not look fine at all.”
“Pardon?”
“Lord Gusto mocked you.”
The Duke shook his head firmly.
“Such rude behavior is not something you should simply accept as being all right.”
“Well…”
“Enduring another person’s rudeness is not always the answer. At the very least, do not allow others to treat you carelessly.”
He concluded calmly.
“You are not someone who deserves to be treated that way.”
“…”
Well… actually…
When the Duke wasn’t looking, I had fired plenty of sharp words back at Gregory myself…
Still, there was no need to confess that now.
Honestly…
I’m happy.
Aside from my parents, there had never been a single person who stood on my side.
But the young lady and the Duke were different.
Someone who thought of my position first.
Someone who worried about me.
I never knew having someone like that could give me so much strength.
I smiled brightly and nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. I merely spoke the truth.”
The Duke returned my smile with perfect courtesy.
And the moment I saw that smileā
Goodness.
I completely understood why Seraphina had fallen head over heels for him.
The only problem was…
“…”
“…”
Once the topic of Gregory ended, there was nothing left to talk about…
An awkward silence settled between us.
What am I supposed to do with this atmosphere?
Unable to bear it, I hurriedly asked,
“S-So… Your Grace, did you also come out to look for the young lady?”
From everything I’d seen, the Duke was an unapologetic doting older brother.
Naturally, if his precious little sister wasn’t in the ballroom, he’d come looking for her.
Meanwhile, the Duke looked momentarily caught off guard.
“Ah, well…”
He hesitated for a brief moment before smiling gently.
“That’s right. I came to look for Eva.”
…Didn’t he seem flustered just now?
Blinking blankly, I quickly made a suggestion.
“Then… would you like to look for her together with me?”
“Pardon?”
“I… well… I came out to look for the young lady too. If there are two of us searching, we might find her faster, so…”
I stumbled over my words.
Thenā
“Pfft.”
…He laughed?
I desperately replayed everything I’d just said in my head.
Why was he laughing?
Had I said something funny?
No, I hadn’t!
At the same time, the Duke nodded with a gentle smile.
“Very well. Let’s do that.”
I still wasn’t entirely convinced, but he certainly didn’t look offended.
So I decided to let it go.
Thus began our grand adventure of searching for the young lady in the middle of the night.
Though, truthfully, searching for her was only half the reason.
It was practically just an evening stroll.
“So, the floral decorations at this party were personally arranged by the young lady.”
“By Evangeline?”
“Yes. Aren’t they beautiful? I think the young lady has real talent for this sort of thing.”
Before I knew it, I had somehow started praising the young lady nonstop.
I felt a bit like an embarrassingly proud parent bragging about their child, but what could I do?
Our young lady was just that adorable, lovable, and intelligent!
“She can even prepare budget proposals without my help now.”
“Oh? Really?”
Interest flickered across the Duke’s face.
I nodded proudly.
“Of course. Honestly, since it was her first time dealing with this kind of work, I was worried she’d find it difficult. But she turned out to be surprisingly meticulous and capable.”
“Eva… meticulous and capable, you say.”
The Duke gave a skeptical smile.
“That sounds nothing like the Eva I know.”
“It’s true. At first she made a few simple calculation mistakes, but now she doesn’t make those at all. And…”
The Duke was an excellent listener.
He never interrupted or cut me off.
He simply listened attentively to everything I said.
Somehow, my chest felt warm.
How long has it been… since I had such an easy conversation with someone?
Other than my parents and the young lady, I never imagined I could talk this comfortably with anyone else.
“Come to think of it, Lady Ansi.”
After listening quietly for quite some time, the Duke suddenly reached into his coat as if something had just occurred to him.
“I have something for you.”
Hm?
I blinked in confusion.
“For me? Not for the young lady?”
“Yes. It’s for you.”
The Duke nodded and held out a small gift box that fit neatly in his palm.
“This is…?”
I looked up at him with wide, startled eyes.
For once, the Duke looked a little embarrassed.
“Whenever I go away on business, Eva always insists that I bring her back a gift. So while I was buying hers, I purchased one for you as well.”
A faint smile spread across his handsome face.
“I sincerely hope you like it.”
“…”
Almost absentmindedly, I accepted the gift box.
I stared blankly at the little box in my hands before asking hesitantly,
“Um… may I open it now?”
“Of course.”
The Duke nodded readily.
Swallowing nervously, I untied the silk ribbon wrapped around the box.
And inside…
Earrings?
Tiny rose-pink quartz gemstones, no larger than my thumbnail, shimmered transparently in the moonlight.
Their simple stud design fit closely against the ear, and the delicate craftsmanship stood out with unmistakable elegance.
“…”
Suddenly, my throat tightened.
Gregory had showered Seraphina with countless gifts.
Yet he had never given me so much as a single handkerchief.
And now…
The Duke had thoughtfully bought me a gift as well, simply because I was his younger sister’s friend.
“Um… this is the first time anyone has ever given me a gift like this.”
Without realizing it, I clasped the box tightly in both hands.
“How should I repay you?”
“You’re already being a wonderful friend to Evangeline.”
The Duke’s smile grew a little warmer.
“That alone is more than enough.”
“…”
Holding back the emotions welling inside me, I smiled brightly.
“Thank you so much. I’ll treasure it.”
“I’m glad you’re happy, Lady Ansi.”
Pure white moonlight poured down over our heads.
Beneath that moonlight stood the beautiful man, looking directly at me.
Was it the magic of this romantic moonlit night?
Or had the excitement of the party not yet faded?
The moment I heard the Duke’s reply…
It felt as though someone gently brushed the depths of my heart with a feather, leaving behind a soft, ticklish warmth.
…It was a very strange feeling.
