LI | Chapter 009

Chapter 009

The moment Theodore appeared, the noisy drawing room fell silent.

In the food chain, when the apex predator arrives, all the mid-tier creatures who had been boasting instantly fall quiet.

Instead, the subtle rivalry that had been simmering beneath the surface burst into the open.

“W-What brings the Duke of Bernier here?”

As soon as Theodore finished his greetings and sat on the sofa, a man with curly hair asked.

His eyes glinted with caution, but he didn’t overdo it. He clearly knew Theodore’s standing well; he kept his gaze lowered and waited warily for the answer.

“Is it any different from the reason all of you came?”

“Hahaha, as if the Duke of Bernier would—hahaha.”

The man let out an awkward laugh.

“I didn’t know the Duke of Bernier was interested in Miss Easton. But… have the two of you been acquainted before?”

A man who had once danced with Charlotte at some ball—he couldn’t quite remember which—spoke up.

His words carried a clear intent to exclude Theodore from the courtship race.

“We’ve at least danced with Charlotte! That’s different from a duke who hasn’t even exchanged a greeting with her at a ball! Don’t interfere!”

Hazel suddenly remembered Andre as a child insisting that the apple he saw first belonged to him, and she couldn’t hold back a small laugh.

It was a fleeting laugh, not particularly cheerful. Yet Theodore seemed to notice it.

His eyes trembled slightly when their gazes accidentally met, as if a mild earthquake had struck him. As though he had fallen in love with her all over again.

If it was acting, it was brilliant. If it was genuine, he was an incredibly shallow man.

‘Does he fall for every woman he meets?’

Hazel felt inexplicably embarrassed and looked away.

In contrast, Theodore’s eyes stubbornly followed her.

“Lady Easton, please forgive this request.”

Theodore said.

“Speak freely.”

Lady Easton was tolerant, but only with Theodore.

“I would like to speak quietly with Miss Easton. There was a conversation we didn’t finish last time, and I wish to complete it.”

Lady Easton and Charlotte exchanged glances.

They were so happy they nearly hugged each other. But they barely remembered the presence of the others and settled for squeezing each other’s hands in delight.

“Even if you are a duke, this is unacceptable.”

Someone cast a shadow over their joy.

It was a man biting his lip in tension, yet he mustered the courage to speak.

Theodore tilted his head questioningly, and the man’s lips moved to explain:

“We all came to see Miss Easton. For the duke to monopolize her time… especially since you arrived late…”

“Would be unethical?”

Theodore finished the word the man hadn’t dared to say.

The man could neither nod nor confirm, so he sent a pleading look toward Lady Easton.

Lady Easton sighed.

Before Theodore arrived, she had hoped to find a husband for Charlotte among these men, but now she saw they were merely a group of weaklings who couldn’t even voice their opinions firmly.

She looked at Hazel, grumbling inwardly.

“Anne, escort the duke to the third-floor reception room. Hazel, what are you doing? Aren’t you getting up?”

Lady Easton pinched Hazel’s side hard.

If she had been cautious earlier, she was now merciless.

Hazel could no longer pretend not to notice, so she stood with a stifled sigh.

Only then did the men realize that the “Miss Easton” Theodore meant was Hazel, and fleeting surprise crossed their faces.

“Miss Hazel? Did I hear that correctly?”

Some couldn’t hide their confusion and even checked with the man beside them.

The disturbance didn’t last long.

The men quickly exchanged glances. Since Theodore was not a rival, relief flashed in their eyes.

Their earlier wariness—like mice cornered in a trap—suddenly eased, and they let out sighs of relief.

Only Hazel noticed the slight twitch of Theodore’s eyebrow in response to the shift.

* * *

“Anne, I’ll guide him myself. Could you prepare tea and sweets instead?”

Hazel stopped Anne as they left the drawing room.

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

Theodore answered quickly to spare Anne the embarrassment of looking at Hazel.

“I’ll be right back, Miss.”

Anne gave a small curtsy and walked down the corridor.

“Let’s go up.”

Hazel and Theodore walked side by side.

The mansion wasn’t particularly large or grand, so they quickly reached the third-floor reception room.

Normally Theodore would have opened the door, but since Hazel was the lady of the house, he stood a step back from the door and waited.

“It’s narrower than the second-floor room.”

“Then it will be perfect for a quiet conversation.”

Theodore responded positively to everything she said.

For a moment, Hazel reflected on her own speech habits.

Had she been speaking too negatively under the guise of objectivity and rationality?

‘I wasn’t particularly rude.’

She concluded simply and opened the door.

The room, long closed, carried the distinct scent of dust.

It wasn’t dirty, but the emptiness from disuse couldn’t be erased.

“Shall I open the windows? The breeze is refreshing today.”

After acting as a guest in the hallway, Theodore now moved like the master of the room.

Before Hazel could reply, he opened all four windows.

While he did so, Hazel sat on the sofa and felt the breeze.

As he said, the breeze was indeed refreshing today.

She filled her lungs with clean air and slowly exhaled.

The man in front of her was a little bothersome, but she felt better than staying in the noisy second-floor drawing room.

“How have you been these past few days?”

After a brief silence, Theodore asked about her well-being in a natural tone.

“As you see.”

Hazel added that she had been somewhat busy dealing with Charlotte’s suitors alongside her.

Theodore burst into laughter.

A light, warm laugh like cotton made Hazel narrow her eyes.

‘Is there any other man whose laughter makes one think of so many different adjectives?’

Impossible.

Hazel recalled the variety of smiles she had seen from him.

They all shared one trait: splendor.

Unfortunately, they also shared another trait: they had no effect on Hazel’s heart.

During a lull in the conversation, Anne entered.

She knocked politely, placed tea in front of Hazel and Theodore, then set an elegant blue plate of macarons in the center.

Perhaps under orders from Lady Easton, Anne quietly left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

“Please have some tea.”

Hazel spoke without adding humble phrases like “I don’t know if it will suit your taste,” and Theodore tasted the tea.

He smiled as if he liked it and savored the flavor.

It was a satisfying reaction for a hostess receiving a guest.

“You seem to have been well. I, on the other hand, have not.”

Hazel tilted her head questioningly as she brought the teacup to her lips.

No matter which angle she looked from—or however closely she examined—he appeared to be eating well and sleeping well.

His skin was smooth, his hair glossy, his eyes clear, and there were no dark circles beneath them.

“It doesn’t show, does it? I take good care of myself even in hard times.”

Hazel nodded unconsciously, then stopped.

She couldn’t agree that he had been suffering. So she set her teacup aside.

“You attended balls and visited museums too. They say you spent a long time at the Orangerie Museum.”

“Oh?”

Theodore’s eyes widened.

“You know my news. Can I take that as a positive sign?”

“Unfortunately, no. I couldn’t avoid hearing it. You’re a famous person.”

“But if you weren’t interested at all, you wouldn’t have remembered.”

“My memory is strong.”

Hazel shrugged as if it were trivial.

Then Theodore suddenly asked:

“Do you know how many men were in the drawing room?”

“Ten?”

“There were eight. And men with black hair—were there three?”

“Weren’t there two?”

“There were four.”

Hazel narrowed her eyes.

She realized—too late—what Theodore was trying to prove with this conversation.

He was claiming that Hazel was interested in him, using what she remembered about him as evidence.

“I just wasn’t paying close attention.”

“Five days ago, I was wearing a black suit. It went very well with your dark violet dress, Miss Easton.”

“Wasn’t it a suit with a hint of blue?”

Hazel nearly bit her tongue.

Theodore smiled calmly.

Hazel admitted defeat.

She sighed lightly and said:

“It seems I was very interested in you, Your Grace. More than the men in the drawing room.”

“It is an honor.”

The man neither gloated over his victory nor mocked her defeat.

“Could you tell me the reason for your visit today?”

Hazel judged that she had fulfilled her duties as hostess sufficiently and asked.

“I believe you’ve already guessed why I came. I have come to propose to you again, Miss Easton.”

Theodore reached into his pocket.

Hazel thought he would pull out a ring again and stared at him in boredom, but she suddenly stopped.

What he took out was a thick bundle of papers.

Her attention was immediately caught by the words written on the sturdy cover sheet that protected the documents from damage:

[Asset List]

“I’ve heard you are a rational woman. You like mathematics, don’t you? Then let us calculate together. The value of my proposal.”

A spark of interest flashed in Hazel’s eyes.

This man’s marriage proposal was completely different from any she had ever seen.

If he had enrolled in the academy’s courtship department, he would have been called either a genius or an eccentric.

Top marks or complete failure.

Hazel found the man’s unique approach to proposing rather amusing.