TBKU 10

Chapter : 10

“Could it be that you’re jealous?”

“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!”

The ladies who had been standing in a line and dancing glanced at the Duke and made a great fuss.

When it was time to change partners, he had skipped over the person beside him and approached the Duchess, who was standing the farthest away.

Wasn’t he, without a doubt, a man blinded by jealousy?

He must have been so deeply infatuated with his wife that he could not bear to be apart from her even for a moment.

When Lennon, who had been the next partner, disappeared, Kelsey Duff, who had been pushed out of the line in the confusion, had no choice but to walk away on her own.

She had been eagerly looking forward to dancing with the Duke, so she cooled her heated face outside the dance floor.

It was my turn!

Although her mother, the hostess of the banquet, had taken away the honor of being the Duke’s first partner, Kelsey had naturally assumed she would be his second.

No one was paying much attention to her because everyone’s eyes were fixed on the Duke and Duchess, but somehow she still felt irritated.

The look Kelsey gave the Duchess was far from friendly.

‘The love of the century?’

Because of the Duke’s unprecedented actions, most people thought that the Duke of Higgins had fallen deeply, madly in love.

Kelsey was no different.

But after seeing the two of them appear at the banquet hall, she began to have doubts.

Had they really gotten married because they were madly in love?

She was very interested in other people and knew all too well the looks exchanged by lovers who could not hide their feelings.

The Duke was skilled at concealing his expressions, but the Duchess was not.

“Isn’t she embarrassed rather than shy?”

The corners of Kelsey’s lips slowly rose behind her folding fan.

Perhaps this year would not be so boring even after the season ended.

With Lennon’s sudden appearance, the gentleman who should have been Sheila’s next partner also lost his place, just like Kelsey, and stepped out of the line.

Lennon casually took the gentleman’s place and placed his hand against Sheila’s, who was looking at him with a slightly surprised expression.

“Your Grace…”

“Let’s continue dancing.”

Guiding her as she hesitated, Lennon matched the rhythm.

Small gasps escaped from the ladies who had been watching the Duke when they saw the smile on his face.

‘It’ll change soon anyway.’

Unaware of what kind of expression he was wearing, Sheila was too preoccupied with remembering the sequence of steps.

The pressure to dance well made her anxious.

Clinging to the one hope that her partner would eventually change, she continued moving her feet.

But to her confusion, Lennon did not leave her side for the entire duration of the music.

Sheila’s mind went blank.

Because of that, she completely forgot Kael’s question about whether they had met somewhere before.

She looked up at him with bewildered eyes.

His expression had not changed.

A smile as though it had been drawn onto his face.

Perhaps no one else could tell, but Sheila could recognize that it was false.

The sincere smile she had once seen in a dream had made her heart feel so full.

‘Will such a day ever come?’

Feeling strangely overwhelmed, Sheila shook off the remnants of that dream and focused on the rhythm.

Like a wind-up doll, she moved her body without stopping.

And so, the first piece of music came to an end.

While the musicians made their preparations, people gathered around the banquet hall to catch their breath.

Sheila also fanned herself with her hand as she breathed heavily.

“You’re quite enthusiastic.”

Lennon spoke as he wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead.

At his unabashed display of affection, those who had been sneaking glances at the Duke drew in sharp breaths.

Sheila’s heart gave an uncontrollable jolt.

Even seeing the fake smile hanging around his lips did not make her heart calm down easily.

It was probably because she had danced so hard, just as he had said.

Sheila desperately suppressed her fluttering heart.

‘This should be enough.’

Putting his handkerchief away, Lennon slowly turned his head.

Apparently, they did look affectionate, because even the women who had always sent persistent glances his way merely gave him sidelong looks today with sour expressions.

A blushing wife and a husband who could not take his eyes off her.

The Duke and Duchess had danced one song after another without changing partners, as though they were lost in a world of their own.

It would be something that would be talked about for a long time in the capital’s social circles.

Lennon was certain that, because of this, there would probably be no reckless woman flirting with him for some time.

How fortunate that he would not have to endure that tiresome and disgusting behavior.

He remembered the women who always seemed to lose something right in front of him as though it had been deliberately arranged, and the women who had blocked his path while barely dressed.

The unpleasant feeling he had experienced back then seemed to come vividly back to life, and Lennon clenched his teeth.

“Congratulations on your marriage, Your Grace.”

At that moment, a lady approaching from not far away greeted him warmly.

Hearing a voice he had not heard in a long time, Lennon concealed his discomfort and greeted her.

“Thank you, Countess Latten.”

“I never imagined you had met such a lovely young lady.”

The middle-aged woman, whose face seemed somehow familiar, greeted Lennon first before smiling warmly at Sheila.

“My wife. And this is Countess Latten.”

Lennon stepped slightly aside and introduced Sheila.

“Ah.”

No wonder.

Sheila looked at Countess Latten’s thick brown hair, swept up elegantly, and her green eyes shining with curiosity, and was reminded of Kael.

Although this was the first time she had met the Countess, she had seemed strangely familiar because she looked so much like Kael.

“Sheila… That’s my name.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Duchess.”

Sheila could tell what kind of person Countess Latten was after exchanging only a few words with her.

‘She’s a good person.’

Kindness was evident in both her words and actions, and there was something about her that made people feel at ease.

Perhaps Kael had inherited that quality from his mother.

Even though Sheila had only recently met him, she had felt comfortable around him, almost as if they were friends.

“There’s something I’d like to discuss with the ladies. May I excuse myself for a moment, Your Grace?”

“Of course. Take your time.”

The two women entered a quiet sitting room where there was no one else around.

The moment they sat down on the soft sofa, they felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

A groan escaped them naturally.

They had been standing for so long that it was only natural to be exhausted.

“To be honest, I was quite worried.”

Sheila, who had been quietly yawning from the exhaustion that had suddenly overcome her, paused and looked at Countess Latten, wondering if she was talking about her.

“The former Duke passed away before Lennon had even fully grown up… He practically grew up alone, and until now, it seemed that he didn’t even have anyone to give his heart to.”

Sheila’s chest felt tight, as though something were stuck there.

If the Countess’s assumption was correct, Lennon still had no one to rely on or share his heart with.

Because she was fake.

“By any chance, Duchess Higgins—no, not anymore. Have you met Lennon’s mother?”

“No, not yet… I heard she went traveling somewhere rather far away.”

Rather than being surprised by the answer, Countess Latten nodded slightly as though she had expected it.

“He’s a lonely child. Of course, he’s a grown man now, but to me, he still feels like a child. Sometimes I catch glimpses of the boy he used to be, just as I do with my son, and whenever that happens, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.”

“Ah, I heard that Kael grew up almost like a brother to the Duke…”

“That’s right. The former Duke asked me to, so I visited often.”

A gentle smile bloomed on her face as though she were remembering those days.

Sheila imagined what a young Lennon must have looked like and smiled along with her.

“But when he was about ten, I think, Lennon began pushing us away. The closer we tried to get, the more he rejected us. We never knew why, and that was how we gradually grew apart.”

As Countess Latten’s smile turned bitter, Sheila’s expression also fell.

“I regret that we grew apart like that. I wonder what might have happened if I had tried just a little harder.”

“…”

“Anyway! Now I’m so relieved that there’s someone besides me who will worry about Lennon.”

Sheila felt the sincerity of the Countess’s affection for Lennon, which only made her heart heavier.

‘Actually, I’m… not that kind of person.’

It was difficult to say that while looking at Countess Latten’s kind face.

But at the same time, a small desire rose within her to become that kind of person for Lennon.

‘It’s ridiculous for someone like me to feel sympathy for someone as important as the Duke.’

It was not love for her husband, as the Countess believed.

It was probably compassion for him as a human being.

Sheila’s thoughts became tangled.

“Want a drink?”

Kael stopped a servant carrying a tray full of wine glasses and spoke.

“Why would I drink with you?”

“We haven’t seen each other in a while. And I wanted to congratulate you on your marriage.”

“I’ll accept the sentiment.”

“You’re no fun.”

The sound of transparent bubbles weakly popping inside the glass Kael was holding could be heard.

“You really have a talent for surprising people, don’t you?”

“Is that all I’m good at?”

“…Yeah, no. Our Duke is talented in many ways.”

He pouted and glanced at Lennon.

As expected, talented people knew all too well how impressive they were, which made them even more annoying.

“But where did you really meet her?”

Glancing toward the place where Sheila was, he asked Lennon.

They had no connection whatsoever.

Or perhaps Kael was curious whether the place he had guessed was actually correct.

“By chance, on the road.”

“Stop joking around.”

“I’m serious.”

At Lennon’s answer, Kael frowned in confusion as he stared at him.

“Listen. Suppose you happened to meet some woman on the street. Then you fall in love with her at first sight. She likes you too. The two of you are so madly in love that you even get married without anyone knowing. What do you think the chances of something like that actually happening are?”

“Why ask if you’re not going to believe me anyway?”

“If it were you, would you believe me if I suddenly showed up married like you did?”

Of course not.

Lennon let out a small laugh and gave an answer different from what he really thought.

“I would believe you. In fact, isn’t something like that more realistic for you than for me?”

“…Why me?!”

“A person who feels like destiny. Exactly your ideal type.”

“Well, that…”

Seeing Kael back down, Lennon tilted his head slightly.

“You should get married too.”

“Not interested.”

“I’m not talking about what you want. Do it for your father, at least.”

“Are you my father now, Your Grace?”

He gestured toward the grumbling Kael.

“Count Latten is coming. With your future wife.”

At those words, Kael flinched and looked around.

In the distance, his father was walking alongside a lady he did not recognize.

He began slowly backing away, then fired off a rapid farewell to Lennon.

“Pretend you didn’t see me! Congratulations on your marriage! Yeah, see you next time!”

Kael hid behind someone with broad shoulders and searched for an escape route.

Through his narrowed eyes, he spotted Sheila and Countess Latten.

‘Traitor!’

There had been a reason his father had asked Sheila to escort him instead.

Kael secretly checked on his father before cautiously approaching his mother.

The closer he got to the two women, the faster his steps became.

He had not noticed from a distance, but now that he was closer, Sheila’s complexion was pale.

His mother, standing beside her, also looked worried.

“Is something wrong?”

“Oh, son.”

Countess Latten brightened and grabbed Kael’s arm.

“You seem a little startled. Do you know where Lennon is?”

“He’s over there. Just a moment. Lennon!”

“You scared me! Kael!”

His startled mother smacked him hard across the back.

The sudden commotion drew everyone’s attention.

Perhaps hearing someone call his name, Lennon also looked around.

He immediately spotted Kael waving his arm and Sheila leaning against him as though exhausted.

His thoughts began turning rapidly.

It seemed that a perfect opportunity had presented itself.

He no longer had to force himself to remain at the banquet.