Chapter: 10
Too Many Burdens to Confess –
And the next day, at noon.
As usual, Dorothy knocked on the door of the neighboring house.
“The front door is opening unusually fast today.”
She naturally assumed that Rose would be behind the door, as always. It had become a daily routine by now.
“Hello! Rose Ye—”
But the door was not opened by Rose. It was Brandon.
The unusually quick opening of the door… could it be that Rose had been waiting until noon?
Dorothy swallowed a laugh and, slightly flustered, puckered her lips.
“Good morning, Dorothy,” Brandon greeted with a bright smile.
He leaned against the doorframe, giving Dorothy space to enter.
Where was Rose, and why was Brandon opening the door? Of course, there was nothing strange about it—they were siblings, after all.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” Dorothy said politely, snapping herself out of her daze.
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
Is this what gentlemanly manners look like? Dorothy admired him, bowing once more in thanks.
Behind her, the sound of the front door closing and the latch being secured echoed.
“Please give me your coat; I’ll hang it up for you.”
“No, I’ll do it myself.”
Even if opening the door was acceptable, taking her coat was not something a duke should do. In fact, opening the door itself was already a small agreement between Rose and Dorothy—a task usually reserved for a household servant.
“Haha, as you know, there’s no one else working in this townhouse besides Hill,” Dorothy explained.
Brandon, sensing her curiosity, kindly replied, “Hill is probably busy cleaning the kitchen at the moment.”
Huh?
Dorothy blinked again.
“Cleaning the kitchen at this hour?”
Since she often came and went from the house, Dorothy knew Hill’s daily routine well. Hill usually cleaned the kitchen only in the evening, after all the meals were prepared. It was unusual for Hill, who followed a strict schedule, to start cleaning at noon.
Well, it wasn’t impossible. Something sudden could have required cleaning.
“Besides, I couldn’t very well ask a valued guest to hang up their own coat,” Brandon said, eventually taking her coat.
“Your Grace, you have some trouble walking, after all. Thank you anyway.”
…Come to think of it, he seems fine. He seemed to have been limping not long ago.
“Hmm, maybe it’s healed.”
Dorothy decided it was simple: he was young and had the best medical care, so he probably recovered quickly.
“Hey!”
At that moment, Rose’s thunderous voice came from the stairs.
Soon, she came rushing down, making a loud commotion. Unlike usual, she was in her pajamas, without makeup, and her hair was messy.
It was unusual. Dorothy knew that whenever Rose came downstairs, she tried to dress properly.
Coming down the stairs like she was running, Rose grabbed Brandon by the collar.
“Why is my watch two hours slow?”
“Haha, why ask me that?”
“Don’t play dumb! Why else would a perfectly fine watch do this?”
“Maybe it’s broken. Honestly, if you start with suspicion, it hurts my feelings.”
Even with his collar being grabbed, Brandon responded nonchalantly.
“Do you think that makes sense?”
“It’s not impossible. Anyway, may I excuse myself for a moment, sister?”
While Rose seemed about to boil over, Brandon looked cheerful and lively.
“I need to hang up Dorothy’s coat for a moment.”
With the flexibility of a sly fox, Brandon smoothly slipped away.
Watching her brother leave like that, Rose wore an exasperated expression. Dorothy was left alone with Rose.
“Dorothy!”
Rose caught her by the shoulders, taking a deep breath.
“Yes… yes?”
“Are you okay?”
“…Yes?”
“Did he do anything strange?”
“He opened the door politely, greeted me, and even kindly took my coat.”
“Yes! That’s the strange part!”
Rose exploded in frustration.
“The problem is, he’s not the type to do things like that! It’s completely unusual!”
“You mean he did something a servant would normally do?”
“No! He greeted me!”
“…Greeting you in the morning is strange?”
Dorothy couldn’t continue. Everyone gives morning greetings, after all.
“Listen carefully, Dorothy,” Rose warned seriously.
“If that guy does anything strange, tell me.”
“…Strange? What exactly do you mean?”
“When he behaves unlike himself… No, never mind.”
Suddenly, Rose looked at Dorothy with a strange expression.
“Being naive might actually help.”
“….”
“And clumsy, oblivious… you probably know nothing about men.”
“Uh, excuse me, but that seems quite rude.”
“No, it’s good for you. At least it helps you avoid his clutches,” Rose said, patting Dorothy’s shoulder with relief.
What could “strange behavior” possibly mean?
“The duke acting unlike himself?”
Dorothy had a good impression of Brandon so far. Sure, his smile could be a little overwhelming, but he gave off a righteous aura of someone who stood against villains. And he had personally greeted her that morning.
“Ah, Dorothy. Do you have a moment? I need to ask you something,” Brandon said, approaching as she was returning home after spending time with Rose.
He guided Dorothy to the dining room and personally served her tea.
“It’s about what I asked last time. You said you wanted to find your father, right?”
“Oh, yes.”
“I’m sorry. It might take longer than expected. Could you allow me some time?”
Finding her father wasn’t urgent for Dorothy.
“You don’t need to apologize. It’s fine if it takes longer.”
“Thank you for understanding… So, I’d like to ask—”
Brandon smiled mischievously as he spoke.
“Could you tell me about your mother or father? What did they do before you were born? It might help me.”
“Well, my mother was ordinary. And my father… my mother said he was a hopeless man who learned everything from books.”
A commoner, not a noble, yet so close to books… Dorothy had once thought her father might have been a librarian.
“I see. That’s very helpful.”
“Does this information really help?”
“Yes! I’ll definitely find him.”
A person so kind, yet considered “strange” by Rose? Dorothy thought maybe Rose was mistaken.
“Perhaps the duke likes me…”
She chuckled inwardly. Dorothy wasn’t completely clueless about men—perhaps thanks to her engagement to Charles. Being alone with a man no longer made her flutter with excitement.
Dorothy noticed cookie crumbs on Brandon’s lips.
“You have some cookie crumbs here.”
She gently wiped them with her handkerchief. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
“Ah…”
Dorothy thanked him sincerely, unaware that his eyes had widened and his ears had turned red.
“Thank you, Your Grace. You’re always so kind to me.”
She spoke lightly, jokingly:
“You’re so kind I almost mistook it for affection.”
It was said without meaning; she knew well that there was no chance he liked her. She expected the playful duke to laugh it off as usual and continued eating her cookie.
“…Ah.”
But her casual remark shook Brandon more than she realized. The relaxed, composed mask he always wore shattered. He sat opposite her, flustered, unable to speak as if a thorn had pricked his tongue.
“I… I…”
Finally, he opened his mouth.
