Chapter 17
“If I hadn’t followed Your Grace today, I never would have witnessed such a sight. How could I not be grateful? No, this isn’t the time for that. I need to return to my studio immediately! Before the shock of what I just saw fades, I must sketch it!”
Aubert shouted that he had to return to his studio at once, and true to his word, he climbed right back into the carriage he had arrived in and departed.
Leaving behind a very satisfied-looking Seymour and a completely bewildered Rowena.
Rowena blinked blankly. None of what had happened beneath the tree properly registered in her mind.
…What in the world just happened?
Was it really that surprising to see a child climb a tree for the first time?
Still, Seymour’s expression had noticeably softened. That alone was incredibly fortunate.
She had truly thought she was going to be scolded this time!
Rowena cautiously peeked her head out again.
“Duke, can I come down now?”
“What, are you planning to spend the night up there? Get down immediately.”
“Hehe, then— Ah!”
Just as Rowena happily moved her foot after confirming Seymour was no longer angry, her shoe—which she hadn’t removed because she was worried about hurting her feet—slipped sharply.
Her body flipped backward as she fell from the tree.
Well, almost fell.
Thankfully, Rowena had managed to cling tightly to the branch, so she didn’t actually drop.
The problem was—
“Duke…”
“……”
She ended up dangling completely from the high branch.
Both arms stretched out like she was hanging from a horizontal bar.
Already, strength was slowly draining from her arms.
“Could you… help me down…?”
When Rowena spoke tearfully, Seymour pinched the bridge of his nose with a frown.
“…You really are something else.”
In the end, Seymour safely carried Rowena down himself.
“Hehe.”
And not only that—he personally carried her all the way back to the mansion!
Though, admittedly, his irritated expression never once disappeared during the entire process…
But who cared about that? Rowena was in an exceptionally good mood right now.
Because she was once again experiencing Seymour’s point of view!
Thanks to his broad shoulders and solid build, the ride was surprisingly comfortable.
In fact, it felt even better than last time.
Rowena wrapped her arms tightly around Seymour’s neck.
“Thank you for helping me down, Duke.”
“…Enough.”
“And not just for that. You kept your promise today, didn’t you?”
The moment she brought up the promise, Seymour’s face stiffened even further.
Meanwhile, Rowena’s round eyes sparkled brighter.
Because the promise she meant was the one she had practically forced him to pinky swear over—coming home early.
Seymour glanced at Rowena, saw her shining eyes, and frowned even deeper.
Then he sighed.
“I didn’t come to keep a promise. I came because I had something to discuss with you. Don’t misunderstand coincidence for intent.”
“Come on, you could’ve just called me to the company instead.”
Rowena shot him a pointed look as if asking wasn’t that true? Seymour found himself momentarily speechless before finally muttering:
“…That would’ve been inefficient.”
At the clumsy excuse, Rowena burst into giggles.
Then she buried her face comfortably against Seymour’s chest again.
“I’m happy you kept your promise, Duke.”
“……”
Seymour shifted his eyes toward the child in his arms for a moment before looking away.
Just then, they arrived in front of the mansion. Clicking his tongue softly, Seymour set Rowena down at the entrance.
“That’s enough. Get down already. Somehow you’re even heavier than yesterday.”
“Oh, really? I must’ve grown taller!”
It had been intended as criticism, but after struggling all day because of her small height, to Rowena it sounded no different from praise.
“One day I’ll grow as tall as you, Duke. No—even taaaaller… huh?”
Her excited chatter gradually trailed off.
Because she suddenly spotted a familiar shadow inside the mansion.
Dante!
How could she fail to recognize him? She had spent the entire day searching for that face.
The black-haired boy stood behind a pillar, staring at Rowena and Seymour.
But the instant Dante’s eyes met Rowena’s—
he disappeared.
“Ah!”
No!
Rowena cried out instinctively, making Seymour look puzzled.
“What is it?”
“Didn’t you see him?”
“See what?”
Apparently Seymour hadn’t seen Dante.
“Over there just now—”
Rowena abruptly stopped herself from blurting out that Dante had been there.
If I tell him Dante was there, Dante might get scolded for being rude.
Running away without greeting an adult definitely seemed like something one would be punished for.
Rowena quickly shook her head and changed the subject.
“I forgot to eat my snack because I was climbing trees! They said today’s snack was oatmeal cookies and milk with honey!”
“…Tell them to bring it to your room. In return, you and I need to have a little conversation.”
There’s something we need to discuss.
“You want me to be a model?”
Rowena’s eyes widened so much she nearly spit out the cookie she was eating.
Of course, that would never do. Rowena dutifully finished every last bite of her cookie before neatly drinking her milk as well.
Then she wiped her mouth boldly and asked:
“Am I really allowed to do something like that?”
“It’s the opposite. You’re the one who has to help me. Of course, I can’t force you if you don’t want to.”
“But you said you’d be in trouble otherwise, Duke.”
“That’s right. Which is why I intend to persuade you by offering something you would want in return.”
Seymour’s explanation was simple.
Become a model. In exchange, he would grant her anything she wanted.
“Of course, I know this request is sudden. But this is important. If you agree to model for us, then I’ll do anything for you as well.”
Seymour spoke with a level of politeness and professionalism that was hard to believe he was directing at a child.
Which also meant this matter was incredibly important to him.
When Rowena couldn’t answer right away, Seymour merely closed and opened his eyes slowly instead of pressuring her.
It must feel too sudden for her to accept easily.
She had never done anything like this before, and she still hadn’t fully adjusted to life at the mansion. Suddenly asking her to become a model…
He had explained everything because the situation was urgent, but there was no telling how much of the business-related details the child had even understood.
This child is stubborn by nature. Convincing her won’t be easy.
That was what Seymour thought.
If only he could read Rowena’s thoughts, he would never have thought such a thing.
Because—
I remember this from the original novel.
Rowena knew this situation very well.
Not that she had understood everything immediately.
But once the topic of children’s clothing and models came up, even young Rowena couldn’t help recalling The White Seedlings.
I definitely read about this in the book.
A passing mention about Seymour’s failed businesses.
And among them, the largest portion involved this very clothing brand.
Everything started going wrong because they couldn’t secure a child model!
Of course, a business doesn’t collapse over a single model alone.
Still, there was no doubt that this had been the beginning of the domino effect.
Seymour had invested an enormous amount of money into this venture, and its failure left a devastating wound.
The losses caused the company itself to begin wavering, and from there Seymour’s businesses entered a full downward spiral.
And for the next three years… things kept getting worse.
Already barely holding himself together, the successive crises only made Seymour increasingly unstable.
He became incomparably more violent and sharp than he was now, to the point where he couldn’t survive a single day without alcohol.
So if she thought about it the other way around—
if this issue could be resolved properly, then things would remain safe for a while!
If this goes well, I might even be able to get the cure more easily!
