Chapter 14
Ronald’s snow-white mustache twitched with confusion.
“A teddy bear… that was the cause of that commotion not long ago. But are they saying it belonged to the young master?”
When Crown Prince Edwin had been visiting, the maids had caused such a scene that Ronald hadn’t known what to do.
He had soothed them and sent them away, telling them they must have been seeing things from lack of sleep.
But the teddy bear had actually existed, and on top of that, rumors were spreading that it belonged to Young Master Blake?
Why?
Come to think of it, there had been one suspicious incident after another lately.
A few days ago, Blake had shown up with what looked like a bird’s nest on his head, and then he had run out of the reception room, leaving the Crown Prince behind. Ronald had never seen anything like it before.
Standing still, he rolled his eyes thoughtfully.
“…A teddy bear.”
The instincts of the old butler, who had served the Duchy of LeBlanc for over forty years, flashed sharply.
Something was going on.
A keen sense told him so.
“Sir Ronald, good day.”
“Wait a moment.”
Spotting a servant passing by, Ronald quickly reached out and stopped him.
“Those maids who claimed they saw the teddy bear—where are they?”
Completely unaware of the turmoil brewing among the people of the ducal estate, today was a very meaningful day for me.
“Woooow. These flowers are so pretty!”
“……”
“Are you really allowed to be here today? You always work in your office.”
“Stop asking. I said it’s fine.”
“Can I climb up here?”
“If I tell you not to, will you actually listen?”
I stared at his face, cold as the winter wind, and shrugged lightly.
“Not really.”
As I hopped up onto the flower bed, Blake answered every single question.
I couldn’t hide my happiness.
This morning, for some reason, Blake had returned carrying work documents, lifted me up, and brought me to the greenhouse.
Looks like he was paying attention when I said I felt cooped up, even though he acted like he wasn’t.
As I looked around the glass greenhouse flooded with warm sunlight, I was overcome with the urge to pat Blake on the head for being so thoughtful.
Blake sat busily scribbling away with his fountain pen, a yellow lamp glowing beside him on the table.
The silver glasses resting on his nose suited his soft violet eyes perfectly.
While admiring him, I climbed onto a chair and flopped down.
It was so warm that I was starting to feel sleepy.
“By the way, Blake. Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?”
“I never do.”
“I see. Then is the person you’re closest to in this mansion that white-mustached butler I saw before?”
“White mustache…”
With an incredulous expression, Blake glanced at me and answered shortly.
“I don’t have anyone I’m close to.”
“Ehhh? That’s impossible. How can someone not have a single close friend?”
Living in a mansion this huge, surely it was normal to have at least one person you were especially close to.
I waited for an answer, but he was already busy turning pages.
“I have a dragon butler named Max. I’ve had him with me since I was little, so we’ve already spent over 250 years together. Come to think of it, Max and I have a pretty special relationship. He likes me a looooot.”
Of course, those weren’t his actual words.
But I knew.
No matter how much he nagged me, he couldn’t live without me.
Thinking about my grumpy dragon, I kicked my short legs back and forth.
“I miss Max now that he’s gone. He always complained about how much work he had, but he took really good care of me. Doing everything by myself now feels kind of awkward.”
The fountain pen that had been moving nonstop suddenly froze.
Thinking he had finally become interested in talking, I looked at him hopefully.
But only for a moment.
He quickly returned to his work.
Ugh, how boring.
When things were boring, the best entertainment was looking at Blake’s face.
Hmm, he really is handsome.
His sculpted appearance fit perfectly with his role as the second male lead in a romance novel.
Just looking at him was satisfying.
And because he’d been sleeping properly lately, the dark circles under his eyes had faded significantly, making him even more attractive.
Hehe.
Aaron, I’m doing an excellent job as a guardian angel!
Thinking about how happy Aaron would be when he returned from his pilgrimage made me feel even more rewarded.
And maybe because he was in better condition, Blake was flipping through documents at an incredible speed.
He worked well, looked handsome, was tall, capable, and even a war hero?
“That’s way too many character settings. Suddenly Lady Leah Everett seems amazing for winning the heart of a man like this.”
“You know Leah Everett?”
Though I had practically been talking to myself, Blake suddenly spoke.
Maybe because it was about Leah, he had actually been listening this time.
I crossed my arms and nodded.
“Of course! The place where I crash-landed was Lady Everett’s birthday banquet. I overheard you and that blond guy talking.”
“I see.”
“This is just a personal hobby of mine, but if you ever need dating advice, let me know.”
“As if I’d need that.”
Watching him reject the offer instantly, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
Blake, you don’t even realize you’re hopeless at romance.
Unable to conceal my concern, I offered sincere advice.
“You can trust me. I’m a major romance expert. Nobody can beat me in that field.”
“…You? How?”
“I have my methods.”
Calling myself an expert wasn’t a lie.
Before Max threw everything away, my room had been packed with romance novels.
There had been so much to learn from them.
Thinking about it made me angry all over again.
That brat Max. When I get back, I’m making him fill my bookshelves again.
“Forget it. I don’t have the luxury of worrying about things like that.”
“But that blond guy said Leah was someone precious to you.”
Since she was the original female lead, it would have been strange if she weren’t important.
But contrary to my expectations, Blake answered indifferently.
“Leah Everett and I are close friends. Why is everyone so desperate to pair us together?”
His attitude was so completely devoid of interest that I almost wondered if he truly felt nothing for Leah at all.
Am I remembering the novel wrong?
Just as I was about to ask whether he was serious—
Knock knock.
A cheerful knocking sound came from outside the greenhouse.
“A visitor!”
I jumped to my feet.
Blake immediately warned me.
“Pretend to be a doll.”
“Okay, okay.”
Even after my reply, he still looked suspicious.
Then he gestured toward me.
“Come here. Sit on my lap.”
Are you serious?
Wouldn’t your dignity take another hit if I sat on your lap?
Looking at him like he was some kind of oddball, I firmly refused.
“Sorry, but no thanks. Your lap is harder than a chair.”
“So that’s why you don’t want to?”
“Yep. I’ll just stay here.”
Looking oddly displeased, Blake set his fountain pen down on the table with a sharp tap.
I planted my hands firmly on my hips and faced him down.
Knock knock knock!
The knocking came again, louder this time.
A voice accompanied it as well.
But Blake seemed completely unconcerned about whoever was outside.
Instead, he kept staring at me with narrowed eyes, as though something bothered him.
“…You could’ve just come over.”
And then, at that exact moment—
The door swung open.
At the sight of the unexpected visitor, Blake’s lazy-looking eyes narrowed sharply.
Behind the mansion lay a private garden reserved exclusively for the House of LeBlanc.
Standing before the transparent greenhouse, Ronald was deeply worried.
The sun was already high in the sky, yet Blake was nowhere to be found.
At first, Ronald had assumed he had left early for military training, but after checking, he learned there was no training scheduled today.
Not in the office.
Not in the dining room.
Not in the library.
Not even in his bedroom.
Blake was nowhere.
And so Ronald had arrived at his final hope.
The greenhouse in the garden.
Standing before the glass doors reflecting the sunlight, he hesitated briefly before taking a deep breath.
Let’s verify it.
Even if Blake wasn’t here, Ronald absolutely had to see him today.
He had a special mission.
The source of it all was a rumor that had begun circulating among the servants a few days ago.
“Are you the maid who spread the rumor that the young master carries around a doll?”
“S-Sir Ronald!”
“Tell me exactly what happened. I’m not trying to scold you. I just want to know whether you truly saw it.”
The maid’s account had seemed sincere.
“I saw him pick up a brown teddy bear and say… ‘I’ve found you, my teddy bear—’”
She hadn’t claimed he called it ‘my lovely teddy bear,’ but there was no way to confirm the exact wording without asking Blake himself.
Even so, Ronald had been deeply shocked by the story.
And that was enough.
