CH 68

After that, I felt a little guilty looking at Jeremiah. I couldn’t keep the promise to spend time with him alone.

But I can’t just leave it alone.

Until I properly hand over the mission to Mrs. Morena, I am responsible for Lucia.

“Um, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. Besides, I can still spend time with you, so I’m fine. Above all, I like your kindness towards your friends.”

I froze.

A bomb was suddenly dropped. How should I respond? If I could say something like “Thank you, I also like your ○○ aspect,” it would be perfect, but I haven’t reached that level yet. So I said in a small voice,

“T-Thank you.”

“It’s okay, let’s go. Dennis has also returned.”

When I looked up, I saw Dennis walking towards us. It seems that she is ready. With a shrinking feeling, I looked at Lucia. She looked at me with a very envious expression and said,

“Shall we go, Lorraine-oneesama?”

Her suppressed voice echoed in my heart.

◆

During tea time and dinner, Lucia was not feeling well. I didn’t know what to do and silently wished for Mrs. Morena to come quickly in my heart.

Or rather, why didn’t the chaperone come with us? If there was a reason, I wanted to be informed properly. However, since she didn’t come, there was nothing else I could do but try to handle it myself.

But what should I do?

Above all, the other party is a servant… it’s a love affair with a completely different social status. It’s out of the question to cheer them on or meddle in their relationship casually. However, I couldn’t persuade myself to give up either.

My head started to hurt as I thought about it over and over again.

I decided to put aside my thoughts about the uncertain future for now. Later on, I judged that it would be better to secretly consult with various people. Call it escapism if you will, but this is beyond what I can handle alone.

First, I’ll write a letter tonight. The first recipients will be my aunt and Dorothea, and if I have time, I’ll write to my mother too.

Alright, now someone will give me good advice. Of course, I plan to consult with Jeremiah and Paula as well.

With that decision made, I focused on dinner.

Several distinguished guests were invited to tonight’s dinner. Paula seems to be considering various things she wants to learn. I want to meet her expectations somehow, so I’ll try to participate in conversations with unfamiliar gentlemen and ladies.

The topic ranged widely from the Javier festival to where they went this summer, to the magnificent renovation of someone’s mansion, and even to how terrible it was. Somehow, I managed to keep up with it all.

Jeremiah helped me with things I didn’t know, so I managed to get through it all and was pretty tired by the time we reached dessert.

I’ve always tried not to stand out, so I’m not used to socializing and get tired easily.

Oh well, I’ll consult with them tomorrow and rest early today…I thought as I enjoyed some sweets when Lucia, who was sitting next to me, stood up.

“Lady Lucia? What’s wrong?”

“I’m terribly sorry, but I’m not feeling well, so I’ll go back to my room first.”

Lucia replied to Paula with a really sickly face.

“I see. Take care.”

“Thank you. Excuse me.”

After a light bow and greeting everyone there, Lucia quietly left. I wanted to follow her immediately, but that would be rude, so I managed to hold back.

The remaining gentlemen and ladies started talking about what might have happened, but I didn’t feel like joining in. After finishing my meal and declining an invitation to play games, I left the dining room.

As expected, Jeremiah followed me.

“Are you going to Lady Lucia’s room?”

I stopped and faced him before nodding.

“Yes. Her condition seemed strange… I’m sorry for causing you trouble today.”

“No, don’t worry about it. If it’s a bother, I’ll say so. Well, to be honest, I wanted to come here alone with you.”

Jeremiah said with a somewhat wry smile.

I couldn’t help but press my chest at his slightly disappointed expression. It was a completely different feeling from the surprise I had felt before. I was very confused.

My eyes became a little hot and I looked down, but I managed to squeeze out some words.

“I wanted that too.”

“I see, that’s good. Let’s make sure to find time again.”

“Yes.”

The sound of “let’s make sure” made me happy and my voice trembled a little. I hoped he wouldn’t notice as I managed to raise my face and Jeremiah said,

“I’ll walk you to your room.”

I nodded obediently and took his hand. After that, we arrived at the room without much conversation. I reached for the doorknob to open the door when Jeremiah suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right. I have something to do tomorrow. I really don’t want to leave your side, but duty is duty… So, tomorrow, Dennis will be with you at all times. If you want to go somewhere, make sure to bring her with you, okay?”

“I understand. I promise.”

I will keep my promise. With that determination, I replied to Jeremiah, and he reached out his hand. Wondering what he was doing, I gazed at him as his large hand, covered in gloves, touched my neck and gently pulled me close. Then, a soft sensation grazed my cheek.

I widened my eyes and stared at Jeremiah’s face as he smiled and said, “Well then, goodnight.” He disappeared into the nearby room, not far from where we were. I was left in front of the door, once again frozen in place. After a while, I collapsed onto the floor.

It was so sudden that it was bad for my heart.

While groaning with my still-racing heartbeat, I screamed inwardly.

It was just a greeting, a goodnight greeting――!

However, it took some time for my heartbeat to calm down. I felt completely defeated by his power and finally opened the door to the room with great effort.