Episode 47

Bang!

The door slammed shut with a loud noise. It all happened so quickly.

The tense atmosphere filled the room, and I instinctively grasped the door handle with my free hand. I was ready to open the door and run if necessary.

I was afraid of what he might say next, how much his imposing presence would scare me again.

“……”

But Theodore just panted, not saying anything. He looked down at me with the same contemptuous eyes as always.

In his haste, he had left his bathrobe and towels carelessly thrown by the bed.

His hand, which held my wrist, was wet.

I cautiously twisted my wrist, trying to free it from his grip. Theodore, however, tightened his hold.

‘It hurts!’

Seeing the pain on my face, he flinched and quickly released my wrist.

It felt a bit better to have my restrained hand free.

I tried to speak in a calm voice.

“…I’m sorry for going back on what I said last time. But I had to come because I have something for you.”

All I wanted was to get away from this oppressive atmosphere and the man who seemed to embody it.

I hurriedly took Catherine’s note from my pocket and cautiously handed it to him.

Embarrassed by the lipstick mark, I handed it over with the mark facing away.

But he continued to breathe heavily, staring at me. When I extended the note again, he finally looked at it.

At that moment, I tightened my grip on the door handle.

“……”

Finally, the man moved. He took the note from me. His hot fingers brushed against my cold ones.

“……!”

He then slapped my hand away, making a sound as if he had touched something dirty. It made me feel like a disgusting bug.

It was a familiar feeling. Well, this is better than having a dagger pointed at me.

Yeah, he must really hate me. I decided to understand him.

“Then… have a good rest.”

“Wait…!”

He looked down at the note in his hand after calling me.

When he saw Catherine’s lipstick mark on the back of the note, he froze completely.

Seeing this as my chance, I quickly opened the door and slipped out of his room.

Fearing he might follow, I hurried down the hallway. Then I made eye contact with a man walking from the opposite direction.

He was someone I never expected to meet here.

A flood of emotions washed over me.

The man’s eyes widened slowly as he saw me. He muttered, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“…Chase?”

“Wait, you wench…!”

I heard Theodore’s urgent voice behind me as the door banged open.

But I was too captivated by the sight of the silver hair I had longed to see and didn’t register his voice.

I barely managed to breathe. I couldn’t even blink.

Delphia Seville.

He was the younger brother of Isis, who had always been kind to Abel and me.

Delphia’s eyes, which had been wandering aimlessly after spotting me, finally found peace when he noticed Theodore standing behind me.

With a dry laugh, Delphia greeted Theodore.

“Young Lord, it’s been a while.”

Theodore’s gaze, which had been glaring at me with a flushed face, finally shifted to Delphia.

Theodore clenched his jaw and fists, clearly displeased with the situation.

“Isn’t the Lady of the House very ill? Yet you insist on attending the banquet. You must be more vigorous than you appear.”

His words were sharp, but Delphia merely smiled at his harshness.

He removed his gloves and approached Theodore slowly.

“My sister is much better now. With all the families attending, it only makes sense for the Seville family to shine as well.”

I flinched at Delphia’s words.

Hearing that Isis was much better was a relief. Whether he was just saying it to Theodore or not, it still felt reassuring…

Delphia glanced back at me with a soft smile. It was a smile I had missed dearly. Delphia resembled Isis so much.

Turning back to Theodore, Delphia spoke with a mocking tone.

“By the way, calling a servant a wench…”

Theodore’s face started to contort.

Delphia continued in a dry voice.

“It seems that the one full of youthful vigor is not me, but you, Young Lord.”

“…!”

“Please, keep your secret hobbies to the confines of the Rubenstein estate.”

Delphia gestured with a slight nod, indicating for me to follow him.

Of course, I wanted to follow him. But I was worried Theodore might try to stop me.

…He had clearly come after me.

Was there a problem with the note?

But the note from Catherine remained crumpled and unopened in his hand.

I bowed to Theodore and quickly followed Delphia. Fortunately, Theodore didn’t try to stop me.

However, his eyes remained fixed on me until I disappeared from his sight.

* * *

The sight of his back was something I had longed for. I couldn’t take my eyes off his fluttering hair.

There were too many eyes on us to have a friendly conversation. Besides, the Grand Duke’s estate was currently filled with the kingdom’s nobility.

As I quietly followed behind him, I asked Delphia as soon as we were away from the main building.

“Young Master, did anyone else come with you?”

Delphia shook his head quietly.

“I’m the only one attending the banquet.”

It was disappointing that Isis hadn’t come. But I was still happy. Seeing Delphia was enough.

Delphia also seemed pleased to see me.

“Have you been well?”

I nodded cautiously at his question.

“…And you, Young Master?”

“As you can see.”

I bit my lip. Contrary to his words, he seemed a bit thinner. It must have been tough for him because of Isis.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking with difficulty.

“How is the Lady…?”

Delphia smiled reassuringly, as if to say not to worry.

“My sister is much better.”

“Really…?”

He nodded lightly.

“Really. It seems she’s less worried now because of her memory loss.”

“……”

“My sister always worried too much.”

He was right. Isis was indeed a worrier.

Abel used to tell her that while it was good to care for others, she should also pay more attention to herself. But that was all in the past now.

Delphia, who had been watching me quietly, spoke.

“By the way, Chase, you’ve turned into quite the crybaby since I last saw you.”

“I’m not crying.”

“But your eyes are full of tears.”

He tapped the corners of his own eyes with his fingers. Then, perhaps worried about me, he gestured for me to come closer.

“And this is just between us…”

“What is it?”

I glanced around and then leaned in closer to him. Delphia whispered in my ear.

“…My sister has gained a bit of weight.”

“That’s good news. She needed to gain some weight.”

“Exactly.”

Delphia chuckled softly. Talking about Isis made it feel like the old days.

“How’s Abel doing?”

“…He’s managing.”

Delphia sighed softly and grumbled.

“I’m worried. Abel doesn’t like talking about himself. You two are just the same.”

“That’s true. And soon, my brother will be leaving the Grand Duke’s estate. It’ll be even harder to hear from him then…”

Delphia, who had been listening to me, asked in surprise.

“Where is he going?”

“He’s planning to find a new job around the bustling town area.”

“What about you, Chase?”

“I’ll continue working at the Grand Duke’s estate.”

Delphia immediately frowned at my words.

“Abel wouldn’t leave you behind… What exactly happened?”

Delphia knew too much about Abel and me. I briefly explained what had happened.

After hearing my story, Delphia’s summary was simple.

“Will you be okay on your own?”

“Of course.”

“……”

He looked at me with a troubled expression and then sighed.

“I’m not particularly close with the Akaruth Grand Duke, so I don’t know much about him… But every time I meet him, he doesn’t leave a good impression. Honestly, he’s the worst.”

Delphia had never spoken so harshly about anyone, at least not as far as I knew. He then criticized Raiden’s terrible manners.

I couldn’t argue with him. Raiden’s mannerisms were indeed extreme.

But after meeting Theodore, Raiden’s mannerisms seemed almost cute by comparison.

“I didn’t like the idea of you two going to the Grand Duke’s estate from the start, but I reluctantly agreed because Abel was with you.”

“……”

“But how do you plan to manage there without Abel?”

“……”

“I’m genuinely worried.”

Delphia continued to nag. I scratched my cheek awkwardly and smiled sheepishly.