In front of Teshion, Cynthia kept forgetting to act and her true self would come out.
Maybe it was because no matter what she did, he never found it strange or suspicious and just smiled gently. Or maybe it was because, for some reason, being with him made her feel excited.
Teshion, who had been absentmindedly listening to her, slowly smiled, his cheeks turning slightly red.
He couldn’t turn his head toward Cynthia, so he looked at a corner of the carriage and asked.
“Will you really do that for me?”
“Yes! I will.”
“That’s reassuring.”
The way his eyes curved softly kept drawing Cynthia’s attention.
Feeling oddly excited by his reaction, she spoke.
“Since we’re talking about it, should I give you a little sample explanation? Let’s see… the weather today is quite bright. The sun is high up, and clouds are half covering it.”
“……”
“This kind of weather is perfect for a picnic! If you just sit and look at it… you start to feel like running over a green hill and rolling all the way down from the top.”
“Hahaha.”
Teshion soon burst into bright laughter.
Cynthia leaned her head against the backrest, thinking, Ah, stupid me, I meddled again.
But… that gentle Grand Duke is smiling.
Looking out the window, Cynthia let out a small, helpless sigh.
****
“So right now.”
“…Haha.”
“You’re saying you threw away Lady Elizabeth’s usual cold and prickly image and showed His Grace such clumsy sides of yourself?”
“‘Threw away’ is a bit much….”
Cynthia protested to Dale in a small voice.
After returning to the Bailey estate, she had taken off the light green lenses she’d been wearing all day and changed into comfortable clothes.
“Well, when people drink, their true nature can come out, you know…”
“Why did you even drink that much in the first place!”
Dale hit his chest in frustration.
Because it was delicious, what else!
But if she said that out loud, his chest probably wouldn’t survive it.
“Do you know how chaotic the Bailey household was when we got the message that you were too drunk to return?”
That’s a lie…
Like Dale had said before, the Baileys didn’t care about her at all.
Since she returned, not a single person had spoken to her.
As she walked down the hallway to the drawing room, no one even glanced at her or tried to talk.
“As long as the engagement continues, that’s enough anyway…”
Cynthia muttered very quietly.
“I’m saying that because it looks like it’s going to fail.”
No, it’s not!
Cynthia glared at Dale.
“His Grace didn’t have to, but he personally escorted me all the way to the Bailey estate!”
“He is the only son of the Romanov family. He is a model noble. He likely just judged that he couldn’t let a lady go alone.”
“He said I was cute!”
“He is naturally kind and often says polite things. Don’t attach meaning to everything nobles say.”
“He said we should meet again next time!”
“That, too, is meaningless.”
Ugh…
Cynthia looked at the firm Dale and spoke again. She knew he’d shut her down again, but still…!
“He said it was a shame he couldn’t see my face! That he wished he had met me at least once before he lost his sight!”
“…What?”
“Of course I know those might not mean much! But if a lot of meaningless words pile up, they can start to form a small meaning!”
Cynthia shouted.
It’s not a total failure!
She expected an immediate sharp rebuttal from Dale, but none came.
Feeling strange, she looked at him.
What’s with him all of a sudden?
After blinking a few times, he asked seriously.
“Did His Grace really say that?”
“Huh? Yes….”
Resting his chin on his hand, he thought for a moment before speaking slowly.
“Well… it’s not a complete disaster.”
“I told you!”
“Let’s wait for contact from His Grace’s side for now. You’ve done well, so rest at the Bailey estate for the time being.”
After speaking, Dale stood up and left the room without hesitation.
Cynthia clapped at his very polite back as he disappeared without even a goodbye, then suddenly jumped to her feet.
“Wait a second…! You should at least tell me which room I’m supposed to rest in!”
He’s the only one I can even talk to in this whole Bailey estate…!
Cynthia hurried after him into the hallway.
But when she looked around the empty corridor, he was already nowhere to be seen.
“W-where should I go…?”
After having her energy completely drained at the Romanov residence, she just wanted to lie down on a bed and rest.
She could go back to her own house far away, but Dale hadn’t even called a carriage for her!
With heavy steps, Cynthia began searching for him.
“Dale… Dale…?”
I don’t want to walk all the way back to my tiny house like this…!
“…Where even is this place?”
Wandering around, she stopped in front of a certain room.
The door was slightly open, as if inviting her to peek inside.
Curious as ever, Cynthia leaned her head in without hesitation.
A high ceiling and a spacious interior.
A lovely atmosphere filled with luxurious furniture.
Somehow, it all felt familiar—like a place she had seen before in a story.
“Ah, this place is…”
It was Elizabeth Bailey’s room.
Cynthia glanced once down the empty hallway, then carefully stepped inside.
She wasn’t sure if she was allowed in, but since the Baileys didn’t care about either Elizabeth or Cynthia, it didn’t seem like anyone would make an issue of it.
“They probably don’t even care that Elizabeth’s room is still here in this huge mansion…”
Standing quietly in the middle of the room on the soft rug, Cynthia recalled scenes from the novel.
The place where Elizabeth woke up in the morning and spent most of her day.
Where she returned after meeting many men outside to recover her energy, and sometimes sat alone, dwelling in deep loneliness.
As a fan who had finished the original novel, Cynthia carefully looked around the room.
It wasn’t much different from what she had imagined while reading, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“This is…”
Her gaze landed on a notebook on the desk.
On its cover, written neatly, were the words “Elizabeth Bailey,” along with a drawing of a single rose.
“…That’s obviously a diary.”
She didn’t have a habit of reading other people’s diaries.
Cynthia passed it by and looked at the large bookshelf next to the desk.
It was filled with thick books from various fields.
Well, she was the daughter of a prestigious ducal family—her education must not have been neglected.
As Cynthia slowly read the difficult-looking titles, her eyes suddenly stopped.
“Let’s see… ‘A Thorough Study of the Male Body’…?”
And next to it…
“‘Happy and Enjoyable, Various Things on the Bed’…?”
Wait—why are these here…?!
Startled, she stepped back.
Even if she’s the main character of an R-rated novel, isn’t it too much to just display these in her room like this?!
Blushing deeply, Cynthia kept stepping back—until she tripped over something and fell.
“Ahh!”
With a loud thud, she landed on her bottom and fell onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.
Thankfully, the soft rug cushioned her fall, so she wasn’t hurt—just embarrassed.
“Ow…”
Blinking as she stared blankly at the ceiling, Cynthia realized that lying down was more comfortable than expected, and she didn’t feel like getting up.
Even the rug was soft—truly fitting of a famous ducal house.
Still, she should move to another room before someone saw her…
But after being tense all day, the moment she lay down, exhaustion washed over her.
Everything felt like too much effort…
Spark—
At that moment, something shining caught her eye high up on the ceiling.
“Huh?”
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