CH 176

“Brother.”

One night, Noel had snuck into his room.

“I am going to enter the dormitory of the Academy.”

“So suddenly? If it’s the Academy, you can go to and from the mansion.”

“Somehow, I think it would be better. Also for . . .”

Noel had mumbled the rest of his words, but they probably included Rieta’s name.

In any case, it was a good idea to step away from the object of comparison for a while and look elsewhere.

Darrel nodded his head.

“Okay. I get it.”

“No . . . you don’t.”

“Did you think I would object?”

Noel gently bobbed his head.

In fact, Darrel had made the same decision before.

He said he would go into the dormitory of the academy.

But at the time, the decision was thwarted because Noel was weeping against it.

“At that time . . . I’m sorry.”

Noel once again apologized for the incident and bowed his head.

“No. That was my decision.”

Darrel smiled softly and shook his head.

“Anyway, I’m surprised you said that you want to leave the mansion first.”

Does that mean that Noel had escaped from the wounds of his past, at least a little?

“If it’s your decision, of course I’ll support it. When are you going to tell Father?”

“I’m going to tell him right now.”

“Would you like to go with me?”

Darrel stood up, but Noel quickly declined.

“It’s okay.”

Noel answered that way, and for some reason, looked much closer to an adult than he did a few days ago.

Darrel realized one thing.

Even if Noel had somehow healed his deep wounds, it would have been very difficult for him to decide to leave this mansion.

He must have finally come to talk to Darrel after much deliberation,

After trying to force his gaze away from the painful spot . . .

He asked himself, when did Noel grow up like this?

Darrel felt a little upset, but he decided to smile at Noel anyway.

He thought that the thing Noel needed the most was his support.

* * *

After receiving a letter from Noel reading ‘busy’, Rieta’s birthday came quickly.

Of course, until that day, Rieta had not communicated with Noel.

To be honest, Rieta was a little bit upset with Noel.

Of course, there had been countless times when she felt upset with Noel, but this time it was for real.

Because she made up her mind that she would never forgive him in any way.

Wasn’t it too much to reply to a long letter with just a single word?

“Even so, of course, I am the Princess of a country, Duchess.”

Rieta said so to Victoria’s portrait in the empty family room.

“When I make a wish by blowing out my birthday candles, I will pray that Noel will be happy again this year.”

Of course, Noel would not understand Rieta’s feelings at all, but she still said so.

“If Noel is happy, then the Duke and Duchess will be happy too . . . because that’s what I really want.”

Rieta put her hands together and bowed her head in prayer.

After a while, she heard a knock, so she turned around and saw Darrel.

“Have you been waiting long?”

He reached out his hand.

It seemed that all the preparations for the party were done.

“Ugh, no. Can I go ahead and greet the guests who arrive?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Rieta quickly approached him and put on her thin gloves, which she had placed near her.

“It suits you well. Those gloves.”

“The Princess sent it to me. She said she was sorry for not being able to attend, along with a two-page heartfelt letter explaining the reason.”

Rieta pouted her lips, giving strong words to ‘two-page letter’.

Perhaps it was automatically compared to the one-word letter.

“Look at this. Isn’t the lace delicate? I was happy that it went well with the dress the Duke gave me.”

“It really is.”

Darrel agreed with Rieta’s story, and gently grabbed the end of her wrist.

It seems that he was concerned that the gloves did not fit perfectly to her fingertips.

“Give me your other hand. I’ll help you.”

Rieta tried to tell him that she could do it herself, but decided to put her hand out in the end.

Somehow, she felt grateful for this kindness.

Finally, the gloves fit perfectly.

Rieta looked down at her hands and smiled at Darrel.

“Thank you. Darrel is very kind.”

“I think Noel would have done this, normally.”

“Noel doesn’t even care about my gloves.”

Rieta answered with a pouty face, and took Darrel’s outstretched hand again.

The two walked side by side in the hallway

“No way. He must be thinking of the Princess as much as the Princess thinks of Noel. Really.”

“Noel will probably yield after a hundred times and just put my gloves on right away.”

Rieta looked up at Darrel at an angle.

“Probably with a lot of nagging. ‘How old are you, you still can’t wear a glove?!’”

“Well, that is indisputable.”

“Right?”

Just when Rieta answered that, the two arrived in the small hall where the birthday party was held.

Rieta was just about to ask, ‘Can I go in now?’

When the door opened in an instant and small pieces of paper of various colors flew in from all directions.