CH 12

The next day, unfortunately, it was sunny, and I had to go out without any excuses.

I tried inviting Dorothea, but she looked troubled and somewhat lethargic. She sighed and looked out the window with a sad expression, flipping through her book of poems. However, she seemed unable to concentrate on reading and kept looking outside.

Until the Exiled Duke’s Daughter,...

Since she didn’t respond at all, I urged her.

“Hey, what are you going to do?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t feel like going out today.”

“I see. Well, I’ll go alone, but are you really okay?”

I asked Dorothea, who had a troubled expression.

She finally turned to me at the sound of my voice, opened her lips as if she wanted to say something, then closed them and trembled her eyelashes. I was really starting to worry.

“Is it because of the letter I gave you yesterday?”

“N-no, it’s not like that. Come on, you have to go quickly, or Jeremiah-sama will be waiting, right?”

“Okay. I’ll go then, but if it’s okay with you, let me hear about it later. Auntie will be worried about you in that state, right?”

“Okay, I understand.”

Dorothea finally nodded, and I felt a little relieved that we had made arrangements. Anyway, I had to make Jeremiah realize that no matter how fashionable I looked today, it would be useless.

After this battle, I’ll listen to Dorothea’s worries. I might be able to help, and it should be much better than keeping it all to herself.

Once the decision was made, all that was left was to act.

Feeling confident, I left the room and headed to the entrance hall, where I almost collapsed at the sight of Jeremiah and his sister Paula, dressed for going out and holding a cane.

What a sight to behold, this brother and sister!

While Jeremiah had a similar face, his sister was a beautiful woman overflowing with feminine charm. She had glossy black curly hair and a smile that reminded me of a cat. Her slightly purple-blue eyes turned violet depending on the angle and sunlight.

She was wearing a blue dress for going out and waving at us.

By the way, Paula was already married. Her husband was His Excellency the Duke.

He was a person who was related to the royal family and apparently fell for Paula’s beauty and proposed to her on the spot. As a loving husband, the rumors about the Duke couple were always heartwarming stories. Occasionally, there were jealous remarks, but they were usually canceled out by people who knew them well.

Even Paula has a fan club, a group of supporters who praise her. They hold recitation events for the Duke’s poems that praise her (which are included in a poetry collection that the Duke self-published and are said to be indecipherable to those who have never been in love), and they perform plays for free using scripts written by members, featuring the Duke’s confession scenes.

As someone who loves theater, I went to see it sneakily, and it was quite exciting. But I never expected to meet the real-life subject of the rumors like this.

You never know what will happen in life.

There were two box-shaped carriages next to them, and two servants were busily preparing them. Two carriages were prepared for the two of them. Of course, Paula would be in the same carriage.

Unmarried women should not be alone with men in private places.

When I walked up to greet them, Paula smiled.

“Nice to meet you, although I don’t think we’ve ever had a proper conversation before. Please call me Paula, Lady Lorraine.

Today, my younger brother wanted my advice, so I came along, but he’s also good at choosing clothes. I’m just here as a chaperone, but don’t worry, I won’t get in the way.”

“No, not at all. I would love to hear your opinion. The Castalde family’s fashion sense is so wonderful that it can be felt anywhere,” I replied while staring intently at the two of them.

I was burning their image into my retina. What a picturesque couple they were. While I was lost in thought, Jeremiah spoke with a sweet smile.

“Well then, shall we go soon? Ideally, I would like to have the dress made by a tailor in the capital, but that’s not possible. Let’s make a dress that enhances your charm today. I’ve always thought that Lady Lorraine’s dresses are too old-fashioned in design and the colors don’t match. If we have time, we’ll also visit a hat shop and a jewelry store.”

“What? I can’t let you go that far…”

I was surprised to think that he intended to give me not only clothes but also hats and jewelry, which would be a considerable expense. Especially the price of jewelry is outrageous, and I don’t even have anything of my own. Everything was handed down to me from my mother and relatives.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. When a man gives a gift, you just accept it quietly. Besides, if you become my sister-in-law in the future, the jewelry will stay in the Castalde family, right?”

“Yes, we are not officially engaged yet,” Jeremiah said with a bright smile.

It seems that he hasn’t told Paula that I am his “fake girlfriend.” I wonder why. Since they are family, there is no need to keep it a secret, or rather, it’s strange not to tell her.

As I was thinking that, he suddenly reached out his hand to me.

It seems he will take me to the carriage.

While watching him with a suspicious gaze, a mischievous smile returned to his face.

No matter how much I try, I can’t feel excited in a situation filled with suspicion. I got into the carriage with a strange face, and Paula got in too. Then the door was closed.

Soon, the carriage began to move at a leisurely pace, heading towards a nearby town.

Paula, who was sitting opposite me, was looking at me with a somewhat happy expression. It wouldn’t be of any benefit to keep looking at me like that, but she must be interested in the girl her younger brother showed affection for. For a while, silence flowed, and only the sound of the carriage and horse rattling could be heard.

Still, it seems that Paula couldn’t keep her mouth shut, and she asked.

“Hey, if it’s okay, can you tell me?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“What attracted you to my younger brother?”

At the sudden question, my eyes twitched.