AFTER THE DEBUTANTE BALL ENDED, invitations started to pour in. While watching Amber sift through the envelopes, I jumped up in frustration.
“I’m still grounded? I can’t believe it!”
I was banned from going out after I was caught sneaking out last time, but I didn’t know it would still be this way.
Frustrated at no one in particular, I was annoyed with Amber for no reason.
“It’s so so so frustrating!”
“Young Master, I can’t listen to your request to stay cooped in anymore. You have to focus on your social activities now.”
At Amber’s determined tone, I sank down onto the sofa. I was actually planning something, that’s why I was annoyed with Amber.
When I saw Noah at the debutante ball, it felt kind of strange. Obviously, he looked different from when we met in front of the bookstore information guild.
And he looked quite close to Lucian.
“Was I mistaken?”
Was Noah playing a joke by acting like an old man?
It’s not that he didn’t recognize me. Maybe he pretended not to know me on purpose. Otherwise, how could a person look so different?
And… What if Lucian and Noah were meeting outside while I’m not even allowed to go out?
What if they’re already doing everything outside confirming their love for each other?!
Would I be the only one deprived of this sight?
This can’t be.
This can’t happen to a successful fan.
I want to fanboy while watching you two together!
As I was thinking of a way to sneak out, someone entered my room.
It’s been a while since I saw the Duke, who spoke to me with a withered face.
“Let’s go out on a date, my son.”
This was the first time we met alone after I caught him hiding my letters from Lucian. There was still a little awkwardness between us, but this was good news.
“Really? But I’m not allowed to go out.”
I put on a pitiful expression on purpose.
Please let me out now. I need to go to the information guild and ask a lot of things.
The Duke sat across from me and, with a pout on my lips, I added.
“I’m still banned from going out, but I really promise I won’t go out alone anymore. I can’t meet the other young ladies… What can I do when I have all these invitations? I can’t even go out…”
As I talked, the pout I had became pursed lips as I got increasingly grumpy. The Duke watched me, maybe thinking that I was being cute, then spoke.
“Call me Dad and I’ll let you go out.”
Did he realize that I wasn’t calling him that because he hid my letters?
We didn’t have much to talk about between us, so I thought he didn’t notice.
“Do you think that Dad wouldn’t know if you’re not talking to me on purpose? You’re upset.”
Oh, so you know already.
As expected of the Duke.
“…Dad, let’s stop it now.”
“Huu, if that’s what my son says.”
It felt so awkward to use the word ‘Dad’ that I used in the past. However, the bitterness I felt disappeared when I saw him smile.
“Then, will you go out on a date with Dad?”
“Yes!”
This was something good. Now that I’m not grounded anymore, I should bring Damien and Doggy with me when I stop by the information guild later.
After shopping with the Duke, we stopped by a dessert store. We sat at a table on a sunny terrace, then the Duke stared at me.
“What is it?”
No matter how much he’d aged, his handsome features didn’t seem to disappear. Still with such a striking appearance, his eyebrows gently creased.
“My son, I’m worried because you’re not spending that much.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ve never seen a man who chooses such little jewelry in this world. I’m with you while you’re shopping, but I can’t believe you only picked ten…”
The Duke was being serious. I thought I saw it wrong.
“How many are usually bought?”
The Duke answered me plainly.
“You should have asked me to buy everything except for the ten pieces that you didn’t like the most in the store. I can buy that much for my son.”
“…Huh?”
I was left speechless by his answer. The jewelry store we visited just now was the most prominent one in the capital, and it was the one most visited by the nobles who lived around here.
You want me to buy everything except for ten?
Isn’t the Duke’s sense of money out of whack?
If I get used to this, how would I possibly be able to live once I left?
Wouldn’t my partner I’ll marry find out that I spend a lot? If I enjoy too many luxuries, my future partner will only hate me.
Why is this Duke trying to raise me so extremely?
Various questions popped into my head.
But as though he could read my thoughts, the Duke spoke.
“Don’t worry about it. If it’s the wealth of my son’s future spouse, I’ll be sure to verify everything first before I introduce you to them.”
“…Huh?”
I would only repeat the same word yet again. Why was he thinking of rushing me into that without even giving me any warnings? Couldn’t he warn me beforehand first?
As I gaped at the Duke, an employee came up with a dessert trolley.
“Pardon me. Here are the refreshments and the black tea that you’ve ordered.”
I asked for the Darjeeling tea I had with Noah before—first flush, with a beautiful yellow tinge. It smelled like fresh, sweet grapes.
The tea house where I met with Noah served really good tea. That’s why I was curious about the taste of first-flush Darjeeling tea here at the most famous dessert shop in the capital.
And I was curious about one more thing.
I lifted the teacup with elegant manners just as I was taught.
As soon as I took a sip, the sweet, fragrant taste spread inside.
The Duke likewise sipped his tea.
“It’s sweet and fragrant, right?”
It fell short by a small margin compared to the tea I drank at that small tea house with Noah, but I still liked the tea here.
The Duke nodded, agreeing with me.
“It’s colorful and elegant enough to be called the ‘champagne of black tea’.”
“…Right?”
Yeah, this was the taste of Darjeeling that I knew. The brewing felt similar.
But why did Noah say that?
Something was bothering me, so I kept trying to recall what happened at that time.
While sipping tea, I looked out the terrace. Then suddenly, I saw Lucian coming out of the building across from the dessert shop.
Hmm? That’s Lucian, right?
Oh, maybe that’s the salon he usually went to.
I wanted to call out to him in excitement, but Noah went out the door after him.
Oh! So you’re together?
Noah smiled while talking to Lucian, and Lucian answered him without ignoring him like he usually did to other people.
This alone made me think of another possibility.
Maybe the Noah I saw that day was just acting strangely.
As I turned my gaze towards Lucian, I recalled the happy days they both had in the webtoon.
Similar to those images, Noah smiled warmly as he grabbed Lucian’s arm as though wrapping himself around him.
I couldn’t see his expression from where I was, but Lucian also leaned down closer to Noah as he said something.
I was completely distracted by the two that I forgot the Duke’s presence in front of me.
The Duke was already looking at those two as well. It’s unusual to see him so focused on them as he set down his teacup.
With a complicated expression on his face, he frowned then turned his gaze back to me.
As soon as he made eye contact with me, his pupils grew hazy. It’s like he’s seeing the ghost of my father, Liam, overlapping with my figure.
This is serious.
It’s amazing that he still felt strongly for his beloved who had passed away.
“…My son. Do you want to get married?”
“…What?”
I really couldn’t understand what the Duke was thinking. Why couldn’t we stay on one page for once?
My good mood from having a date with him was gone in an instant.
Ah, seriously! I hate it!
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───
AFTER RETURNING TO THE ESTATE, Pedro ordered the butler to summon Lucian back home. He recalled the scene he saw earlier.
He was confused. Obviously, his son’s attention was solely focused on Raphael—but who was that guy who suddenly appeared?
How come Lucian just let him touch his arm?
Did he really have that guy in mind? Was Raphael just a smoke screen?
With increasingly scattered thoughts, Pedro sat down on the sofa inside his office and leaned back.
He remembered how he was while loving Liam. His love was so passionate that it felt like it could burn everything down.
Was that something passed on through this bloodline?
Then what should he do?
Pedro felt miserable just thinking about it.
Even Raphael saw that scene.
As he continued ruminating over his dizzying thoughts, Lucian entered his office.
As soon as his son came in, Pedro threw his teacup at him, but it flew past his head.
“You—you punk!”
Pedro was enraged.
He was livid that his son was using Raphael as a smoke screen to hide that guy, but above all, he was angry that he saw himself in Lucian.
Pedro couldn’t understand what he was feeling.
Should he be happy that Lucian was looking more like his father than his grandfather now?
While the Duke took his anger out on him, Lucian spoke without batting an eyelid.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but do I still have to stand here and be disciplined by you, Father?”
As he watched his son look back at him without even a hint of agitation, or any other emotion at all, Pedro’s heart was shattered.
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