GDASP 10

Chapter 10…

In front of Tession, she kept forgetting to act. Her true self slipped out more and more often.
Maybe it was because no matter what she did, he never found it strange or suspicious—he just smiled at her gently.
Or maybe it was simply because being around him made her feel strangely giddy and lighthearted.

Tession, who had been quietly listening to Cynthia’s story in a daze, turned slightly red and smiled.
He couldn’t bring himself to look directly at her, so he kept his gaze fixed on the corner of the carriage as he spoke.

“You’ll really do that for me?”
“Yes! I will.”
“That’s reassuring.”

The soft curve of his eyes kept drawing Cynthia’s attention.
Feeling oddly excited by his response, she opened her mouth again.

“Since we’re talking about it, would you like a little demonstration? Let’s see… The weather today is quite nice. The sun’s high up, and the clouds are half-covering it.”
“…”
“It’s the perfect day for a picnic! When I see a day like this… I just feel like running up a green hill and rolling down from the top.”

“Hahaha.”

Tession broke into a bright laugh.

Cynthia leaned back against her seat, thinking, Ah, stupid me, I’ve gone and blabbed again.

Still, the ever-gentle Grand Duke was smiling, wasn’t he?

Cynthia let out a sigh as she turned to look out the window.

“So you’re saying…”
“Haha…”
“You completely threw away Lady Elizabeth’s signature cold and sharp image—and showed such a sloppy side of yourself to the Grand Duke?”
“Threw away? That’s a bit harsh…”

Cynthia protested weakly to Dale.

She had just returned to the Bailey mansion, removed the green contact lenses she always wore, and changed into something comfortable.

“People can show their true nature when they drink, you know…”
“Then why on earth did you drink that much in the first place?!”

Dale thumped his chest in exasperation.

It was delicious, that’s why! she wanted to say, but she knew if those words left her mouth, Dale might actually have a heart attack.

“Do you have any idea how chaotic the Bailey estate was when we received word that you were too drunk to return?”

Liar.

Just like Dale had said before, no one in the Bailey household had even the slightest interest in her.
Since returning to the mansion, not a single person had spoken to her.

As she walked through the halls toward the drawing room, not one of the Baileys she passed had so much as looked her way.

“All that matters is maintaining the engagement, right…”

Cynthia muttered under her breath.

“I’m saying it looks like that’s going to fail.”

No, it won’t!

Cynthia glared at him.

“The Grand Duke personally brought me back to the Bailey mansion! He didn’t have to, you know.”
“He’s the only son of House Romanov—the very model of a nobleman. Naturally, he wouldn’t let a lady travel alone.”
“He said I was cute!”
“He’s simply a kind man. Don’t put too much meaning into polite words from nobles.”
“He said we should meet again!”
“Again, meaningless.”

Ugh…

Cynthia stared at the stubborn Dale, then took a deep breath and tried again. Even though she knew it was pointless…!

“He said it was a shame he couldn’t see my face! That before he lost his sight, he wished he’d met me at least once as a child!”
“…What?”
“I know, I know it’s meaningless—but when enough meaningless words pile up, they can make a small meaning!”

Cynthia shouted. See? It’s not completely hopeless!

She braced herself for Dale’s sharp retort—but none came.

Puzzled, she looked at him.

What’s with him all of a sudden?

After blinking for a few seconds, he asked seriously,

“Did the Grand Duke really say that?”
“Y-yes…”

He rested his chin on his hand, thinking deeply, then finally said,

“Well, I guess you didn’t completely mess it up.”
“See! I told you!”
“Let’s wait for a message from the Grand Duke’s side, then. You’ve done well—take some time to rest here at the Bailey estate.”

Finishing his words, Dale stood and left the room without hesitation.

Cynthia clapped sarcastically at his oh-so-polite retreating figure before suddenly jumping to her feet.

“Wait—! You’re not even going to tell me which room I’m supposed to stay in?”

He’s literally the only one here who talks to me!

Panicking, Cynthia rushed out into the hallway.

She looked both ways down the empty corridor, but Dale was already gone.

“Wh-where do I even go…”

She was exhausted after having her energy completely drained at the Romanov mansion. She desperately wanted to collapse onto a bed.

She could have gone back to her tiny home, but Dale hadn’t even called a carriage for her!

Dragging her heavy feet, Cynthia began wandering in search of him.

“Dale… Dale…?”

I really don’t want to walk all the way back to that cramped house…

“…Where am I now?”

While looking around aimlessly, she stopped in front of a door that was slightly ajar—just enough to peek inside.

Curiosity piqued, Cynthia leaned in without hesitation.

The high ceiling, the spacious room, the elegant furniture—all of it radiated a refined and cozy charm.

It looked familiar, like a place she’d read about before, vividly described in words she knew too well.

“Ah… this place…”

It was Elizabeth Bailey’s room.

Cynthia glanced down the empty hall before cautiously stepping inside.

She wasn’t sure if she was allowed to, but given that no one in the Bailey household cared about either Elizabeth or Cynthia, she doubted anyone would notice.

They probably don’t even remember this room still exists in this huge mansion…

Standing in the middle of the room on the soft rug, Cynthia recalled scenes from the novel.

This was where Elizabeth opened her eyes each morning, spent most of her days, returned from meeting countless men to recover her strength, and sometimes sank into deep loneliness.

As someone who had read the original story cover to cover, Cynthia examined the room with a fan’s curiosity.

It wasn’t much different from how she’d imagined it, which made her eyes sparkle with excitement.

“This is…”

Her gaze landed on a notebook lying on the desk.

On the cover, written in neat handwriting, were the words Elizabeth Bailey, with a single rose drawn beside them.

“…That’s clearly a diary.”

She wasn’t in the habit of snooping through other people’s journals.

So she passed it by and turned toward the large bookshelf standing next to the desk.

It was filled with thick books from all sorts of fields.

As expected of the daughter of a prestigious duke—her education hadn’t been neglected.

As she read through the difficult titles one by one, her eyes stopped on something unexpected.

“Let’s see… A Comprehensive Study of the Male Body…?”

And right next to it—

“Joyful and Exciting: Various… Bedroom Techniques…?”

Wait—what?!

She stumbled back in shock. Even for the protagonist of an R-rated romance novel, having these out in plain view was a bit much!

Her face burning red, Cynthia took another step back—only to trip over something and fall.

“Ahhh!”

With a thud, she landed on her backside and sprawled out on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

Luckily, the plush rug cushioned her fall. She wasn’t hurt—just thoroughly embarrassed.

“Ow…”

Blinking up at the ceiling, Cynthia realized the rug was so soft it made her not want to get up.

Still, she should leave before someone saw her here… but her exhaustion from the day caught up to her. Lying down felt too good to resist.

Everything else could wait.

So soft…

Then—sparkle.

Something glittered high up near the ceiling.

“Huh?”