TCBCVF 93

~Chapter 93~

“I was just bored by myself.”

“Sorry, I fell asleep while getting a massage.”

I smiled awkwardly.

Lady Evangeline looked at me closely, then suddenly asked,
“Then, you’re not tired anymore?”

“Of course not.”

Why was she asking something so obvious?

Maybe it was because I had been eating and resting so well lately.
My face was as smooth and soft as a freshly boiled egg…

Evangeline murmured in passing,
“Good. I was worried you seemed to have been under a lot of stress.”

“Huh?”

“No, nothing.”

She shrugged her shoulders, then her eyes lit up and she started talking quickly.

“So, what should we do today? Go out for tea, have dinner? Or there’s a place nearby where the autumn leaves are really beautiful…”

I hesitated.

Tea sounded nice, dinner sounded nice, and seeing the autumn leaves sounded nice, but…

There was something that had been on my mind.

Finally, I spoke carefully.
“Eva, that all sounds great, but…”

“Hm?”

“Has the Duke been getting any proper rest lately?”

“My brother?”

Evangeline tilted her head.

I trailed off quietly.
“It’s just… I feel like I haven’t really seen him lately…”

It was true.

Even though we had come down to the duchy earlier, I heard the Duke had followed as soon as he finished urgent matters.

But in the week since, I had barely seen him—

Only once in a while from a distance—

“Duke, please review these documents first!”

“We need to discuss this year’s autumn harvest.”

“There’s a new matter from the merchant guild, could we get your opinion…?”

Surrounded by administrators, looking somewhat tired, the Duke would give me a faint smile when our eyes met.

All I could do was return a polite nod to his smile.

I knew he spent most of his time in the capital, so the vassals in the duchy needed his attention when he came… but still.

‘Isn’t he overworking himself?’

And… I hadn’t even properly thanked him for helping me so much with the Gregory incident.

I also… maybe missed seeing him a little.

‘Wait… missed him?’

Just as I furrowed my brows—

“Why?”

Evangeline stretched her voice playfully.
“Are you worried about my brother?”

“Huh? No, I just meant, I think he’s overworking himself…”

“Which means you’re worried about him, right?”

I froze.

‘Oh…’

I suddenly realized—
‘I have been thinking about the Duke a lot.’

But admitting that right now would be a mistake.

She was already looking at me like a predator spotting prey.
If I got caught, I’d be teased for days.

“That’s not it, I…”

I waved my hands quickly, but it was too late.

“Really? Really not?”

Evangeline began grinning.

“Then it shouldn’t matter to you if he overworks himself, right?”

I tried to defend myself.
“No, I mean, as a person—when you see someone struggling, it’s natural to worry—”

“Lari.”

Evangeline clicked her tongue, wagging her finger.

“Worrying about him overworking is proof you’re interested in him.”

“No…!”

“People usually don’t even notice if someone they don’t care about is overworking.”

“….”

She hit the mark.

My face heated up, and I looked away.

Evangeline kept staring at me like she was enjoying herself.

“So, you’re worried about my brother, right?”

She kept asking…

“You want to see him at least once? Wonder how he’s doing? Want to talk to him, hm?”

I almost said “no” out of habit, but stopped.

If I was honest—
‘I am curious.’

I thought about the Duke’s role as Seraphina’s fated partner in the original story, trying to convince myself it was nothing…

But no excuse could hide the truth anymore.

I squeezed my eyes shut and answered,
“Yes, I’m curious.”

“Good.”

Evangeline smiled slyly.

“Just trust me.”

“….”

Suddenly, I felt a chill down my spine.
Wait… what was she planning this time?

Late at night, when everything was quiet.

“…Haa.”

After poring over documents for a long time, Dietrich let out a deep sigh and set aside his silver-rimmed glasses.

‘I knew I’d be busy, but I didn’t think I’d be this swamped.’

When he heard Laritte was coming to the duchy, he had been happy.

He even looked forward to maybe seeing her by chance.

But—
‘It’s already been a week.’

Dietrich felt restless.

Work never stopped coming, and since arriving, he had only seen Laritte once—from a distance.

They had only exchanged a brief greeting with their eyes.

He couldn’t neglect his duties, so his frustration just kept building.

“….”

Frowning, Dietrich pulled the bell rope.

A moment later—
“You called, Your Grace?”

“Bring me a hot towel.”

He planned to take a short break and warm his eyes.

“Yes, sir.”

The servant bowed and left.

Dietrich leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

His overworked eyes ached.

‘Come to think of it… Lady Ansie was the one who taught me how to do this.’

Suddenly, a memory surfaced—

“If you cover your eyelids with a hot towel, it helps your eyes rest.”

Her bright pink eyes looking up at him—

“The Lady also gets tired from paperwork sometimes, and she likes it when I give her a warm compress.”

Her warm, slightly amused voice…

Knock, knock.

Without waiting for an answer, the door burst open.

Evangeline peeked in.
“You ordered a hot towel, right? Delivery service!”

She walked in confidently and set down a tray with the towel.

Dietrich looked at her in surprise.
“What are you doing here?”

“I ran into the servant outside, so I said I’d bring it.”

She pointed toward the door, then smiled slyly.

“How is it? Aren’t I the best?”

“…What’s your angle? Out of money?”

He eyed her suspiciously.

She narrowed her eyes at him.
“How can you say that to such a good little sister?”

Then she lifted her chin proudly.
“Especially when you owe me a debt!”

“….”

Dietrich looked exasperated but didn’t argue.

It was true—Evangeline had played a big role in getting Laritte to visit the duchy.

Of course, he’d been so busy that he hadn’t been able to spend any time with her…

“Close your eyes and lean back.”

Evangeline picked up the warm towel and spoke.

Dietrich swallowed a sigh and closed his eyes.