Episode 27
“Damn it! Are you out of your mind, you crazy superior? Do you want to get everyone here executed for treason? No matter how reckless you are, he’s still royalty!”
The man glaring at Lyndel with bloodshot eyes seemed to be saying just that.
Lyndel, who had been trying to ignore those blazing eyes as if something explosive might shoot from them, reluctantly gave the answer the man wanted.
“…Fine.”
“Whew~ I almost misunderstood our upright Sir Lyndel there for a second.”
Lyndel ignored Theodore, who tried to get all friendly again.
Instead, he politely pulled out the chair next to him for Autumn.
But before Autumn could sit, Caitlyn quickly rushed over and stood in front of the chair.
‘Fast…’
Autumn inwardly admired Caitlyn’s small but swift movements.
Then Caitlyn clung to Lyndel’s side and pointed to Theodore, who was smiling brightly from across the table.
“Lady Rosaline Kiss, could you kindly sit as far away from me as possible? I didn’t want to say this, but… you’re just too much of a comparison next to me.”
“Caitlyn, you—”
“Come now, Lady Kiss, sit beside me,” Theodore interrupted, patting the seat next to him.
Autumn nodded, “Then, I’ll go this way—”
But as soon as she took a step, Lyndel quickly rose from his seat, walked over, and personally took her hand, leading her to the seat beside him.
“Please, sit here.”
“Oh my, our bashful young lord has really made progress,” someone whispered faintly—Autumn thought it might have been Herson—but she let herself be guided to the seat.
The delicate chair adorned with soft cushions and small gemstones clearly belonged to Caitlyn.
“Hey, that’s too much.”
Caitlyn wasn’t about to back down.
“But I placed that chair there on purpose!”
Autumn thought to herself,
‘She must have prepared it in advance. Maybe they’re close?’
The realization that there were many things she didn’t know about their relationships started to bother her.
But her train of thought was abruptly interrupted by Lyndel’s stern voice.
“Caitlyn, no more disrespect will be tolerated.”
“Fine, fine. Then I’ll just sit next to my brother.”
With that, Caitlyn dragged over another chair and sat on Lyndel’s other side, arms crossed and giving Autumn a side glance.
‘I could’ve just sat over there…’
It was a slightly strange seating arrangement—Autumn and Caitlyn flanking Lyndel, while Theodore sat across from them, looking displeased.
Thus, the dinner table was finally settled.
Autumn nervously glanced around at the unfamiliar faces while picking up her napkin.
“I see you treat uninvited guests like honored ones.”
Lyndel silently placed salad tongs beside Autumn’s plate.
“Well, we came all this way—don’t you think we deserve at least that much? The road here was tough, and my poor backside still aches from that bumpy carriage ride.”
“Did it ever occur to you that we came all the way here because we didn’t want to be found?”
Lyndel shot back swiftly, unfazed by Theodore’s whining.
Seeing Autumn take only a small portion of salad, he took the tongs back and heaped generous portions onto both her and Caitlyn’s plates. Then, dumping the rest onto his own plate, he muttered:
“Why do uninvited guests always show up like this…”
“I can hear you, you heartless man.”
‘And he’s still smiling…’
Despite the cold response, Theodore kept grinning.
Autumn, who had been glaring at him, quickly returned her focus to eating as soon as he met her gaze.
“Well, since it’s come to this, I trust you’ll keep everything secret, Your Highness?”
“Of course, of course. I’ll stick around until the curtain rises—won’t take a single step outside.”
“Maybe I should send a letter to Father—”
“No need! I swear I won’t cause any trouble. Nothing that will bother you. I swear it!”
It was the liveliest dinner since arriving at Rosewood Villa.
As the four of them noisily enjoyed their meal, Caitlyn changed the atmosphere with her words.
“Oh, right, Brother.”
“I plan to go to the capital and have several outfits made for Lady Kiss. At least three travel outfits should be a basic start…”
“I-I don’t need that many,” Autumn waved her hands with a troubled expression.
“Don’t worry. I’ll put the bill under Brother’s name anyway. That’s okay, right?”
Lyndel nodded without hesitation.
“Wait a minute, you two!”
But it wasn’t Autumn who got flustered—it was Theodore.
“To catch the eye of the lovely Lady Kiss, does one need to buy her dresses now? Then I should also—”
“In that case, I’ll bill His Highness as well. I’ll add gemstones so it’s extra expensive.”
Caitlyn quickly jotted down a new order in her notebook.
Theodore let out a dry laugh.
“So the lady of Beldouji is going back to the capital, huh?”
“Yes. Unlike some people, I actually have things to do.”
“…Is that a compliment or an insult?”
Theodore muttered while poking at his pudding.
Caitlyn, now calmly wiping her lips with a napkin after finishing dessert, replied:
“I’ve confirmed with my own eyes now.”
Then, looking at Autumn with a smile, she added:
“Although this unexpected addition isn’t very reassuring, I don’t think I’ll stick around for long.”
“Wait, hold on. Are you talking about me?”
“Think what you like. You seem to have plenty of time.”
“Harsh!”
Their bickering showed no sign of ending.
‘Ugh, so noisy…’
—Bang!
“Quiet down.”
Lyndel must’ve felt the same way because he slammed the table.
Everyone fell silent.
He calmly drank a glass of water, then looked at Caitlyn and spoke again.
“And Caitlyn, I’ll cover all the costs for her clothes—every last coin. Would you like me to send the payment to the capital now?”
“But Brother, that’s not fair! Some of them are meant to impress Lady Kiss!”
“That’s the same for me, Miss Shopkeeper. Make mine even grander—add the biggest jewels. Two sets, no—three!”
“…Everyone, that’s enough!!!”
Clang!
Autumn’s knife clattered onto the marble floor with a sharp sound.
“Oops. That’s not what I meant to do.”
Everyone turned toward her.
In trying to imitate Lyndel’s table slam, she had definitely caught everyone’s attention—though in a different way.
“Well, you are quite fiery. I like it.”
“W-What? Are you angry?”
The dining hall went quiet.
Autumn cleared her throat and slowly looked at each person.
“Ahem. I don’t need all that.”
Then she fixed her eyes on Caitlyn and declared firmly:
“Listen carefully. I will only accept one dress from each of you. Three in total—no more.”
“But Lady Rosaline! I already have so many great designs planned—!”
“Shush.”
Autumn sternly wagged her finger in front of Caitlyn’s nose.
“Anything beyond that, I’ll pay for myself. Full price.”
Everyone’s eyes widened at her unexpected response.
She casually ran her fingers over her lips, where the lingering taste of sweet chocolate still remained.
In truth, “Rosaline Kiss” isn’t just anyone.
She’s rich.
Very rich.
“Puhahahaha!”
Theodore was the first to burst into laughter.
“A lady who refuses my gift? That’s fiery, alright.”
“…Well, alright then.”
“Let’s go with that.”
Even Lyndel nodded stiffly, as usual.
And so, peace returned with a rare agreement among them.
But no one noticed.
“Uh-oh? My lord, your lips are sticking out again. Did you not enjoy the meal?”
Yes.
As he silently returned to his study, no one noticed that Lyndel’s lips were pouting slightly the whole way.
