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Episode 39

Ecor wiped the end of the wine bottle with a linen cloth and looked at me.

“Mr. Ecor, I’m not a young lady anymore. I’m not a duke’s daughter. Starting today… I’m no longer part of the Flerain family.”

“……”

Ecor said nothing. He didn’t even look surprised.

“You’re not surprised… I guess the rumors reached here too?”

“I did hear a rumor that Young Master Leo proposed to you.”

Of course. Rumors always spread fast. I bet at tonight’s birthday dinner without Frederic, the tastiest gossip was me.

“So… you don’t have to call me ‘young lady’ anymore. I’m not one.”

Ecor gave me a gentle smile.

“I don’t have to call you that… but is it okay if I still do? You’ll always be a precious young lady to me.”

“……”

His words suddenly made my heart swell.

I didn’t respond. Instead, I took another sip of wine. If I tried to speak, I felt like I might start crying.

Ecor gave me his usual warm, comforting smile.

As he poured more wine into my glass, he said,

“I’m just happy you came back, young lady. Please, enjoy as much as you’d like.”

Knock knock.

Frederic placed his book on the side table next to the bed. Then he got up and walked toward the door.

It was late. There was usually no reason for anyone to visit him at this hour.

Delphine was supposed to be at the Flerain estate. And Ecor wouldn’t come without a reason.

Curious, he opened the door—only to find Ecor standing there.

“Young master… could you help me with something…?”

Ecor looked a little awkward.

Frederic wasn’t sure what kind of help was needed, but he nodded.

“Miss Delphine… she’s very drunk.”

Ecor hurried down the stairs with his hands lifting his coat as he explained.

“Delphine’s back?”

“Yes. She arrived earlier tonight.”

“……”

That was strange. She was supposed to stay at the Flerain estate for a few more days. Why did she return so soon?

Frederic had already heard the basics from Carolina—that Delphine had defended him at the banquet, and that Leo had proposed to her.

Hearing that, he had a feeling this sudden return wasn’t for a good reason.

When they opened the dining room door, Delphine had her head down on the table.

Frederic stared in disbelief.

“How much did she drink?”

“She finished a whole bottle of wine on her own.”

“Why would she drink that much…”

He walked over to her and lightly shook her shoulder.

“Hey. Come on. Wake up.”

“Mm… mmm…”

Delphine slowly opened her eyes, clearly drunk.

“Oh? It’s the young master. The young master.”

“Hey, can you walk?”

“Of course! No problem!”

She tried to stand and shoved her chair back with too much force.

“Whoa, whoa!!”

“Young lady!”

But she was already too drunk to control her body.

The chair tilted, and she nearly hit her head—Frederic barely caught her in time.

“Geez. Pull yourself together.”

He caught the chair and patted her shoulder again.

Delphine squinted at him, then suddenly pointed a finger at him.

“Do you know what I brought you? Huh?”

“What did you bring?”

“Cream bruXlé! The one you like from the Salon de Châteux!”

“…You mean crème brûlée.”

Frederic corrected her pronunciation, shaking his head. Behind them, Ecor tried to hide his laughter.

Delphine’s tongue was completely twisted now.

“I couldn’t bring much from the Flerain estate. But then I thought of the crème bruXlé! You know, I’m not a duke’s daughter anymore. So I can’t go back to that fancy salon. Not anymore.”

“Crème brûlée. With a b.”

“Yeah yeah. Brulé! Brulé!”

Frederic gave up trying to correct her. He stepped closer.

“Alright, put your arms around my shoulders. I’ll take you to your room.”

He tried to lift her like a princess, but she pushed him away.

“No! I don’t want that. I’ll walk by myself. Go cuddle with Charlie or something. It’s my birthday, okay? Go to that girl in the white dress. Go to the main character.”

“……”

Delphine tried to stand up, gripping the table with both hands.

And failed completely. She fell flat to the floor.

Crash!

“Young lady!”

“Ow…”

Frederic rubbed his forehead and swallowed a curse.

“Enough. We’re going.”

He picked her up in both arms. Delphine leaned against his shoulder, still slurring her words.

“Did you eat the crème bruXlé? You should eat it. You like it, remember? But now you can’t anymore. What a shame.”

“You like it too. Let’s share it.”

“Eh? How did you know? Nobody knows I like crème bru… brulé. Not even my mom.”

“Because you make it so obvious.”

“Then why’d you act like you didn’t know? That’s mean! Eat it all then! The brulé!”

“Br… Never mind. Just hold on tight. Don’t slip.”

Frederic adjusted his hold to keep her from falling again. Ecor rushed over and opened the dining room door for them.

“Ecor, I’ve got her from here.”

Ecor nodded and went back to cleaning up.

Frederic slowly climbed the stairs. He worked out every day, but carrying a drunk person upstairs was still tough.

“Seriously, why did you drink so much?”

Delphine, clinging to him like a sleepy child, muttered,

“Hey… it’s a secret. But not really, it’ll be a rumor soon… not a secret at all.”

“What is it?”

“I got kicked out. I’m not a duke’s daughter anymore. I’m not a young lady. I’m just… broke.”

“……”

Frederic held her tighter.

Even without hearing the full story, he could guess. She had rejected Leo’s proposal—and been cast out of her family.

“Why did you do that? You knew this would happen.”

“Because… I didn’t want to live like that. I hate it. This is a real secret… I hate Leo. He’s so annoying. I’d rather live alone. Even if I’m poor. Now I’m just a beggar…”

Delphine kept mumbling, slurring her words.

Frederic thought she was reckless—but also admirable. Charlie would never have done something like this. Delphine had the guts to throw away her title for the life she wanted.

If Charlie had just been a little more like Delphine… maybe we could’ve had a future together.

“So… young master. Don’t fire me… okay? Please… don’t…”

“Huh? What?”

At the top of the stairs, in front of his room, Frederic stopped. He needed a moment to rest—and he wanted to hear her better.

“Please don’t fire me… not until I earn enough money to leave. I’ll do better. I don’t have anything anymore. No one. Nothing. So just… let me stay for a bit. Until I can leave.”

“……”

“Did you hear me? If not, I’ll… I’ll…”

“You’ll what?”

“I’ll puke on your clothes! Like you did on mine!”

Instantly, Frederic remembered the “Last Tavern” incident. His memory was hazy, but he did remember puking on Delphine’s clothes.

“Pfft.”

Frederic burst out laughing.

This whole situation was ridiculous. A girl who got kicked out of her house was now threatening him about old puke stories.

He held her tighter and took another step up the stairs.

“Okay, stay here as long as you want. I won’t make you leave. Leave when you want to.”

“Thanks. I’m poor and you’re rich. Thanks, rich young master… Eat all the brulé. Even my share.”

Delphine nodded faintly—and fell asleep in his arms.

Frederic looked down at her sleeping face.

She fell asleep the moment I said she could stay. Was she that worried?

He climbed the rest of the stairs with a smile that never left his lips.

Frederic looked at himself in the mirror, getting ready to go out. Today, he had a meeting with Charlie.

She had contacted him first—which was rare.

The last time he saw her was a few weeks ago, at Delphine’s birthday party.

I can’t believe it’s been weeks already. I really missed you, Charlie.

He adjusted his outfit in front of the mirror.

As he buttoned up his shirt, the image of a very drunk Delphine popped into his mind.

“Pfft.”

He laughed without meaning to.

All the moments with Delphine came back to him—especially how her eyes sparkled when she ate crème brûlée, and how disappointed she looked after tasting an éclair.

She asked how I knew she liked crème brûlée—when she made it so obvious. So clueless.

Smiling, Frederic buttoned the last button of his shirt.