Chapter 10:
Charity Auction (3)
…A heavy scent of perfume.
Even that unfamiliar fragrance brought back a memory—of a day when I had dozed off with my head resting against his chest.
Perhaps I had been too careless. The moment the noise outside disappeared, the man let me go.
“Get up.”
He moved quickly, planting a hand on his raised knee as if to stand—but I didn’t move.
If he stood up like this, he would inevitably step on my skirt.
Would he?
I waited.
Histein paused halfway, then leaned his head lightly against the door.
“…What are you trying to do?”
“What were you doing here? Playing hide-and-seek or something?”
“Are we close enough to joke like that?”
“Those earrings you bid on… who are you giving them to?”
“I don’t see why that concerns you.”
His sharp words stung, and I turned to face him. In the fading light, he looked even paler than usual.
His lips, once full and faintly red, were now drained of color. His half-lidded eyes looked dull as they stared at me.
Without thinking, I reached out to wipe the cold sweat forming on his forehead.
“Don’t.”
My hand was brushed away midair. Histein frowned slightly, glancing at his own hand.
My throat felt dry.
“…You look sick.”
“I am.”
“What were you doing here? Hiding from Miss Ines?”
“You still only say what you want.”
“…Did you come here today with her?”
“I said—why does that matter to you?”
He lifted his head from the door and grabbed my shoulder, his expression tightening.
“…You’ve gotten so thin.”
“I know… It’s unsightly, isn’t it?”
He didn’t answer.
This time, Histein didn’t hesitate to step on my skirt.
As I stubbornly remained seated and looked up at him, he avoided my gaze.
“I believe Alua’s limping son is waiting for you.”
With those final words, he roughly adjusted his clothes and pushed the sliding door open.
My skirt got caught in the doorway—but he didn’t notice.
Then he strode out into the hallway.
The door remained open.
Listening to his footsteps fade away, I hugged my knees and brushed my thin shoulders.
Heat gathered in my eyes.
There was a time when Histein used to wrap his arms around me from behind, teasing that my soft, plump shoulders were cute…
Those days now felt stained with something dark.
I pulled my skirt free from the door and dusted it off.
He was right.
Jeremy was waiting for me.
Unsteadily, I stepped into the hallway and hurried toward the carriage bearing the Alua family crest.
“The letter Jeremy sent you arrived.”
The next day at noon, as rain fell steadily since dawn, Gerard spoke with a pleased expression at the table.
He lit the pipe he had been holding while sorting through the family’s letters.
“This surprised me. That boy actually participated in the auction. All the gentlemen at the clubhouse yesterday were talking about it.”
“Is that really such a big deal? It just proves the rumors about Jeremy Alua having mental issues were false.”
Angela took Gerard’s pipe while watching Theo being fed by the nanny. Gerard, looking dejected, began crunching on stale cookies.
“Still, there is something off about him, isn’t there? You saw it too—if not for Rosalie, he might’ve wet himself again at the ball.”
“He did seem very nervous, but not that bad… I think.”
Angela, too, had been disappointed seeing Jeremy trembling at the ball.
Listening to them, I unfolded the letter.
“What does it say?”
“The book he won yesterday has arrived at the Alua estate. He wants to bring it personally, but his leg hurts because of the rain. So, if I have time, he asks if I could come to pick it up.”
People who loved reading often wrote well, too. As I read his neat and polite handwriting, a faint smile formed on my lips.
Jeremy—despite his stutter and limp—was not a popular match in the marriage market.
But I now knew he was better than people thought.
“Oh my, Rosalie—you just smiled, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Folding the letter, I stood up.
The Malev family carriage was still in poor condition, with a hole in the roof. I would likely get wet on the way—but I had no real reason to refuse.
“I’ll go in about two hours. Is anyone going out today?”
“With this rain? Of course not.”
Angela pinched Gerard’s side. He flinched and nodded quickly.
“O-of course. Rosalie, use the carriage anytime.”
“Thanks, brother. I’ll go find something to wear.”
Pretending not to notice him rubbing his side, I turned away—relieved that this wasn’t a social outing requiring much attention.
And exactly two hours later, I sat in the carriage heading toward the Alua estate, holding an umbrella.
“W-welcome… M-my mother is with guests right now… in the drawing room.”
One shoulder slightly damp, but acceptable.
After adjusting my clothes, I folded my umbrella and approached Jeremy, who stood at the grand entrance.
“Shall I greet Lady Alua later?”
“Y-yes… I think so.”
“……”
“……”
We both fell silent.
Jeremy’s eyes darted nervously, as if shaken by an earthquake.
If I waited, he might stand there forever.
Finally, he inhaled sharply and led me inside.
“I-if you don’t mind…”
“Yes?”
“I-in the study… w-we could read… books…”
He said it with such seriousness that I almost took it seriously too.
Smiling, I replied,
“Sure.”
“Th-then let’s go… I’ll have tea and snacks brought…”
“I’ll prepare them.”
A middle-aged woman—likely the butler—responded. If he intended to marry me, he should have introduced her—but Jeremy didn’t seem to think that far.
We exchanged awkward smiles before he hurried off, eager to read.
“You said your leg hurt.”
“Ah… y-yes. If I walk too fast… it starts to ache.”
Inside the study, Jeremy limped toward the sofa. It seemed he had been reading earlier—a book lay open, with an empty teacup beside it.
“Really? But last time, you ran off quite quickly, leaving me behind.”
“Uu… I a-apologized for that…”
“I know. I was joking.”
“O-oh… a joke.”
As I sat on the deep blue sofa, Jeremy visibly relaxed.
The room felt more like a library than a study. While I admired the shelves, he suddenly held something out to me.
“Th-this.”
“Ah—thank you. That’s why I came today.”
I accepted the first edition with shining eyes.
Maybe there were differences from the version I had read before.
Finding them would surely be interesting.
