Episode 006
To the dear Miss Diana Wellington,
I cannot forget our delightful meeting and thus send you this letter. Did you return home safely yesterday?
First, I apologize for my rudeness last night. My heart was impatient, and I committed a great breach of manners.
As an apology, I am sending you a bouquet of flowers that suits you well.
Our previous meeting left a strong impression on me.
Your cautious speech and thoughtful behavior made me realize anew that you are an example to others.
After spending such a pleasant time together, my curiosity about you has grown.
While it might be enjoyable to develop our relationship slowly, since talks between our families regarding a marriage proposal are underway, there is no need to go around in circles.
If you don’t mind, would you send me an invitation? I would like to visit the Wellington household.
It would bring me joy to spend more time with you, as long as it does not cause inconvenience.
Please let me know a convenient date, and I will arrange my schedule accordingly.
I look forward to your reply.
Ian Crawford
The elegantly handwritten letter was filled with affection.
Anyone reading it would easily be misled.
It was no wonder Diana’s mother was so excited.
“After enjoying time together, curiosity has grown…?”
Diana muttered hollowly for a moment.
Like a liquid reaching its boiling point and turning to vapor, Diana’s disbelief soon turned into indignation.
“A lie… No, it’s something else they’re curious about!”
Had he really overheard the conversation about the casino management?
Was he truly ignorant or pretending not to know?
She needed to find out to decide whether to kill him!
“Do they think I’m an idiot? Who do they take me for?”
Diana had been terrified since returning home.
But now, for the first time since her reason had numbed, her fear lessened.
“So that’s how it’s going to be.”
It was unexpected for the villain to turn into a cursed doll.
But the important thing remained how to get out of this situation, and Diana quickly found an answer.
“Alright. This time, I’ll just deny knowing anything!”
No matter what he said, she’d smile and brush it off.
Let him say it was a pleasant time and all that flattery—she’d wait and see!
One week later.
In the afternoon, a carriage bearing the duke’s crest quickly passed through the count’s mansion main gate.
Diana gripped her fan tightly as she watched the carriage approach.
“I am happy. I am joyful.”
She gave herself a firm self-affirmation.
“I heard nothing that day. Yet the Little Duke came to meet me. I’m so excited I might go mad!”
She forced herself to be excited.
To pretend happiness, joy, and ignorance.
Like the heroines possessed by extras in possession stories, treated like annoying flies by villains, she planned to act like a chirping sparrow.
“If I do that, maybe he’ll lose interest.”
It was bad enough to be possessed as an extra, but what if she died?
No guarantee she wouldn’t end up a wronged ghost.
“This time, I will root out the death flags for good.”
Diana’s fingertips trembled anxiously.
Her mother, standing nearby, mistook her nervousness for other reasons, but now was no time to correct her.
At last, the carriage that had been approaching from afar stopped.
She opened the door and greeted Ian Crawford with a prepared smile.
“Welcome, Lord Ian! Welcome to the Wellington household!”
“Good to see you again, Miss Diana.”
Ian politely took off his hat.
“Thank you for coming. I’m so happy to see you again, Little Duke. Have you become even more handsome these days?”
“Haha, Miss Diana, you have become more beautiful as well. Thank you for your invitation.”
“Who would refuse the future Duke! Though it’s humble, consider this your home and stay comfortably.”
Ian Crawford’s smile became clearer.
“Then please call me Ian.”
“…”
“Think of me as your fiancé and be comfortable.”
The blatant flattery of the narrow-eyed villain left Diana flustered.
She gripped her fan tighter.
“Is that even possible!?”
She barely kept her composure thanks to her mother’s timely appearance.
“Welcome, Little Duke Crawford.”
“Countess Wellington.”
Ian lightly kissed the back of her mother’s hand and greeted politely.
“Thank you for the invitation. I hope I haven’t caused any inconvenience.”
“Inconvenience? Our mansion is humble compared to the duke’s, but we hope you understand.”
“Not at all. They say a mansion resembles its owner. Seeing you, I understand why the count’s mansion is so beautiful.”
Why did that smile, which seemed unchanged even if a gun were pointed at him, feel so unnatural?
Maybe because she, too, deceived those around her with a similar smile?
“I prepared some light refreshments. Shall we?”
“Of course.”
Her mother escorted Ian to the tea room but surprisingly did not leave, instead sitting at the same table.
“What? I thought she’d leave us alone.”
Diana looked at her mother in confusion.
Not being left alone with Ian was a relief, but…
Her doubt was soon resolved.
No sooner had they sat than her mother said something unexpected.
“It’s a bit awkward to say myself, but Diana is a very upright child.”
Diana nearly spat out her tea.
“She’s been so gentle and mild since she was little. Our daughter is truly beautiful, isn’t she?”
“M-Mother!”
“Others say their children become sensitive and difficult as they grow, but ours never has… she’s grown up so beautifully.”
Suddenly her mother was spouting nonsense!
“After meeting the Little Duke, she’s been oddly restless. Never like this before.”
“Please… please stop, Mother…”
“You know, you can’t keep saying you’re embarrassed.”
No, it’s not just embarrassment!
“What if I end up appealing to the villain!”
Diana’s face flushed red with embarrassment and panic.
“She’s grown into a terrifying beauty, so I worry if either I or her husband meet a strange man. But now she’s old enough to have finished tea with the Little Duke, hohoho.”
“Please stop now…”
“Oh, look at her interrupting like a spoiled child.”
“There’s no need to be shy, Miss Diana. It’s natural for your mother to cherish her only daughter.”
Ironically, Ian’s smile was fresher than ever.
So clear and pure it made her reluctant to meet his gaze.
“Sitting side by side like this is a lovely sight. Let’s take our time talking.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
After giving a subtle warning to take good care of her daughter, her mother left.
Diana felt utterly exhausted by the unexpected obstacle.
Meanwhile, Ian looked very pleased.
He watched her mother’s retreating figure carefully and spoke.
“The count and countess are very devoted to Miss Diana.”
“Sorry if that was burdensome.”
“Not at all. The count has often boasted about his daughter. I remember it vividly.”
“…I’m embarrassed.”
Father, what have you been saying outside…?
Diana swallowed tears silently.
“A strong bond between parents and children is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s rather enviable.”
Ian raised his teacup, inhaling the scent, as if a gentle breeze swept around.
“I owe you an apology for the great rudeness I showed that day to such a precious lady.”
Finally, the conversation returned to that topic.
Diana held her tension tightly, not missing a word.
“Though belated, I apologize once again.”
“No, it’s already past. Please don’t worry.”
“I was flustered that day. Strangers kept approaching me.”
Ian’s excuse was smooth.
“To avoid embarrassing others, I tried to separate them, but accidentally burst into the lounge where you were resting.”
“I see. But really, don’t worry. I didn’t even know the Little Duke was here.”
“It’s my fault. I didn’t expect anyone on the balcony.”
At least the last line seemed sincere.
“But the rest is all lies.”
That day, Ian had seemed oddly wary of his surroundings during their walk.
He must have sensed someone was following them.
Also, Ian said to his men, “Have you forgotten how many chances I’ve given?”
Yet strangers kept approaching?
“That’s a blatant lie. Not surprising though.”
It was surprising he even visited the count’s mansion with such an excuse.
“I really heard nothing, so it’s fine.”
“…”
“I was truly shocked when you grabbed me.”
“Is that so?”
Diana stressed “I didn’t hear anything” unusually often.
I know nothing.
Even if I know, I pretend I don’t, and if I don’t, I don’t know!
So stop checking! Don’t treat me like a corpse you have to poke to see if I’m really dead!
“You said that before. Then how about this?”
Ian’s tone shifted slightly.
“Can you swear on your family’s honor that you heard nothing?”
“…What?”
“I wonder if you’d give the same answer if the countess’s precious life were at stake.”
Ian’s voice was so calm it felt detached from the weight behind his words.
But Diana’s smile vanished completely.
Swearing on something?
An unannounced threat.
Her blood ran cold.
“How about your answer, Miss Diana?”
The cursed doll holding a teacup urged her to reply.
