TCBCVF 68

~Chapter 68~

After a long silence, the Lady finally asked, sulking,

“Do we really have to go that far?”

I answered firmly.

“Yes.”

“…Fine.”

She sighed deeply and raised both hands in surrender.

I quickly continued,

“Then I’ll return all the maintenance allowances I’ve received so far through the lawyer.”

“What?!”

The Lady jumped up from her seat like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

“Do you know who I am? I’m the Claudius Lady!”

She became even more upset.

“Do you think I’d take back that kind of pocket change just for appearances?!”

…Well, I guess to her, fifty million won’s worth of money was pocket change.

I gave a bitter smile.

“I think clearing this up properly is part of becoming real friends.”

“R-real friends?”

“Yes. Real friends.”

I strengthened my voice.

The Lady was a little weak when it came to the word ‘friend’.

“I want to be friends with you for a long, long time. That’s why I want to settle this clearly.”

“I-I guess…”

Hearing the words ‘real friends,’ the Lady softened and muttered with her lips pouting.

“I also want to stay close with Lady Ansie for a long time, but…”

“Then won’t you follow my wishes on this matter?”

The Lady hesitated for a long while but eventually shook her head.

“…Do as you like.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled brightly.

Then the Lady asked with a slightly sulky face,

“But… can I still give you gifts now and then?”

She averted her eyes and muttered quietly,

“I just want to be good to you. Because you’re…”

She hesitated, then tightly closed her eyes and finished,

“…my best friend.”

My chest tightened at her words.

“Of course. I’ll happily accept.”

After hearing my confirmation, the Lady looked a little relieved.

But soon after, she glanced at me with a strange expression.

“By the way… how long are you going to keep calling me ‘My Lady’?”

“Huh?”

“You know, friends usually call each other by nicknames.”

“Eh?”

I was a little confused.

At the same time, the Lady averted her gaze, fidgeting with her fingers.

“…Even Lady Lopez calls you ‘Lari’…”

The tips of her ears turned bright red.

“I… I also…”

But she couldn’t finish her sentence easily.

I blinked.

‘Oh… could it be?’

Instead of making her say it, I spoke up.

“My Lady.”

She raised her head slightly at my call.

I shrugged lightly at her red face.

“As you know, my nickname is Lari. If you don’t mind, would you call me Lari from now on?”

At that moment, the Lady’s face brightened like the sun coming out after rain.

After moving her lips for a while, she cautiously called my nickname,

“Lari.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

The Lady smiled beautifully.

It was like a bouquet of white roses blooming all at once.

“Lari, you know my nickname too, right?”

Of course I knew.

I had heard the Duke call her by her nickname many times.

After some hesitation, I carefully spoke her nickname,

“…Eva.”

It wasn’t even a big deal, yet—

“Yes!”

The Lady’s eyes sparkled like stars as she nodded.

Watching her, I felt my chest warm up.

But then—

Knock, knock, knock.

There was a knock at the door.

The Lady furrowed her brows deeply and glanced back.

She looked like a balloon deflating all at once.

“Ah, come on. The atmosphere was so nice!”

She grumbled irritably.

“Come in.”

Click.

The door opened, and the person standing there was, unexpectedly, the Duke.

“What are you doing here, Brother?”

The Lady pouted with an unpleasant look.

“You’re no help at all.”

She grumbled, but the Duke only looked at me with concern.

“Lady Ansie, how are you feeling? Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

It really was nothing, but…

My face burned, feeling like I had caused a fuss for no reason.

The Duke politely suggested,

“Then why not join us for dinner?”

Outside the window, the sun was already setting.

Well, it was about time for dinner anyway…

“Huh? Brother, did you eat something weird today?”

The Lady looked at him wide-eyed.

“You’re always busy with work and have meals sent up to your office!”

“Today we have a guest.”

Without even blinking, the Duke looked at me again and asked,

“What do you think? You rarely come to our townhouse, after all.”

Honestly, ‘rarely’ wasn’t the word, considering how often I was here…

I was a bit flustered.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

The Duke added casually,

“Tonight’s dessert is apple pie, which you like, Lady Ansie.”

Ah.

I froze for a moment.

‘…I didn’t think he’d remember my preferences.’

I remembered when the Lady had ordered a teapot set; she had asked the chef to make apple pie for me.

The Duke had remembered that.

My face felt hot, so I averted my eyes and nodded.

“…Then I’ll gladly accept.”

“Good. I’ll inform the chef.”

The Duke smiled gracefully.

“Please rest. I’ll send someone to get you when dinner is ready.”

Click.

The door closed.

I stared blankly at the closed door.

The man who was destined to be Seraphina’s fated love.

The male lead of this world, who would one day fall deeply in love with her.

I knew that very well, and yet—

…I couldn’t stop my heart from fluttering.

“Lady Ansie will also be joining us for dinner tonight,” Dietrich told the maid.

“Since we have a guest, make sure the preparations are perfect.”

A guest?

The maid almost frowned.

Wasn’t Lady Ansie coming here two or three times a week?

But there was no reason to argue, so she simply bowed.

“Yes, understood.”

After the maid left, Dietrich rubbed his chin with a strange expression.

‘Why did I feel the need to go to Lady Ansie personally?’

He could have just sent a maid to invite her to dinner.

But Dietrich had gone to see Laritte himself.

Because—

‘She was on my mind.’

He couldn’t get the image of her soaked to the bone out of his head.

It bothered him to see her in that state.

He was worried she might catch a cold and wanted to check on her personally.

Of course, Lady Ansie was Eva’s only friend, but—

‘…Is that really the only reason?’

Because he owed her?

Because she had saved Evangeline from being drenched?

Countless reasons swirled in his mind, but none felt convincing.

“….”

Dietrich narrowed his eyes.

His world had always been clear.

Right and wrong, likes and dislikes—there was never any confusion.

But ever since Laritte came into his life—

‘…Something’s different.’

For the first time, Dietrich found it hard to understand himself.