29. Peach Allergy
May 29, 2024
While waiting for the main dish, Riena started chattering again.
“Come to think of it, how did we even start talking about this… Oh, right. We were talking about touring the mansion. Hmm, I even went into the room where the portraits are kept.”
“…”
“I saw the portrait of you as a child too, Duke. You look exactly the same. It felt like I’d gone back in time. And…”
Riena was about to mention that she’d seen Cassel’s family portrait but decided against it.
It didn’t seem like something Cassel would find pleasant.
She didn’t know much about the previous Duke and Duchess, but from what Cassel had said, they didn’t seem like affectionate parents to their second son.
Even Asher, who’d supposedly been Cassel’s pillar of support, likely didn’t leave him with very fond memories.
As Riena pressed her lips together and fidgeted with her fingers, Cassel spoke.
“You must’ve seen the family portrait too.”
“Huh, what?”
Riena was startled and choked slightly. She hadn’t expected him to bring it up himself.
She managed to stop coughing after sipping some water and hesitantly responded.
“Well, technically, yes.”
“Did you see my brother Asher’s as well?”
Riena glanced at Cassel’s face.
But his expression was unreadable as usual, making it difficult to gauge what he was feeling.
Still, she didn’t want to lie, so she answered honestly.
“Yes. I did.”
“…”
They could have ended the conversation there. But Riena cautiously continued.
“He seemed like a good person. I could feel it just by looking at the portrait.”
“He was. I’ve never met anyone better than my brother Asher.”
Cassel added quietly, almost as an afterthought.
“Of course, excluding my mentor and you, Lady Riena.”
“You’re still saying the same things.”
“…Pardon?”
“You said that even when we were kids.”
Riena gave an awkward smile.
“Actually, I dreamed about our childhood last night. A dream with you in it.”
Cassel paused for a moment.
“What kind of dream?”
“It was full of happy memories.”
Riena shrugged.
“I’m sure you remember too. Like when I sneaked into your room to nurse you when you had a fever, or when we played on the hill behind the mansion.”
“I see.”
“And then…”
She suddenly remembered the promise she’d made with Cassel.
He had come to her in the rain to propose, saying he came to fulfill a promise.
Had he really remembered a promise made ten years ago, when they were just children?
Had he longed for her and waited for the day they would meet again?
Or had he only remembered her upon receiving the letter from Count Dyke—“Ah yes, that girl”?
Maybe the talk of a promise was just a strategy to lower her guard and get her to accept the proposal.
She didn’t know. But she couldn’t bring herself to ask Cassel directly. No matter what he said, she felt like it would make her feel strange.
If he said he remembered it for ten years, she’d feel pathetic for having forgotten him.
But if he said he’d forgotten… well, she’d probably feel a little hurt. Even though she’d forgotten him herself.
“And then?”
Cassel looked puzzled when Riena stopped speaking. She shook her head and changed the subject.
“It’s nothing. Anyway, I got a letter from Aunt Leticia this morning. You know, Lady Donovan. I wrote to her yesterday, asking to meet.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. She said she’d be free next weekend, so I’m planning to visit her manor that day.”
“Next weekend…”
Cassel’s expression dimmed slightly. Riena instinctively tried to read his face.
“Is that not okay?”
She didn’t think he’d get involved with her outings. And wasn’t it important for her to meet Lady Donovan for the sake of their marriage?
But Cassel’s concern seemed to lie elsewhere.
“I might not be available next weekend.”
The unexpected reply left Riena blinking in surprise, unable to respond right away.
Seeing her silence, Cassel added awkwardly, as if making an excuse.
“I’ll try to adjust my schedule…”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
Riena’s voice held a touch of laughter.
“I can go alone. That was the plan anyway.”
It had been a long time since she’d seen her aunt. She didn’t want to bring Cassel to a possibly awkward reunion.
But Cassel still looked a little down. It almost looked like he was disappointed by her answer.
Of course, that couldn’t be true.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So today I asked Madam LaChapelle to do some alterations on my clothes.”
Riena awkwardly smiled as she showed the sleeves that covered the back of her hand.
“The dresses that used to belong to the former Duchess are beautiful and well-kept, but they’re a bit too big for me. Amy said the Winkler family always commissions Madam LaChapelle, so I asked her to make an appointment—and it came through today.”
“Amy is quick with her work.”
Amy, who had been standing by, puffed her chest with pride.
“Yes, she’s very capable. So I asked her to alter a few dresses and also ordered some new ones, but…”
Riena’s face darkened.
“I realized I don’t know how I’m going to pay for them.”
“Pay?”
“Yes. You might not know, but I don’t have any money I can actually use right now.”
Riena’s face flushed slightly.
Talking about money on her first day in the capital made her feel too embarrassed to even look at Cassel.
The Dyke family wasn’t wealthy, but as a noble, Riena had always lived comfortably.
Not extravagantly, but without lack.
But after Count Dyke’s death, she suddenly became someone who couldn’t do anything on her own.
“I do have an inheritance in my name, technically. But the legal process hasn’t gone through yet. I think my mother is stalling on purpose. She probably doesn’t want to hand over anything if I marry into another family.”
“…”
“And now that this has happened before I inherited anything, I guess things are going the way she wanted. But I’m still going to try and claim my share. Not because I’m greedy, but because I can’t stand the idea of my father’s money going to waste in her hands.”
Riena bowed her head. She couldn’t bring herself to look Cassel in the eye.
“But it’ll take some time. Until then, I don’t have any money I can use freely. So…”
Money is strange. It has no form, yet it can make someone feel this wretched.
‘The Duke said he’d support me until things are settled, but I don’t know how far that support can go.’
And she had to decide for herself how much help she’d accept.
Even if Cassel was willing to help her generously, she didn’t want to misuse his money.
“That’s…”
Cassel began to respond, but just then, the main dish arrived.
A medium-cooked steak, served with asparagus and mushrooms.
A red wine that paired well with steak was served alongside.
“The food will get cold. Let’s talk more after we eat. There’s something I wanted to tell you anyway.”
“Alright.”
Riena picked up her knife and fork and cautiously cut into the steak. Juices flowed from the pink interior.
Talking about money had left a bitter taste in her mouth and taken away her appetite, but as she tasted the truffle-scented sauce and tender meat, her hunger returned.
She hadn’t even realized how hungry she was.
Impressed, she continued eating.
The two didn’t speak much until Riena had cleared her plate.
Cassel was naturally reserved, and now that Riena had gone quiet too, silence fell between them.
The atmosphere, which had been warm before the main dish arrived, suddenly turned cold.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have brought up money.’
Her father used to say the scariest thing in the world was money.
The Countess Dyke had tried to sell her off for money, after all.
Cassel probably didn’t enjoy this topic either. What if he thought she was just a gold-digger?
But it was a conversation that had to happen eventually.
Just as Riena was trying to console herself, dessert was served—a tart.
As she picked up her dessert fork, Cassel raised a hand and asked the attendant,
“Does this contain peach?”
“I’ll check with the kitchen.”
At the word “peach,” Riena froze and looked at Cassel. He was watching her as he said,
“You’re allergic to peaches, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. I am.”
Riena chuckled softly.
She was allergic to peaches.
But the Dyke household never served them, and she rarely ate out, so she often forgot herself.
She never expected Cassel to remember—especially something so trivial that even she forgot.
She never imagined he’d hold on to that memory all this time.
Peach allergies seem to come up a lot in the romance k-novels I read