CHAPTER 055
"Did your father have the same symptoms as me? I inherited it from him."
"How about Peter?"
"Isn't it like a genetic disease? That's all I know. It wasn't a big deal, so I didn't mention it, but you're really curious."
"That's what you get for teasing adults!"
The Duke said sternly. It was another instance of pretending to scold him.
"I've told you everything, so is it okay now? I'm leaving."
Lewis quickly left the Duke's office. He immediately asked the butler who was outside.
"Where is Selina?"
He had come to the Duke's residence today because of Selina, but the butler gave a somewhat disappointing answer.
"She went to an event with Lady Bella today."
"An event?"
"Yes. She was invited to Lady Redmond's tea party."
A tea party. It seemed he wouldn't be able to meet her today.
He had something to give her.
Lewis fiddled with the gift for Selina that he had bought earlier in his pocket.
* * *
He arrived at Lady Redmond's tea party.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation."
She was the lady who had almost gone to heaven with me during the last hunting competition.
I didn't know how Lady Redmond felt, but because of that, I felt a certain camaraderie with her.
Did Lady Redmond feel the same?
When she saw me, she greeted me differently than the others.
"Have you been well, Lady Elsner?"
"Of course. You look healthy too, Lady Redmond."
Actually, I almost had a dangerous situation yesterday. Phew...
Lady Redmond had apologized to me about the incident during the hunting competition.
She had led us deeper into the forest, which almost caused a big problem. She had apologized for that.
"I need to thank Marquis Bloomberg too... but I haven't had a chance to meet him."
She hadn't been able to express her gratitude to Lewis.
He had been surrounded by participants, received his award, and then had an argument with Bella over which carriage I should get into after the event ended.
There hadn't been any contact since then, right?
"If there was a party, I could see the Marquis there."
Lady Redmond seemed regretful.
Lewis wasn't the type to attend such events regularly, so it was rare to see him.
"Is it really necessary to meet him to express your gratitude?"
Though I had become close to him, Lewis was not exactly warm to everyone.
Bella agreed.
"If you meet him, it'll just upset you. Selina already conveyed your thanks, didn't she?"
Lady Redmond shook her head.
"I'd prefer to express my gratitude in person rather than through someone else. I'd also like to see the Marquis's face."
But when I looked closely, I could see a certain emotion on Lady Redmond's face.
Anticipation! It was anticipation. She was eager to see Lewis.
It was a look that couldn't be shown if she feared him.
Could it be that Lady Redmond also liked Lewis?
It wasn't unusual since many ladies admired Lewis, but it felt a bit strange.
Even Lady Redmond showed interest in Lewis.
Lady Redmond suddenly asked me a question.
"When will I be able to see the Marquis again? You meet him often, don't you, Lady Elsner?"
"That's true, but for the time being..."
I don't think I'll be able to meet him.
I trailed off and smiled.
I felt more embarrassed by my mistake yesterday, but what bothered me more was that I kept thinking about Lewis.
Was it because of the situation? The memory of that moment wouldn't leave my mind.
The shock I felt, the eye contact with Lewis as we grew closer, his handsome features, the brief fluttering... all of it.
Why did thinking about that make my face feel hot?
Was I bewitched by something...?
When I returned to the Duke's residence after the tea party, the butler approached me.
"The Marquis was here."
"The Marquis?"
Did he come that quickly? I wasn't ready yet.
"He was looking for you, but you were out, so he left after meeting with the Duchess."
It seemed I was the only one dwelling on yesterday's incident.
I went to my room and contacted Lewis. He answered promptly.
"Marquis, you were looking for me earlier?"
-Yeah. You weren't there, so I just met my aunt and left.
Lewis's tone was calm, unlike my cautious one. It was no different from usual.
-Can I see you now?
"Are you coming? At this hour?"
I was surprised when Lewis said he would come.
-It's still early evening.
Ah, that's true? Maybe I was overthinking it. It would seem strange to refuse.
"Yes, that's fine."
Lewis immediately said, as if he had been waiting.
-Look out the window.
The window? I turned and my mouth dropped open.
There was Lewis outside my window.
This is the second floor! Lewis was floating in the air.
When I opened the window, Lewis came inside.
"When did you get here?"
"Just now. You said I could come, didn't you?"
He must have come in an instant with magic. It startled me.
"You're unusually fast today."
"I wanted to see you quickly."
Lewis grinned.
"I had something to give you."
He handed me a small box. It was a small box with a ribbon on it.
"I wanted to give it to you earlier, but you were out."
"Then why didn't you leave it and go? It must have been a hassle to come back."
"I didn't like that idea."
When I opened it, there was a small hairpin inside. The glowing jewel in the center had an exceptional luster.
This didn't look like something you could just buy anywhere!
"You didn't have to give me something like this!"
When I looked at him with wide eyes, Lewis responded.
"I didn't buy it."
"Then what?"
When I looked at him puzzled, Lewis said nonchalantly.
"I picked it up on my way here."
Who would believe that he just picked it up? I looked at him suspiciously.
"You found it lying on the road in a box?"
"Yeah. I think I was really lucky today. So, are you not going to take it?"
His smiling face seemed to silently say not to ask any more questions.
I quickly backed down.
"No, I'll take it. It's thoughtful!"
"Good. Just take it."
"Can I try it now?"
"Sure. Do you want me to help?"
"Oh, yes."
When I turned around, Lewis placed his hands on my hair.
His movements were more gentle than I expected.
He combed my hair with his fingers and carefully gathered it to fix the pin, making sure it was neat.
It was a short moment, but his touch was comforting.
If I had been lying down, I might have fallen asleep.
It felt so relaxing that I thought I could let go and trust him a little more - wait a minute. What am I thinking?
"It's done."
Finished! As soon as I gathered my thoughts, Lewis had completed my hairdo.
I quickly moved away from him.
"Thank you, Marquis."
"Aren't you going to check it?"
"Oh, right."
Lewis pointed to the mirror, and I quickly approached it.
Looking in the mirror, my impression was...
'It's better than I thought?'
Since the pin was at the back, it wasn't visible, but the half-up hairstyle was quite nice.
"How is it? Isn't it nice?"
"Yes. I like it."
"You like it because I gave it to you, right?"
"Of course!"
I answered enthusiastically. There was a reason Lewis asked like that.
The answer was predetermined, so to speak. But his next question left me speechless.
"Then do you like me too?"
"What?!"
"Do you like me?"
Lewis had a beautiful smile on his face.
But I couldn't answer.
Why are you asking this all of a sudden? I know the answer is predetermined and I just have to say it, but...
Isn't this too sudden?
This is a bit too sudden, isn't it?!
While I was flustered, Lewis waited leisurely for my answer. His calm gaze seemed to say,
Aren't you going to answer?
I felt like I should answer.
After a long silence, I finally spoke.
"I like you... because we're friends, right?"
"Friends?"
Lewis tilted his head slightly at those words.
As if to confirm something, he asked me.
"I'm your closest friend, right?"
"Of course!"
Lewis nodded calmly at my words.
"Well, I'll take my time."
Then he muttered something unclear and said,
"I should get going. Rest well."
"Oh, already?"
"Are you disappointed?"
Lewis grinned.
"No, it's not that!"
"Bella is coming. She'll be upset if she knows I came straight to your room like this."
Maybe he was just making conversation; Lewis explained why he had to leave.
He quickly said goodbye.
"I'll contact you."
"Okay... Take care!"
As soon as I finished speaking, Lewis's body disappeared. He vanished instantly with magic.
Just like how he appeared, he left in an instant.
I was staring blankly in the direction where Lewis had been when I heard a door sound and Bella's voice from behind.
"Selina."
"Yes?"
"Come shopping with me tomorrow - wait, that's a pin I've never seen before."
Maybe because I had my back to her, Bella immediately noticed my pin.
"Oh, this? The Marquis gave it to me."
"Lewis?"
When I told her I received it from Lewis, Bella looked displeased.
"I'm enough to give you gifts."
It seemed Bella's competitive spirit had been oddly stimulated again.
But what was that all about just now?
Asking if I liked him! Although he had always been a bit unusual, I couldn't adapt to this.
Why would Lewis say that?
...Am I the only one over thinking yesterday's incident?
As I kept thinking, another possibility came to mind.
Considering Lewis's desire to be my closest friend, it wasn't something he couldn't say, but...?
While I was deep in thought, Bella nudged me.
"Selina, let's go shopping together tomorrow. I have something in mind to buy. Let's get matching ones!"
"Oh? Oh, okay."
What was the point of worrying about something I couldn't figure out? I decided to keep it simple.
'I'm just overthinking yesterday's incident!' I concluded.
Comments
Post a Comment