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Chapter 10
Confessions Have Too Much Karma
The next day at noon, as usual, Dorothy knocked on the door of the neighboring house.
“The front door is opening faster than usual today.”
She had assumed that, as always, Rose would be behind the door as soon as it swung open. It had become such a routine now.
“Hello! Rose Ye—”
But the door wasn’t opened by Rose—it was opened by Brandon.
The front door opening earlier than usual… could it be that Rose had been waiting until noon?
Swallowing a laugh, Dorothy parted her lips in surprise.
“Hello, Dorothy. Good morning.”
Brandon greeted her with a bright smile, leaning against the doorway to make space for her to enter.
Where was Rose, and why was Brandon opening the door? Well, there was nothing strange about siblings doing that, of course.
“Hello, Your Grace.”
Still, Dorothy couldn’t just stand there in a daze. She quickly regained her composure and responded politely.
“Come in.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Is this what they call gentlemanly manners? Dorothy admired him and once again bowed in thanks.
Behind her, the sound of the door closing and the lock clicking shut could be heard.
“Please give me your coat. I’ll hang it for you.”
“No, I’ll do it myself.”
Opening the door was one thing, but handling her coat wasn’t something a duke would normally do.
In fact, opening the door was a small promise between Rose and Dorothy. In most households, a servant would handle such tasks.
“Ha-ha, as you know, besides Hill, there’s no one else working in this townhouse.”
Brandon seemed to notice her confusion and answered kindly.
“Hill is probably busy cleaning the kitchen at the moment.”
Huh?
Dorothy blinked again.
“Cleaning the kitchen at this hour?”
Having visited the house often, Dorothy naturally knew Hill’s daily schedule. Hill usually only cleaned the kitchen in the evening, after all the cooking for meals was done. It was rare for Hill, who adhered strictly to her schedule, to clean the kitchen at noon.
Well, it wasn’t entirely strange. Sometimes cleaning had to be done unexpectedly.
“Besides, I can’t have a guest hang their own coat.”
In the end, Brandon took the coat from her.
“Your Grace, since you have difficulty walking… Anyway, thank you.”
…It seems like he’s fine now. He had been limping not long ago.
“Hmm, maybe he’s fully recovered.”
Dorothy decided not to overthink it. He was young and had access to the best medical care, so he must have healed quickly.
“Hey!”
At that moment, a thunderous shout came from the stairs. Rose came rushing down, making a commotion.
Unlike usual, Rose was in her pajamas, without makeup, and her hair was messy. This was unusual. Dorothy knew that when Rose came downstairs, she normally made an effort to dress properly.
Rushing down the stairs, Rose grabbed Brandon by the collar without hesitation.
“Why is my clock two hours slow?”
“Ha-ha, why ask me that?”
“Don’t play dumb! Why else would a perfectly working clock do this?”
“Maybe it’s broken. Honestly, I’d be a bit hurt if you started doubting me immediately.”
Even with his collar grabbed, Brandon replied nonchalantly.
“Do you think that makes sense?”
“Not impossible. Anyway, may I step aside for a moment, sister?”
While Rose seemed to be boiling with anger, Brandon’s face was full of energy.
“I just need to hang Dorothy’s coat for a moment.”
With the agility of a sly fox, he slipped away.
Rose watched her younger brother’s retreating figure with an exasperated expression. Dorothy was left alone with Rose.
“Dorothy!”
Catching her breath, Rose grabbed both of Dorothy’s shoulders.
“Y-yes?”
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes?”
“Did he do anything weird?”
“He kindly opened the door, greeted me, and even took my coat for me.”
“Yes! That’s the weird part!”
Rose exploded in frustration.
“The problem is, he’s not the type to do that! It’s completely unnatural!”
“You mean he did something a servant would do?”
“No! He greeted me!”
“…A morning greeting is strange?”
Dorothy couldn’t continue. A morning greeting that everyone does… why is it weird?
“Listen carefully, Dorothy.”
Rose warned with a very serious face.
“If he does anything strange, tell me immediately.”
“…Strange? What exactly?”
“When he behaves unlike himself… Never mind.”
Then Rose gave Dorothy a strange look.
“Being naive might actually help.”
“….”
“Besides, you’re slow and oblivious. You don’t know a thing about men, right?”
“…Excuse me, but that seems quite rude.”
“No, it’s good for you. At least, you might avoid his tricks.”
Rose let out a relieved sigh.
What does she mean by “strange behavior”?
“The duke behaving unlike himself?”
Brandon had a fairly good image in Dorothy’s eyes. His smile was a bit overwhelming, but he seemed righteous, someone who would stand against evil. Besides, he even greeted her personally that morning.
“Oh, Dorothy. Do you have a moment? I need to ask you something.”
As Dorothy returned home after spending time with Rose, Brandon approached. He led her to the dining room and even served her tea himself.
“It’s about what you asked last time. You said you wanted to find your father, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m sorry. It might take longer than expected. I hope you’ll understand.”
Finding her father wasn’t urgent for Dorothy.
“No need to apologize. It’s fine if it takes longer.”
“Thank you for saying that… So, about your parents…”
Brandon asked with a playful smile, “Could you tell me about your mother or father? What they did before you were born might help me.”
“Well, my mother was an ordinary woman. And my father, according to my mother, was someone who learned life only from books, a rather helpless person.”
Though not nobility, they were bookish commoners. Dorothy had once thought her father might have worked as a librarian.
“I see. That’s very helpful.”
“Was this information really useful?”
“Yes! I’ll definitely find him.”
A person this kind and gentle behaving strangely… Dorothy thought maybe Rose was mistaken.
“Perhaps the duke likes me.”
She chuckled quietly to herself. Dorothy wasn’t completely naive about men. Thanks to her engagement with Charles, she was past the stage of feeling nervous or giddy just being alone with a man.
As Dorothy quietly smiled, she noticed cookie crumbs on Brandon’s lips.
“There are some crumbs on your mouth.”
She took a handkerchief and gently wiped his lips. It happened in the blink of an eye.
“Ah…”
Without realizing it, his eyes widened and his earlobes turned red.
“Thank you, Your Grace. You’re always so kind to me.”
He likes me…
It sounded ridiculous.
“You’re so kind that I almost mistook it for affection.”
Dorothy spoke without much thought. She knew it held no real meaning. She expected the playful duke to respond with his usual humor and continued eating her cookie.
“Uh…”
But her casual words had a huge impact on Brandon. The mask of his calm, composed self shattered. Sitting across from her, eating cookies, he was flustered.
Why am I unsettled?
He should have laughed and responded playfully as usual. But it felt as if his tongue had prickles and he couldn’t speak.
“I, I…”
Finally, he opened his mouth.
