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Chapter 01
Prologue
“……You mean you have a crush on Duke Cameon?”
“Yes, that’s right. How many times are you going to ask the same question?”
“……I just can’t believe it.”
“Believe what? That someone as cute, charming, and perfect as me has fallen in love?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Ryle immediately shook his head in denial. He was usually slow about everything, yet his responses were quick. Dorothy furrowed her brows and asked again:
“Then what is it that you don’t believe? That I’m cute? Charming? Perfect?”
“None of the three.”
“What did you say? You’re saying I’m not cute, not charming, and not perfect?”
Despite Dorothy’s flabbergasted reaction, Ryle replied calmly:
“I mean that you’ve fallen in love.”
“Ah, that.”
“Miss Dorothy, you really don’t know anything about Duke Cameon, do you?”
Ryle’s eyes expressed utter disbelief.
“Excuse me, Ryle. Why do you think I know nothing about Duke Cameon?”
Ryle lowered his long eyelashes and fell silent. Through the greenish-brown depths of his eyes, she could feel emotions that were neither understandable nor acceptable. Well, she wasn’t the only one who had received that look.
People who had heard about Dorothy’s unlucky crush often gave her that very expression.
“I’m Dorothy Sailer. Someone like me wouldn’t possibly know nothing about the person I have a crush on.”
“A stew of pheasant simmered for 72 hours with premium spices.”
“……?”
“White bread baked from the finest flour, ground from wheat grown only in the Somil region. And Bright Morning tea leaves, a specialty of the Aylam region, cultivated solely with morning dew—steeped last night in water drawn from the well.”
“……!”
“That was Duke Cameon’s breakfast this morning.”
Dorothy proudly recited the Duke’s breakfast, which she had learned about that morning. Ryle looked visibly shocked.
Hmph. Naturally.
Who do you think I am? Gathering this much information is easy.
“Our Duke Cameon only orders clothes from a fashion shop on Leon Street. His regular tailor is Bill Knox. For books, he mostly goes to the old bookstore on Bengal Street, though his taste is very particular. Some say he likes military strategy books, but from my analysis, he prefers historical books set in the era of the Pantheon Tri-State Alliance.”
Dorothy stated this confidently.
“You can’t give a love gift without knowing the details. Well… I couldn’t give him a confession gift anyway since he refused it. I saved money, which was nice—no, no, I mean, it’s unfortunate that I couldn’t express my feelings to him properly.”
Dorothy realized she had spoken too freely and glanced at Ryle, but it seemed he hadn’t noticed her slip. Instead, he looked deeply shocked.
What? Was it really that shocking that I know so much about the Duke? As a girl with a crush, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
“Now, you admit that I’ve fallen for the Duke, right?”
Ryle asked the confidently beaming Dorothy:
“Did you dig into Duke Cameon’s private life?”
“Dig into his private life? That sounds like I did something bad! I just wanted to know everything about the person I like. This is literally love! L-o-v-e. Don’t you understand?”
“No, I don’t.”
Dorothy felt Ryle’s eyes grow sharp, somehow. What’s that about?
“Do you know his real name or what he looks like?”
“Hah, that’s basic knowledge, of course.”
Ridiculous.
Dorothy didn’t feel the need to explain, but Ryle was clearly waiting for her answer.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know the name of the person I like?”
She scolded herself for her overly kind personality and replied:
“Feirail Cameon. He’s the Duke of the prestigious Cameon family. He inherited all the talent, wealth, and perfect looks from his parents—the previous Duke and Mrs. Mason—who were known as a legendary couple. You could say he truly has it all.”
Dorothy thought of the Duke’s perfect proportions she had glimpsed once in the past. His power and abilities were impressive, of course, but his appearance was flawless. And she found that very appealing.
“Especially those eyes… hazel, filled with melancholy. How beautiful they are.”
Dorothy Sailer was completely smitten—anyone could see that he was a “perfect man.”
“……I see.”
Though his acknowledgment sounded cold, Dorothy didn’t mind.
“This works out perfectly. I think I can help you, Miss Dorothy.”
“Works out perfectly… Excuse me?! What did you just say?”
“I said I would help you with your love, Miss Dorothy.”
The man with the nickname Ryle, and hazel-colored eyes, added:
“Duke Cameon and I are very close.”
