HSLF 04

Chapter 04

“Serin Province? Why are you going all the way out there?”
Robs asked with a puzzled expression.

“A fan meeting.”
Dorothy replied, letting her arms flop over the sofa. For Dorothy, who loved the dazzling nightlife of the capital, the fact that Serin Province was at least somewhat close to the outskirts of the capital was little consolation.

Dorothy disliked leaving the capital. Meeting fans wasn’t too bad, but the main purpose of this trip wasn’t even to meet fans, which made it even less appealing.

“No, that’s not it. You’re going as a centerpiece at a matchmaking party. Robs, you’ve seen enough by now—don’t you get it yet? Besides, they said the daughter of Count Serin is of marriageable age. The Countess must’ve made a request.”
Lexa explained, and she was right. The reason Dorothy was making the effort to travel so far out wasn’t for her own enjoyment—it was bait to lure young unmarried nobles to the party.

About a year ago, after Dorothy had said something ridiculous in front of the Marchioness of Moven like, “If it’s not Duke Cameon, I’m prepared to remain single for life!”, invitations from highborn ladies who were notoriously matchmakers strangely began to arrive.

Before that, most of these ladies had found Dorothy inconvenient, but now she had become their sympathy pick. It also helped that many young men attended the parties Dorothy joined.

“Dorothy actually moves according to the Countess’s request?”
Robs asked, eyes wide.

“You go because there’s something to gain. Naturally.”
Dorothy answered. Even with social status differences, she didn’t just go anywhere for no reason. Especially when leaving the outskirts of the capital, there was always a clear purpose.

“What could there possibly be to gain in Serin Province? There’s nothing there but grass.”
When Robs asked, Lexa clicked her tongue in reply.

“The horses fed on the Serin Province pastures are supposed to be exceptional. That’s why we’re going, right?”

“Well, sort of. They said we could take a look at the Count’s horse ranch while we’re there.”
Dorothy was curious about what fine horses the Count’s ranch might have. High-quality horses were usually exchanged among the high nobility, so for Dorothy, who was a viscountess, obtaining them was limited.

“Ah, fine horses…! So you’re writing a sequel after seeing them?”
Robs asked, his face bright with excitement.

“No!”
Just because they were horses didn’t mean every story led to a novel. Of course, The Hero and the Blue Flute had been inspired by the blue-maned horse, Blue Fairy. But seeing a fine horse didn’t automatically become material for a novel.

“But you wrote a second sequel after being captivated by that red horse before, didn’t you?”
That was simply because the horse was so beautiful. Praising it ended up turning into a book. It wasn’t that she had gone looking for horses just to write a sequel.

“Dorothy, this guy probably dreams of looking at horses too. He said he wouldn’t die until he’d seen all 24 of the continent’s famous horse breeds, and now it seems he might actually pull it off—scary.”
Lexa complained with a smile. Dorothy thought, What’s wrong with my hobby? It’s wholesome and fine. Robs was on her side too.

“For Dorothy, it’s decent. Think about Duke Cameon.”
“The Duke is out of the question. That guy’s just perverted.”
Lexa frowned. I, tagged as the official “girl who likes the Duke,” bristled.

“Perverted, maybe not…”
“Look at her, she said she likes him, and now she’s defending him. Sending letters every day must’ve made her heart grow fond of him~”
Lexa giggled and pointed at Dorothy. Grr, she never missed a chance to tease someone, and seeing her act so childish was annoyingly endearing.

“If a guy who does nothing but sleep, eat, and work isn’t a pervert, what is he?”
It wasn’t just me who memorized details about the Duke as if being scrambled every morning. Lexa and Robs helped test me, so we all suffered together, so to speak.

“Not perverted, let’s call him a workaholic. But Robs does that much too.”
Robs vehemently denied it.

“What are you talking about, Dorothy? Even if you hate me, don’t say that. I’ve never worked enough to be compared to a pervert like Duke Cameon! I’m just a slightly diligent grasshopper, that’s all.”

Lexa giggled, and Dorothy nodded.

“Right, Robs is just a diligent grasshopper. But you’re an insect. The Duke is a work‘bug’.”
What’s the difference? Dorothy listened to Lexa’s silly joke with a deadpan expression and sighed.

“Anyway… it’s still lucky. He’s a workaholic pervert, but if I say I fell for him, everyone believes it. That’s why I chose him.”
Dorothy shrugged. She had claimed to have fallen for him from afar, and surprisingly, everyone believed it.

In reality, Dorothy had never seen Duke Cameon in person. Perhaps due to his extreme work addiction, he rarely attended parties—only occasionally the rare ones hosted by royalty or marquises. She hadn’t expected anyone to believe she fell for him from a distance, but they immediately accepted it: “Well, he does look that way—”
Hmm, apparently he had been ranked first in an appearance survey. He must look pretty impressive. Honestly, she couldn’t quite feel it.

“And he’s ranked third?”
Unfortunately, Robs Babarin was ranked third in the same survey. Robs wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t exactly handsome either. Maybe his dull, timid personality hid his appearance. Both the exterior and interior mattered. So what about Duke Cameon?

“Is liking Duke Cameon really a reason for sympathy?”
Yes. That kind of gaze, which could only be described as pity, made her feel strange. Yet from what she gathered, his personality wasn’t all bad. For someone with such perfect exterior and interior…

“Of course. He’s a pervert. Stop whining and just go.”
Lexa’s firm words were more of a monologue, but fine.

“Alright, I’ll be off then.”
Anyway, I probably won’t even see the Duke.

“Let me introduce Miss Dorothy Sailor, who traveled all the way from the far capital.”
Countess Serin introduced Dorothy with a bright smile. Dorothy smiled and nodded at the Countess. The Countess was a proactive woman who had sent an invitation even without a personal acquaintance. Her parties were always exceptional.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dorothy Sailor.”
Half of the faces were familiar. It didn’t feel like the party was held outside the capital; it felt like half the capital’s party attendees had moved here. The familiarity wasn’t an illusion.

The relentless fan club—or rather, the passionate fans—had followed her even to the outskirts. Seeing the Countess’s pleased smile, it was clear that had been the goal from the start.

Behind the Countess, the young Miss Serin was already scouting for a suitable groom among the attendees. Well, it wasn’t often to meet so many young unmarried nobles in one place.

“Dorothy Sailor, did you perhaps write The Hero and the Blue Flute…?”
A young boy, probably at the perfect age to love that novel, asked boldly. Dorothy smiled in response, and the crowd gasped. Among the admiring fans, some local boys glanced at her with awe.

Before Countess Serin’s introduction, their stares had been blank; now admiration shone instantly. She still didn’t fully understand them, but her past embarrassments still made her shine.

“So, then the heroine in that book is…”
Someone asked about the novel, and Dorothy quickly went on guard.

“Would you like me to sign it?”
Amid the delighted local fans and admiring glances of her entourage, Dorothy signed several sheets. Her speed impressed the Countess.

The Countess had even kindly explained that if the party became too tiring, Dorothy could leave early to visit the horse ranch. So after taking care of the grateful fans, it was time to see the horses.

While unnoticed, Dorothy naturally moved to the shy boy standing near the entrance. He seemed to be the last one. As she was about to leave, someone called her.

“Miss Dorothy Sailor.”
She looked, expecting a shy boy who had missed her earlier, but it wasn’t a boy. Surprisingly, this man was quite tall. The shadow and a hat obscured his face, but she could make out who he was.

Dorothy smiled at the man, who had brought a fountain pen in his chest pocket—a completely useless thing at a party.

“Would you like me to sign?”
Seeing no response, she thought he must be timid. Occasionally, shy young men waited until others left to ask for an autograph.

Without taking out her own pen, Dorothy took his from his pocket. Smooth. Smiling, she drew a stylish line on the leftover paper from earlier.

The man quietly watched her elegant signature. He was extremely shy. He could have at least said something about liking her book or being a fan.

“What’s your name?”
“…Ryle.”
How cute, even hesitating to say his name.

“That’s a nice name. Here you go.”
Dorothy handed the signed paper back with a smile.

“Thank you for liking it.”
The man accepted it silently, unable to say a word.

I hope he doesn’t fall for me.
Dorothy thought Lexa would be delighted to hear she had met the “shy, solid guy of Serin Province.” But to prevent him from truly falling for her, Dorothy quickly gave him a polite nod.

“Well, I’ll be off now.”

She needed to go see the horses.