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Chapter 21
“Lexa? What’s wrong?”
Lexa tilted her head, then came up to Dorothy and pinched the back of her hand.
“Ouch! What are you doing?”
“It’s not a dream. Dorothy, it’s not just a shoulder bump—you actually kidnapped the bread onto your shoulder?”
Did she dream she was eating bread? What’s gotten into her?
Dorothy looked at Lexa, who was talking nonsense with her eyes wide open, with a cold, slightly exasperated gaze. Still, Lexa was getting herself all worked up alone.
“Awesome! Dorothy, since the time you dropped a drunk Rob into the hot spring, I’ve never seen you look this cool!”
“What are you talking about? I’m always cool.”
Dorothy thought Lexa was suddenly stating the obvious, but she decided to let it slide—maybe Lexa was noticing something new about her today that she hadn’t before. More importantly, Dorothy was more concerned about Lyle’s indifferent expression. Could he be feeling left out?
“Lexa. Stop messing around and say hello here.”
It seemed like Lyle was a little uncomfortable with Lexa, who was half out of her mind. Since this was a guest Dorothy brought, she thought she should take care of him so he didn’t feel excluded.
“Lexa, this is Mr. Lyle. He came up to the capital for some business and we ran into him at the party, so I invited him over for a bit. And Mr. Lyle, this is Lexa Babarin. She’s a close friend of mine.”
“Dorothy, are you in your right mind?”
That was exactly what Dorothy wanted to ask. Lexa was often scatterbrained, but she had never been this boisterous even in front of guests. Why was she acting like this today?
Dorothy could see the embarrassment behind Lyle’s calm exterior. Being in an unfamiliar gathering and feeling ignored—how mortifying!
“Wait a moment.”
Dorothy gave Lyle an apologetic smile, grabbed Lexa’s earlobe firmly, and whispered quietly into her ear.
“Lexa, have you forgotten I once dropped a sober Rob into the river? I’m still full of energy now. Why are you acting so rude? You’re making Mr. Lyle uncomfortable. Remember when you said you wanted to see him? The handsome man I met in the Serin region—that’s him! The one I told you about this morning! Don’t you remember?”
Lexa blinked. She had no memory of it. Dorothy seriously wondered if something was wrong with Lexa.
Lexa blinked a few times, looked back and forth between Dorothy and Lyle, and then suddenly burst into a loud laugh. Her refreshing laughter filled the room.
If this continued, she’d probably start rolling around in front of Lyle soon, so Dorothy pretended to scold her and patted her on the back.
Thwack. Thwack.
With Dorothy’s rough hand, Lexa managed to control her laughter. What a scene to make in front of a guest! Tears glimmered at the corners of her eyes as she formally greeted Lyle. Despite lifting her skirt slightly, her voice still carried suppressed giggles.
“So that’s him. Haha, hello. I’m Lexa Babarin. I’ve been Dorothy’s long-time friend, and it’s an honor to meet you like this.”
An honor? Really? She’s exaggerating just because she was told to be polite. Lyle, however, kept a steady face and accepted Lexa’s greeting.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, but it’s good to meet you in person, Miss Lexa Babarin.”
Having barely finished greeting each other, they stared awkwardly. Lyle, stiff with unfamiliarity, and Lexa, giggling mischievously at someone new, made a strange scene.
“Do you two know each other?” Dorothy tilted her head and asked.
“No?”
“No, we don’t.”
Both denied it, but something felt off. At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
“Miss Dorothy, the crème brûlée is ready.”
Lexa looked at Dorothy in confusion.
“Crème brûlée? Isn’t that more your cooking than Joseph’s… ugh.”
Dorothy quickly covered Lexa’s mouth. Oh right, that was another issue. Dorothy explained to the surprised Lyle instead.
“Ah, our mansion’s crème brûlée is so delicious that if two people ate it, one might not even notice if the other died! Come in!”
If she caught on, Lexa would roughly go along with it. Dorothy smiled at Lyle. He hesitated a bit at Dorothy’s bright smile before speaking.
“I feel like I might die…”
“Oh, it’s so delicious that someone might die—but don’t worry, it won’t actually kill anyone!”
“I’m more worried about Miss Lexa.”
Dorothy checked on Lexa. Oh my, did covering her mouth also block her nose? Surprised, Dorothy pulled her hand away, and Lexa pushed her. She took a deep breath and complained.
“Ahhh! I thought I was going to die. You almost murdered your friend just now.”
“She’s still alive, sorry, sorry.”
Dorothy gave a half-hearted apology to Lexa and waited for the servants to bring the crème brûlée. They arrived with a massive dining trolley, moving the desserts to the table.
On the small table, Joseph’s imaginative world was perfectly represented in the crème brûlée presentation.
“Joseph really makes amazing things.”
He probably thought of it as a simple dessert, because he also served a well-baked croissant with a mysterious dark green cream and a dark reddish fruit compote.
Amid the swampy graveyard landscape and blood-like coloring, the crème brûlée sat with a small skull-shaped cookie in the center.
“So artistic and pretty, right?” Dorothy clapped her hands and asked Lyle. He looked between the dessert and Dorothy with a perplexed expression. Clearly, he didn’t quite appreciate the artistic flair.
“Making desserts this hideous is a talent in itself,” Lexa commented flatly.
“Hideous?! Do you know how difficult it is to get this blood-red color? Joseph is a true artist! Don’t you think so, Mr. Lyle?”
Reluctantly, Lyle nodded.
“Yes. If Miss Dorothy thinks so.”
“Exactly.”
Lexa muttered quietly, but unfortunately, the three of them were too close. Dorothy used her elbow, which she had sharpened for this moment, and jabbed quickly.
“Ah!”
Lexa let out a short scream. Dorothy calmly asked, pretending to be oblivious.
“What’s wrong, Lexa? Suddenly your side hurts, your head’s dizzy, and you want to rest? Are you just trying to leave quickly?”
Lexa glared at her in disbelief, sighed, and stood up.
“Really leaving?”
Dorothy looked up in surprise, and Lexa frowned.
“You prayed to go, so why hold me? I had to go anyway.”
Just pretending to hold her. Dorothy shrugged and laughed; Lexa shook her head. She looked at Lyle instead of Dorothy, then grinned like a crazy person. Could it be…?
Falling for him?
That kind of smile where just meeting eyes makes you laugh? Considering Lexa’s taste in body types, Lyle was definitely in her strike zone. They might actually make a good match. Their personalities might be different, but Lexa’s innocence and Lyle’s neatness had a strange similarity. Dorothy watched them sideways, imagining how they’d look together.
A combination that might promise a bright future for the next generation.
Unaware of Dorothy’s thoughts, Lexa tapped Dorothy’s shoulder with a slightly annoying smirk and hurried to leave. Dorothy casually asked,
“If you’re leaving soon, why did you come?”
Lexa clapped her hands as if suddenly remembering.
“That’s right! I wanted to ask something! At the party, I met Countess Rolo. And that countess said—Dorothy, you’re having an affair with my ex-boyfriend!”
Sigh. She shouldn’t have asked.
“Uh…uh…uh… really?”
“I was completely shocked. I confronted her. What are you talking about? Dorothy’s not that kind of girl. If not for Duke Cameon, she wouldn’t even look at anyone. That girl would live single forever, eating sad caviar, riding fancy carriages, and watching horses she likes, eventually dying alone in a room covered in emeralds.”
…True, but still rude.
“Emeralds are your taste, mine is diamonds.”
“Oh right. Anyway! I thought you’d die in a room covered in diamonds.”
“Thought I would?”
“But now that I see you, I guess I was wrong.”
Lexa said this and hurried out. Dorothy stared after her, utterly bewildered.
What was that all about?
