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Chapter 25
“Dorothy! Look at that! It’s a giant loaf of bread!”
Lexa giggled and pointed at the huge, round loaf floating in the sky. The perfectly baked, moist brown bread looked incredibly soft and fluffy.
Dorothy thought it would be even better if it had green pea filling instead of just plain bread. She could tease Rops, who hated peas.
“It looks like the bread is coming this way?”
Rops’ voice trembled. He yelled loudly, “Is this haunted or something?”
Lexa, excitedly, suggested, “Let’s poke it and see if it’s a real ghost!”
Dorothy, equally excited, stretched out her finger toward the approaching bread.
Pop!
The bread burst.
“Such a stupid dream.”
The morning sunlight was piercingly bright. Dorothy had been too tired to hang up the curtains properly the night before, so her eyes were dazzled. Yawning, she stretched luxuriously and perched on the edge of her bed.
It had been a strange dream. Poking an approaching loaf of bread until it burst? Maybe it was because of the bread she ate yesterday.
Yesterday had been exhausting—Vitus had been harassing her all day, pressing her about how much she knew of the Duke’s household. Later, when Dorothy whined about being hungry, Vitus bought a red bean bread, claiming that was all the local stores sold. She had thought he’d just send her off if she said she was hungry. Now she understood why Vitus had been dumped by Lexa.
Ryle had also pretended to be cooperative but kept trying to pry information about the Duke. Facing them two-on-one wasn’t easy, no matter who you were.
Still!
Today, she would have a proper day! Finally, she could do the shopping she had been putting off: call the merchants, buy fabric, get dresses tailored. The weather seemed to be getting warmer, so summer-appropriate fabrics would be nice, maybe even a simple summer dress or two. She could also invite the jeweler.
Planning a productive day, Dorothy stretched her arms over her head again. But her plans were off to a rough start.
“Miss, the Rollo Countess’s household has sent someone.”
“From the Rollo Countess’s household?”
The invitation from the Rollo Countess arrived just as Dorothy was taking her first bite of breakfast.
“How could they send an invitation the same day?”
Dorothy complained, chewing her salad.
Their last encounter, where she witnessed the Rollo Countess’s affair, had made their relationship awkward, but this felt extremely one-sided.
The invitation requested that Dorothy visit the Rollo Countess’s household at noon today. Same-day invitations weren’t unheard of, but social etiquette usually required a few days’ notice. The Rollo Countess’s invitation was abrupt, and arguably rude.
Still, she had no choice.
The Rollo Countess was one of the most influential figures in high society, second only to the Marchioness Moven. She was close to the Marchioness, which amplified her clout.
If she wished, the Countess could easily bend the rules and assert her status.
“Still… this feels odd.”
The Countess, despite her influence, valued etiquette. Could it be that the affair Dorothy discovered was so serious that she’d earned the Countess’s ire? She shook her head. She didn’t want to make surviving society any harder than it already was.
She had narrowly avoided a major increase in the difficulty of surviving in society.
The roads were terrible. Even in the city’s most comfortable carriage, she broke into a cold sweat. Hastily, she arrived at the Countess’s reception room, only to find that the Countess wasn’t there. Instead, a boy she had never seen before was waiting.
Dorothy assumed the maid had brought her to the wrong room and glanced back, but the maid simply nodded, indicating this was correct. That didn’t seem right.
“Who… are you?”
“Dorothy Sailor?”
The boy looked surprised but greeted her politely.
“It’s an honor to meet you! I’m Bane Rollo.”
Bane Rollo? The son of the Rollo family?
Dorothy vaguely recalled hearing that the Rollo family had one son. Upon closer inspection, his features resembled the Countess’s. Tall, but still with a boyish aura, Bane seemed genuinely happy to meet Dorothy.
No wonder. Dorothy had visited the Rollo household several times but had never seen a trace of him. City ladies often hid their unmarried sons from visitors—imagine Dorothy falling for him or becoming a devoted fan. That would be trouble.
Even the influential Marchioness Moven couldn’t compete with a doting parent when it came to their child. Seeing Norovin still following Dorothy proved that.
Though slightly puzzled, Dorothy greeted Bane politely.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Dorothy Sailor.”
Bane’s face seemed slightly flushed as he spoke.
“I’ve always wanted to meet you. It’s an honor. My mother always said you were busy.”
Indeed, she was busy. Judging by his attitude, Dorothy now understood why they were meeting for the first time.
“I also enjoyed your Hero and the Blue Horn Flute series. Your writing made the meadows come alive. I hope to see a blue-maned horse myself someday.”
A fan, of course. From Bane’s lengthy comments, Dorothy thought of the perfect response.
“Would you like me to sign it?” she asked with a smile.
“Oh, yes! Please do!”
Bane nodded eagerly. He tried to act composed but was still very much a boy at heart.
Dorothy remembered how unusually doting the Rollo Countess was toward her only son. Tall, skilled in swordsmanship, and joining a knightly order—he had been subtly bragged about. And most importantly…
“The Countess mentioned that you dance very well, right?”
Dorothy recalled Bane’s reputation as a skilled dancer—he led dances gracefully.
“You flatter me,” Bane said, clearly unaccustomed to compliments.
“I’ve heard you dance very well too.”
“Yes, I’m somewhat versatile,” Dorothy replied, pulling out a pen from her bag. Bane fetched paper from a drawer. Quick and thoughtful—he seemed like a good dance partner.
“Why are you here, Bane?” Dorothy asked.
“My mother told me to stay here.”
Dorothy paused. The Countess had instructed her son to stay in this room? Why, after keeping him hidden from Dorothy all this time? Strange, but she accepted it. Perhaps the Countess wanted her fan to get an autograph. Still, did today’s children obey their mothers so well, or was he just mild-mannered?
“Seems you follow your mother’s instructions well,” Dorothy said.
Bane smiled silently.
“Do you know why she told you to stay here?”
“I don’t. I just obey her.”
A mama’s boy. Dorothy smiled knowingly and began signing. Her strokes were confident yet artistic, and the high-quality paper absorbed the ink perfectly.
“My name is…”
“Bane Rollo,” he said. Dorothy nodded and continued, asking:
“Where is the Countess now?”
“My mother is out.”
Out?
Dorothy’s brows rose.
“I came at her invitation, but she isn’t here?”
“She has a lunch engagement today, so she went out.”
Something felt off. Did someone forge her handwriting as a prank? No, it was definitely her handwriting. Dorothy might not be a handwriting analyst, but she could recognize familiar writing.
“Where did she go?”
“Probably to the Moven household.”
The Moven family. That was ominous enough, and now hearing the name made it worse.
“Then why send me a letter so urgently?”
So she deliberately sent the letter, insisting Dorothy come this afternoon. Almost like setting up a meeting with her son. It felt like a prearranged matchmaking. Could it really be?
Dorothy, seeing Bane happily waiting for the autograph, finished writing in a hurry.
“Here’s your signature.”
“Thank you so much!”
Dorothy gave a polite smile and hurriedly stood.
“Leaving so soon?”
“Yes. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
I shouldn’t stay here. It’s too frightening.
She expected to be threatened after discovering the affair, but to think the Countess would try to marry off her son to silence her! Her charm was immense, but to think it was enough to make the Countess want her as a daughter-in-law—she was flattered.
