TMKC 12

Chapter 12 

Too Much Karma to Confess

5 o’clock sharp.

As promised, Branden came to pick her up.

“Are you ready, Dorothy?”

Dorothy, dressed as neatly as possible, froze when she saw his outfit.

Branden was wearing a perfectly pressed three-piece suit.

He even carried a hat and cane, as if it were only natural.

His attire was flawless, without a single flaw.

His fingertips were perfectly groomed.

Not a single wrinkle marred his sleeves, as if by compulsion.

On top of that, he wore a perfume Dorothy had never smelled before.

In Sailebrums, a town dominated by farmers and merchants, such attire was rare.

“Yes, thank you,” she replied politely.

Unsurprisingly, Branden attracted attention as they walked through the street.

People’s stares could have bothered him—but he seemed completely unbothered.

He carried himself with an air of not caring how others looked at him.

“Come, I’ll escort you. Let’s go slowly.”

He guided Dorothy’s hand to rest on his arm.

Never having received such an escort before, Dorothy blinked in surprise.

But more importantly—did she really need an escort just going nearby?

“Shall I take off my coat if the night gets chilly?” he asked.

“No, it’s fine. Thank you for your concern, Duke.”

Dorothy answered politely, thinking that gentlemen in the capital were simply like this.

On the way to the bakery.

Crossing a small bridge over the stream, the shop came into view.

“It seems more people won than I expected,” Dorothy remarked.

Crossing the bridge, they saw a long line in front of the store.

People leaving the shop carried boxes of cake.

Clearly, this wasn’t a scheme targeting only a few winners—it wasn’t a scam or a pyramid scheme.

“It seems there’s no reason to be suspicious anymore, right?”

Joining the line, Branden spoke leisurely.

“Yes. I was worrying unnecessarily. The thief Mrs. Horton mentioned must have been a simple delivery person.”

“A thief?”

“Yes. They said last night that a suspicious person had been wandering the streets.”

“Ah, so that’s why there was suspicion,” Dorothy replied.

The corner of Branden’s eye curved in a pleasant smile.

“Not a thief, but a very generous person, apparently. Holding an event like this… don’t you wonder what kind of person it is?”

“Hmm, probably a very wealthy person, right?”

Dorothy pondered his question before answering.

“And very capricious, too.”

“Why? Can you explain? Maybe it’s just for promoting the store.”

“No, it wouldn’t help the store at all. On the contrary, this shop is notorious for its rarity.”

Its very scarcity served as tremendous marketing.

People from neighboring towns would come specifically to taste its limited desserts.

Due to the early-morning crowds, everything would sell out within two hours.

Those who missed out didn’t give up—they waited for the next chance.

“Wouldn’t someone have paid a fortune to make the store open just for tonight? And this shop only opens at night…”

The bakery didn’t open early without reason—it involved customer demand, the baking process, and other interests.

“Perhaps some wealthy patron specifically ordered the shop to open just for tonight.”

“Wow…”

Dorothy simply answered Branden’s question.

After she spoke, Branden’s face turned bright red.

He covered his mouth with his large hand, staring at her intently.

“…Duke? Are you ill? Your face is red,” Dorothy asked, flustered.

“Ah, I feel a bit dizzy. Perhaps it’s a slight cold,” he replied.

At that, Branden’s previously distant expression brightened.

For someone claiming a slight cold, he looked suspiciously cheerful.

Maybe he was masking the pain with a deliberately bright smile.

“Good heavens.”

Last time it was his legs, now it’s a cold.

Surely, he must be more delicate than he appears.

“Why did you follow me even though you’re not feeling well?”

“I understand how Dorothy wants to make her sister happy. Of course, I should accompany her.”

“Even so…”

Dorothy looked up at him, feeling guilty that he had come despite his cold.

“Are you okay? What should I do? Shall we sit for a bit? Or go straight home?”

“No, if you just support me for a moment, I’ll be fine.”

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

Dorothy cautiously approached and supported him.

Even as his once-crisp clothes wrinkled, Branden didn’t care.

“Wow, supporting me makes me feel better already. The cold doesn’t stand a chance,” he said, smiling slyly.

On the way home after collecting the desserts.

Branden suggested several times that they go out and play, but Dorothy sharply refused.

It was impossible for a patient to go out playing.

The weight on her shoulder from supporting him was almost nonexistent.

Was he intentionally being considerate?

As they neared the house, Branden spoke.

“You seem skilled at running a store, Dorothy.”

“My mother taught me when I was young.”

“You know, Dorothy…”

He smiled subtly at her answer.

“What is it?”

“Your mother must have been an extraordinary person.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“No, I mean it.”

Branden’s light smile carried a mysterious meaning.

“In this area, few people understand terms like customer demand or marketing. Even merchants usually don’t think that way.”

“…Well…”

His casual words stirred something in her heart.

“I learned it naturally from my mother.”

“That’s interesting. Did your mother work in trade or commerce?”

“No.”

“Even more intriguing. How did a commoner, without access to books, learn such things without working in trade? Did your mother somehow naturally acquire such knowledge? That’s amazing.”

Upon reflection, his words were true.

Dorothy, also a commoner, understood that.

Commoners lived far from books and formal education.

They were too busy simply surviving.

But Dorothy learned everything naturally, guided by her mother.

“Dorothy’s mother, who ran a small shop in a quiet countryside, must have been an unusually exceptional person.”

“….”

“Perhaps not even a commoner.”

“Not a commoner? My mother truly was ordinary.”

“But didn’t Dorothy not know much about her mother’s past?”

Branden had pinpointed the core issue.

“…That’s true, but…”

“You don’t need to make such a serious face,” he said, casually, after causing her mind to stir.

“It’s just a hypothesis.”

“Have you learned something about my mother?”

“No, I just made a hypothesis.”

Branden smiled behind his back.

“If anything comes to mind about your mother or father, Dorothy, please tell me.”

“….”

“It might help.”

Branden straightened himself, leaning slightly on her support.

“We’ve arrived. Thank you for supporting me, Dorothy.”

She had been lost in thought, unaware they had reached home.

“What on earth were we doing all this time…”

As they reached the front of the house, Rose opened the door, seemingly waiting.

She noticed Dorothy’s slightly confused expression and frowned.

“Why do you look like that? What happened?”

“Ah, nothing…”

“Should I scold him for you?”

Rose dashed at Branden with a ghost-like glare.

“No, no! Lady Rose!”

“Hahaha!”

“Stop laughing and explain!”

It took quite some time to clear up Rose’s misunderstanding.