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Chapter : 14
“What are you doing?”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t you know I hate cake?”
“…You hate it?”
Damn it.
Hating cake.
I’d heard there were people who disliked desserts, but this was the first time I’d ever seen one in real life.
Hating cake.
No wonder his personality was so awful—
“There’s no way you didn’t know that. So what exactly are you trying to pull here?”
“No, I really didn’t know.”
I hurriedly shook my head.
I truly had no idea he hated cake.
But my answer only made Lawrence’s face twist further.
“Forget it.”
Letting out a small sigh, he glared at me.
“One week. If you can’t find the photo by then, I’m done covering for you.”
“…….”
“All the things you’ve done to me so far—I won’t have any choice but to talk.”
Lawrence growled, as if delivering a final warning.
“Or maybe I should just start talking right now.”
After saying that, Lawrence flicked his gaze to the clock.
“The Duke of Herarilla will be arriving soon, after all.”
“…What?”
At his words, I shot up from the sofa.
“The Duke of Herarilla is coming?”
I whipped my head around to look at the clock.
“When? When is he coming?”
It was almost three o’clock.
If I ran into the Duke of Herarilla here, things would get extremely complicated…
“……”
The Duke absolutely hated it when I met other people.
The day he caught me going out, I’d said I was just sightseeing in the capital square, and that was the only reason it ended there.
But if I met him at the Gerhardt ducal residence—
“Th-the Duke, I mean, my father—when did you say he’s coming?”
“At three.”
Damn it.
I ran toward the drawing room door, then abruptly changed direction and sprinted for the window instead.
“I must be crazy.”
The Herarilla carriage stopped in front of the Gerhardt ducal estate, and soon the Duke of Herarilla stepped down.
“What’s wrong with you?”
At some point, the young duke had come up beside me and was looking out the window as well.
“Where are you meeting him?”
“What?”
“I can’t let him find out I’m here.”
“What are you talking about?”
When I grabbed Lawrence’s hand, he lightly pulled it toward himself.
“Please help me! Please?”
“…”
“I’ll do everything you tell me to from now on! Just this once, please help me.”
“…”
“If he finds out I’m here, I might actually die!”
Lawrence’s eyes wavered, clearly flustered.
Afraid he might shake me off, I clutched him even tighter.
Getting from here to the Herarilla estate without being noticed was impossible without Lawrence’s help.
“Please.”
“……”
“All I have to do is not get caught, right?”
“Yes!”
After a brief silence, Lawrence let out a small sigh and said he would help.
“Wait here.”
With that, he left me alone and exited the drawing room.
“Haa…”
He’d agreed more easily than I expected.
Though I had no idea how he planned to help.
“……”
Just in case, I scanned the drawing room.
Then I hurried to the window and lifted one leg up.
I thought it might be best to hide behind the curtain.
“Patricia, what are you doing?”
But as I was halfway up, Lawrence rushed over in surprise and pulled me back down.
“That’s dangerous. What do you think you’re doing?”
“I just thought it might be good to hide, just in case.”
“What?”
He glanced at the window, then shook his head slightly.
“I’ll take you outside. Come on.”
“What about the Duke—my father?”
“I told him to wait for a moment.”
“……”
“Let’s go.”
I nodded, and Lawrence sighed softly before moving forward.
“But why can’t he find out you’re here?”
“Ah… I’m under house arrest right now.”
“House arrest?”
Lawrence frowned slightly.
“Then you snuck out?”
“Yes.”
“Since when?”
“…Since the beginning?”
“What do you mean, since the beginning?”
Lawrence led me toward the west staircase used only by servants, not the central stairs.
“My father doesn’t like me leaving the house. But last time I went out, I got caught.”
“……”
“And if I get caught again—”
Lawrence slowed to a stop, and I hurriedly closed my mouth.
I leaned out slightly from behind him to look ahead.
“Hm?”
But there was nothing in front of him.
Why did he stop?
“Young Duke, why—”
Lawrence turned to look at me.
“Is that why you couldn’t come?”
“…What?”
“During that time. You only came again after a week.”
“…Yes.”
I thought for a moment about what he meant, then simply nodded.
Lingering here any longer felt dangerous.
“I—I think we should hurry.”
When I lightly placed my hand on his shoulder, urging him on, Lawrence started walking again.
“So that’s why.”
He seemed to murmur something, but his voice was too quiet for me to hear.
Still, his steps felt somehow gentler.
“Um… he didn’t notice, right?”
“Don’t worry.”
Lawrence shook his head slightly and opened the carriage door.
“It’s not even a Herarilla carriage you came in.”
“Still…”
When I glanced back nervously, he shook his head again.
“The room he’s in doesn’t have windows. Don’t worry—go.”
I nodded and finally climbed the carriage steps.
“Wait!”
At my call, Lawrence paused just as he was about to close the door.
“Thank you so much.”
“…It’s nothing.”
“And the photos—”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
He shrugged lightly, looking a bit embarrassed.
“See you next week.”
Thud.
He closed the carriage door and gave it a light tap. The coachman immediately urged the horses forward.
For some reason, Lawrence stood still, watching the carriage, and I waved at him softly.
“Young Duke!”
Simon spotted Lawrence entering through the front hall and called out to him.
“Where did the young lady go?”
“……”
“And why did you tell us not to mention the young lady to the Duke of Herarilla?”
Simon couldn’t understand why Lawrence had made the Duke of Herarilla wait in the second drawing room.
On top of that, he wasn’t allowed to bring up Patricia at all.
“Where is the young lady?”
Where had Patricia Herarilla gone this time?
“Young Duke!”
Lawrence valued punctuality, yet he’d made the Duke wait—just what had he been doing?
When Simon raised his voice slightly, Lawrence stopped.
“Ah, I’m sorr—”
At that moment, Simon realized he’d crossed a line and hurriedly bowed his head.
“She left.”
“…Pardon?”
“Patricia left.”
Yet despite Simon’s mistake, Lawrence didn’t seem particularly displeased.
Of course, his answer didn’t fully satisfy Simon’s curiosity, but Simon simply nodded and refrained from asking more.
“Duke of Herarilla, I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
At Lawrence’s words, the Duke of Herarilla slowly looked around the drawing room, then shook his head.
It seemed he wasn’t pleased about being brought to the second drawing room.
“The other drawing room is under renovation, so we had no choice but to receive you here.”
Sensing his mood, Lawrence added the explanation, and only then did the Duke’s face soften into a faint smile.
“If it’s under renovation, it can’t be helped.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“It’s been quite some time since I last saw the Duke of Gerhardt. Has he been well?”
“Yes, he’s in good health. I’ll be sure to pass along your regards.”
Lawrence lifted the teacup before him with a faint smile.
That was enough courtesy exchanged.
There was nothing else he wished to chat about with the Duke of Herarilla, so he took a sip of tea, signaling it was time to get to the point.
“However, I hear you visited the estate last week?”
Just as Lawrence set the cup down and was about to call Simon, the Duke spoke.
“Ah…”
Recalling the day Patricia had cried, Lawrence let out a quiet sound.
“I was told you were looking for Patricia. Why was that?”
The Duke’s narrow eyes scrutinized Lawrence intently.
“Did she perhaps make some sort of mistake toward you…?”
“…No.”
Lawrence shook his head.
‘He mustn’t find out I’m here.’
Patricia’s desperate face as she clung to his hand flashed through his mind.
She’d been terrified just at the thought of being discovered.
If he spoke of her past missteps now, it didn’t feel right.
“Then why were you looking for her?”
“……”
Lawrence hesitated.
He needed a reason—one that wouldn’t harm Patricia and wouldn’t raise suspicion.
Swallowing a sigh, he spoke.
“I had something to ask of her.”
“A request? To Patricia?”
Lawrence nodded.
“What could the young duke possibly ask of that child—”
The Duke’s tone grew wary.
“…The Starlight Ball.”
“……”
“I asked her to be my partner.”
Drawing in another breath, Lawrence finished,
“That was my request.”
