USML 35

Chapter 35

“Miss Vanessa is still upstairs.”
“Oh, really?”
‘Should I wait until Vanessa comes down to the manor?’
Sherry tapped her chin with her index finger, pondering, then shook her head and her eyes lit up.
‘No, I want to see Vanessa as soon as possible, even if it’s just for a second.’

Satisfied with her decision, Sherry dashed straight up to her room. If Dave had seen her, he would probably have scolded her for being so reckless. As soon as Sherry entered the room, she opened the wardrobe without hesitation.

The servant followed her, looking confused.
“Ah… Miss?”

Sherry rolled her eyes and pulled out her favorite dress—the one she had worn on her last date with Vanessa. She squinted and scanned the dress from top to bottom.
‘No, I’ve worn this one before.’

Sherry tossed the dress back, and the servant hurriedly caught it as it fell.

Next, she picked up the dress her father had bought for her. She scrutinized it carefully.
‘Hmm, no. It’s out of style.’

Again, she threw it back, and the servant caught it. In this way, Sherry stacked a mountain of dresses in the servant’s arms and only left the wardrobe after some time.

“We’ve arrived at the manor.”

The coachman opened the carriage door and stepped back. Sherry, more tense than ever, took a deep breath and rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress before leaping out of the carriage.

The manor was busy and slightly chaotic under the dim evening lights, with lanterns lining the entrance to welcome the high season.

As Sherry reached the first floor and stepped over the threshold, the bustling staff turned their attention to her.
“Oh… Miss Sherry has arrived.”

One familiar face approached her. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and smiled awkwardly.
‘It doesn’t look like they’re just busy with work.’

Ignoring her instinct, Sherry lifted the corners of her mouth.
“Yes, it’s been a while.”

Other staff members peeked over and greeted her as well. Sherry accepted their greetings while sharply observing her surroundings. Today, more groups than usual were clustered in threes and fives, talking among themselves.
‘What on earth is going on?’

For a moment, she stood in the middle of the long corridor where it split into two paths. She scratched her cheek and tried to recall.
‘Hmm, Vanessa’s office is at the far left of the first floor, right?’

As Sherry turned left, she froze in place.
“Did you hear? There’s a rumor that His Grace, Duke Dustin, proposed to Miss Sherry.”

The sharp voice came from a group gathered below the staircase. Sherry’s jaw dropped in shock.
‘Who would ever accept that man’s proposal?’

Focused on the entrance exam, she had paid little attention to her surroundings, yet such a rumor had already spread. Sherry’s eyes cooled as she stared into the air.
‘Father… Dave.’

Her father and Dave knew the rumor but had not informed her. Correcting it might have led to mentioning Vanessa, so they chose silence. After all, rumors tend to be buried by other rumors. Sherry agreed with this logic—there was no need to intervene and clarify such absurd and ridiculous gossip.

Sherry sighed and took a step forward, then froze again.
“You’re wrong, wrong.”
“Wrong?”
“Yesterday… His Grace attended Lady Yuliana’s birthday party.”
“What? That can’t be true!”

Indeed, it was impossible. Sherry ground her teeth, scowling.
‘Why would that man even go there?’

Her doubt was fleeting, as the answer was clear:
‘He must have gone to see Vanessa.’

Sherry pressed her back against the wall and slowly backed up to eavesdrop on the conversation. The employee speaking couldn’t hide his excitement as he tapped the arm of another employee.
“It’s true! They say the person proposed to is Miss Vanessa! His Grace approached her…”

“Not at all.”

A calm voice cut through the noise. Sherry peeked from around the corner, hiding.
“Ro-Robert.”

The speaker was none other than Robert. Some in the group blushed at his appearance, while others clicked their tongues, frustrated that their lively gossip had been interrupted.

Sherry carefully observed. Robert approached them with a gentle smile and hands clasped behind his back.
“I’m not sure what you heard, but His Grace is merely interested in our Anima business.”

The employee who had been speaking timidly raised a hand.
“But I heard—”

“Are you sure this is appropriate? Would you like me to tell His Grace that you’re spreading false rumors?”

Robert cut him off sharply. The employee gulped and waved his hands in panic.
“I-I’m not spreading rumors, I just… heard it myself—”

“That’s why words from the mouth are so dangerous. They’re always distorted.”

Robert’s face hardened, and his voice carried a chilling edge. The employees fell silent, wary that Robert might trace the source of the rumor.

After a moment, Robert’s smile returned, but it was subtly different—calculated, sly even. Everyone noticed, including Sherry.
“Since it’s uncertain how the Dustin family will react to this rumor, please refrain from spreading it further.”

One employee bristled, ready to protest, but another grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
“Let’s go, okay?”

Even while being led away, the employee’s eyes stayed fixed on Robert, whispering that he never realized Robert could be so cold and calculating.

The corridor cleared, and Robert turned, observing the left corner where Sherry hid.
“Eavesdropping is improper behavior.”

Though she tried to remain hidden, trained ears are hard to fool. Sherry bit her lip, looking uneasy. He wasn’t the type to back down.
‘No choice.’

She smiled awkwardly and stepped out from the corner.
“Robert, long time no see.”

Robert froze, his face and ears flushing crimson as if burned by fire.
“Mi-Miss Sherry.”

He covered his red face with the back of his hand, unable to meet her gaze.
“Ah… How is it that you’re at the manor—”

He was nothing like the man who had intimidated the staff earlier.
‘Why is he acting like this?’

Sherry observed him, narrowing her eyes. His reaction was like a boy seeing his first love.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

She forced a smile and moved quickly to get an answer and head to Vanessa.
“Robert, could you tell me exactly what the staff were talking about earlier?”

Robert lowered his hand from his face, hiding his embarrassment. He blinked suspiciously.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean.”

Sherry clarified:
“I mean, what happened between Vanessa and Duke Dustin?”

“That’s impossible. Nothing happened between them.”

Robert smiled gently, shaking his head. If she hadn’t seen the situation herself, she might have believed his innocent and upright expression.
‘Why lie?’

Sherry raised an eyebrow, suspicious, then smiled faintly.
“Alright… understood.”

‘No choice, I’ll have to ask Yuria.’

Perhaps Vanessa had ordered him to keep quiet, or maybe Robert had stayed silent to avoid trouble for her. Regardless, forcing him to speak wasn’t an option.

“Are you worried?”

Robert spoke cautiously, observing her reaction. Sherry gave a faint nod.
“…Mm.”

Though she didn’t speak aloud, it was a clear affirmation. Robert’s face brightened, and he bowed slightly with a joyful smile.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen that you need to concern yourself with.”

Though his sentence ended politely, he bit his lips to suppress a smile that seemed on the verge of escaping. Sherry furrowed her brows, sensing a subtle threat beneath his words. Robert’s calm, almost gentle demeanor carried a strange, chilling authority.

Soon, he resumed his usual gentle expression and smiled.
“I’ll take my leave then.”

Sherry gave a slight bow and followed Robert’s shadow as he departed. He was somehow elusive, leaving her wondering if the man she saw in the city was the same.
‘I’ll have to check his background.’

Sherry turned the corner, putting her doubts aside to finally meet Vanessa.

“Department head.”
“…….”
“Department head!”

Bang—!

A stack of papers fell heavily onto the desk. Startled, I snapped awake as if roused from sleep.

Looking up, Kaian glared at me sharply.
“Kaian?”

He frowned and exhaled deeply, clearly displeased with my dazed expression.
“Everyone else is working diligently. Why are you dozing off?”
“I’m not dozing. I was thinking.”

I responded flatly to his stern tone. It was true—I just had a lot on my mind.

It wasn’t because of the rumors surrounding Yuliana’s birthday party. Yuria had asked that nothing leak to the social circles, and most of the stories about me were just exaggerations or misunderstandings, not believed as truth.

Of course, given the people involved, it would take some time before the rumors faded.