Diana winked at Dorothea and left the drawing room with a relieved face as if she had finished all her work.
Dorothea, who had overslept and missed breakfast, quickly sat down and reached for the sandwich in front of her.
Valerie asked with a smile.
“Did yesterday’s business go well?”
“Thanks.”
“It’s my first time visiting the Marquis, so I brought a simple gift to commemorate the occasion.”
The maid standing behind her placed the object at Dorothea's feet.
“It’s nothing special. It’s just a homemade scented candle. If you light it for an hour or two before going to bed, it will help you sleep much more deeply. It will also help you wake up refreshed in the morning.”
“I will gratefully accept the gift. I think it will be useful since I often have trouble sleeping at night.”
"Thank God."
Valerie smiled brightly and shyly tucked her flowing hair behind her ear.
She never lost her smile and listening to her sweet and soft voice seemed to make the person she was with feel drowsy.
“Didn’t the ladies say anything about my absence yesterday?”
“I don’t want to incur His Highness’s displeasure. Besides, I’ve been good at talking things through. No one will misunderstand the relationship between you two.”
Dorothea, who had been quietly listening to the soft words spoken by the girl whose gaze was always full of kindness, suddenly opened her mouth.
“Did you send the invitation to help me and His Highness meet?”
Since he had been warned by the Emperor, the Prince could not formally invite Dorothea. It would have been difficult for him to visit the Marquis due to the strict security.
Dorothea also needed an excuse to go out 'legitimately'.
Valerie's invitation met all the requirements.
Despite the somewhat direct question, Valerie obediently answered yes without losing her smile.
“Yes, it was my foolish attempt to help you two meet.”
“I don’t know for sure, but it seems like His Highness the Crown Prince is holding something quite important for Young Lady Valerie.”
Even though yesterday's tea party was hastily organized, it seemed like a lot of care was put into it.
She made all sorts of preparations to invite Dorothea and even silence the ladies who attended the tea party.
There was more than one annoying thing to consider.
What is the reason to win the Prince's favor even after risking all that?
She was interested.
Valerie, who had been relaxed throughout her words, paused for the first time and quietly put down her teacup.
“I owe him a debt, to His Highness. Certainly.”
Her eyes sparkled and she turned to Dorothea.
“But this time, I didn’t volunteer for that reason.”
Following the soft voice, the girl's beautiful, pure white fingers gently placed themselves on Dorothea's cool hand.
The lukewarm warmth warmed the back of her hand.
“I want to be close to Young Lady.”
Dorothea looked down at the stranger's hand covering the back of her hand and muttered softly.
“I can’t believe you want to be friends with me.”
She had seen a lot of people snooping around to get soybean goods, but this was the first time she had seen someone reach out to her this much at a loss.
Humans are bright animals by nature, and they would never call themselves a one-sided relationship.
“I want to be friends.”
Friend.
It was a very unfamiliar word.
Dorothea pondered the very unfamiliar and vague words in her mouth, then slowly raised her head.
The sparkling eyes were as harmless as a deer.
Although the Prince drew the line, saying that Valerie's efforts were more like a kind of barter transaction and therefore not worth worrying about, it was also Dorothea's business.
Considering all the hard work Valerie had put in, there was no reason why she couldn't do what she wanted.
But...
“I don’t really know what Young Lady wants in terms of ‘becoming close friends.’”
Dorothea knew better than anyone that she was awkward at interacting with people.
Habits are not easily changed, and for her, who still had memories of her past life, it was difficult to accept whoever approached her.
“You know, Young Lady, but I don’t have any peers I can interact with. I have cousins, but they are only boys.”
"Yes. I hadn't even thought about it. I guess you felt burdened because I spoke hastily.”
Valerie slightly lowered her head and blushed as if she was embarrassed.
“It’s not that it’s burdensome, it’s that I don’t know much.”
Valerie, who had been deep in thought after hearing Dorothea's calm answer, soon opened her mouth again.
“First, may I learn a little more about you?”
“About me?”
“Let’s start with what the young lady is interested in. First of all, what kind of things do you do daily?”
Dorothea, who was staring at the girl, stood up.
There was nothing in particular that she couldn't show to the outside world.
“Then shall we go to the study first?”
Valerie's eyes, following her, began to sparkle with anticipation.
***
At that moment, Dane was sitting on a corner of Edwin's bed with a very serious expression on his face.
“I’m tired after staying in the study late yesterday. Can you leave now, you little enemy-like brother?”
Contrary to his smiling face and gentle voice, Dane put on a serious face at the cold greeting.
“Aren’t you worried about your cousin?”
"What?"
“That girl, Thea. She must be talking to the Viscountess Germain right now.”
“Yeah, I heard that too. She stayed late at the tea party yesterday and came back, and she came to visit her today, so I guess they become quite close. That’s a good thing.”
Dane clicked his tongue at Edwin's carefree words.
He prided himself on knowing his cousin better than anyone else.
And the Dorothea Highclere that Dane knew was never someone who could win the favor of a noble lady right away.
Edwin, who had been watching his fidgeting younger brother, finally sighed and sat up.
“I have heard of the Lady of Viscount Germain. According to my close friend, her personality is calm and kind, and she is easy-going enough to get along well with sensitive ladies.”
Contrary to Edwin's intention to convey that Valerie would be able to get along well with the quirky Thea, the shadows on Dane's face deepened.
“There’s no way Young Lady, with her calm and gentle personality, could deal with Thea, who only looks at books full of strange letters all day long.”
While Dane was tearing out his hair in concern for his unusual cousin, the maid knocked on the door and came in with a late breakfast.
"Thank you. You can leave it there.”
“Yes, Master.”
Dane, who was in tears, reached for his brother's meal and asked a question to the maid who was about to leave.
“What about Thea and the young lady of Viscount Germain?”
“The two of them went to the study together.”
"Study?"
“Yes, I heard that they decided to find out each other’s interests first to build friendships...”
Before the maid could finish speaking, Dane sprang out of bed, crossed the threshold faster than an arrow, and disappeared in the direction of the study.
Edwin, who was able to avoid having his breakfast stolen by his younger brother, picked up his spoon leisurely.
The maid, who had been staring blankly in the direction where Dane had disappeared, touched her cheek and muttered.
“Every time I see him, Master Dane is the most special.”
“He takes care of Thea in his own way.”
Edwin put shredded bread on top of the thick soup and put a large spoonful into his mouth.
“Mmm, it’s delicious.”
He thinks it tastes twice as good when he eats it Thea's way.
***
Dorothea turned her head away, pretending not to see her cousin, who had entered the study panting madly.
She was just about to show Valerie her favorite books when he burst in. When Dane saw the books in Dorothea's hands, his eyes widened and he squeezed his heart out.
'It looks like you've finally come to your senses.'
She had thought he was in danger since he was little, but now it seemed he was gone for good.
However, it is against etiquette to leave guests standing.
Dorothea lightly pushed the boy who was blocking her view.
"Move."
He quickly grabbed Dorothea's shoulder as he saw the pile of books she had piled up.
“Thea, listen. That's because this isn't real. If you keep doing this, you’ll lose all your new friends.”
She held out the book to Valerie, ignoring her cousin's earnest words.
[Monster Encyclopedia] [After Death] [Reaper and Human] [All Extraterrestrial Beings in this World] [Curse Series]
In addition, several books on basic fighting and martial arts were piled up in front of Valerie.
Valerie carefully examined each book handed to her with deep-set dark eyelashes.
Dane couldn't bring himself to take the book out of her hand and kept checking Valerie's expression with anxious eyes.
Valerie carefully turned the pages and read the next book, and the one after that, without saying a word.
After spending a long time concentrating on Dorothea's 'interests', she finally closed the last book.
“These are unique and rare books.”
What she said with a grin was completely true.
It was not something anyone would intentionally look for, so it was rarely sold even in bookstores.
“I think it’s good to have detailed pictures to make it easier to understand.”
That's because Dorothea prefers books that are illustrated with pictures as well as explanations.
“Ah, curse book. I also own this book.”
After all, she has it in her possession.
Dane, who had been listening to each comment, only then realized.
'This girl is not an ordinary person.'
Of course, the Young Lady, who had approached Dorothea and actively wanted to become her friend, couldn't have been ordinary.
After sharing her recent reading list, Dorothea looked up and out of the study as if waiting for something.
Dane, who was watching her like that, mentally estimated the time and then realized what Dorothea was waiting for and turned pale.
Before he could stop her, he heard heavy footsteps thumping across the hallway.
Every time a thumping sound was heard, the vibrations spread not only through the hallway but also into the study, reaching them.
As Valerie blinked and turned her head toward the source of the sound, the sturdy door was ripped open with a loud crash.
“This kind of question...”
Harsh profanities rang in Dane's ears.
The giant, who had just thrown the door he had broken down with one hand far away, grumbled as he stepped over the threshold of the study.
“That’s why I told you to put it in something sturdy. I can’t use it at all.”
Aiden Highclere entered the study with a face without a trace of reflection, as if he had done nothing wrong, and smiled brightly at his niece, whom it would not hurt to look at.
“Thea, I’m sure you haven’t forgotten the training session you promised me today, right?”
“Uncle.”
Dorothea has grown almost twice as much as when she first entered the Marquis.
Although she has now grown to the point where he looks similar to her peers, she still looks tiny in front of Aiden, who is huge in stature.
She lifted her head and looked up at Aiden.
“A guest is visiting today.”
As soon as Dorothea finished speaking, Valerie, who was standing next to her, slightly bent her knee and greeted him politely.
“Good to meet you, Sir Aiden Highclere. I have heard of your brilliant exploits on the battlefield. I am Valerie of the Viscount Germain.”
“I have also met Viscount Germain. He’s a good person.”
There was disappointment in Aiden's voice as he reluctantly responded. This is because he had an uneasy premonition that the long-awaited intimate time with his niece would disappear.
On the other hand, Dane, who had been watching this anxiously from the side, sighed in relief.
There was no way to know what would happen if his uncle, who was already unpredictable, were to deal with a noble lady like Valerie.
'Yes, even though Thea is strange, she doesn't lack common sense.'
Dane, who was trying to relax, couldn't believe his ears the next moment when he heard the words coming out of Dorothea's mouth.
“So, I’m thinking of joining the training with Lady Valerie.”
As Aiden slumped his shoulders and was about to leave the study, joy welled up in his eyes.
In contrast, Dane's eyes were filled with astonishment.
Aiden, known as the mad dog of the battlefield, looked at the two rabbit-like girls standing side by side in front of him and made a firm determination with excitement.
'I must pass on to these children everything I have learned throughout my life.'
All the survival skills he's learned from rolling around on the battlefield since a young age, as well as how to thoroughly subdue and subdue his opponents.
He was willing and willing to share everything he had done to survive on the battlefield.
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