Chapter 103

Chapter 103

After getting off the carriage, I said goodbye to the young marquis and entered the house. There, I found my siblings huddled together by the door, waiting for me. Roti and Ryan stood hand in hand, waving at me the moment they saw me, calling out ‘Hi!’ But Ren only wore a face full of dissatisfaction.

“You should have said you’d be late.”

“Uh… Sorry…”

Ren was especially prickly today. I gave Roti a bewildered look, wondering what was bothering him now. Roti shouted on his behalf: ‘Oppa cooked dinner and waited, but Noona was late — he’s mad!’

“Oh. Is that so? Sorry.”

I turned back to Ren and spoke.

“You didn’t even eat lunch before you went out, huh? Did the person waiting for you even cross your mind?”

But he still hadn’t loosened his expression. At times like this, there was truly no one more nagging. Raise a kid diligently from childhood and this is the final product you get… If you asked me, he was worse than Mother when she was alive.

“Alright. My bad. Hmm… so, have you eaten?”

“Of course we ate — you were late. You should go eat, Noona.”

“Sure. Sure. Thanks.”

Anyhow, I patted the head of Ren, who’d already grown taller than me, then turned my steps toward the kitchen. Roti trotted after me, and Ryan toddled along behind her.

“Noona, make me fluffy bread!”

At that, Roti suddenly plastered herself against my side and tugged at my clothes, shouting. By ‘fluffy bread,’ she meant the kind with an awfully finicky process, so I felt a bit daunted. But I decided not to refuse the wish of my third sibling, who was throwing a rare tantrum.

“Alright. Then I’ll make it for lunch tomorrow. Do we have eggs at home?”

“Yes! I bought them myself?”

At that, Roti nodded enthusiastically, delighted. She’d even bought eggs in advance — there was no wriggling out of it now. Looked like tomorrow I’d have no choice but to beat egg whites until my arm fell off.

By then, Ren had already reached the kitchen and was turning the doorknob. He held the open door and waited for me to come. But his expression was still silently brimming with displeasure at his tardy sister. Even so, his ingrained thoughtfulness seemed to be working faithfully.

‘Tch. What an amusing kid he always is.’

I chuckled softly and stepped through the kitchen doorway. A small table and the modest stove beyond it came into view. They were the kind of simple things you’d never have seen in the mansion we’d lived in before.

‘Still, it’s not bad.’

I thought so as I settled into a seat at the table. Honestly, in my heart, I wished the kids could have more than this. But even so, I didn’t feel a lack. In fact, this place was more than enough to build new memories. So the twinge of regret was probably just my own greed.

“Noona, who was that handsome oppa who dropped you off this time?”

Roti scurried over and plopped down in the seat next to me, then tugged Ryan into her lap in front of her. “Hey,” she said, turning to me. “The young marquis? You were home the whole time—when did you see him?”

“Huh, the young marquis? You were inside the house—when did you spot him?”

I shrugged, brushing it off. Probably the kid had been waiting for me and spotted the young marquis through the window. Nonchalant. Easy.

“I saw him too,” Ren cut in, setting dishes down in front of me. “But the young marquis? Weren’t you at the duke’s manor? Why’s the young marquis giving you a ride? How do you two even know each other?” The questions poured out of him, sharp with suspicion. I scrambled mentally for answers that wouldn’t let my cocky little brother latch onto something.

“Mm… the duke and the young marquis are friends,” I said. “So naturally I got to know him. And today, I ran into him by chance at the ducal manor.”

“So… you’re pretty close now?” he pressed.

“Something like that…”

“But as the words left my mouth, I wondered if I could really call us close. He was stuck in that awkward position—a friend of my superior. And he had feelings for me too. So what the hell did that make us?”

“I like that oppa. Invite him over!” Roti looked up at me and blurted out, her eyes sparkling in a way that instantly betrayed her real motive.

“I was lost in thought when Roti looked up at me and chirped, “I like that oppa. You should invite him over!””

Her gaze was so absurdly bright I saw right through her. I knew exactly what my fourth sibling was after.

“You just think he’s handsome, don’t you?”

“Yeah! He’s super handsome!”

Of course. Just as I thought. Good looks were all it took for her.

Yeah, being handsome was nice and all, but Roti had a serious case of it. I didn’t want to instill lookism in a kid. So I paused, thinking over what to say to her.

“Not my type,” Ren cut in, his tone sharp. “Too slick-looking. Definitely has too many women hanging around. Pretty face like that, he’s bound to be a player.”

He dropped into the seat across from me with a heavy *thump*, propping his chin on his hand in that arrogant pose of his.

“What’s wrong with women? He’s a guy, isn’t he?” Roti turned to her older brother, frowning.

I shot Ren a glare. His mouth was too loose in front of the kid. He realized his slip and looked away, embarrassed.

“I mean… he just *looks* flashy-handsome, you know? That’s obvious at a glance… At least the duke has a fierce face, so he probably doesn’t have woman trouble… No, stop glaring, noona. I just mean, fewer women would come after him.”

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, adding, “That’s all.”

“Hey, that’s not true, is it? The duke’s eye bags are completely gone these days. His whole impression’s way better now. He looks really kind!”

I let out a disbelieving snort. How dare they badmouth the duke right in front of me? Especially now, when I’d only just fully realized how I felt about him!

I’m on a hair-trigger right now!

And contrary to whatever Ren thought, the duke was actually popular with women. Just think of those young ladies who picked a fight with me at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet. They harassed me for no reason other than that I held the position of the duke’s partner. Probably blinded by jealousy, that was all.

Well, if even I saw him as a good man, there was no reason others wouldn’t see it too. And with his high station besides, it was only natural for marriage proposals to come in from houses of similar standing.

…….

…….

……No. Nothing about it was natural!

‘I don’t care about other people — I just hate the idea of marriage proposals coming in for the duke!’

Mid-scoop of soup, I slammed my fist down on the table. That portrait in the duke’s study flashed through my mind, and rage surged up unbidden. When I’d first seen it, I’d only felt dazed. But now, thinking back on it, irritation boiled over.

Not that there was anything I could do about it. There was no way I could stop marriage proposals from coming his way. So all I could do was stew in fury alone, with no other option.

“What’s wrong…? Are you angry?”

Ren asked me in an awkward voice. I forced myself to calm down, pretending nothing was the matter, and picked up my spoon again. I didn’t want to show how upset I was over the duke for no good reason.

“No. I’m not angry. Just thinking of something that ticked me off a little.”

“……Really?”

At my words, Ren scratched one cheek awkwardly. Seeing him do that made me realize I’d let my feelings show too much — enough that my younger siblings were starting to pick up on it.

Get a grip, Laura Highen. You’re an adult! Calm down!

Wasn’t it all in my head, after all? So since things had come to this, I decided I might as well take some time at home. Let myself settle this wild seesaw of emotion while I wasn’t seeing the duke, and try to get composed somehow. Maybe then I could wait for him without getting so worked up.

* * *

I am so worked up right now…….

‘Taking it easy’ my foot. My mind’s such a mess I can’t even think straight!

Illiaje Cuvershaiden! Why in the world haven’t you contacted me yet?!

‘No way? Am I really getting fired just like that?!’

For a second, I felt my heart squeeze tight. Maybe it was an overreaction, but the fear of losing this connection with him hit me like a ton of bricks.

“No. No. Maybe the Duke… came by while we were out? You know, when I went to buy groceries. Yes, that could be it. We must have just missed each other!”

A cruel twist of fate?!

“Then he could’ve left a message or something!”

I slammed my forehead onto the table. Everything involving him was hitting me with razor-sharp sensitivity.

“What are you doing now?”

Ren pushed my head up with one hand and asked. I let my head rest on my second brother’s cool palm and let out a vague groan.

“Nothing… it’s nothing… and I’m not an adult anymore…?”

“What? Is it because you got fired?”

“……I told you, I wasn’t fired.”

“Well, if you say so… Don’t stress about it too much. By the way, I got paid from yesterday’s market work—want me to buy you strawberry tarts?”

With that, Ren offered a suggestion, as if to cheer me up. Come to think of it, he’d said he helped out at the marketplace yesterday. I had no idea how someone so frail could be of any use, but since he’d brought home wages, he must have pulled his weight somehow.

“That sounds grea—”

I was about to give an affirmative answer, seeing the proud look on his face.

Ding-dong—

But just then, a bell sounded from a distance. That metallic clang, like something cracking, was our doorbell. I shot up and dashed to the entrance in an instant. Maybe the Duke had come looking for me.

“Coming!”

I threw the door wide open—and there stood a tall man before me. But unfortunately, his light brown hair and verdant eyes weren’t the Duke’s.

“Ah, Young Marquis?”

“Hello, Laura.”

“Hello. What brings you here?”

A flicker of disappointment stirred inside me, but I forced a smile and looked up at him. He responded with a smile so faint it was almost imperceptible.