Chapter 63: Would You Act The Same?

Chapter 63 – Would You Act The Same?

On the contrary, Dorothea looked like she was sulking, but I didn’t know why. And, to be honest, I didn’t want to bother finding out. Her presence was enough unpleasantness.

“Yes, I am offended,” I replied, but there wasn’t much change in Dorothea’s expression. I turned to Florinda tiredly. “Please take Dorothea to the parlor room, Florinda.”

“I’ll stay here,” Dorothea insisted.

“But…Dorothea.”

“I’ll stay here,” she repeated stubbornly. I could feel my sanity fraying as I stared at her.

“Are you crazy, Dorothea?” I burst out.

“What?”

“I’m getting ready right now. I’m not saying I won’t go to Escliffe Mansion with you, but why are you acting like a child?”

“Is my presence that much of a disturbance?”

“I feel more comfortable getting ready quickly without someone else here.”

“Oh really?” Dorothea said. She looked at me with her lips curled, and I felt like she wasn’t acting like the usual Dorothea. Before I could ask what was going on, she interjected first.

“Would you act the same with Odeletta?” she questioned.

“…What?” I uttered, dumbfounded.

“If it were Odeletta in front of you, not me, would you act the same? Would you tell her to go down to the parlor room?”

“Of course,” I said without any hesitation. “No matter how close people are, there are still boundaries. If I’m offended by a particular behavior of yours, it’s only right to fix it.” I looked straight into Dorothea’s eyes as I spoke. “And Odeletta doesn’t act like this. There’s no way she visits without notice like you, and there’s no way she barges into my bedroom without waiting in the parlor room.”

“…”

“So there’s no reason for me to say anything to her. Do you understand?”

“You’ve really become Odeletta’s friend, haven’t you?” she scowled.

“What?”

What kind of question was that? I stared at Dorothea, speechless with shock, while Dorothea vented her anger.

“You don’t even spend time with me these days. You’re always with Odeletta, aren’t you?” she said in an accusatory tone.

“…So?” I retorted.

“Has our friendship deteriorated?”

…Was there even any friendship left between us? I stood there in amazement before managing to find the words to speak.

“Is that what you think?”

Dorothea frowned at my question. “I’m the one asking you. Don’t pass the question to me.”

In the end, I decided to answer honestly. “I don’t think it’s like it used to be.”

She lifted an eyebrow at my response. “Then why do you still choose to hang out with me?”

“…”

I couldn’t say ‘to write off the interest’, so I asked the opposite question. “You don’t want me to hang out with you?”

“How can you do this to me?” Dorothea retorted.

“…”

This was a total mess.

“Our relationship was so special. You really shouldn’t act like this to me,” she continued.

“You can’t do this to me either, Dorothea,” I answered in a level voice. “If you want to be friends with me for a long time, then please treat me politely.”

Dorothea threw her hands in the air as if she had given up. “Ha, fine. Fine!” she shouted. “I’ll be in the parlor room. Got it? Got it? Got it!”

“…”

Was she protesting?

Dorothea’s expression crumpled. “You’re so mean…and I’m really hurt. I’ll go now!” she spat, then turned her heel and stormed out of the room.

Bang!

The door slammed shut, and I stood rooted on the spot with an empty expression on my face.

That…that was it?

‘Your selfish personality hasn’t changed.’

No wonder she couldn’t get married. No, even if she were successful in snagging a husband, the problem would be what happened after that. What kind of person could put up with that kind of personality for the rest of his life?

“Haah.” A deep sigh involuntarily left my mouth. Florinda, who was watching from the side, looked at me anxiously.

“Are you alright, My Lady?” she asked in a careful voice.

“No,” I muttered.

I touched my forehead with a frustrated expression. Should I at least try to be polite to Dorothea as her forced maid? Somehow I felt like I had fallen even further than a maid.

“Shall I guide Lady Dorothea to the parlor room?” Florinda asked.

“Dorothea doesn’t know anyone in the mansion, so perhaps she hasn’t arrived there by now. Go. I’ll probably do fine on my own.” My voice was thin with exhaustion. “I’d better get ready and go out soon. It’s starting to get late.”

***

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I finished preparing approximately twenty minutes later, and then I headed towards the parlor room. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Dorothea staring ahead as she sullenly drank her tea, as if to signal her rotten mood. I had no intention of appeasing her, so I stared at without saying a word. After two minutes passed, I finally broke the silence.

“If you don’t leave now, we’ll be late,” I said flatly.

“…”

“If you’re not going to get up, then I’ll leave first.”

As I pretended to leave the parlor room with a dismissive attitude, Dorothea, who had remained glued to her seat like a statue, suddenly stood up.

I turned around, my hand still on the doorknob. I stared at Dorothea for another minute, then spoke again.

“If you’re just going to stand there, then I’ll leave first—”

“You’re a jerk,” she finally said.

“…So are you.”

I turned back towards the room and strode towards Dorothea, my heels clacking angrily against the floor. Dorothea’s cheeks were red out of anger, and I began to feel a surge of annoyance.

Was this what a maid did? Was a maid this crazy?

I gave her a stony smile. “Then you don’t have to go with me. Right?”

“Is that what you’re going to do?”

“What on earth do you want!” I shot back out of exhaustion. “Are you trying to have a fight with me?”

“You’re distancing yourself from me these days, and I don’t like it,” she pouted.

Any outsider who heard us would probably think we were having a lover’s quarrel. I didn’t say anything for a moment.

“And so?” I said finally.

“What?”

“If I were trying to keep away from you, what would you do?” I forced my voice to remain level. “What would you do if my feelings aren’t what it used to be?”

“…”

“I’m going to hang around you,” I continued. “But don’t expect a strong friendship like before, Dorothea. I’m already upset at what happened at the last tea party.”

I wouldn’t even be facing Dorothea like this if it weren’t for Countess Cornohen. But I couldn’t just lie down and let myself be trampled over. That was unfair.

“I said everything I wanted to say. What about you?”

“I don’t know how it became this way,” Dorothea said.

“…”

There was nothing I could say in answer. All I knew about these two was that they were friends, or, to be exact, just the fact that Dorothea took advantage of Maristella.

I shook my head and answered. “Think it over.”

“…”

“If we delay any longer, we’ll be late. If you’re not going now, I’ll go first.”

“Who’s not going?” Dorothea answered nervously, and came close to my side. She clung to me like a child afraid of losing their mother. “Let’s hurry.”

I left the parlor room without a word.

***

I didn’t say a word to Dorothea inside the carriage, nor did Dorothea try to speak to me. We reached the Escliffe estate in silence.

It was the first time that I had ever been here. As soon as I disembarked off the carriage, I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the mansion before me. It was enormous indeed. However, it wasn’t just the scale of the structure that made a gasp of awe leave my mouth. The exterior of the mansion itself was as beautiful as the Imperial Palace itself, boasting a classical architectural design.

‘Clearly being a duke is different.’

I shook my head and looked around. A mansion of this size definitely had a beautiful garden. As I took in the grand beauty of the estate, Dorothea stared at me oddly and spoke up.

“Why are you acting so surprised? This isn’t your first time here,” she said.

“…Oh?” I replied.

“The Escliffe mansion. You came to a party a year ago. So why are you so surprised now?”

Dammit.

I scrambled my brain for an answer. “Um…it’s amazing every time I come. As you know, I don’t have a chance to see a mansion like this often.”

“That’s true,” Dorothea said after a while and nodded in agreement. “Let’s go in,” she said in a bored voice.

At the entrance to the mansion, I presented my invitation to the servants, then remembered to take the glass jars from Florinda. It was the lemon and orange cheong I made for Claude’s birthday present.

“What’s that?” Dorothea said with a frown.

“It’s a gift,” I explained.

“For whom?”

“The Duke.”

“Duke Escliffe?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know him?” she prodded.

I was offended by her interrogative tone, but I kept my expression neutral. Answering this was not a problem.

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