DH -Ch 100

Chapter 100. Honeymoon Trip 🎉

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

The middle-aged man standing at the very front of the long line of people bowed deeply in greeting.

The Duke, stepping down from the carriage, responded to the greeting with a light nod.

When he turned and extended his hand into the carriage, the gazes of everyone who had been bowing their heads instantly focused inside.

The movement was so dramatic it almost seemed as though you could hear their eyeballs rolling.

Well, it was only natural.

The master of the mansion, who rarely visited even once in a blue moon, had suddenly arrived—and moreover, he had brought someone with him.

How could they not be curious?

According to the rumors circulating, there was talk of a marriage proposal involving the Chester family, so the entire mansion had already been in an uproar wondering if this could possibly be the person in question.

Everyone was holding their breath, thinking they would finally see the subject of those rumors, yet even after a long while, no one emerged from the carriage.

Was the person very shy? Or perhaps quite strict?

All sorts of thoughts were swirling in people’s heads when the Duke’s low voice, directed inside the carriage, reached their ears.

“It’s all right, come out.”

An extremely gentle tone.

Even the newer employees might not know, but the eyes of those who had seen him a few times before all widened in unison.

The Duke, who looked as though he had just stepped out of a painting with his breathtaking beauty, had a personality that was notoriously sharp and cold—people could barely lift their heads in his presence.

Yet here was someone who had completely transformed that man.

It only made them even more curious about the person inside the carriage.

After hesitating for quite some time, the other person finally took the Duke’s outstretched hand and stepped down from the carriage.

At last, the mysterious woman revealed herself.

Curious gazes quickly gathered right in front of the carriage.

But… everyone’s faces gradually began to look strange.

And for good reason: they had all expected a woman adorned so gorgeously that their eyes would pop out to step down from the carriage.

After all, this was Raymond von Cheister.

The young head of the Cheister family—one of the most ancient and powerful noble houses in Ruveik, possessing influence rivaling the royal family itself.

It was only natural to assume that the woman he personally escorted from the carriage would be a noble lady of equal standing.

Yet the person who stepped down, no matter how generously one looked, appeared to be nothing more than a commoner.

No—she was wearing such worn-out, dull, and drab outing clothes that calling her a commoner felt almost embarrassing.

That was how shabby she looked.

The only remotely noteworthy thing was her unusually pale and clear skin and that strange face that somehow drew the eye.

Whether he noticed the people’s agitation or not, the Duke strode into the mansion with the woman whose hand he was holding.

Those left behind stood there blankly for a long time afterward, as if bewitched.

* * *

Deborah, seated on the sofa placed in the very center of the drawing room, had been wearing a somewhat anxious expression for a while now.

She had followed his instructions, but sitting in front of people standing so politely at attention felt exactly like sitting on a cushion of thorns.

She felt completely out of it, as though under a spell.

– We’re just going on a day trip, so think of it casually.

He had only explained today’s outing when they were almost arriving.

The destination was a villa owned by the Chester family.

A quiet place he occasionally visited when he wanted to rest, he said.

He added that she would like it because it had beautiful scenery with a lake.

She had been extremely surprised, but even then, Deborah had never imagined something like this would happen.

He had said there was no need to worry and that it was a quiet enough place for a quick visit, so although she felt a little uneasy, she thought it would be fine…

She realized how wrong that assumption was the moment the carriage drew close to its destination.

The instant she saw the old mansion at the end of a road lined so long that the end was not visible—

No, the moment she saw the procession of people who had come out to greet them at the entrance, Deborah felt that the man had tricked her.

She wasn’t sure if “tricked” was the right word for the situation, but that was definitely the feeling she got.

“No, we’ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon, so there’s no need to fuss.”

At his words to the man who appeared to be the butler of this mansion, Deborah finally snapped out of her long reverie.

“Then, about attendance…”

“There’s no need to worry about that either. We’ll be using the separate wing, so don’t send anyone in until I call.”

“Ah… yes. Understood.”

The butler wore an expression of great difficulty, as though he had heard something completely unexpected.

Whether he cared or not, Raymond, having apparently said everything he wanted, issued a brief dismissal.

“Then you may go.”

“Yes, please rest well.”

At the people bowing politely, Deborah unconsciously bowed her head as well.

Tak.

The sound of the door closing echoed, and finally only the two of them remained in the drawing room.

Raymond gave a low chuckle as he looked at Deborah, who was still sitting rigidly.

“Relax.”

“…”

“No one will come until we leave tomorrow.”

At the words that she didn’t need to be so tense, the tension in Deborah’s body finally began to ease a little.

“…Is this really okay?”

The words that had been circling in her mouth for a long time finally came out.

Surely everyone had already noticed.

It would be obvious without saying that the woman the Duke had brought was of lowly status.

She asked because she was worried about the rumors that would spread from this situation.

It was too late to take back what had already happened, but even if she had known in advance, she wondered whether she could have refused.

At her worry-filled words, the man who had been silent for a moment suddenly reached out his hand toward her.

“…”

After briefly hesitating at the hand extended toward her, Deborah slowly stood and moved closer.

Raymond seated the approaching Deborah on his lap and quietly embraced her.

“Don’t think about anything else—just think about the two of us from today until tomorrow.”

“…”

“You’ve never been able to relax properly at Elfengreen, so at least here, forget everything.”

He could say that because he didn’t know how impossible it was.

But he was also right.

At Elfengreen, she had lived every day holding her breath, afraid someone might find out.

Only late at night when everyone was asleep did she go to and from his bedroom, and even then she was careful, so careful that no sound would leak outside…

It wouldn’t be possible to completely let go and relax as he said, but now that things had come to this, a small part of her thought maybe she really could try.

It was only one day, after all…

Wouldn’t it be all right to love him freely for that much time in her life?

Without watching others’ eyes, without feeling guilty.

Just as if she had been his lover from the very beginning.

Leaning into the gentle strength that embraced her waist, Deborah quietly nodded.

“I’ll do that.”

Seeming pleased with her answer, the man smiled brightly, turned Deborah’s body, and laid her down on the sofa.

As she watched him slowly lean over her, Deborah willingly wrapped her arms around his neck.

* * *

“Jade.”

“…”

“Jade!”

Several people who had been reading flinched at the sudden shout.

Jade was no exception.

His dazed gaze slowly moved to the face of the person sitting in front of him.

It was Helena, frowning and looking at him with concern.

“Why are you so spaced out? I called you and you didn’t even hear.”

“…”

“Did something happen?”

At the cautious question, Jade’s eyes wavered for a moment.

But only briefly—his expression soon returned to his usual kind-looking face.

“No, nothing happened.”

Even while smiling gently and shaking his head, Helena somehow couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.

After thinking for a while, she finally voiced the suspicion she had been harboring.

“By any chance… did something happen that day, on the last holiday?”

No matter how much she thought about it, that was the only possible cause.

Not only was he someone who rarely showed emotion over ordinary matters, but recently, the only thing that could have caused such a ripple in his daily life was that.

Deborah.

Helena had vaguely noticed that Jade’s feelings toward Deborah went beyond simple fondness.

Of course, Deborah herself seemed completely oblivious, but to Helena, who had watched them both for a long time, those feelings were crystal clear.

Only now did an anxious thought cross her mind: could Deborah’s absence today be connected to something that happened that day?

At the direct gaze, the fake smile that had lingered on Jade’s lips slowly melted away.

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