Chapter 090. I Didn’t Know You Had Come
“Come in.”
As soon as Olivia stepped into the parlor, Cecilia quickly approached her.
Cecilia warmly greeted her by taking both of her hands, and Olivia responded with an equally bright smile.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“No, I’m the one who should be thankful that you came.”
They looked as affectionate and warm as old classmates who had been apart for a long time.
Lucy, watching the scene from a step back, naturally turned her gaze toward Cecilia, who stood facing Olivia.
Indeed…
This was the moment she understood why her young lady had made such a fuss.
To be honest, in terms of beauty alone, Olivia was by no means a face that would lose out anywhere.
However—and this felt a little awkward to compare—but standing side by side with Lady Cheister, she somehow felt slightly overshadowed by that dazzling appearance.
In any case, Cecilia was an extraordinarily captivating beauty.
After seeing her, Lucy became even more curious about the Duke of Cheister.
To think a man would have a face that resembled such a stunning beauty.
Truthfully, because she had seen Lady Cheister first, that was probably why she couldn’t quite picture it.
“Now, come this way.”
Whether the greetings were over, Cecilia guided Olivia further inside.
Lucy naturally followed behind.
“By the way…”
Having settled on the sofa, Cecilia let her words trail off in a peculiar way.
“Is something making you uncomfortable?”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s just… your complexion doesn’t look good. I was wondering if you’re still unwell and pushed yourself too hard…”
She had already felt something was off the moment Olivia entered, but seeing her in brighter light only strengthened that conviction.
Flustered by the direct stare, Olivia brushed her cheek with the back of her hand.
“I didn’t sleep very well… so I guess that’s why.”
“Oh my, do you suffer from insomnia?”
“Ah, it’s not insomnia, just… lately I’ve had a lot on my mind…”
Watching Olivia smile awkwardly, Cecilia nodded after a moment.
She didn’t know the details, but she had heard that women about to be engaged or married often went through that.
The anxiety of adapting to a completely different environment from the one they had lived in until now, plus the vague fear toward the person they would spend their entire life with.
If the partner was at least someone they liked, that was fortunate, but in most arranged marriages among noble families, the husband was often much older or ill-tempered, and it was said that such brides spent the days before the wedding in tears.
‘But if that were the case, Lady Constant would have no reason at all to feel that way, would she?’
It felt awkward to say it herself, but objectively, Olivia was an incredibly lucky person.
A marriage to the man she admired, plus the full support of the ducal family she would join.
There could hardly be a greater blessing.
Still, leaving the embrace of the parents she had lived with until now would surely be sad.
Cecilia tried to settle her thoughts that way.
“Then I’ll have them bring some rosemary tea that’s good for sleep. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
At the smiling offer, Olivia nodded that it was fine.
After giving a glance to the maid standing nearby, Cecilia looked straight ahead again.
“Once we finish the tea, shall we take a short walk out here in the garden? The weather is nice, so one lap around should lift your spirits considerably.”
As if she already had a route in mind, Cecilia continued to suggest the next plan without pause.
Just as Olivia opened her mouth to say something, a cough suddenly came from behind.
Cecilia’s brow furrowed slightly at the rude maid’s behavior, but she couldn’t very well scold a maid brought by a guest.
Unaware that the cough was a silent message to her own lady, Cecilia turned back to Olivia with a smiling face.
Olivia, who had been anxiously shifting her gaze here and there, soon seemed to make up her mind and firmly closed and opened her eyes.
“Um, about what you said to me last time…”
“…Last time?”
“That… you said you wanted a skilled maid to do my hair once…”
Listening to the hesitant, stumbling words, Cecilia’s gaze briefly drifted upward.
After lingering for a while as if recalling something, her eyes came back down, and a soft “Ah—” escaped her lips.
“That’s what you meant. I’m sorry, I brought it up myself and then completely forgot.”
“…No, it’s fine.”
Though Olivia’s gaze wavered uneasily as if something was bothering her, Cecilia appeared not to notice at all.
Glancing briefly to the side, Cecilia gave a short order to the maid.
“Go find Deborah and bring her here.”
Deborah… Olivia quietly repeated the name Cecilia had spoken inside her mouth.
* * *
“Who?”
Raymond’s brow furrowed slightly as he entered the entrance hall.
At that cold aura, Greig, who was following behind, flinched without realizing it.
“…Lady Constant has come.”
He spoke as cautiously as possible, yet Raymond’s face only hardened further.
It was expected.
His younger sister Cecilia had acted entirely on her own without consulting him even once, so his current reaction was perfectly natural.
Even Greig himself had been speechless with shock about an hour earlier when he saw the Constant family carriage entering the Elpengrin estate—
One could only imagine how the young master felt.
Raymond stopped walking and let out a low breath as if suppressing his emotions.
“Where is she now?”
“…In the small parlor.”
Raymond, who had been heading toward the study on the second floor, turned and strode toward the small parlor.
Since Lady Constant was also present, nothing serious would happen in front of her—or so he thought, but knowing his master’s temperament, the tension was unavoidable.
Greig quickly hurried after him.
“……”
The moment he entered the parlor, the sight before him left him speechless.
The eyes that widened the instant they spotted him.
The very first thought that crossed his mind upon seeing that woman was, “Why are you here?”
It had already been several days since he last saw her face.
Ever since they had ridden in the carriage together that day, the woman had completely stopped coming to his bedroom, and he had made no effort to seek her out either.
An inexplicable cold war had been flowing between them, and this was their first encounter since then.
So this absurd moment right now.
“Ah, Brother.”
Only when Lady Constant’s expression changed did Cecilia finally turn toward the entrance.
After the outdoor terrace incident, she had ignored him for a while, yet he never imagined she would pull something like this.
Inviting a simple guest might not require permission, but this was different.
A marriage proposal was currently being discussed between their families.
If she wanted to invite the other party, she should naturally have asked his opinion first.
Uncontrollable anger surged toward Cecilia for doing this, but he couldn’t show it in front of Lady Constant.
Raymond softened his rigidly hardened expression and slowly approached the sofa where the three sat.
“I didn’t know you had come. If I had known, I would have returned earlier.”
“Ah, I…”
Olivia’s face, which had been brightly smiling as she stood, instantly filled with panic.
From the way she hurriedly looked at Cecilia in surprise, Raymond realized that all of this had been Cecilia’s unilateral decision.
Ha—he barely suppressed the hollow laugh that threatened to escape, and his gaze momentarily drifted behind them.
“……”
The woman with her head bowed, not sparing him even a glance.
After staring for a while at the motionless figure, Raymond’s eyes drifted downward.
The hair ornaments and tools scattered about.
Only then did he understand why the woman had been summoned here.
Ha—she had chattered like a parrot in front of him, saying she didn’t want this and didn’t want that.
He knew full well that in her position she had no choice but to obey whatever Cecilia ordered, yet flames still rose within him.
“Brother has been so busy lately that I completely forgot to tell you. I’m sorry.”
Raymond’s gaze returned to Cecilia.
At her smiling, eye-crinkling expression, his eyebrow twitched visibly for a moment.
“I’m sorry, I thought you already knew…”
Despite Cecilia’s brazen excuse, Olivia fidgeted, watching Raymond’s reaction.
He thought he had managed his expression reasonably well, but apparently he hadn’t completely hidden his displeasure.
Yes, the fault lay with Cecilia. The person in front of him was innocent.
No matter the reason, a guest who had come all this way.
Even if she had come at Cecilia’s invitation, he could not simply greet someone connected to him with “Nice to meet you” and “Have a good time” before turning away.
Separately from giving Cecilia a proper scolding later for making a mess of things, what he had to do now was treat the guest who had come with due courtesy.
Not the woman who was currently occupying his entire attention.
Raymond slightly lifted the corners of his mouth toward the woman who looked as wilted as a scolded child.
“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to show you around the area.”
There was no need to hear the answer to that question.
It was obvious from the innocent smile that instantly bloomed across her face.
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I plan to start the Raymond haters club 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
