Chapter 4 – Part 3

“Sister?”
 
A familiar voice rang in my ears. I turned to see Charlie tilting his head in confusion. Charlie’s eyes flicked to Ian, who stood beside Liese.
 
“…Big brother?”
 
Charlie looked back and forth between the two of them suspiciously.
 
“Why are you two hugging in front of the school?”
 
“Charlie…! Oh, no, nothing like that.”
 
Liese was the first to come to her senses, pulling herself away from Ian’s half-hug and kneeling down in front of her brother. Her cold hands gripped the child’s slender shoulders.
 
“We came to pick you up because the nanny went to take care of Grandpa at the hospital today.”
 
“I know. I heard this morning. After school, we’re going to see Grandpa together, right?”
 
Charlie blinked his wide-open, hazel eyes. Her jaw tightened as she realized her brother had no idea what could have happened to him.
 
As students passed by, Liese, who was hugging her brother, felt a little embarrassed, so Charlie wriggled out of her embrace.
 
“Don’t treat me like a child, sis, when we’ve got plenty of eyes to see.”
 
“Everything’s okay at school, right? If anything happens, you must go to your teacher, and when you get home, you must let me know right away.”
 
Annoyance flashed across Charlie’s little face as she reminded him.
 
“Ah, I’ve heard that countless times! Honestly, it seems like you worry more than the nanny. The nanny is about to turn 70 the day after tomorrow.”
 
“Promise me you’ll tell me if something happens.”
 
“Alright, alright!”
 
Charlie nodded with an annoyed air. Then he looked at Ian suspiciously again.
 
“What’s brother Ian doing here?”
 
“Liese and I came to see you. Do you need a special reason?”
 
Ian shrugged casually.
 
“The bakery just got a new dessert. Let’s stop by there together. I’ll make a pack batch for you, and you can take some with you when you visit Mr. Brennan.”
 
“Really? Can I have some?”
 
“Of course.”
 
Charlie, instantly flushed, bounced in place. Liese forced a fake smile onto her pale face. Her fingertips trembled slightly in the aftermath of her thoughts and accidents.
 
Ian glanced at her, his eyes downcast, but she pretended not to see him and turned away. It was a good thing he hadn’t taken her hand in a reassuring gesture. If he had, she felt like the tears she’d barely managed to hold back would have burst out in front of her younger brother.
 
***
 
Somewhere in the central square, not far from the Pièce de résistance, stood a magnificent building. It was called Bonworth, and at the top was a restaurant with an impressive chandelier.
 
As Ian and she walked by, they were told that it was a top-notch restaurant where you had to wait months to get in, even with a reservation.
 
Marcus, who had made the impromptu suggestion of a weekend dinner just a few days earlier, walked into the otherworldly restaurant and felt right at home. Standing side by side, he took in the greetings of the already-waiting staff like air.
 
Beside him, Liese glanced around nervously, unable to hide her nervousness.
 
The restaurant was eerily quiet despite being full. The piano playing in the background could be heard above the chatter of the patrons.
 
There were far more men and women sitting across from each other than families, and they were constantly exchanging adoring glances. Even before the ceremony, she felt uncomfortable.
 
“Duke.”
 
Liese whispered to Marcus, who was walking beside her.
 
“May I please check my appearance once more in a place with a mirror?”
 
“What nonsense.”
 
“I mean, where there’s a mirror….”
 
“I understood. Now why are you worrying about your appearance again?”
 
Liese couldn’t bring herself to say what it was she wanted to check. When she didn’t give him any answers, Marcus gave her a grim nod of approval.
 
“Go ahead.”
 
“I’ll be right back.”
 
Liese followed the restaurant’s friendly staff to the ladies’ powder room. Thankfully, no one else was in the room, which smelled of artificial flowers.
 
Stepping in front of a full-length mirror with a silver vine-like border, Liese studied her reflection.
 
She was dressed in an ivory silk gown. It was sleeveless and plunging down to her shoulder blades, but the fabric was dense enough and the hemline covered her ankles, so it wasn’t overbearing.
 
I’d seen enough risqué dresses in department stores to make her swoon, so she’d developed a tolerance.
 
“Not bad….”
 
Stepping in front of the mirror, Liese slid a strand of hair that covered the tip of her left eyebrow back.
 
A finger-length streak of raw skin was the lightest shade of red. It was carefully covered with makeup, so it didn’t stand out unless you really looked for it. With her flowing hair, as it was now, she had no fear of being seen, even by the insistent duke.
 
If she hadn’t raised her arm to block Count Smith’s hand when he raised his, she would have gotten a raw patch across the middle of her face. Thinking back to that terrible day, she couldn’t help but feel downcast.
 
“Pull yourself together.”
 
Covering her face with her hands, Liese glared at the weak woman in the mirror. For now, she had to put her personal feelings aside and do her job. She was desperate for today’s paycheck from Duke.
 
For her, money was like the lubricant in a motorized engine. It was the substance that kept the fluffy junk rolling somehow, the crutch that made the harsh reality somehow bearable.
 
She pulled her hair back and covered the wound. She smoothed the hem of her fluttering skirt. She looked fine, except for the nervousness in her expression. She hoped it would look convincing to others, including Marcus.
 
It was early evening, a couple hours before the soiree. Her task for the day was to dine with the Duke and then attend a nearby celebration.
 
Liese locked eyes with herself in the mirror and took a deep breath. She couldn’t help but feel nervous about having to pretend to be his lover in public, even though it wasn’t quite social season yet.
 
‘Think of it as a rehearsal. You can do it.’
 
She reassured herself internally several times before turning to open the door leading to the restaurant.
 
It was easier to relax than she had feared. The first time she’d ever set foot in a fine dining establishment had distracted her from her rigid attention span.
 
The chandelier, which looked like hundreds of diamonds floating in the air, was impressive. Her gaze lingered on the crystals, which sparkled from different angles. It was truly a world she had never seen in her dreams.
 
Even as she sat at the table with a white tablecloth, her observation continued. Despite having lived in the countryside all her life, she thought she knew most flowers well, but the unfamiliar exotic flowers placed on one corner of the dining table caught her eye.
 
“It seems like you’re paying attention to everything but your lover.”
 
Marcus scoffed, swiping at the slender leg of his wine glass. Liese studied the exotic flowers, then hurriedly looked away.
 
“I’ve never seen anything like this before, so I won’t stare.”
 
“Is it that fascinating?”
 
“No, not really.”
 
The Duke interjected hastily.
 
“Really? I went through all this trouble thinking you’d like it.”
 
Then her tone returned. Liese narrowed her eyes. Marcus took a sip of his dark wine.
 
“I’m kidding. Don’t make me explain all this to you.”
 
“Yeah….”
 
When the first plate of appetizers was cleared away and they were waiting for the next course, Liese shifted her gaze again.
 
The view from the building was spectacular. It was dusk, and the nighttime view of the metropolis, lit up everywhere, was the most awe-inspiring she’d ever seen in her life. It was another world within a world.
 
It was somewhat strange to find familiar places like the main street, the central square or the clock tower. Liese unintentionally parted her lips in wonder. While her gaze wandered aimlessly, the man in front of her was watching her intently, oblivious to anything else.
 
“The night view is so beautiful, the restaurant is gorgeous, and the food is amazing.”
 
Marcus chuckled at the many adjectives she used. Flattered, Liese changed the subject.
 
“Do you often come to this restaurant?”
 
“Sometimes.”
 
“With whom?”