Chapter 6 – Part 1 (The Beginning of Summer)

“I told you this would be an easy game, didn’t I?”

In the basement of a gentlemen’s club with soft music playing, Trevor Miller, a man who rarely misses a gambling session, strode in with a swagger.

The men playing cards turned their heads in unison. They all grimaced, having just been robbed of their bets.

“Kid, do I look like an easy target to you?”

The man, who had already been robbed of one of his diamond-encrusted watches, grumbled, his eyes darting in the direction of where Marcus sat.

Beside him, puffing on a cigarette and looking down at his hand of cards, was a pile of platinum cufflinks and expensive watches. All of them were stakes.

“Who told you about the card game we play with the Colonel?”

Alone and cheerfully, Trevor dragged an empty chair and sat down.

“Lady Dawson. That cheeky girl from Loheim.”

“Who doesn’t know Haley Dawson? What about her?”

Trevor Miller rummaged in his inside pocket and pulled out a small envelope.

“She wants me to be her partner in a summer event.”

“Heh!”

The stunned group turned to look at him suspiciously. Given how badly they were losing, attention quickly shifted to the suspicious choice made by the usually cautious Lady Dawson.

“I suppose she’s in a bit of a hurry, with a social event just around the corner.”

“How did the crown jewel of the Dawson family choose you? Did you check her handwriting? What if it’s a prank?”

Trevor held up the wax seal on the envelope in exasperation.
“Look at this. It’s got the right seal on it. It was sent to me on purpose because Marcus hurt her feelings, and she’s trying to make him jealous by sticking by my side, but hey, it’s a win-win.”

“And you’re the one she chose to make Marcus jealous?”

“What’s wrong with me? ”

“Hmm. It’s like the difference between a unicorn and a dung-covered nag appearing once in a thousand years.”

“You son of a b*tch!”

Laughter erupted like fireworks. Despite everything, Trevor chuckled along.

“I offered her a guest room at the Miller mansion while she’s staying at Bachmann, but she doesn’t want that again; she has a cottage out in the country.”

“She probably doesn’t like toads knocking on her door in the middle of the night.”

“I don’t know what’s so cute about girls who pretend to be nice, because if you coddle them, they’ll eventually grow out of it.”

Trevor shrugged, muttering under his breath.

“Anyway, stay tuned, guys. Next time I bring you not a scented letter, but underwear the size of her palm.”

“Behave, Trevor Miller.”

Eric, who had abandoned the card game earlier in the day to play pool, warned with a frown.

“Mind your words according to your position. Don’t frown.”

“Whatever.”

Trevor shrugged. He was going to stop at this point anyway. As long as he didn’t get drunk, he knew where the line was.

Trevor looked at Marcus over the wisps of cigarette smoke. He leaned in and whispered.

“Your girl at the dinner, she was pretty.”

“…….”

“She was even better than I remembered, and you really did choose her as your partner… Ahh!”

Trevor let out an uncharacteristic shriek and bounced up like a spring. Marcus, who hadn’t been paying attention, had casually placed the cigarette he was smoking on the back of his hand.

Trevor looked down at the back of his hand with wide eyes. He was startled, thinking it had been burned by a cigarette, but when he saw the darkened surface, it was just ash. Trevor didn’t immediately notice that he found anything insulting.

“It was intentional.”

Marcus said it softly. Trevor’s eyes widened as he checked to make sure he wasn’t burned.

“…Don’t usually people say it was an accident?”

“Because it wasn’t an accident?”

The voice returned to its usual even tone. Trevor shook his head, feeling a strange sense of alienation. The Duke’s frosty gaze was unlike anything he’d ever seen before.

Marcus had beaten Trevor since they were cadets, and the look in his eyes had always been one of boredom and irritation, but a moment ago, he had really…

‘He seemed upset. What made him angry? ‘

As Trevor pondered with a dull mind, Marcus pulled out a pocket watch to check the time. Then he casually placed his cards down and rose from his seat. Trevor, suddenly feeling small, took a step back.

“It’s already this late. You’re going to see Miss Brennan, aren’t you?”

Eric asked, putting down his pool stick and looking at his watch as well.

“Yeah.”

“I suppose Claudie will be there, too. Give her my regards.”

“Tell her yourself.”

“I can’t, even if I wanted to. Claudie warned not to intrude on her girls’ night out. I offered to go pick her up in name only, but she said she’s not a dog for me to keep chasing her tail.”

Stopping dead in his tracks, Marcus looked back at Eric with trepidation. That’s because it was like calling him a dog chasing Lieselotte’s tail.

Eric’s mouth fell open as if he’d thought the same thing, but then he changed the subject.

“Aren’t you taking those?”

Eric glanced at an item that Marcus had no intention of taking. It was an expensive gentleman’s item he had won in a card game.

“I don’t take something that’s not even worth a dime.”

Marcus clicked his tongue and turned on his heel, trudging toward the doorway. One by one, the angry men reclaimed the items they had nearly lost.

Trevor stood alone in the air, his eyes narrowing as he watched Marcus’ back.

***

At noon, after receiving a telegram from the ducal residence, Liese heads to the ground-floor café of Bachmann’s most luxurious hotel.

The entire ride had left Liese with a distraught look on her face. However, upon arriving at the café, the only person waiting for her was Claudia.

After being shown to a seat on the covered terrace, she was treated to an unexpected treat.

Colorful and radiant pastries were arranged on plates piled up on the third floor. Turning their heads, they could see the vibrant plaza, where splendid carriages passed by, and the melodies played by the orchestra in the corner of the café filled their ears.

Liese nibbled on the sweet treats in the moderately warm sun. The sensations throughout her body were ecstatic. It was enough to make her forget the melancholy of the night before.

“Lieselote, do you ever get seasick?”

Claudia asked, setting down her teacup. Liese smiled and shook her head.

“I’ve never been on a boat before, so I don’t even know if I get seasick.”

“Well, we’ll find out at this meeting. There are lots of different events planned, and the ship’s party is one of them.”

“Wow, I’ve never been to a ship party before.”

A banquet on a ship. How much would Charlie have loved to go? Grandfather and the nanny, who had never been on a boat like her, were the same.

“And it’s on the Balthazar family’s top-of-the-line cruise ship. Although it was originally intended to be exclusive to a select few customers, Marcus decided to make it public. He purchased it entirely for the summer.”

Stunned, Liese blinked at the scone she was lifting to her mouth.

So he was this wealthy. It made sense that he’d just thrown down a sum of money she’d never touched in her life. It wasn’t surprising.

Liese set the scone down on her plate, slathered with strawberry jam and cream. Her momentary ecstasy quickly evaporated as she realized that Marcus had arranged all of this.

Perhaps out of respect for Liese, who was shivering in his presence, Marcus hadn’t shown up today.

That was a good thing. She wanted to keep her shattered heart frozen until she faced the Duke again and, if possible, put the memory of his humiliation out of her mind forever.

“If it’s too hard, why don’t you quit?”

Claudia whispered, her smile suddenly gone. Liese lifted her face.

“…What?”

“As Marcus’s partner.”

Liese opened her mouth to say something but then clamped it shut. Claudia continued quietly.

“I’m a spinster, so the family wants me to marry sooner rather than later, and Eric has elders in the family who inherited the western mining lands, so there’s a lot of pressure. That’s why we’re partners who won’t talk back to each other.”

“…….”

“But Marcus is different. He leads the family alone without any elders, and he doesn’t receive any sanctions in engagements. No one dares to reprimand him. Whatever deal he made with Lieselotte, he’ll just see it as an amusement.”

Claudia added cautiously.

“I shouldn’t speak without knowing the circumstances, but if it was too intrusive, I apologize.”

Liese blinked wordlessly, then smiled bitterly.

“That’s not the case. I’m grateful for your advice. No one has ever told me that before. But unless it’s the Duke… I don’t have any other choice.”