Chapter 7 – Part 9

“Your Grace.”

Daniel bowed politely, not hiding his pleasure. The man he’d seen since he was a child, if not often, was always impeccably polite.

“I was keeping Lady Brennan company for a while. I hope it wasn’t disrespectful.”

Marcus swore he’d never been so annoyed by his best friend’s quiet little brother in his life. Still, Daniel’s words sounded like he’d left Liese behind and was just now crawling out.

“Of course, I hope you didn’t disrespect her.”

Unaware of his true intentions, Daniel flashed Liese a sweet smile, which she returned.

“Impolite? I would have felt awkward without Claudia, but thanks to you, I had a good time.”

What she meant was that she enjoyed chatting with Daniel while Marcus was absent. Marcus kept his gaze fixed on Liese’s face as he spoke.

“Daniel.”

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

“…Ah, my apologies.”

Daniel bowed slightly.

“It’s been an honor to exchange pleasantries with you, my lady. Until next time.”

Unlike Eric, who had served in the military, Daniel was smooth-tongued. Marcus almost kicked him for kissing Liese’s hand, but fortunately, he had enough sense not to.

Liese, who had been smiling all along, tensed up a bit when she saw Marcus. She wasn’t happy to see him.

“You seemed to have had quite a good time in my absence.”

“It wasn’t fun.”

Her quiet voice somehow soothed the turmoil inside him. Marcus exhaled and led her to the terrace adjoining the banquet hall.

The terrace was deserted, and the wide-open space allowed them to hear the music echoing from the hall. They could pretend to be lovers to their hearts’ content without being seen by the people in the ballroom, and they could talk to each other as they pleased without them hearing them. It was the perfect spot.

Averting her gaze, Liese fixed her eyes on the underside of Marcus’s neck. Her light green eyes flickered slightly at what she saw.

“Your tie….”

Muttering to herself, she looked at Marcus with a strange expression. He met her gaze without concern.

“What about it?”

“…It’s disheveled.”

“Do you want to fix it?”

“Just, I thought you might have noticed.”

Her habit of wanting to serve annoyed him. He raised an eyebrow silently, and she hesitated before reaching out with both hands.

With clumsy movements, she carefully straightened his grey silk tie. Then she paused again, sighing softly.

“There’s lipstick on your shirt.”

‘F*ck, what the hell.’

Marcus looked down at himself, frowning. There was a small red lipstick stain on the inside of his shirt, visible only upon close inspection. He quickly understood.

“It’s from Haley. She must have left it while clawing at me.”

“…Oh.”

Liese lowered her eyes and nodded, like someone whose soul had been sucked out.

“I see, that’s a very casual answer.”

Watching her dejectedly, Marcus narrowed his eyes. Her reaction was strange.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it, and I can’t do your laundry right now….”

As he listened to her soft, toneless voice, Marcus grabbed her wrist with a sharp snap. Her wide, green eyes looked up at him.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I didn’t do anything. Let go of me.”

“Are you…jealous?”

“What do you mean, jealous? Why would I….”

Clearly flustered, she couldn’t continue. Marcus pulled her wrist towards him. Suddenly pressed against his chest, her cheeks flushed. Then, with a rebellious look on her small face, she spoke.

“You want me to be jealous?”

“Yes.”

“Because that’s my role?”

“It’s part of your role. If your lover comes back with another woman’s mark, you shouldn’t stay quiet.”

“I’m not the Duke’s lover right now.”

Marcus, oddly pleased by her jealousy, lost his smile. A chill ran through him as if he had been doused with ice water.

“I don’t want to play the role of jealousy where no one else is.”

“Why not? The terrace is open, anyone can see you.”

“They won’t be able to hear us.”

Liese argued without losing a word. Locking eyes with her, Marcus’s chest heaved.

He could get any reaction he wanted. All he had to do was to remind her to do what she was paid for, and she would blush with humiliation and do as he asked.

But the foolishness of controlling a puppet was not something he was in the mood for right now, and so Marcus had nothing to say. He could only stare at the woman who was staring at him like she was going to eat him.

As their defiant glances clashed, people started trickling onto the terrace. Liese didn’t hide her relief, clearly grateful for the distraction. Marcus was incredulous.

“Were we interrupting?”

“No, you weren’t.”

Liese shook her head graciously at someone, apologizing for interrupting their private moment. A certain count approached and began talking.

“Thank you, Lady Brennan. By the way, Your Grace, the masterpiece you won at auction is truly spectacular.”

“Is that so?”

“Are you planning to add more exhibits to this exhibition? It would be great if as many people as possible could see it.”

Hearing the ensuing ramblings, Marcus slipped his arm around Liese’s waist and pulled her greedily closer to him. She didn’t flinch, running her hand up the back of his hand, a natural smile on her face.

Holding a woman and dealing with her trembling while hiding his own twisted feelings was harder than he’d expected.

***

The car ride up the winding road was silent. Liese didn’t say a word the whole way home, and neither did Marcus.

Liese rubbed her brow as she watched the scenery whiz by out the window.

‘I’m tired.’

It hadn’t even been a ball, and it had been a long day. She couldn’t wait to get upstairs to her cozy bedroom and rest, to let go of everything that cluttered her mind and fall into a deep sleep.

The car stopped near a side road that led to an orchard. They got out of the car and looked at each other. Wondering if Marcus would follow her again, Liese spoke quickly.

“I’m going in now. Please be careful on your way home, Your Grace.”

He simply watched her silently in response. The slow blinking of his eyelashes and the way he moved his tongue in his mouth indicated displeasure.

‘Why was he angry? If anyone had a reason to be upset, it should be me, not you.’

The rebelliousness that flared up was so strong it surprised even Liese. Instead of seeking further permission, she turned and walked away. If they kept facing each other, she feared she might say something inappropriate.

She didn’t hear the engine roar over her shoulder. That meant Marcus was standing there, unmoving. For some reason, that scared her, and she quickened her steps. Even after hiding in the shadows of the path, the silence remained.

It wasn’t until she entered the orchard that she realized she hadn’t been paid. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Liese gathered her skirt and crossed the apple tree path.

She planned to change out of her evening dress in the bedroom. The absence of engine noise bothered her, but considering the late hour, she didn’t expect to encounter her family, who should be asleep by now.

She carefully opened the door.

She was used to returning home late at night after meetings with the Duke. Liese quieted her footsteps, conscious of Mrs. Joanna’s closed door, and crept toward the stairs. She was just about to climb the stairs.

The kitchen light flicked on. Startled, Liese looked in the direction of the kitchen.

“…Grandfather?”

It was Viscount Brennan.

He sat in his wheelchair, his eyes as fierce as ever, as he looked at his granddaughter. Despite her panic, Liese tilted her head in wonder.

“When did you return? Did you, perhaps, get discharged?”

The silence that followed made her nervous. If her grandfather had been discharged from the hospital ahead of schedule, she, as his caregiver, should know. Mrs. Joanna hadn’t said anything either. Something must be wrong.

“Grandpa, why….”

“Where have you been looking like that?”

Viscount Brennan cut her off, his expression fierce. The trembling in his voice revealed his anger. Liese, in her dress with a deep cut in the back, swallowed dryly and exhaled shakily.

“I just met a, a friend… for a bit.”

It was a lame excuse, even for herself. The way she stuttered made it seem obviously false.

“Yes, you always told Joanna the same thing.”

Viscount Brennan lowered his eyes in self-pity. When he turned back to Liese, the old man’s eyes were red and bloodshot.

“Tell me the truth, Lieselotte Brennan. Where have you been and where are you coming from?”

“I told you, Grandfather….”

Viscount Brennan’s face turned icy as he tried to see through the obvious lie. He knew something. Liese’s shoulders shook slightly at the realization.

“You truly wish to disappoint me.”

“Why would I want to disappoint you, Grandfather? You know me.”

A lump rose to the back of her throat. There was a faint glimmer of water in his eyes.

“I should have known when you admitted me to the hospital. It was foolish of me not to question how your spending habits suddenly improved.”

“That was all from the charity home where I volunteered….”

“Enough!”