Chapter 38

Lunch was finished. Diane didn’t think President Wale would still be in the library, but remembering that he said his vacation lasted until the next day, she resolved not to set foot in the library until then.

She toured both the east and west gardens for the first time in a while and had a long conversation with Bill the gardener.

“How many years have these trees been growing?”

“Hm… These ones have been here since Young Master Ad was born, so they’re 28 years old, and those over there have been here since Young Master Ed was born, so they’re 26 years old.”

“Young Master Ad and Young Master Ed?”

Diane, nodding, suddenly widened her eyes and asked.

“Hehe. Actually, it’s more proper to call them the Duke and the Marquis now, but I still vividly remember when they were babies. Still feels fresh.”

“Ah… yes.”

It wasn’t that Diane was pointing out how Bill referred to the Wale brothers.

She was just realizing how similar their nicknames were.

“Their nicknames are really similar.”

“Oh, their names? Yes, very similar. I always get confused. Same hair color, same eye color, both so pretty like dolls. It was even more so when they were kids, yes indeed.”

Bill seemed to have a habit of repeating himself, and when he got comfortable with someone, this habit intensified. Compared to when they first met, he spoke like this even more now.

‘Ad’ and ‘Ed’, huh.

Ah!

Now that she thought about it, she’d heard something like that when she first met the Duke.

That their nicknames were similar.

She’d ignored it then, and forgotten about it until now.

But hearing it from someone else’s mouth, it really was similar—almost enough to make a mistake.

Did they have the same hair and eye color too?

She clearly remembered the Duke’s dazzling platinum hair and green eyes, but was President Edward Wale’s hair also blond? Were his eyes green?

He had the image of Cerberus, the dog guarding the underworld, so how could he have the same soft, warm hair and eye color as the Duke?

But pretty? That was just nonsense.

The Duke could be called beautiful, but President Wale was anything but—he was just scary.

“Oh! Miss, did you meet Marquis Ed earlier?”

“Huh?”

“He was looking for you in the garden since morning. Not sure why, though.”

Diane’s face froze instantly.

He’d been looking for her?

Since morning?

“I told him you pick out a book from the library first. I did, yes indeed.”

So meeting him in the library that morning hadn’t been a coincidence?

She shivered.

That President really was a crazy pervert.

Even if she got fired, she could probably think of it positively.

While Diane was rubbing her arms to dispel the chills, she heard the sound of a carriage at the mansion’s front gate.

Had the Duke and Earl returned?

But it was a carriage she’d never seen before.

Who could it be?

Diane watched as the carriage slowed at the gate and stared in surprise when she saw who got out.

James Wharton?

He was President Edward Wale’s secretary.

President Wale was supposed to be on vacation.

If he’d come all the way to the house, there must have been some urgent business.

She hoped it was urgent enough for the President to drop his vacation and go back to work, and started walking toward the gate.

James really did look rushed, quickly approaching Roden at the gate and speaking to him.

Diane had thought to greet him, but seeing how busy he was, she decided to greet him another time.

Suddenly, Roden looked up at Diane, and following his gaze, James also looked at her.

It wasn’t just a coincidence—they looked as if they’d been talking about her and had found her.

“Miss Diane Lina!”

James called out to her with a bright face.

He definitely looked like someone who had business with her.

‘Why me?’

Diane was a bit flustered, but hurried over to where he was.

“It’s been a while, Miss Lina!”

“Yes, hello, Mr. Wharton.”

She could feel Roden staring at her from beside James as they exchanged greetings.

It felt ominous.

“The President seems to have gone out for a bit, but I should deliver this to you directly, Miss Diane Lina. You two will be going together anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“The opera tickets. I got tickets for tonight’s performance. Ha! It was tough, really.”

James’s face showed indescribable exhaustion mixed with a sense of accomplishment.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Mr. Wharton.”

“Oh! Didn’t you already discuss the opera performance with the President?”

A slight wrinkle formed on his face.

He seemed annoyed, but was trying to restrain himself.

“Opera performance…”

Diane was about to say there’d been no such discussion, but trailed off.

It wasn’t that President Wale hadn’t mentioned it at all.

But for the two of them to go together!

She had clearly said she wouldn’t go!

“Oh! So you did talk about it.”

James was obviously very perceptive.

Even though she trailed off, he could tell from her expression that she and President Wale had discussed the opera.

“No, regarding the opera performance, I told him I wouldn’t go.”

“No, no!”

James’s face went pale, as if he’d suddenly lost his words.

“Miss Diane Lina! You’re not going? Wait, are you saying that’s what you and the President agreed on?”

“Yes.”

She’d made it clear.

James’s face flushed and paled as he scratched his forehead and rolled his eyes.

“Roden, do you know when the President will be back? I think I need to see him. I got these tickets on his direct order at dawn, so I need to confirm with him.”

After a moment of internal debate, James asked Roden.

“I only know he went out before lunch. I didn’t see him go out myself, so I don’t know where or when he’ll return.”

At Roden’s words, James let out a long sigh.

“Miss Diane Lina, anyway, I can’t not deliver the tickets I got. Please consider my position.”

He took an envelope from his pocket and held it out.

The envelope bore the seal of the National Opera House.

If he was told to get tickets at dawn, the President must have assumed she would go with him without asking her at all.

And then, without telling anyone, he’d left the house.

Diane let out a long sigh, just like James.

No matter what James Wharton or the President thought, Diane had no reason to accept the tickets.

She had clearly refused, and wouldn’t go.

“I won’t go. If you really need to deliver them, please give them to Mr. Roden. He can pass them to the President when he returns.”

“Hmm, should I? Ah… that’s…”

James’s brow wrinkled again as if he was about to agree.

Just then, the Duke’s carriage slowed toward the mansion’s front gate.

Soon, the Duke and Earl Lautrec got out, and James hurried over to the Duke.

“Duke, hello!”

“Mr. Wharton? It’s been a while. What brings you to my house? Is Edward still here?”

The Duke didn’t seem to know his brother was on vacation today.

“Ha!”

James sighed again.

“The President ordered me at dawn to get opera tickets for him and Miss Diane Lina to see together. I got them, but the President isn’t here and Miss Diane Lina says she won’t go, so I don’t know what to do. The President can’t imagine what I went through to get these tickets. Now it looks like I’ll have to throw them away.”

James seemed to be quite familiar with the Duke, pouring out his troubles.

“Oh… I see.”

The Duke nodded at his complaints, and now was looking at Diane.

Meeting his eyes, Diane felt sweat forming.

His look seemed to ask, ‘Did you agree to go to the performance with Edward?’

She worried about what the Duke would think of her.

She could guess that James Wharton had a hard time getting the tickets, but even though it was the President’s idea and order, James’s tone made it sound like Diane was partly responsible, which felt unfair.

Where had Edward Wale gone after ordering things as he pleased!

“I clearly told the President I wasn’t going to the opera with him. I don’t know why he ordered Mr. Wharton to get tickets, but I just found out about it now.”

Diane felt wronged, but had no choice but to explain.

“I see.”

The Duke nodded as if he understood.

“Hmm, so the Marquis ordered tickets to see the opera with the teacher? Even though she wasn’t interested? Hmph! Does that make sense?”

Suddenly, Earl Lautrec interjected.

“Seems so. Earl Lautrec, please go inside and rest. I’ll finish talking with my brother’s guest before I come in.”

The Duke’s tone wasn’t particularly harsh, but it carried a subtle air of command.