Chapter 53

Returning to the formal dining room, Adrian watched Rodin, who prepared tea near the end of the meal. Rodin was quietly brewing tea from the pot, with no report since visiting the teacher’s room. Was Rodin always this taciturn? Adrian found himself criticizing Rodin in a way he hadn’t before.

“Rodin.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“How is the teacher?”

“Ah, after checking her symptoms, I gave her some medicine, but she was already asleep. She’ll probably take it when she wakes up.”

Rodin spoke calmly, as if it wasn’t a big deal, and began pouring tea.

Was he taciturn, or just indifferent to the staff? A faint wrinkle formed in Adrian’s brow.

“So, she fell asleep without taking the medicine.”

Rodin finally noticed the irritation in the Duke’s voice. He paused with the teapot and looked at Adrian’s face.

“I thought it was better to let her sleep deeply than to wake her up.”

“Hmm… That may be. But last night, when the teacher said she felt unwell, didn’t you say it was better to skip a meal?”

“Yes, but…”

“But now, after skipping dinner, she’s not just feeling unwell—she’s so sick she can’t even get up.”

Rodin’s face flushed instantly.

This was completely unexpected behavior from Adrian Wale, not Edward Wale. The Duke was not the sort to openly criticize his staff. Yet now he was directly blaming Rodin, not for anything to do with the family, but for letting the tutor sleep without taking her medicine.

“Hmm, hm! I wasn’t thinking. Then I’ll go now and—”

“Leave it. By now, she’s probably sound asleep.”

“Yes…”

“I won’t have tea. I’m not in the mood.”

Rodin bit his lip at the Duke’s cold tone. When Adrian stood up, Leon, who had been listening closely, also got up.

“We’re not having reading class today, are we? Because Teacher is sick. Then I’ll go to her room instead—”

“Leon. The fourth floor is off-limits. And there’s no class today. Sick people need to rest.”

“Yes… I understand.”

Adrian patted Leon’s head and started to leave the dining room.

“But where’s Uncle?”

“He had a lot to catch up on after returning to Rettrang, so he went to the hotel early this morning.”

Hearing Leon and Rodin talking behind him, Adrian sighed quietly.

Edward, who kept saying she was his woman, didn’t even know she was sick and had gone off to work. If she was his, he shouldn’t have let her collapse in front of him!

It kept bothering him.

But there was nothing to be done. He had decided not to act out of character anymore.

Diane Lina wasn’t Diane Lina—she was just Leon’s tutor who happened to be sick. He’d helped because she collapsed in front of him. If any other staff member had collapsed, he’d have done the same.

His concern was just a master’s interest in a sick employee. That was all.

That was all it should be.

* * *

Edward, who had gone to the hotel early in the morning, checked the construction schedule for the department store to be built in the old Center Shire district, which had finally been cleared after over a year of delays.

He didn’t really need to review the paperwork again, but since he’d returned to Rettrang unexpectedly and come to the office so early, he didn’t have much else to do.

He’d already finished the morning paper, so he was left trying to find work to do in the office.

All because of Diane Lina.

Because of what she said—‘I don’t need a prince. Please get out of my room’—he didn’t feel like showing up for breakfast.

She hadn’t come to dinner last night, probably because of him.

She didn’t want to see him, so she skipped meals.

He thought she might not eat breakfast if he was around, so he left home early instead.

No matter how much she said she didn’t need a prince and dismissed him, he couldn’t stand seeing his strawberry not eating.

Edward Wale, driven out of his own house by a woman, coming to the office at dawn—what a joke.

But he didn’t miss one crucial fact.

She might say she didn’t need a prince and that he was just the President, but she called that ‘Brother’ ‘Prince.’

The boy from her childhood was still the prince, and even though she said she didn’t need him, she was still blushing and crying.

She said she wasn’t a crybaby, yet she cried when he visited her room, and cried while talking to him.

Not a crybaby? Not at all!

She was still his Strawberry, the one he had to make sure didn’t cry and needed his care.

Thinking of her crying, his brow furrowed.

He remembered how she wouldn’t let go of his brother’s handkerchief.

He’d stayed away from the table so she could eat, but the idea of her sitting with his brother and eating made him furious.

He’d taken her away from Gale Tertz and put her somewhere safe, in his house, but now even Leon and his brother were after her.

And his Strawberry was infatuated with his brother. It was maddening.

What would she do, liking the Duke so foolishly!

He wondered if he should just take her away.

But even if he did, would she stay in his protection?

Last time, he’d gotten her into his house with money, but he doubted that would work again.

A woman with no home or family—where would she go, what would she do?

“Ah, d*mn!”

He’d dealt with plenty of tough opponents in business, but never one he couldn’t handle with money or brute force.

Far from crushing her, he was afraid he might have broken her wrist when he snatched the handkerchief.

“Haa… Why is a weak woman so difficult!”

Knock knock.

Just as he sighed deeply, there was a knock.

“What?”

“Sir, you have a visitor.”

Edward frowned.

It was his personal butler, who only worked when he was at the hotel.

He wasn’t always at the hotel, and today he was only there because of a sudden schedule change.

Who would come to his room without an appointment?

“Who!”

His voice, already annoyed because of Diane Lina, came out harsh.

“Lady of the Jude Marquisate is here.”

Edward’s brow furrowed even more.

Kate Jude.

An annoying name.

He didn’t care what women did, and had no particular annoyance toward any woman.

Except her.

The last time he saw her, about six months ago, he’d told her never to come again, and she’d stayed away for a while.

He thought he’d never see her again, but now she’d shown up at his hotel without warning.

“I never made an appointment!”

He was already stressed because of Diane Lina, and had no time for a woman like her.

The only reason he’d tolerated her visits as a child was because she’d been adopted from Lina Orphanage.

He’d hoped she might offer a clue about his missing strawberry.

But Diane Lina was already in his house.

So there was no reason to put up with this annoying woman anymore.

“I’m coming in.”

Despite his refusal, the door opened and the woman entered.

She was always like this.

He knew that because she’d been adopted, the nobility saw her as weak, but having watched the Jude family visit his house since childhood, Edward knew she was different.

She pretended to be modest and well-mannered, but always did whatever she wanted, relying on her brothers’ unconditional love.

“It’s been a while, Edward!”

Already inside his office, she greeted him with a smile.

‘Edward.’

She called him however she pleased. So arrogant, so irritating.

“Whether it’s been a while or not, I never agreed to meet you.”

“I came because I wanted to see you.”

Her shamelessness made him feel as if worms were wriggling in his stomach.

“Cut the nonsense. How did you know I was here?”

“My brother told me. He saw you at Rettrang Station yesterday.”

“D*mn.”

Now he remembered.

Yesterday at the station, he’d met her second brother, Bryce Jude.

He was an officer, on leave.

Apparently, he’d told his sister he’d met Edward at the station.

“I don’t mind if you use bad language.”

Crazy woman.

“Suit yourself. Like me or not, it’s none of my business. Why did you come? If you have something to say, say it fast. You have one minute.”

“That’s harsh. After all this time.”

“Fifty-five seconds.”

“Who’s that woman?”

As he started counting down, she got straight to the point.

He had no idea what she was talking about, but coming from her, it was bound to be strange.

“What woman? Fifty seconds.”

“Your ‘Professional Beauty’ who appeared at the opera house.”

“What? What appeared at the opera house?”

“A commoner tutor, they say. She showed up with the Duke, but actually, everyone says she’s not with the Duke, but your Professional Beauty.”

“……!”

In that moment, Edward felt as if a hammer had struck both his forehead and the back of his head.

Diane Lina, his… what?

Professional Beauty?