Chapter 81

Edward Wale had gone in first, they were now coming back outside, probably because their younger sister hadn’t returned yet and they were worried.  

Kate focused even more on her emotions.  

A single tear rolling down her cheek would be more effective.  

If she showed her tears to the other nobles in the banquet hall, rumors would spread that she’d been rejected by Edward Wale, which would be problematic, but if she only showed her feelings to her brothers, she could draw out their anger without worrying about gossip.  

“Kate!”  

Finally, her eldest brother, Triton, called out to her loudly.  

Kate quickly turned around, as if trying to hide her tears.  

“Kate, why are you standing there like that…”  

Her third brother, Julian, who had rushed up right behind her, grabbed her shoulder, started to speak, but then saw the tears in her eyes and fell silent.  

“What’s wrong! Why are you crying?”  

At that moment, the tears she’d been holding back rolled down her cheek.  

It was perfect timing.  

“It’s nothing. Really.”  

“What do you mean, nothing! What happened? What happened with Marquis Edward Wale? Why did only the Marquis come back and you’re still out here? Why are you crying?”  

“Is it because of the woman who was with the Marquis?”  

“Tell us.”  

Her brothers’ questions poured out, one after another.  

“No, it’s just… I felt sorry for the Marquis, that’s all… That’s why I cried.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“That woman—I’d heard rumors she was the woman the Marquis liked, so my heart hurt, but I was curious about what kind of person she was, and I wanted to know at least a little. But when I greeted her and tried to speak, she wouldn’t even tell me her name and ignored me.”  

“What?”  

“She must have thought I was beneath her, right? I was really upset, but then I remembered what Mother always says, that you shouldn’t judge people with prejudice. So I just asked the Marquis if he really liked her, that’s all.”  

“She looked down on you?”  

Julian, her youngest brother, spoke with a rough breath.  

Kate just bowed her head without answering.  

The fact that she was adopted was the most sensitive topic in the Jude Marquisate.  

<No matter what anyone says, you’re our daughter, and your brothers’ sister. No one can ever treat you lightly for any reason. We would never allow it. People like that aren’t worth respecting.>  

That was what the Marchioness always said.  

She said it for moments like this.  

“What did Marquis Edward Wale say? Kate, don’t hide anything. Tell us.”  

Triton’s deep voice was lower than usual, scraping the floor.  

As the heir of the Jude Marquisate, now called Lord Jude, her eldest brother only spoke like that when he was truly angry.  

“No, the Marquis didn’t mean anything bad. He’s just caught up with that woman.”  

“So what did he say?”  

Triton’s tone became strict, almost interrogating.  

Kate looked into his eyes, then reluctantly began to speak.  

“He said even if that woman was acting in front of him, he liked her. He said, unlike me, she was beautiful inside and out. Hic! Sob!”  

Her acting seemed to be getting better.  

She hadn’t planned to cry, but the tears came at just the right moment.  

Or maybe she was angrier than she realized.  

“That bastard!”  

Julian muttered.  

He was always the excitable type.  

In contrast, Bryce, the soldier, had a calm expression.  

He probably felt hurt inside, even if he didn’t show it.  

Even if he didn’t express it, he was the one with the deepest feelings of sympathy.  

Why was a soldier like that, tsk.  

He always gave her quiet comfort, even though she didn’t need intangible things like emotional support.  

“Julian, don’t get worked up.”  

As expected, the calm Triton calmed Julian down.  

Julian was the type to charge ahead, while Triton was cold and logical.  

“Kate.”  

Triton called her in a serious voice.  

“Yes?”  

“Do you really like Marquis Edward Wale? I don’t know if you should keep seeing someone like him. There’s no need for it to be him…”  

“Yes. I like the Marquis. Even if he’s with another woman now, I believe he’ll come back to me someday. I can’t be with anyone but him.”  

Not only Triton, but Bryce and Julian all frowned.  

They’d never really approved of Edward Wale.  

They only accepted him because Kate liked him.  

“But that woman… Yes, now I resent her. Whatever she said, the Marquis told me not to even call him by his name anymore. He used to be so kind to me… I’m really upset.”  

It would be a problem if their anger turned toward Edward Wale.  

She needed to get rid of that woman, not block her marriage to Edward Wale.  

“Kate, don’t worry. In the end, Marquis Wale will come back to your honest heart.”  

Bryce hugged Kate, who was struggling not to smile at Triton’s words.  

Yes, she had a powerful weapon—the Jude Marquisate family.  

* * *

Edward had told Diane to wait, but she was thinking of leaving the banquet hall.  

But as she tried to stand, Leon came to her.  

“Young Master, why are you here?”  

Diane looked over at Leon’s table.  

The Duke, the Lautrec Earldom people, and other nobles were all gathered, deep in conversation.  

They were so focused, they didn’t even notice Leon had left.  

“See? Even without me, everyone’s busy talking. It’s boring…”  

“Then, should I tell your father and go up with you?”  

Diane asked carefully.  

“No, I can’t! There’ll be fireworks soon. I want to see them.”  

“Oh…!”  

Right, there would be fireworks.  

Since Leon refused to go up and stayed by her side, Diane couldn’t leave the hall alone.  

In the end, she kept Leon entertained with word games until Edward returned.  

“Why are you here again? Go to your new mother.”  

At Edward’s words, Leon glared at him.  

“Go on.”  

“No, I’m watching the fireworks with Teacher.”  

“Go now. It’s about to start. Want me to carry you? Like last time, I could pick you up and move you.”  

Edward completely ignored Leon’s protests.  

It didn’t seem that scary, but Leon backed away from Edward, looking frightened.  

“I really hate you, Uncle.”  

Leon, keeping his distance, glared at Edward before running off to the Duke’s table.  

“That little brat is acting up.”  

Edward muttered as he watched Leon.  

How childish.  

It seemed Edward’s mental age was about the same as Leon’s.  

She felt ridiculous for having been so flustered by his actions earlier.  

“I’ll go in now.”  

Embarrassed, she wanted to leave quickly.  

“Where? The fireworks are about to start. Watch them before you go up. Ah, which room is yours? Earl Lautrec wouldn’t have reserved your room.”  

“There are two rooms in Young Master Leon’s suite…”  

“So you’re staying there?”  

“Yes.”  

Edward frowned, clearly displeased.  

Just then, the concierge rang a bell to announce the start of the fireworks.  

“Let’s go!”  

“No, I…”  

“Do you want to be carried out like a baby too, Miss Diane?”  

“…!”  

Diane’s face twisted.  

She suddenly understood why Leon had run away in such a panic.  

This unpleasant man must have really picked up the boy like a baby and carried him against his will.  

As the concierge began folding back the glass doors to the outdoor garden, the wall facing the garden was completely opened.  

Beyond the open wall, the outdoor garden, dotted with lights, looked beautiful.  

Once everyone found a spot, the lights would go out and the fireworks would begin.  

Suddenly, Diane thought, ‘Maybe I’ll just watch the fireworks and then go up.’  

She watched the crowd heading for the open wall.  

That woman must be somewhere among them.  

Now that she wanted to see the fireworks, she was thinking about the Jude family’s lady.  

If that woman really was Edward’s fiancée, even as just a tutor, she might dislike Diane being with Edward.  

That must be why the woman approached her directly and said she was Edward’s fiancée, and why Lord Jude said what he did.  

His tone, telling Edward not to be with another woman when he had a fiancée.  

“I’ll watch the fireworks alone and go in. President, you should be with your fiancée…”  

“Fiancée! Don’t stick me with that nonsense!”  

Diane tilted her head.  

Not only the content, but Edward’s expression had turned truly fierce.  

“Come on, get up. I spent my own money on this, so you have to see it too.”  

She really didn’t want to.  

The woman’s gaze, Lord Jude’s gaze, were completely different from Edward’s words.  

“At least it was worth spending money for once.”  

“Pardon?”  

“I didn’t expect it, but I get to show it to you. Come on, get up. The fireworks won’t last long.”  

“…!”  

It was strange.  

Why was he saying that? What did he mean?  

His words sounded like he considered her someone special.