Chapter 5 – One Step Closer (Part 6)

“Does it not suit your taste?”

“Pardon? No, it’s fine.”

Lorraine moved her fork to stab the steak. The steak was the most tender and delicious she had ever had here.

This was the 3rd floor of <La Blanc>.

It was one of the few places in Moses where you could see the night view, dominated by low buildings. It was also the only place with a table reserved for Duke Duncan.

Seeing Lorraine wetting her lips with wine, Edwin picked up the bell he had set aside and spoke.

“You can order something else if you like.”

“Oh, no. It’s delicious.”

Lorraine took the bell from his hand and set it back on the table. She awkwardly smiled while slicing the asparagus that came with it.

A cool river breeze lightly swept through the room.

It was the perfect date course. If the person sitting across from her wasn’t Edwin Duncan, it would have been a big event she could talk about with her friends all night.

Louise, who had warned her several times, would grab her neck, and Marianna would cynically say:

“If emotions were that easy to control, that would be a god, not a human.”

The voice seemed to ring clearly in her ears. Lorraine chuckled.

“……? What’s so funny?”

At Edwin’s question, Lorraine took a small bite of the potato salad and spoke.

“Do you know this place is rumored to be a dream space for others?”

It was a random question, but Edwin decided to let it slide.

“A dream space?”

“A one-table for VIPs can be a bragging point even for those with some money.”

There’s all sorts of talk. Muttering indifferently, Edwin propped his chin on his elbow on the table and asked.

“So?”

“Pardon?”

“As the only one among them who has been up here, I was wondering what your impression is.”

His gaze was languid. She wondered if he was drunk after just one sip, even though he had a schedule coming up. As if reading Lorraine’s mind, he replied firmly.

“I’m not drunk.”

“Well, okay….”

Would a drunk person admit they were drunk so easily? 

Lorraine shrugged with a nonchalant face.

“Anyway, how is it? My mother said she likes the night view.”

“Yes, well… it’s nice.”

Except for the fact that it’s the perfect date course.

Having received such hospitality, she couldn’t point out every situation like she did at the mansion. She had that much tact. Lorraine thought as she chewed on a small piece of steak.

Of course, if Edwin knew what was on Lorraine’s mind, he would have thumped his chest in frustration.

***

The play was good.

However, some nobles, their ears flushed, smoked cigars or cigarettes vigorously.

Unlike previous plays, which were full of praise and admiration for noble society, today’s play was a black comedy filled with skillful criticism and satire.

However, expressing dissatisfaction with the story would be tantamount to revealing that the noble in question was the subject. Therefore, all the nobles, who valued their dignity and safety more, could do was sigh in discontent.

Whether they knew the nobles’ true feelings or not, the curtain that had fallen rose again.

As the spotlight shone on Alethea, applause erupted.

Alethea, who had transformed from the most lowly woman to the most noble, sparkled her green eyes and smiled gracefully. Then, as if remembering something, she went backstage and soon returned, holding someone’s hand.

Lorraine instantly recognized the person as the rumored playwright, Patricia Crawford.

However, she couldn’t move. Edwin was asleep, leaning on her shoulder. Lorraine glanced at the man sleeping peacefully with his head on her shoulder.

She knew he had been busy wrapping up negotiations and inspecting the territory in recent days.

She was the one managing his schedule.

Thus, she was torn between waking him up and waiting.

The affection they had built up over time made it hard to move his head away mercilessly, yet waiting idly wasn’t an option as people were gradually leaving the theater.

Separate from the situation, a face she had seen without much emotion suddenly caught her eye.

Is he handsome?

Louise, who was objective to the point of being picky about appearances, had positively evaluated him, so he must be handsome. Until now, Edwin’s appearance had only been a dictionary definition to her.

Taking advantage of this moment, Lorraine decided to scrutinize Edwin’s face. Just as she was about to lower her gaze slowly from his forehead, his tightly closed mouth opened.

“…How long do you plan to look?”

Lorraine was startled but replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

“…If you’re awake, please open your eyes.”

“The gaze was intense.”

Edwin lifted his head and lightly turned his stiff neck.

Not satisfied with that, he stretched his arms to wake up all his muscles. He resembled a beast waking from a long slumber.

“Still, I slept well thanks to you.”

Having taken off his jacket, his shirt moved, revealing the movement of his muscles. Feeling a strange sense, she subtly averted her gaze and muttered.

“…I told you it was a burdensome schedule from the start.”

“You watched the play, and I achieved my goal, so it’s fine.”

“Goal?”

At her question, Edwin looked at her with a complicated expression.

“That’s not something you need to know.”

Blocking any room for further questions, he extended his hand.

“Let’s go.”

Getting too used to this isn’t good.

Lorraine thought as she placed her hand on Edwin’s firm hand.

***

“Please guide them to Room 3.”

The manager of <La Blanc> pointed to a small but sturdy boy. There was no verbal response, but the boy’s actions were quick. Lorraine followed the boy, thinking.

He must be about fifteen or sixteen. At a glance, he seemed roughly that age.

However, since age was such an unpredictable number, Lorraine didn’t intend to ask the intrusive question of his age.

In fact, visiting <La Blanc> wasn’t on today’s schedule. It wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the letter that arrived at the Duncan house just as she was about to leave work.

After watching the play, Edwin barely visited the mansion due to his hectic schedule. Even when he returned, he only had time to close his eyes or change clothes before leaving again, leaving no time for conversation with her.

Lorraine thought it was fortunate that she didn’t have to endure the subtle and peculiar atmosphere.

For work-related matters, she would leave a note asking for opinions, and a document with a response would return the next day or the day after. As such days continued, she was regaining her composure.

Knock-knock.

It happened just five minutes past six o’clock.

「A letter has arrived for you, Secretary.」

Paul handed over the letter with a calm face.

「A letter? For me?」

Why, here?

Lorraine reluctantly accepted the letter. The sender was Marianna Adler. It was a letter from her close, sometimes wish-she-didn’t-know friend.

The content was just one word.

<Urgent>

“I’ll order when my companion arrives.”

“Yes.”

The server, who smiled, left cautiously, and only then did Lorraine start to speculate in earnest.

The reason Marianna had urgently called her and Louise.

She had a rough idea. It must be because of Kendrick Douglas. Lorraine thought of her friend’s fiancé, who had cut his carrot-colored hair short.

“I hope he’s not just all talk.”

Lorraine muttered while fiddling with the perfectly set tableware.

At that moment, the door opened, and the expected person entered.

“Lorraine.”

“You’re here?”

Louise took off her hat with a careless hand and plopped down in her seat. Watching her slumped like wet laundry, Lorraine asked.

“Have you been busy?”

“Don’t even ask.”

Having regained her energy from a brief rest, she sat up straight. Using a hand comb, she roughly tidied her tangled curly hair and took a sip of water with lemon.

“…If I get buried under a pile of documents, will it be considered a work accident?”

“You’re the CEO, remember?”

“Right… That’s the problem.”

Louise muttered as if she were grinding her teeth. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she slowly began to speak, as if she had reached her limit.

“Why do they only work if I flip everything over?”

While they consistently collect their salaries.

Louise muttered in a fierce tone. She roughly picked up the order slip next to the table and continued speaking.

“By the way, Mari should arrive early if she called busy people.”

Even while constantly talking, she quickly wrote down the food she wanted.

“Do you know how hard I tried to get here on time? The other employees are still calculating taxes.”

It sounded more like boasting than grumbling. Lorraine thought as she accepted the order sheet from Louise. Right, boasting.

She discreetly crossed out some of the items Louise had checked off haphazardly.

‘Why order a ricotta cheese salad if you’re going to get a steak salad?’

Meanwhile, she didn’t forget to check the food she wanted to eat.

Louise, seemingly parched from her constant grumbling, took another sip of water and said.

“Isn’t Mari paying today? She made the reservation too.”

The answer came from elsewhere.

“Yes, I’m paying.”

Marianna, who had been leaning against the door, straightened her body. She took the order slip Lorraine was holding, checked it roughly, and handed it to the waiting server.

“Take your time, but bring all the food at once, and the tea first, please.”

“Yes.”

The server quickly left the room with the order slip.

“They say the rich are worse… Do you want to skim off the knight’s salary that badly?”

She asked while tucking her slightly sweaty silver hair behind her ear. Lorraine quietly observed Marianna.

Didn’t she go to work today?

Her appearance differed from the usual neatly styled silver hair, overlapping with the urgent summons.

“Did you not go to work today?”

“…Yeah.”

Just then, the server quietly entered and placed the tea on the table before leaving. The tea smelled of fruit. Lorraine was the first to pick up the teacup.

The tea, brewed by a skilled hand with quality leaves, had no astringency.

It’s good tea.

Whew, Lorraine slowly chose her words. She wondered how to ask in a way that would make Louise less angry. But there was no such method. She never liked it anyway.

“…What did Kendrick Douglas do this time?”

At Lorraine’s question, Louise jumped up.

“What? That guy again?”

“Louise.”

Lorraine, who calmed Louise down at once, pushed the tea food towards her and continued speaking.

“And Mari, didn’t I tell you that calling someone like that makes them think all sorts of things?”

“Sorry.”

“So.”

She set down the teacup.

“What happened?”

“……”

Lorraine leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

“When you used the word ‘urgent,’ there must have been a reason. For example….”

“We’re getting married.”

Marianna interrupted Lorraine and smiled awkwardly.

“Kendrick gave in. He said I could do what I wanted.”

Knowing the character of her fiancé, who would be anxious at Marianna’s words, Louise smiled crookedly and spoke.

“He didn’t give in; he let you win, right?”

“He lost.”

Ah, I see.

The two shrugged indifferently. They didn’t think it was something surprising or urgent. After all, they were already engaged, and they had long observed Kendrick’s devotion.

Lorraine set down the butter cookie she had taken a bite of on her plate, dusted her hands lightly, and asked.

“So is that why you said it was urgent?”

“No, that’s not even close to urgent… What I wanted to say was….”

Sighing, Marianna took a deep breath and spoke with her eyes tightly shut.

“Be my bridesmaid. And it would be nice if you could catch the bouquet too.”