96: A Pleasure to Meet You, Duke (In this Form)
“This is my first time presenting this me to you. It’s my pleasure to meet you, my name is Avril.”
Now that it has come to this, it can’t be helped.
Thus, Avril went with the flow and curtseyed to him. In the next moment, she heard a clanging sound from Dylan’s direction.
When she looked up, she saw that not only was Dylan scrunching his face, he had also dropped his cup. Thankfully, the tea hadn’t spilled and the cup was intact.
What a relief.
Chris, who stood behind him, was laughing as he parroted her previous greeting. “This is my first time presenting this me to you!?”
Dylan, who seemed to have grasped the situation, asked while trying to suppress his laughter.
“…I see. What is Avril, the laundry maid, doing here?”
“I’m just assisting. Actually, I was supposed to be in the laundry room…”
She answered, staring into the horizon. The butler kindly corrected her error.
“My Lord, that name appears to be her baptismal name. When introducing yourself, you should use the name, ‘Clarissa.’”
“Clarissa, hm? I’d like to discuss something with her later, including the matter with her name.”
Well, that’s how it is…
She was told to remain in the main building, yet there she was… Avril was always well-behaved in the townhouse at the royal capital, but this was an uncharted territory.
As she was reflecting on her careless behavior, a voice rose from among the mistresses who’d been watching the exchange.
“My Lord, can I speak with you?”
When she turned around, she saw that Teresa Pannella, ‘The Beast’, had spoken up.
Lady Teresa… I believe Lord Dylan came here today because he has business with her. Does Lady Teresa have something to discuss with Lord Dylan as well?
As she tilted her head to the side, she saw the butler whispering to Dylan, introducing Teresa to him. Dylan’s calm gaze suddenly became stern.
“Teresa Pannella, is it? I have something to say to you, as well. All right, you may speak.”
“Thank you. Actually, for a while now, some of my personal belongings have been missing from my room… Mostly, jewelry from the old master.”
This is exactly what I expected.
Avril blinked slowly at the sight of Teresa pleading helplessly, her shoulders slumped.
Dylan, on the other hand, seemed wholly unfazed. Then, he asked calmly.
“—In other words, are you trying to state that thievery is rampant in the separate building?”
A commotion erupted throughout the room. The mistresses were clamoring. The servants, who thought they’d been accused of poor management, became pale.
Only Teresa, who’d thrown the accusation, seemed unaffected by the uproar.
“I can’t say for sure, but I think there’s a possibility. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not, but it happened after the arrival of the new laundry maid. Yes, that maid who was just introduced.”
—! Oh my…
Without hesitation, Teresa pointed her index finger at Avril.
Avril could only show a meek smile. She immediately recalled the time she went to retrieve Teresa’s laundry and was shown the inside of Teresa’s closet instead.
I see, so that’s how it is. As I thought, showing your closet to a newbie maid was strange…
—Hm? Teresa is crying now after having made that accusation?
As Avril reached a conclusion, Teresa became tearful. As expected of the woman the old duke laid eyes on. She seemed so pure and delicate.
The sight of the sorrowful Teresa weeping was so heartrending, Avril wanted to take her side. Then, Teresa spoke with trepidation.
“I came from a baronial family in a neighboring country. I’ve received a proper education… Can you imagine how terrified I am to live in a place where my precious gifts are stolen?”
“I don’t really understand, but the current Duke of Lancester is a decent man, so don’t worry. Here, wipe your tears.”
“—!? But my belongings disappeared right after you showed up!? That’s rich coming from you!”
Avril offered her a handkerchief, but Teresa refused it. At the same time, the eyes of the fellow servants, who’d been praising Avril as a ‘Savior and Beast Tamer’, were now full of suspicion. They were branding her as a thief.
…Hmm, there are various methods, but which one should I use to overcome this situation?
The easiest way would be to reveal that she was Dylan’s fiancée. However, that could give birth to a new misunderstanding, namely that the future duchess had committed theft.
In the first place, the fact that I’ve been sneaking into the separate building for no apparent reason has already put me in a bad situation…
It was truly an accident, though…
Sorry for not looking the part of a duchess…
On the other hand, Dylan’s sharp gaze was still trained on Teresa.
“If you are brave enough to make such a statement, you must have proof, right? Otherwise, there’s no way you’d make a move. If anything, you must’ve been anticipating my visit.”
“Yes… Of course. The other day, this laundry maid wanted to see my closet, so I showed it to her… After that, the emerald ring that the old duke gave me was nowhere to be found…”
***T/N: Teresa, the boss music will play soon, prepare yourself.
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