115: A Report in the Carriage
That afternoon, Avril and Dylan were taking a carriage to to the photo studio.
They were the only two inside that carriage, but in the following carriage were Grace and Chris, bringing along her wedding dress.
Avril and Dylan were alone, but the topic of the conversation was mainly about the former duke’s strange behavior.
“—And that’s what happened.”
When she reported the encounter between the former duke and the maids that almost resulted in their dismissals, Dylan’s expression immediately became stern.
“Why didn’t you call me right away?”
“I apologize. I felt like I alone would suffice to deal with the situation.”
“No, Avril doesn’t need to apologize… Because I didn’t notice, you had to endure that.”
“No, no problem at all! I handled it like the bad girl I am!”
When she haughtily answered with such, Dylan’s expression relaxed as he stared into the distance.
“I have a bad feeling… What in the world did Avril do?”
“After explaining the backgrounds of Grace and Sienna, I recited the contents of the report the former duke was trying to take. I scared him off with my special skill!”
What I did was perfect, wasn’t it?
Even Grace complimented her. When she answered confidently and with a sense of fulfillment, Dylan covered his mouth to hide his smile.
“I see. You may have been able to overcome that situation, but it might have had the opposite effect on the former duke’s impression…”
“Eh?”
“It seems that my father—the former duke—used to be a capable man. Although he looks down on others, he doesn’t dislike talented people. Perhaps, he went astray after playing around too much…”
“Is that so?”
Indeed, no matter how wealthy and privileged the Duke of Lancester was, if all the lord did was play around, the family would’ve ended long ago. Considering that the former duke meticulously managed the gifts he gave to his mistresses in his ledger, claiming he played around while being mindful of the family’s finances might be more accurate.
It made sense when she considered the fate that befell her own family, people who spent their entire time indulging in idle amusement. As she was thinking such, Dylan’s expression became serious as he continued.
“Truthfully, in order to proceed with the demolition of the separate building, I’ve been talking to the women who live there. I asked them what they would do once the annex was no more, and from that, I learned that the former duke has been acting strange lately.”
“Acting, strange…?”
“Indeed. Lately, he’s rarely been visiting them at night. When he does, he just has some tea and leaves.”
“…Hm?”
Dylan was filtering his words for Avril’s sake. However, Avril could sense that it was similar to Corinna’s night activity.
“In other words, does this mean that he’s starting to acknowledge Lord Dylan’s authority within the territory and your intention to demolition the separate building? Is he preparing to cease his playing around?”
“—Rather, he reverted back to his old lifestyle as the lord. A new desk was brought into his personal study in the separate building. He visits his mistresses for half the day and spends most of his time there.”
“…Isn’t that simply the most basic of proper behavior?”
“For someone like that guy, it’s already a good thing.”
Avril chuckled when Dylan referred to the former duke as ‘that guy’ without any hesitation.
She knew Dylan really disliked his father. However, whenever Dylan spoke about the former duke, his perfect façade would slip off, and she was fascinated by it.
“—So, even if the former duke is acting strange, there have been no problems so far, yes?”
“That’s not the case. He was planning to hire a secretary. He tried to bring back the man who had been his secretary before he was replaced, but he was having trouble getting in contact with him. Considering how he tried to take documents from the study, does he really intend to act as if he was never replaced in the first place?”
“A secretary, was it?”
…What Lord Dylan said just now is consistent with the former duke’s actions earlier in the morning. What exactly is he planning to do?
Avril was deep in thought, but Dylan spoke as if he’d given up.
“Honestly, if he wants to try, I feel like I should give him a chance. However, I think the cause this time was Avril.”
“…”
Avril froze for about ten seconds at those unexpected words.
“…What, me?”
***T/N: YES AVRIL, YOU
Please also consider donating to my ko-fi! It’ll greatly support me in action, no matter the amount!
https://ko-fi.com/antoinettevanessa
Have a Japanese story or the likes (Drama CD, etc.) you’d like to read? Want it to be translated? I’m open for commission!
https://www.fiverr.com/s2/aaab08c14d
Did you like what you read? Was it the worst thing ever? Tell us, please. Let the world know how you feel~