6.10 The Struggle of a Reincarnated Marquis Daughter
“Uhm, I know this is a little late, but that scar on your cheek… Did you fight with Kyle?”
My embarrassment gradually faded, and I was able to see the scar on Alfred’s face from a very close distance. When I asked, Alfred nodded nonchalantly.
“Yes. In a way, it was like the final hurdle. Even so, he was a good man. He cares about his sister a lot. Even while you were sleeping, he kept saying things like, ‘If you lay a hand on her, I’ll kill you.’”
The next moment, as if on cue, Kyle barged in with a sullen look on his face. We slowly got up.
“…Stepsister, do something about that face. You’re practically guffawing right now.”
“Huh?”
I instinctively touched my face, and sure enough, I was grinning. Kyle snorted, as if to ask, “What are you doing?”
“Lord Alfred, can you please carry my sister down to the first floor for a moment? An ‘unforeseen incident’ has come crashing into our living room. If I were to describe it, it’s like a mountain of broiling chaos.”
Alfred and I stared at each other. Then, in shock, I cried out. “S-sorry, but can I at least wash my face?!”
“Hurry up. You’ve just recovered, so you better be carried properly. I’ll prepare a sofa for you to lie on.”
Alfred carried me into the bathroom, scooped up some cold water with both hands, and splashed it over my face.
As we made our way to the living room, Alfred filled me in on Kyle’s actions so far.
Apparently, Kyle snapped at Alfred, saying, “You only care about yourself!” and, “Why don’t you take better care of her?! If you like my sister, stop acting aloof!”
He even went so far as to declare, “If you abandon her midway, I’ll end you.”
Such a good guy—and a good brother.
I applauded him, especially since he did declare that he wanted to take care of this troublesome stepsister for the rest of his days. If someone were to ask me, then it was probably due to pity. After all, he had always resented all this time.
“Wow! I can’t believe that my unworthy, runaway brother is being looked after by Juliane! And they said romance is dead! I’m truly grateful, so I came here early in the morning.
The Grand Duke was waiting for us in the living room. He had a mischievous smile on his face. Both Alfred and I were shocked. I must’ve been a bit dizzy, as I was staggering.
“…Milady, I think I’ve done something unnecessary.”
Next to the Grand Duke, who was grinning in amusement, was the head chef. He seemed haggard and exhausted.
In the living room, Alfred, Kyle, Sasha, the head chef, Liz, and Jack had gathered. Since I’d just recovered from an illness, I ended up lying down on the big sofa. Alfred placed my head on top of his lap, which was very embarrassing.
No matter where I looked, everyone had a gorgeous face. Even Jack, who looked like a minor character, had clear, well-defined eyes, and a well-proportioned mouth.
Damn, Mother aside, if Father were here, he would’ve been second from the bottom.
By the way, they were so shocked by the Grand Duke’s visit that they had collapsed.
Even so, despite being aware that the head chef had a secret, it was far more amazing than I imagined. I never expected him to be the Grand Duke’s younger brother! Although to be fair, their mothers were different.
“Even though I’m the child of the former Grand Duke, I’m a bastard. My mother’s status was so low that I was never allowed to appear in public. That’s why I never met Lord Alfred.”
“Yes, I certainly didn’t know him. But aside from his hair, eye color, and slightly thicker lips, he looked a lot like the former Grand Duke.”
Hmm, Alfred put his hand to his mouth. I nodded.
Looking more closely, I could sense a definite blood connection with the rare womanizer, the-walking-obscene-thing (according to Lord Alfred).
“I just loved cute things, and I also wanted to be cute myself. I don’t really care about men or women. But my father, who retired, learned about my orientation.”
The head chef laughed cheerfully, yet I could sense that he had endured a lot. He must’ve gone through some very unpleasant experiences.
“My brother tried to protect me, but I was filled with a lot of despair and anger. Although I had vague fears, I wanted to live the way I wanted to, so I fled the country.” The head chef shrugged.
The Grand Duke solemnly took a sip of the tea Liz had made, then gave a curt smile.
“I was extremely saddened and quite distressed. I had the urge to look for him, but I held myself back. When I thought of how happy Bart must now be, I wondered if it was truly a good idea to bring him back.”
The head chef was in fact quite strong.
He survived the nomadic life through the cooking skills he had inherited from his mother. From childhood, he’d been honing his strength against the Grand Duke. He had completely mastered the gangster’s way of life and made connections here and there before finally settling down in our house.
“After spending a long time with Sasha, I felt something that I had buried deep in my heart coming to the surface. I realized that I had always wanted to fall in love. When it comes to the soul, there’s no such thing as man or woman.”
When the head chef smiled at Sasha, it was as if he were bathed in gentle sunlight.
“You looked so cute when you ate. It was the first time I had ever felt my heart flutter and boil.”
“S-Sir Bert…!”
Sasha responded with a genuine smile. The two held hands and stared at each other. They were totally in their own world. After a while, the head chef spoke again.
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