Chapter 18: Rumors and Honest Advice
“…Dorothy, are you all right?”
When Dorothy returned looking strangely unfocused and making mistakes she normally never would, Aurelia asked with concern.
“I-I’m very sorry.”
“You had the discussion about the divorce, didn’t you? That’s understandable.”
“That’s, um…”
Aurelia assumed Dorothy was unsettled because she had just spoken with Cyrus about their divorce.
In the past, Aurelia herself had been unable to behave normally after discussing the dissolution of her own engagement.
Aurelia had loved her former fiancé, while Dorothy’s marriage had been political and a white marriage, so the situations were very different.
Still, she believed emotions would be stirred regardless, and that was why she was worried about Dorothy.
However, the real reason Dorothy was unsettled lay in what happened afterward with Noah.
“…Noah-sama.”
At the name muttered softly by Letitia, Dorothy overreacted, her body twitching visibly.
Seeing that reaction, Letitia let out a small laugh.
“Did he perhaps confess to you?”
“What? How did you know?”
When Dorothy responded like that instead of denying it, Aurelia grasped the situation and smiled, saying, “Oh my, oh my.”
“He moves fast, that Noah.”
“But where did he even find the time?”
“…After it was over, we ended up alone, and then… the conversation just led there…”
“What kind of flow lets a man confess to a woman right after her divorce?”
“It worked out because Dorothy’s divorce was already certain, but otherwise that would have been a new battlefield.”
“Aurelia-sama, surely Noah-sama has enough sense not to overstep.”
“Perhaps he felt a sense of urgency, thinking that if he didn’t confess immediately after Dorothy became free, someone else would snatch her away.”
“That does sound likely.”
For some reason, the two of them seemed completely convinced, leaving Dorothy blinking in confusion.
“Um, I’m not exactly popular.”
“What are you saying?”
“There were quite a few men who had their eyes on you, Dorothy.”
“Eh?”
“That’s right.”
“I was asked about you several times myself.”
“Recently, since Noah-sama was always at your side, people often asked whether the two of you were dating.”
“But I was still technically a married woman.”
“Everyone could tell you’d be divorcing sooner or later.”
“That’s why it caused a bit of an uproar when Count Miller gave you that necklace.”
“…Really?”
“Really.”
Dorothy hadn’t known at all.
She never imagined things had reached that point.
She herself hadn’t understood the meaning of the necklace and had only been bewildered.
At first she’d been on guard, thinking he might try something, but apparently it had simply been a sign that he wanted to reconcile.
“So, did you give him an answer?”
“If it was hard to refuse, tell us.”
“I don’t think Noah would use his title to force you, but if he did, we’d have Eugene scold him.”
“That won’t happen, so it’s fine.”
Dorothy hurriedly denied it.
Aurelia knew Noah wouldn’t do such a thing, but she asked just in case.
“It’s just that it was so sudden.”
“And I don’t really understand my own feelings yet.”
“I’d just finalized my divorce and thought I could finally breathe and think about what to do next, and then Noah-sama confessed…”
“Honestly, men really don’t understand women’s feelings at all.”
“They think confessing the moment a woman becomes free is enough.”
“How is it they can read an opponent’s intentions perfectly, yet fail to read the heart of the woman they love?”
Dorothy couldn’t very well agree out loud with Aurelia’s indignation.
Aurelia was talking about men in general, which would naturally include the emperor himself.
She doubted His Majesty would make such a blunder, but there were surely things only a married couple could understand.
“Oh, don’t worry.”
“Eugene-sama reads people’s hearts regardless of gender.”
“Sometimes too well, to the point of saying unnecessary things, but generally he’s very good at it.”
“That’s true.”
“Lucien complains about it sometimes.”
The two women laughed together, but Dorothy still couldn’t quite bring herself to laugh along.
“Putting His Majesty aside, Noah-sama was unusually impatient.”
“Impatient? Noah-sama?”
“I think so too.”
“Hey, Dorothy.”
“If you don’t mind, even if it takes time, please think carefully about Noah.”
“He waited until your divorce, so he can wait a little longer.”
“…Yes.”
“And even if you reject Noah, that won’t change the fact that you work under me.”
“Wouldn’t that be awkward?”
She would be happy to keep serving under Aurelia, but even in the vast Imperial Palace, if they were both close aides to the emperor and empress, they’d inevitably run into each other often.
That did sound awkward.
“Then again, your ex-husband works here too.”
“Ah.”
At Letitia’s remark, Dorothy finally remembered that Cyrus also worked at the palace.
“Dorothy-san, you’ve already forgotten about Count Miller.”
“…Something rather shocking happened.”
At Dorothy’s words, the women—each of whom had their own complicated past—laughed warmly.
“Achoo.”
At Noah’s small sneeze, Lucien glanced at him meaningfully.
“Someone might be talking about you.”
“If it’s Dorothy-dono, I’d welcome it.”
“It could be gossip, you know?”
“Even gossip means I’m on her mind, doesn’t it?”
“If someone truly doesn’t matter, people say neither good nor bad things about them.”
“Even if they’re right in front of you, your heart doesn’t stir.”
“It’s just indifference.”
“Wouldn’t you rather hear only good things from the woman you love?”
“I know I’m not a saint.”
“My good points and bad points together make me who I am.”
“I’m sure Letitia-dono complains about you too, Lucien-dono.”
“…I won’t deny it.”
“Though she scolds me directly to my face.”
“And that’s written all over your face as ‘cute.’”
“At those times, she’s thinking only about me.”
“…Yes, you’re right.”
“Even if it’s complaining, knowing that her mind is full of me isn’t so bad.”
“Exactly.”
Noah and Lucien were both happily imagining their beloved women thinking about them, regardless of the reason.
Had Dorothy and Letitia seen them like this, they might have been a bit put off, but only the two men sharing the same sensibility were present.
“Anyway, that shut-in from the Grand Library is still alive, huh.”
As they headed toward the Grand Library, Noah recalled the man who had been holed up there for years.
“You know Cleil-dono, Noah-dono?”
“Yeah.”
“Regrettably, he was a classmate.”
“His grades were excellent, always near the top.”
“Ha, you sound just like His Majesty, focusing only on Cleil-dono’s grades.”
“Memorizing textbooks cover to cover is impressive, but that’s all.”
That talent might work in a stagnant workplace, but it didn’t suit palace work, which required adapting to constant change.
And since he was painfully shy, being left alone with silent books suited him just fine.
According to scarce information, he had retreated even deeper after being rejected by a woman.
“Can’t be helped.”
“We’ll drag him out.”
He’ll probably flinch and try to run.
Thinking of the face of someone he hadn’t seen in a long time, Noah muttered quietly.