Chapter 18: Rumors and Honest Advice
“âŚDorothy, are you all right?”
When Dorothy returned looking strangely unfocused and making mistakes she normally never would, Aurelia asked with concern.
“I-Iâm very sorry.”
“You had the discussion about the divorce, didnât you? Thatâs understandable.”
“Thatâs, 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 fiancĂŠ, while Dorothyâs 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.
“âŚNoah-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?”
“âŚAfter 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 Dorothyâs 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 didnât 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, Iâm not exactly popular.”
“What are you saying?”
“There were quite a few men who had their eyes on you, Dorothy.”
“Eh?”
“Thatâs 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 youâd be divorcing sooner or later.”
“Thatâs why it caused a bit of an uproar when Count Miller gave you that necklace.”
“âŚReally?”
“Really.”
Dorothy hadnât known at all.
She never imagined things had reached that point.
She herself hadnât understood the meaning of the necklace and had only been bewildered.
At first sheâd 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 donât think Noah would use his title to force you, but if he did, weâd have Eugene scold him.”
“That wonât happen, so itâs fine.”
Dorothy hurriedly denied it.
Aurelia knew Noah wouldnât do such a thing, but she asked just in case.
“Itâs just that it was so sudden.”
“And I donât really understand my own feelings yet.”
“Iâd 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 donât understand womenâs feelings at all.”
“They think confessing the moment a woman becomes free is enough.”
“How is it they can read an opponentâs intentions perfectly, yet fail to read the heart of the woman they love?”
Dorothy couldnât very well agree out loud with Aureliaâs 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, donât worry.”
“Eugene-sama reads peopleâs hearts regardless of gender.”
“Sometimes too well, to the point of saying unnecessary things, but generally heâs very good at it.”
“Thatâs true.”
“Lucien complains about it sometimes.”
The two women laughed together, but Dorothy still couldnât 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 donât mind, even if it takes time, please think carefully about Noah.”
“He waited until your divorce, so he can wait a little longer.”
“âŚYes.”
“And even if you reject Noah, that wonât change the fact that you work under me.”
“Wouldnât 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, theyâd inevitably run into each other often.
That did sound awkward.
“Then again, your ex-husband works here too.”
“Ah.”
At Letitiaâs remark, Dorothy finally remembered that Cyrus also worked at the palace.
“Dorothy-san, youâve already forgotten about Count Miller.”
“âŚSomething rather shocking happened.”
At Dorothyâs words, the womenâeach of whom had their own complicated pastâlaughed warmly.
“Achoo.”
At Noahâs small sneeze, Lucien glanced at him meaningfully.
“Someone might be talking about you.”
“If itâs Dorothy-dono, Iâd welcome it.”
“It could be gossip, you know?”
“Even gossip means Iâm on her mind, doesnât it?”
“If someone truly doesnât matter, people say neither good nor bad things about them.”
“Even if theyâre right in front of you, your heart doesnât stir.”
“Itâs just indifference.”
“Wouldnât you rather hear only good things from the woman you love?”
“I know Iâm not a saint.”
“My good points and bad points together make me who I am.”
“Iâm sure Letitia-dono complains about you too, Lucien-dono.”
“âŚI wonât deny it.”
“Though she scolds me directly to my face.”
“And thatâs written all over your face as âcute.â”
“At those times, sheâs thinking only about me.”
“âŚYes, youâre right.”
“Even if itâs complaining, knowing that her mind is full of me isnât 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-donoâs grades.”
“Memorizing textbooks cover to cover is impressive, but thatâs all.”
That talent might work in a stagnant workplace, but it didnât 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.
“Canât be helped.”
“Weâll drag him out.”
Heâll probably flinch and try to run.
Thinking of the face of someone he hadnât seen in a long time, Noah muttered quietly.