Guiding the Male Lead out of His Trauma - Chapter 37.1
By the time I finally woke up from a groggy sleep, the sun was already high in the sky.
“Ha, I didn’t sleep well at all.”
Last night, I’d secretly met the duchess, and on my way back to my room, I’d seen Belled.
It seemed he had just returned from an outing and, without stopping anywhere special, went straight back to his room.
Even though I’d sensed something suspicious about him and tried following, I didn’t find anything useful.
So why did I still feel so uneasy?
“He’s employed in this mansion, so there’s no way he doesn’t know about the duchess’s situation…”
On top of that, he was surely the first to notice her sleep disorder.
He’s probably the one prescribing almost all the medicines in this mansion.
Maybe the duchess meets with Belled even more often than with the duke.
Does he really not know what the duchess is plotting?
‘Or maybe he’s just pretending not to know.’
If he was helping the duchess, there’d be no need to be this suspicious.
But since I’d agreed to join forces with her, I had to eliminate as many potential problems as possible.
I was starting to suspect that Belled might be an informant.
‘I really don’t know much about that person.’
Not that I’d ever felt the need to.
I certainly hadn’t expected I’d have to investigate him like this.
The most straightforward method would be to just ask the duchess or Acteon directly about Belled.
I was scheduled to return to school the next day.
One day wasn’t a lot, but maybe I could find out a little more about him.
But contrary to my expectations, the chance to investigate Belled came surprisingly easily.
That afternoon, the duchess invited me to a small tea time, saying she couldn’t send a guest away with no hospitality at all.
Led to the garden by my ever-dedicated maid, Hannahh, I saw a familiar face standing in front of the duchess.
“Acteon?”
“Ah, Senior. I’ve been waiting. Mother was just asking me about the things you like.”
The duchess gave the head maid a silent instruction.
The head maid pulled out a chair and offered me a seat.
Tea time, of all things.
I was bewildered by this luxury I’d never experienced, but sat down for now.
“Teo said you eat almost anything as long as it’s not too heavy, Miss Ortis. Is that right?”
“Huh?”
Me? Did I?
How did he know my tastes better than I did?
Catching my gaze, Acteon gave a small smile with his eyes.
“She also likes desserts with lemon or herbal notes.”
Thinking back to times I’d gone hungry, I realized I really wasn’t picky as long as I could fill my stomach.
But if I thought about it, heavy or dense flavors tended to feel stifling, so I guess I did prefer lighter foods.
The refreshments prepared today were mostly fruits and herbs, clearly taking that into consideration.
Even the brightly colored tea in front of me had a fresh, delicate fragrance.
‘This is a little scary…’
But at the same time, it was touching that someone had paid such close attention to me.
I’d never really cared about my own preferences before.
“Th-thank you. I’m a bit taken aback, though.”
“I hope it suits your taste. Actually, I don’t remember seeing you enjoy tea even before returning to school…”
“No, it’s just a habit. I never had the leisure for things like this.”
Even though my answer was casual, the duchess covered her mouth, looking a little flustered.
She apologized for forgetting the difference in our status.
“Sorry, I should have been more considerate.”
“It’s fine. Please feel free to treat me comfortably. You’re already making an effort in your own way.”
But the way she smiled bitterly and continued to choose her words carefully was very familiar to me.
It wasn’t so much consideration as it was the self-consciousness of someone whose self-esteem had been worn down.
Then Acteon sat next to me and asked,
“But there must be a reason you called me here as well. You said you had something to discuss.”
“Ah, right.”
Remembering her main purpose, the duchess fiddled with her warm teacup.
“You probably won’t like this, Teo, but yesterday, I called Miss Ortis to my room.”
She addressed Acteon, but it was I who turned to look at him.
Acteon’s eyes narrowed as he lifted his teacup.
“So you mean I don’t need to keep this secret from Senior.”
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