Chapter 22: A girl walking an unknown path; a girl repeating the past. Part 2
Although she was still staying at the Selphia House, she was being called to the main estate more frequently. Especially in the days leading up to her first trip to the royal palace, she had been summoned nearly every day.
Yet, she hadn’t seen a trace of the Young Lord Kassel.
The seasons had shifted to autumn, and under normal circumstances, he should have already left for the Rozia border. So why hadn’t he gone?
‘D**n, did my encounter with him keep him from leaving? No, that’s ridiculous. Ugh, so annoying! There’s no way the Duchy’s Young Lord would neglect his duties because of a mere Eina-in-training. Stop overthinking and focus on your own tasks.’
After getting rid of the thorn in her side, Pochette, she secretly hoped Kassel would disappear as well. But luck doesn’t strike twice.
Dott couldn’t stand the sight of Kassel, the one who had scolded her from the start, but she couldn’t let that show. No matter who else she might toy with, messing with the heir of the Duchy was a different matter. She knew the consequences all too well.
And so, her next target would be the much more manageable Maurice.
Despite the chilly autumn weather, Maurice stood there in only a single thin shirt, leaning against a barren tree that resembled his pitiful figure.
Dott wanted to mock him freely, but she knew better than to let others see.
“Good day, Lord Maurice. It’s been a while.”
Though Dott clasped her hands and bowed politely, he didn’t budge.
There was no need to feel embarrassed just because he didn’t respond. Dott already knew why he was sulking.
‘Hah, he’s acting out even more than usual because Young Lord Kassel is back at the Duchy.’
As the second son of one of the empire’s most prestigious ducal families, Maurice would seem like a figure of envy to most. But his reality was far different.
Constantly overshadowed by his older brother Kassel, who had already been made the vice-commander of a knight’s order at a young age, Maurice’s bouts of rebellion were nothing new.
People might assume it was because he was the second son, unable to inherit the title or lands, but Dott knew better.
It was because, no matter what Maurice achieved, he could never step out of Kassel’s shadow.
Just when Maurice had been enjoying the absence of his brother, Kassel returned out of nowhere and stole everyone’s attention. Of course, he was angry. His older brother, the Duke’s heir, had monopolized all the wealth, honor, and love after their sister went missing and their eldest brother was sent to the borders.
But soon, all of that would fall into her hands.
Finally, Maurice broke his silence and spoke.
“What do you want?”
“I was worried you might catch a cold in this weather. I brought a coat from the butler. Please wear it.”
“I don’t need it. Do you really think I’m that weak?”
Maurice’s tone was gruff, but there was no malice in it. Dott, careful not to call him ‘Second Young Master’ like others, since that would remind him of Kassel, confidently replied.
“Of course not. When I first arrived at the manor, I was in awe of your elegance and stature.”
“Hmph.”
“…However, Young Lord Kassel is truly intimidating. No matter how much I try, I doubt I’ll ever succeed in pleasing him.”
Maurice still didn’t take the coat, but he finally responded.
“My brother is a force to be reckoned with. From birth, everyone said he was destined to be a general, and at his young age, he was already made the vice-commander at the border.”
“Indeed, he is remarkable.”
“People are making a fuss, trying to spread rumors because it’s a demoted knight’s order, but that’s like spitting in their own faces. It’s only a matter of time before he rises to an even higher position.”
“I was so afraid when I first met him, as if I had already earned his disfavor. His overwhelming authority makes it hard to even breathe around him.”
Maurice stared at Dott, who seemed frightened of Kassel.
Hmm… Kassel Deuplione Klein was a difficult person to deal with.
Even their father, Duke Klein, had treated him as an equal as soon as he was knighted. Their mother had done the same, and of course, his younger brother Maurice was no exception.
So, it was only natural for this maid, Dorothea, to feel that way about him.
“He’s not called the heir to the Duchy for nothing.”
“I thought that as long as it was just you, Lord Maurice, I could work hard and eventually earn everyone’s favor.”
She was subtly trying to win his favor by hinting at Kassel’s intimidating presence.
‘Oh, really?’
Maurice found her words quite presumptuous.
Who did she think she was, to talk so casually about Kassel’s presence, or to speak so freely about earning other people’s favor?
Whether Kassel was at the Klein estate or at the Rozia border, he was always the Grand Duke’s heir.
Maurice had always felt his brother’s presence, no matter where he was, and though he might have been stifled by it, he had never dared to take Kassel lightly.
So, was she implying that she wished his brother would leave so she could live more comfortably?
Maurice’s lips twisted into a strange smile.
Although he still harbored some resentment toward Kassel from their recent confrontation, there was no way anyone else in the manor would dare say such a thing to his brother.
Nor should they. As long as Maurice remained the second son of Duke Klein, he would never allow that to happen.
Unless, by some miracle, their sister Tiana returned alive—but that was a different matter entirely!
Legnakra
I can’t understand Maurice 🙄… Thank you Bunny 🐰💕