Chapter 61: Chapter 61

* * *

“um… excuse me, but may i ask what you are thankful for?”

“oh— i was thanking you for taking antes’ side. it’s rare to see that.”

it wasn’t so much taking sides, but just speaking the truth from what i saw, and it felt awkward to be thanked for that.

“no, not really. i just judged the situation as it is.”

“there haven’t been people like that so far, except for the young lady.”

for some reason, apart from the first few times, even his parents were unable to make such judgments. they simply thought their son had a mental issue.

as if enthralled by something, they gradually lost interest in why he was expressing anger towards fersen. it was almost neglect.

but today, after hearing luna’s story, they realized how wrong that was. it felt like a veil had been lifted.

“anyway, i was unsure about carlton’s claims all along, but after hearing the young lady’s words, now i am convinced. it wasn’t unjust for him to be fired.”

the marchioness changed the subject with a bright smile.

“since my son is involved, we want to help from our end. we have a good lawyer, so we’ll send them to you soon. you don’t have to do anything, young lady. the lawyer is competent enough to handle this on his own.”

rosemary opened her mouth with a puzzled look.

“if you’re about royer. he’s already staying there. it’s been over a month.”

“…royer is staying there?”

the marquis furrowed his brow and asked.

at this, luna, who had been exploiting the other family’s lawyer quite ruthlessly, felt guilty. it wasn’t a minor thing—she had been exploiting him quite freely, even having him deliver letters.

“oh, yes. he helped me when i was in trouble, at the young lord’s request. he’s been assisting me in various matters ever since. actually, he was handling this current issue too. i apologize for not mentioning it earlier.”

silence followed luna’s words for a moment. she thought it was because they were displeased, but surprisingly, it was the opposite.

“you said that child sent him to help…?”

“yes? yes. the young lord acted out of goodwill. i will send him back soon. i kept him here on my own accord.”

“goodwill…? antes…?”

the arrival of adjectives completely unsuited for antes left the marquis and marchioness momentarily speechless. they couldn’t understand who they were talking about.

“oh, yes…”

the reaction wasn’t clear, as if doubting something, and luna felt a little awkward. it was an uncomprehensible response since earlier.

“…oh, don’t worry! whether antes’ lawyer or lady’s lawyer, it’s all the same. feel free to use him. it’s good that he’s already helping the young lady. it’s a relief. it’s indeed fortunate.”

however, to her surprise, after hesitating for a moment, the marchioness started to be very pleased. despite saying that she was freely exploiting someone else’s lawyer, they seemed very welcoming.

the marquis didn’t say anything, but the softness in his eyes seemed far from dissatisfaction.

when luna heard that antes’ lawyer was just like her own lawyer, she finally realized that something was wrong.

the extremely friendly attitude, soft tone, bright smile, and even the courtesy to freely use the family lawyer.

this surely proved that the marquis and marchioness had a fondness for her, and a significant one at that.

‘what did i do…?’

she hadn’t said anything… all she did was reveal how much carlton had deceived her.

moreover, she involved antes in the internal affairs which led him to act violently again.

unable to understand the flow of events, luna slightly furrowed her brow. she needed to know what went wrong to correct it, but without knowing what was wrong, it was difficult to speak up.

“i’ll talk to carlton to make him realize his mistakes. it would be less bothersome for the lady this way.”

meanwhile, the marchioness, who said she understood everything, ended the conversation with a bright smile. they had spent quite a lot of time discussing carlton, so it was about time to wrap things up.

of course, since the sun was still high, continuing the conversation wasn’t a problem, but keeping someone they had just met for too long was quite rude.

“i am sorry we couldn’t host you properly.”

luna thought the story about antes would be the main topic of conversation, but really, the marquis and marchioness quickly got up from their seats, saying they would only hear the main points and go.

“your hospitality is enough with the delicious cookies and tea you’ve prepared. moreover,”

the marchioness paused for a moment and stared with the sparkling eyes.

“rather, we should be the ones showing hospitality. it seems like there are two people here who are indebted to the young lady.”

she wanted to say that she would show hospitality from tomorrow, but she had a sense of propriety. as she hoped, she saw luna’s face, had a conversation, and confirmed what kind of person she was, so she had to look forward to the future.

after a satisfying conversation, they left the glass greenhouse.

“then, please return safely. i am grateful for today.”

just before the marquis and marchioness boarded the carriage, they sincerely thanked luna.

here, after briefly finishing the greetings, the marchioness hesitated for a moment and opened her mouth cautiously.

“um, if it’s not rude, do you know where our antes is staying? i heard he’s in the capital…”

actually, it was a question she wanted to ask from the first time they met. after he went down to the vincent estate, there was no reply to the letters, and when she went to see him, he left the house saying he didn’t want to see her, and it’s been decades since she saw his face.

ever since he made a fortune on his own and became independent, the communication has been completely cut off.

she was very curious about whether he eats well, how much he has grown, and how he has been. so, when she asked very boldly, luna, who was quite surprised, rolled her eyes and answered.

“i’m sorry. actually, i also don’t know exactly where he stays. he only comes to visit when he has some time.”

it wasn’t a surprise to the marchioness’s question. however, she realized that she had no concern about where he stays, even though she meets him quite often after rosemary.

if you come up to the capital, contact your parents. it was very pitiful for the marchioness to ask about the whereabouts of her child from others.

“if we meet again, i’ll definitely ask. and i’ll tell him to contact you.”

“no, there’s no need to do that. i’m relieved that he seems to be doing well.”

the marchioness’s sincere smile was serene.

“well, let’s go now. thank you very much for today.”

after the last greetings, the marquis and marchioness boarded the carriage. until then, rosemary, who had been left out like a bag of groceries, held luna’s hand tightly, showing that she didn’t want to go.

upon this, the eyes of the marquis and marchioness, who had been managing their expressions all the time, began to turn cold.

“come and play again soon, rosemary, i’ll be waiting for you.”

thanks to luna, who persuaded rosemary very skillfully, the marquis’s family boarded the carriage without a fight.

as rosemary leaned her upper body out of the window and waved her hand very violently, luna also had to wave her hand for a long time saying goodbye.

“they are good people.”

as the carriage became too small to see, laura opened her mouth with a warm smile.

“that’s right. they were really good people. they didn’t ask anything i was wary of.”

although she couldn’t appeal that she has a light relationship with antes, there was no regret. such people would agree ‘i see.’ and wouldn’t say anything bad even if they broke up with antes whenever and however.

* * *

even though the mansion was no longer visible, rosemary, who was still waving her hand, was scolded quietly by the marchioness.

“rosemary, please sit properly.”

it seemed like she had taken a liking to luna with her affectionate gaze and tone, but now she was quite cold. upon this, rosemary also sat down with a blank expression.

unlike the image shown to luna, the marquis’s family was rather silent. they didn’t say much other than necessary, and rosemary, who liked to chat, also saved words to her parents.

so, naturally, they had to return in silence, but for some reason, the marchioness spoke to rosemary first.

“how old did lady peils say she is this year?”

“lady luna? she’s twenty this year.”

“so, there’s a two-year difference with antes.”

the age difference is very appropriate, the marchioness muttered with a very serious face. she thought it was the end, but this time the marquis asked rosemary.

“i’m curious about how long they’ve been dating.”

“how and where did they meet? having a gold mine in the peils estate, they met in the vincent estate?”

once she answered, the questions continued. from the meeting of luna and antes, to what kind of food luna likes.

upon this, rosemary’s expression gradually turned cold. the anxiety she felt earlier came closer to reality. it was the anxiety that the marquis and marchioness might take her luna away and give her to antes.

“i don’t know either. you asked her directly earlier, didn’t you?”

upon this, rosemary seemed to decide not to respond anymore and stared out the window with her arms crossed. indeed, there were questions among them that were okay to be answered, but it didn’t feel good as it felt like sharing luna with others.

the couple, who were dismissed in a short while, closed their mouths looking at the cold side profile of rosemary. but it wasn’t like they were going to let it pass quietly.

after a moment of contemplation, the marquis took out a tactic to open rosemary’s mouth.

“if you answer properly, i will allow you to go out after work, even if it’s not a holiday from now on.”

what? upon this, rosemary widened her eyes and stared at the marquis.

“you’re an adult now, so it should be fine.”

of course, he had said this intending to fill the schedule so tightly that there would be no chance for it, but rosemary’s thoughts were different.

she was determined to finish her schedule somehow and go out.

“if that’s the case… then i will tell you only what i know. lady luna is a very nice person. she is wonderful and wise. it was when i first saw her.”

the marquis couple paid attention. of course, what followed was just boasting about luna, nothing more.

she had no intention of spilling everything about the relationship, when they started dating, especially as she wasn’t involved and didn’t know much either.

but taking this as an introduction, the marquis couple continued to listen to rosemary.

as the carriage of the marquis, engulfed in a serious atmosphere, moved away from luna’s mansion, another unknown carriage brushed past it, heading towards the rose mansion.