âNo, though you need to touch up your hair again.â
âOkay.â
âI have led him to the parlor, so there is no need to rush. He didnât even send a letter in the first placeââ
Amber wrinkled her face with a look of displeasure. Her reaction was not unusual.
For anyone looking at it, this was against the rules of etiquette.
Still, the fact that she came to ask me, would have played a significant role in Noahâs usual position. He was in the same salon as Lucian, and he seemed to be quite friendly. And, it must have been because I had a crush on Noah all this time.
If it was Amber, who was always with me, she would have known better than anyone.
But, why did he come to see me and not Lucian? Also, didnât Brother go to the salon today? Didnât Noah go to the salonâŠ?
âMaster, shall we go with you?â
Oscar, who had been clinging to the side, asked. Damian also glanced at me with a no-different expression.
âWellâŠâ
He was not a person to be wary of enough to have an escort, butâŠ
I hadnât seen him in a long time, he might not want to separate? As I lived with Lucian, the time we met naturally decreased. We used to drink tea together, although lately, we havenât been able to do that at all.
After weighing my thoughts for a moment, I nodded happily.
âThank you, Master!â
âThen, letâs go there.â
I stopped into the room with Oscar and Damian, then simply rearranged my outfit and headed to the parlor where Noah was.
Click.
âHello, brother Noah.â
As I entered the parlor, I was greeted with a dazzling moment. It was because of Noah, who sat alone and monopolized the sunshine.
No, even this brotherâs appearance is getting more and more crazy every dayâŠ!
Lucianâs face glowed differently day by day. Just like the time when Noah and him had a good time in the original story, as his beauty was in full blow.
Nonetheless, this one was worse!
While watching him as if possessed for a moment, Noah stood up. He approached me in stride, and at first knelt down on his knees and kissed the back of my hand as knights express respect to the lady.
âForgive me for having to come to you even though I thought it was rude, beautiful Miss.â
Then, he lifted his head and smiled at me. By the wayâŠ
I seemed to have seen that smile a lot.
Yes, when and where I saw it was when we met in the alley of a bookstore. Even Noahâs face, with a grinning smile, was so calm that I almost met a small death ta for a while. Despite that, I worked hard to manage my expression.
No, what was wrong with him again? And, obviously, he was smiling brightly, but why is he doing this all of a sudden?
In confusion, Amber asked me.
âShould I prepare tea?â
ââŠYes. Prepare the Darjeeling First Flush.â
I asked for the tea I drank with him before
âBrother Noah, get up now. You are a close friend of brother Lucian, so I will close my eyes on todayâs rudeness.â
Even though I like him, I have to draw a moderate line. Well, the reason I like him was because he was Lucianâs lover.
My undisputed bias was only Lucian.
I stepped proudly to the sofa and sat down elegantly. As long as Iâm borrowing the Leon familyâs surname, I shouldnât tarnish their names.
I knew for a long time that Noahâs behavior was rude, but I couldnât figure out why. As in the original story, if he was dating Lucian, it was understandable, though his behavior was a bit ignorant to convince him that it was just because he went to the same salon.
The fact that I was not called Lady a while ago, but Miss, was also in lineâŠ
âDarjeeling First Flush⊠It was a good choice, Lady.â
Noah, who was sitting across from me, said with a grin on his lips. Nevertheless, since I did not have time, I did not delay and asked the main point.
âMay I ask why you found me?â
He glanced at Oscar and Damian, who came with me to my question.
âI want to talk with Lady alone.â
âŠHmm, this was also rude.
It was not a very good choice for unmarried men and women to be in the same space with no employees.
By the way, didnât he say that we should go out to drink tea? Of course, it was something I would have done without knowing back then⊠But, not now, right? Why does he keep making such rude requests?
A little offended, I declined his request.
âItâs difficult. If youâre worried about the word leaking, you donât have to because they are like my limbs.â
âHmm⊠It was Ladyâs personal limb.â
âSo, can you tell me now?â
Strangely, I did not mind.
This person in front of me, who was acting completely different from the usual Noah, was Noah, but he looked like a different person.
âThat isâŠâ
Noah tried to open his mouth with an expression that he couldnât help it with my decisive attitude.
The next moment, Amber pulled in the trolley. I waited for her to prepare. When I also noticed him wishing for her to leave, I instructed her.
âAmber, can you wait outside for a while and let me know when brother comes back?â
âYes, Lady.â
At that, Amber pulled the empty trolley out of the parlor.
âDrink tea first and then talk about your business slowly.â
There was something I wanted to check first. Once that was confirmed, I had the intention to listen to whatever Noah asked for.
He confided secrets to the trash booger king, and he was also harmed.
No, well.
To be honest, it was not severe damage. It was just that there was nowhere to borrow money. After all, in the original story, he was in trouble because he owed the trash booger king.
Yes. Rather, I was tired of the trash booger king.
My mind has become complicated. I didnât quite understand why I had such unpleasant feelings for Noah. A teacup of black tea in a beautiful succulent color was carefully picked up. I savored tea elegantly according to the etiquette I had been taught.
As I drank, he followed me and lifted the mug. I glanced down at it with my eyes down.
Even though it was the first time I drank tea with him, I often saw him holding a glass of champagne at the banquet hall. Noah had a bit of a peculiar habit. He held the champagne glass post with his thumb and forefinger, and raised his little finger to support the round part.
If so, wouldnât he hold the teacup? Human habits donât go away easily.
His little finger, who carried the teacup up to his mouth, was quietly coming out and was not holding the teacup together with the other fingers, though folded neatly.
His slightly crude gestures looked a little different from his usual ones.
Noah was the type that showed off characteristic fine lines like the main spotlight. Although he was a man, he had an elegant and beautiful charm. However, todayâs Noah was rough. Hmm⊠Should I say, like a knight, right?
Though he was a nobleman, he had been trained as a knight for a long time, so it came out without knowing it.
The moment I realized that, my spine shivered. At the same time, I remembered what Oscar had said and what the informant had told me.
If there was a case where a being like Cassandra took over, wouldnât they be possessed like me?
I thought so.
Of course, I have a slightly different concept, but the context of borrowing someone elseâs body was the same⊠If he was the possessor, did he have special abilities like Cassandra? If so, what were those abilities?
My mind started spinning round and round. I stood still with my cup in my hand and pretended to sip the tea in my mouth in a hurry so as not to show it.
âHmm⊠As expected, the workmanship of the Duchyâs employees is different. Even if the workmanship is not as good as at that time, the taste of the tea is quite good.â
ââŠIs that so? How does the tea taste different?â
I finally confirmed.
If my hypothesis was correct, he would give an answer that is not different from then.
âItâs a little less savory, but it tends to bring out the flavor of this darjeeling well.â
I wanted to turn away from him with a confident smile on my face, but I asked again without taking my eyes off him.
âWhat do you mean by a little less savory?â
âDoesnât darjeeling smell smoked? If you use the scent well, the sweet taste that spreads in your mouth is indescribable.â
Could this habit be a criterion for judging the possessor? So, what happened to Noah I saw last time? I was confused that the original Noah had disappeared.
Was it because of the tea he was holding?
He quietly set the glass down. Then, as if waiting, he opened his mouth again.
âI came here for a request from Lady.â
âRequestâŠ?â
âYes, I think my father will die soon.â
Even what I heard from the informant expressed that it was an emergency.
Noah, who interpreted my serious expression at will, added, âWell, thereâs no need to be so sad because itâs not that different from the time-limited verdict.â
I didnât say anything though just looked at him, hoping to get the gist.
âSo, when I held the funeral, I came here hoping that Lady would help as my partner.â
This was my impression of hearing his story to the end.
âŠThis man couldnât be Noah.
Such a shameless person was him? A partner of the heir who leads the funeralâ