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Ethan visited the detached palace after a long time. It was the first time he had met Dorothy since the day Hark came and went.
“Hello, Master Ethan.”
Ethan who visited the detached palace after a long time – like most people who saw Ethan, greeted Ethan with a happy face.
“You look more handsome every time I see you, Master.”
Clara smiled as she guided Ethan to Dorothea.
Not to mention, Ethan has been growing day by day lately. He gradually escaped the boy’s face and began to take on the light of youth. But the admirable beauty has not changed.
At Clara’s praise, Ethan just smiled quietly.
In the garden of the detached palace, there were servants who put strawberries and blueberries in baskets. The servants saw Ethan and paused to watch him. It’s so common for people’s eyes to stay on him, so Ethan didn’t mind. All that mattered to him was meeting Dorothea.
He followed Clara into the palace building. As soon as Ethan entered, he heard a voice from the hallway.
“Why hide the pie in the corner of the room and then rot!”
‘Dorothea?’
Dorothea’s voice was louder than usual, and Ethan turned to the side of the sound.
Dorothea was standing with two children. Ethan, who knew all the nobles in this area, had never seen them before.
“I was trying to save. Because Po wants to eat it.”
“You hid this moldy thing to eat?”
“Every time I think of it, I try to take one bite…”
A little taller than Dorothea nodded.
Curly brown hair that stretched out and freckles all over his face. stooped posture.
‘It seems Far from being cultured or beautiful… is it a boy?’
‘Who is it?’
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. It is clear that a person is not a nobleman.
“You hid this to eat?”
At Dorothea’s interrogation, the two children with unfamiliar faces nodded their heads.
Then Dorothea sighed, as if absurd.
“It’s a shame. I’m left. I’ll throw it away.”
“….”
Dorothy hesitated at the twinkling eyes of the two children. Then the two children grabbed Dorothy’s arms and hung them.
The smile slowly disappeared from Ethan’s face when he saw that.
“We just have to take off the mold and eat it, right? It’s only on the outside, and it’s okay on the inside.”
“No! The rotten ones must be thrown away. Okay?”
“Looks like you are rich…”
“Yes, I am rich. So if you want to eat, don’t eat the rotten thing, tell me. I’ll feed you whatever you want.”
At Dorothea’s words, the eyes of the both of them widened and they hugged her tightly.
“Princess, you are so cool…!”
Ethan, who had been watching the scene quietly, looked up at Clara.
“Who are they?”
that trash?
At Ethan’s question, Clara explained the existence of the stranger.
These are the children that the princess had brought to life in this palace a while ago. Clara added that the princess saved both of them from being sold to the mines because their father owed a lot of gambling debt.
‘So, after all, they are vagrants… ?’
Ethan’s long eyelashes tumbled down and then slowly lifted up again.
“Is it okay for such children to hang out with the princess?”
Ethan pretended to be pure curiosity and asked Clara.
Clara smiled at him.
“Because the princess likes it.”
Clara said, just looking at Dorothea happily. After Joy and Po came in, Dorothea became a little more active. She talks a lot and turns her attention to other things besides swordsmanship. She teaches them letters and manners.
“But if the imperial family finds out, it might be a big trouble.”
Ethan said to Clara worriedly.
To have a vagrant as a friend when the princess can’t even have a social gathering with the noble young lady.
“It’s what the princess likes. She needs a friend because she is always alone.”
Ethan’s white hand gripped his sleeve tightly. But soon, Ethan smiled softly and spoke with a soft voice.
“Okay. If the princess likes it, I want to get to know them too.”
“Oh, Master Ethan too? It’s good to play together!”
Clara was delighted with Ethan’s warm voice.
Then Dorothea took off those who had been clinging to her, then turned around and walked towards Clara. Ethan just met Dorothea’s eyes, smiled brightly, and bowed his head to greet her politely.
“It’s been a while, Ethan.”
“How are you, Princess?”
“As you can see.”
Dorothea pointed to the children behind them. On the plate she was holding was a slice of moldy apple pie.
“I’m sorry, Ethan, but I have to deal with this first. Can you wait a little bit?”
“Sure.”
At Ethan’s words, Dorothea went somewhere with Stefan. Clara followed Dorothea’s footsteps, telling Ethan to make himself at home because he often came to the villa.
Ethan looked at Dorothea’s back as she moved away.
As Dorothea disappeared from view, he turned and looked at the vagrant earlier with his slender eyes. Joy stood there with a sullen look on her face, with her lips puckered.
Next to her was a little kid with a hamster-like face, holding her hand tightly. Ethan looked at them quietly, cleared his face, and approached them.
“Hi. I’ve never seen you before, right?”
He greeted them with a friendly smile. in a very Ethan Bronte manner. Then the two of them opened their eyes to the appearance of the handsome boy.
“Ah! Duke Master!”
Joy recognized him immediately.
“Do you know me?”
“I saw you in a swordsmanship contest!”
He had such a handsome face that Joy couldn’t forget him, so Joy remembered him clearly.
“Ah… A swordsmanship contest.”
Ethan mumbled softly and then smiled again.
“I heard about you too. You are here because of your father’s debt.”
“Yes, The princess saved us.”
“Right!”
The two of them nodded their heads as if they were proud of what they were.
“So what are you going to do for the princess?”
Ethan asked with a smile.
“We? We learn letters. Now I can read roughly just by looking at that!”
“Are you learning letters?”
‘Not working?’
Ethan’s beautifully extended eyebrows lifted up.
“Aside from that, I also learn history. It’s fun.”
Po shyly helped out next to her.
“Ugh, I hate history, but I still have to learn, so I’m working hard.”
Joy frowned, then quickly changed to a smile.
Then, Ethan’s expression became cold..
“The princess took you, but you don’t know how to repay her grace.”
At Ethan’s cold words, Joy shook her head.
“That’s not true. But in order to work here, I had to be healthy, learn etiquette, and know the letters.”
Joy was doing what Dorothea was telling her to do. Of course, Joy thought her current life was too good. However, whenever Joy expressed her doubts, Dorothea always drew a line firmly to study.
Not knowing the imperial logic enough to refute it, Joy had no choice but to keep her mouth shut and do what Dorothea told her.
“Aren’t you cleaning, doing laundry, carrying luggage, fetching water, or making bed linen?”
“Princess says I don’t have to do it because everyone here is already doing it well.”
Joy shook his head, unable to do anything. The two were already being scolded once for trying to get water in the kitchen. If you are a newcomer and suddenly step into work, the rules that people here have already set will be broken.
“This place is strict and demanding.”
Joy and Po said this was a finite place for them to intervene.
Ethan listened to them and patted his foot lightly on the marble floor.
Tak, tak-
A constant beat echoed in the empty hallway.
Ethan, with an expressionless expression on his face, fastened the buttons on his sleeves, which had been slightly loosened.
Ethan’s sluggish voice flowed through the very quiet hallway.
“Yes. We used to have hunting dogs in my house. The dog had straight ears and a dignified back, so my father liked it. They gave the dog good meat and brushed His hair every day. But when I take it to the forest, the hunt with that dog is not very cool.”
Ethan raised his eyes, gently fiddling with the buttons on his sleeve.
Joy and Po trembled at his golden eyes.
“So you know what happened to that dog?”
Then Joy frowned and looked at Ethan.
“You don’t know?”
Ethan stared into those pathetic eyes and took a step closer to him. As the distance from Ethan drew closer, Joy held her breath.
“One day, the dog came to our table. Boiled in a boiling pot with all the skins peeled off.”
Ethan whispered softly in her ear. Quiet warning. elegant threat.
But…
“Really? Do dogs taste good? No matter how hungry I am, I can’t eat the dog because it’s pitiful. Po likes dogs.”
Joy rolled his eyes and said.
When Po heard that he had eaten a dog, tears welled up and clung to Joy’s leg, and his lips twitched, saying, “I feel sorry for the dog.”
Ethan’s face snapped and cracked. But he soon burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, My story level is not right for you.”
“Yes…That’s why the princess seems to have made us study.”
As Joy looked at Po and muttered,
‘The master is like this too, so that is why the princess is really frustrated, right?’ Po nodded.
Ethan looked at the two of them, unable to speak.
‘Are you playing with me? Or are you really stupid?’
There’s no way these ignorant people can play with him. Ethan changed his expression again and then parted his lips.
“Then you did nothing and were stuck to the princess like a parasite?”
“Parasite?”
“What is a parasite?”
Joy and Po looked at Ethan at the same time. with eyes that don’t really know anything.
Ethan didn’t know what to say.
‘How far should my level go?’
Ethan can’t even explain parasites to them here.
‘Can’t I just say ‘worms that crawl out of your poop’?’
What’s the use of giving way and explaining like that?
‘Those idiots will also be interested in dirty stories about such bugs coming out of their poop.’
Ethan thought deeply that he could even fight an argument with an intelligent person.