Night of the Abandoned Duchess

“Well, I’ll give you plenty of time, so you can write whatever you want to write.”

As Rosalind ran out of words, the children began to write letters with serious faces. Some children were staring at the paper as if they were going to bury their heads in the piece of paper, while others had objects piled up on the desk like a wall so that other children could not see them.

She captured each of them in her eyes.

She had volunteered to teach children, but rather, she often received many strengths from these children. Facing the children’s innocent faces and listening to their characteristic loud laughter, complicated thoughts seemed to stop for a moment.

Meanwhile, Albert was tried.

Rosalind did not add anything to Albert, and she only asked that he be punished according to the suitable punishment. As he was sentenced for the crime, she would be unable to see his face for a very long time to come because his crime was so heavy.

…Murder by grudge, kidnapping, and even injury.

In addition, the punishment was aggravated as he approached it deliberately with a grudge.

People were very interested in the story of Marquis Baron, which had been talked about for a while, and the story of Duke Spencer being stabbed with a sword for the sake of his wife was a romantic story.

However, as time passed, the incidents and romantic rumors that made the whole country uproar eventually calmed down.

Rosalind was taking advantage of the silence to make atonement. She sold her property and secretly passed it on to those who suffered or may have been harmed by her father. After she paid the fine, she didn’t have much left though she worked hard by reducing the living cost she didn’t need. In addition to that, she made a monthly donation in addition to her original donation and started volunteering.

When asked what the atonement was for, she couldn’t come up with an answer right away.

Guilt for her father’s sins? Feeling sorry for those who were hurt because of her father…? Perhaps, it was selfishness to relieve the burden of debt by wanting to do something on her own.

But even so, she couldn’t do anything to Kyle, who suffered the most from her father.

She missed him… However, she didn’t know if it would be good to see him. Because she was the perpetrator’s daughter, she couldn’t brazenly seek him out just because she loved him. So, Rosalind only sent flowers to wish him well.

She hoped the flowers would watch over him instead of her.

“…What are you doing?”

Rosalind muttered a little as she watched the children engrossed in their writing.

She wanted to see him…

The next day after spending the night together, she went back to her house, and he didn’t look for her. There was only one letter asking her not to send Leo for about a week. The child was troubled and cried over whether he would not see his father for a while though that also calmed down a bit as time passed.

Maybe, it was at the end of that night that they forgot everything.

Though fortunately, the sweet kiss of that time was all left intact inside her—like the mask she kept in the small jewelry box, like the memory of that time—that day remained as a precious moment deep in her heart.

“Teacher, I’ve written it all!”

“Really…? Can I see it? What did Irene write?”

“It’s a love letter.”

Really?

With a smile on her face, Rosalind glanced up at a girl the size of her waist with a face full of anticipation. Perhaps, it was a shame that she wrote a love letter, and her hand as she held out the paper was stiff.

“Can I read it?” the child nodded her head cautiously. Her smile deepened at how cute the girl’s shy look was. Rosalind picked up a piece of paper on which had been written with considerable strength and began to read it carefully.

“…Edwin, to be honest, you’re not my type. However, if you confess, I think we can meet once. I’ll think about it and give a reply. By the way, I am the prettiest in this town. Just like you are the most handsome in town.”

As soon as she read it, she burst into laughter. Contrary to her shy appearance, the content of the letter was bubbly and daring.

“Who is Edwin? Is it your crush?”

“He’s the son of a blacksmith over there. I don’t like Edwin. He just seems to like me, so I’m just giving him a little bit of room.”

“Really? I hope it goes well.”

Rosalind smiled as she handed the paper back to the child. There was still a smile on her lips.

“Does Teacher have a crush?”

“Um, well…”

“Who is it?”

She didn’t answer right away and took her time. It was apparent that there was one that came to mind, but for some reason, she couldn’t get it out of her mouth. Seeing the children with eyes shining, it seemed to reflect their anticipation for her love story.

“So…”

“…Kyle Spencer. Say it’s him.”

Rosalind turned her head at the low voice that came from afar. Before she could show any signs of surprise, Kyle’s voice rang in her ears.

“You’re still here, living well without me.”

I keep saying that I’m jealous.

He smiled bitterly. A soft smile added to his sharp, handsome face, and he looked even more beautiful and stunning.

“I’ll wait until class is over. When you’re done, come out. I have somewhere to go.”

“…It will take a while since we just started.”

“I’ve been waiting longer, this is nothing.”

At Kyle’s words, Rosalind blushed slightly. Meanwhile, the children’s eyes were all drawn to him. They continued to stare at him until he disappeared, and they began to fuss, blinking their eyes in disbelief.

“Wow, so cool!”

“He’s really handsome…”

However, only Irene was firm. She had hardened like a wick, unlike other children, and suddenly she spread her letter neatly on her desk.

“…Irene?”

Irene scribbled out the name Edwin and wrote Spencer on it.

* * *

After the class, Rosalind came out to the convent’s garden. Usually after the class, her face used to intertwine with a rewarding feeling yet a little tiredness. Although today somehow felt like a sunny day.

When she thought of Irene’s appearance, she kept smiling. The child was very straight-minded, but isn’t she so cute? Even in the eyes of a small child, good-looking was good-looking.

Well, even before their marriage, Kyle was always talked about. He lacked nothing in family, academics, or swordsmanship, though his remarkably good looks played a vital role above all else. Even after his marriage, many young ladies were secretly staring at him.

Of course, Rosalind liked his looks, too. She especially likes his beautiful eyes like green leaves.

“I’ve been waiting.”

He was standing at an angle and waited for Rosalind, then guided her to the place with the carriage. Seeing the carriage, she remembered his words earlier that he wanted to go to a place to go.

“Where are we going?”

“…You will find out when we arrive.”

Opening the carriage door with an assertive word, Kyle reached out towards her. Rosalind took his hand and climbed into the carriage, and as soon as she sat down, the carriage began to drive fast.

“I am sorry for being late.”

It was quiet in the carriage. The occasional rattling of the carriage swayed quickly, leaving only his low voice resounding.

“I couldn’t come right away because I had something to deal with.”

“What are the things you need to deal with?”

“Olivia came over a while ago. She used to be bad to you. I went to Olivia’s parents because I thought I had to make sure in many ways. Even though I’m a distant relative, they think of me as Olivia’s older brother. They also talked about her marriage.”

There were so many things that she had forgotten about Olivia, but it was surprising that he was paying attention. On the other hand, his words gave her a strange sense of relief that he had come to see her. She felt like he hadn’t forgotten her yet.

“It took a while to get there because they are from the countryside. I rushed up to see your face.”

Kyle’s words that sounded as if he was hoping for a compliment made Rosalind blink in a daze.

“It’s not that I’m showing off… I just wanted to see you.”

The next moment, he grabbed her hand. His hands felt hot through the thin gloves. It was probably because her heart was beating fast right now, giving her the illusion of hearing his heartbeat running through her fingertips.

They had entwined more than just hands a while ago, so her ears were blushing and her heart was pounding. It really seemed like she was the one who was at loss.

“I want to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“…Why didn’t you doubt me? During the trial, I heard that Albert was diligently laying the groundwork to make me suspicious. And, the letter you left at that time…”

Rosalind paused for a moment at his words.

Soon, a quiet voice came out.

“…The Duke I’ve seen so far was not like that. Maybe, you wanted to believe that though I don’t think you would be like that.”

Rosalind’s words stirred him inside a little. Kyle pulled her hand towards him, and the distance between him and her grew closer than a span. It seemed as if they could feel the air between them and even the slightest breath.

“Then, why did you just send me flowers and not come to me? I’m not that kind of person, right? You said you didn’t want to believe that… Doesn’t that mean you like me?”

His voice was sincere, and she didn’t deny him. As she opened her mouth to give her answer, the coachman’s voice came first.

“We’ve arrived.”