Chapter 35
Chapter 35 “It’s fun. I’m so happy to be with Rosie, but Rosie is cold.” “I just hate drunkards like you.” Lucas stuck his lips out like a duck’s snout. When I tried to grab him by the snout, he got even angrier. Colin, who’d gotten out of the carriage, chuckled softly at our tussle. “Lucas. Stop bullying Rose so much.” “Brother, I’m bullying her? I’m just being nice…. If I could, I would like to be next to Rose 24 hours a day.” “I’ll decline that.” Colin turned his gaze to me and said, “First, wash in the bathroom on the third floor and then go into your dorm. It’s late, so no one will be there, and I’ll tell the head maid that I’ve given you the day off. Because you must be tired.” “Thank you, I was already tired.” Daniel was also standing next to Colin with his arms crossed. The four of us were about to go up to the mansion together, but Lucas called out to me, clinging to me. “Rosie, Rosie.” “Huh? Why.” That was the moment when I inadvertently turned my head to Lucas. Kiss! With an unfamiliar sound, Lucas’s lips briefly touched my forehead and then pulled away. My mouth dropped open at the soft, warm touch. “Hey, I told you not to do it!” “Hehe.” I reflexively raised my hands to cover my forehead, but it was already too late. Moreover, Colin and Daniel, who were running ahead of me, had seen it. Colin looked at Lucas with a rare expression of surprise. “Lucas… What did you do?” “What? It’s a sign of intimacy.” “A kiss?” Colin asked with an effort to keep his face calm. Daniel, who was next to him, frowned openly. “Lucas. Do you think you’re still a kid? That’s not what you do to a lady.” Daniel said harshly and clicked his tongue. Nevertheless, perhaps because he was drunk, Lucas spoke confidently with his hands on his hips. “What do you think? Rosie is our family. It wasn’t even on her lips… And I can kiss brother too!” “But that’s only if they’re not offended… I’d say no to your kiss in the first place.” “Oh, come on! Then you can kiss Rosie too!” “…….” “You’re just unhappy that I’m the only one kissing Rosie, aren’t you?” The two men, who had been logically pointing out Lucas’s faults, fell silent for a moment. Lucas’s insistence left them speechless. But instead of being offended, like, “Why would I do that?” They looked like they were seriously pondering something. It was like ‘Is that so?’I looked at the three brothers in turn with a bewildered look on my face. “Colin, Daniel. What are you seriously thinking about? You think my forehead is public property?!” “Rose… Of course, I also think it was a joke.” “Don’t lie, Colin!” Colin laughed awkwardly. But that excuse didn’t work at all. It was only a moment, but I saw what Colin was seriously thinking about. What’s even more shocking is that even Daniel thought seriously about it. ‘These guys really can’t do it.’ I quickly pushed Lucas away. “Lucas, you’re off-limits to me now. Stay ten meters away from me.” “What? Why!” “Why? You have contaminated others!” I screamed at Lucas and then glared at the other two brothers as well. Colin and Daniel looked at me and turned their heads to each other. I passed the three brothers that way and stomped my way into the mansion first. ‘I swear, I can’t let my guard down!’ * * * “Ha, it’s refreshing.” I came out after taking a bath in the bathroom on the third floor. Even though I had a hard time taking off the dress by myself, taking a warm bath in the bathtub was really the best. After removing my thick makeup and taking a bath in water with perfumed oil, the fatigue from the hard work was gone. I changed into my pajamas, dried my hair, and quietly left the bathroom. The mansion was quiet and dark with no one around. I was about to head back down the stairs when I saw a figure standing in the hallway on the second floor. “Colin?” “Rose. You’re done.” Colin was standing near the stairwell, his hair still slightly damp from his bath, and he was dressed in silk pajamas. I frowned, remembering the little commotion outside the mansion earlier. “What are you doing here, not sleeping.” “I was waiting for you.” “Me?” When I looked puzzled, he gestured toward his room. “I’ll let you know when we’re in the room.” “……?” When I entered the room with Colin, he turned on the lamp. And he led me to a small table. A warm light spread throughout the dim room, and I realized that what was on the table was tea. “Are you going to make me some tea?” “That’s right. You worked hard today. I thought it would be a good idea to drink something warm and go back to the dorm.” It was indeed a delicate Colin. Colin slowly poured hot black tea over the pre-boiled milk. As the black tea spread over the pure white milk, it turned light brown. Nobles grew up in a noble state, never having to go into the kitchen, but Colin and Daniel were commoners, so they were good at making tea on their own. ‘Come to think of it, the last time Roan came, Daniel brewed it himself. It tasted pretty good…’ “Try drinking it.” “Ah, thank you. I was still a little hungry.” Without hesitation, I took the milk tea that Colin gave me. A subtle and soft scent along with warm milk tickled the tip of my nose. “Wow, as expected, the tea leaves used by rich people are different. It’s completely different from what our restaurant uses.” “I said it before, but if you become my wife, you can drink this stuff all the time.” Colin laughed softly as he made his share of milk tea. I looked at him and made a sulky expression. “I told you not to play around. You’re just as bad as Lucas.” “Comparing me to Lucas… That’s a little unfair.” Colin jokingly said, ‘Compared to Lucas, I’ve done nothing.’ Well, compared to Lucas, who still get treated like a child. Only then did I relieve my sullen expression and smile. The warm milk tea warmed my hands and warmed the tip of my nose, which had become cold in the chilly wind. As I was sipping warm milk tea in soft lighting, Colin looked down and asked. “By the way, Rose. It must have been your first time wearing high heels. Are you okay?” “Oh, my ankles are still sore. I think I should go with flat shoes.” I guess I shouldn’t have worn them, since they’d be hidden by the hem of my dress. After standing in them for quite a while, my ankles were tingling and aching. “Please give me your feet.” “Yes?” “You almost lost your balance at the banquet hall earlier. I will take care of it.” Just as I was widening my eyes in confusion, Colin bent down, grabbed my ankles, and placed them on his thighs. My heels brushed against his thigh muscles, which were stronger than I’d expected. I blushed in embarrassment. Colin wrapped his arm around my heel and examined my ankle. “It doesn’t look serious, but it will be fine if you apply a compress. Would you like me to give you a massage?” “No, that’s enough. Thank you.” Out of embarrassment, I twisted my ankle out of Colin’s grasp. Then I lowered my skirt to hide my feet. Before I knew it, the milk tea had run out. As my stomach felt warm, my tension eased and I felt drowsy. Since time was running out, I had to just drink tea and get up. “I have to go now. Thanks for the milk tea, Colin.” “It was nothing. It’s late. Should I take you to your accommodation?” “That’s really, I am not a child…” When I refused, Colin looked openly disappointed. “Are you going to go in and rest now?” “Yes.” I stood up and nodded without thinking. Then something occurred to me and I immediately changed my words. “Oh, I just want to stop by one more place.” “Huh? “Where?” Colin tilted his head. * * * Daniel checked the time on his desk clock. 3 o’clock in the morning. It was quite late even for him. Daniel put his papers aside and poured himself a drink in a clear glass. It wasn’t the fine brandy that the nobility drank, but rum, which was readily available everywhere. There were many kinds of rare alcohol at the party held at the palace, but for him who had to talk to many people, even expensive alcohol was nothing. So he had to sip it alone while he worked on his business papers, as if enjoying the afterglow of a party. Orange liquor flowed in a clear glass. He took a sip of his drink and muttered. “Lucas’s cologne isn’t as good as I thought it would be.” It had been an ambitious pilot project for his brother’s hobby. It’s a shame it didn’t do as well as he expected, but the perfume market is as developed as it is in the capital. ‘Now that I think about it, I think I’ve smelled the perfume Lucas is wearing somewhere.’ Even if it was a pilot project, since it was being sold by Holden, it was natural for the owner of the merchant to test it out. Of course, his nose wasn’t very sensitive to perfume. Anyway, I was secretly disappointed that the scent, which was quite sweet and cute to me, did not perform well in the market. Especially the one that had the letter ‘R’ in its name out of a dozen perfumes… “Huh?” Daniel’s eyes widened as he flipped through the pilot project materials. Now that I think about it, the scent that came from Lucas when he came into my room was similar to the scent of the perfume that Rosieta had been spraying. Daniel, who belatedly realized that the two scents were the same, burst into laughter. “That’s right.” Before I knew it, my younger brother seemed to be as big as a fox. ‘I was wondering where she got the perfume…’ However, the perfume that Lucas created went quite well with Rosieta, as intended. Enough to please Daniel. ‘Then shall we continue to sell this perfume?’ It was a moment when I was wondering whether or not I should put my selfish interests into the business. Daniel rubbed his eyelids, which felt heavy because it was late, with his hands. “Let’s take a deep breath and see it again tomorrow.” I felt tired after staying up late at the party. I was about to get up after organizing the documents I had dragged all the way to the bedroom. “Huh?” Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel caught the curtain behind him rustling. Was it windy? Daniel walked to the window connected to the terrace. When I looked closely, I saw that the window was slightly open, and the night breeze was slowly seeping in through the gap. It was when Daniel, with a tired look on his face, was about to close the window and lock it. As Daniel got closer to the terrace, he noticed a whitish object near the left terrace connected to Colin’s room. ‘What?’ A white object fluttering and shaking came into view. It was time for Daniel to turn his gaze, pressing himself closer to the window. There was someone. In a white pajama dress, her face covered, her hair in a ponytail. And the feet that stepped onto the terrace were bare, without slippers. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Since childhood, ghosts and monsters had been Daniel’s second biggest fear after money. “Ugh…!” Daniel was shocked and was about to scream while looking at the terrace. “Pff… haha.” “……?” As he gasped in surprise, the ghost walked over, tidying up his slicked-back hair. “Hahaha!”