I’m Just a Counselor

“Actually, I was just a graduate student… majoring in counseling psychology, not a professional counselor or anything.” “Wow…” 

Estella let out an exclamation of admiration, but I felt a little smug.

 “I don’t know if I should be Estella’s counselor if I don’t have a professional license or anything…” “What the hell, I should talk to the person who’s best suited to me anyway, and… there’s no one else in the world to talk to but you.” “That’s true, but…” 

It’s not like I have any other credentials in the world, right? As Estella said, it’s best to talk to the person who’s best for you.

 

I shook my head, feeling a little guilty but deciding to let the matter drop.

 

Estella smirked and returned it with a twinkle in her eye.

 “So, how’s grad school life? I want to know!” “Mmm. Running errands for professors, writing papers, going to labs sometimes…” “I heard somewhere that grad students aren’t people…” “Where did you hear that? That’s exactly right.” 

One of my professors was particularly notorious for bossing around his TA’s (Teaching Assistant).

 

If you look at the chirping freshmen under him, you’d wonder if my life was a thriller, a parenting book, or a class war.

 “In a previous life, my professor used to call me “pretty” because he thought I was really pretty…” 

I had to clean labs, do teamwork, get my thesis reviewed, and somehow managed to finish my master’s program.

 “Well, was it a bit of a waste?” 

But I’m using the knowledge I gained here, so I shouldn’t feel bad about it.

 

When I told her how much the professor pampered me and what it was like to work as a teaching assistant, Estella giggled.

 “You really had it rough!” “Yeah, I had my moments.” “I think it would have been fun to go to college, too, until I got in an accident before the SATs.” 

Accident, before the SATs. I stroked Estella’s head as I rattled off a few keywords.

 

‘So this happened to her when she was very young. No wonder she’s so confused,’

I thought brightly, trying to add another piece of knowledge about her.

 “You came here instead of college.” “Huh?” “You came here to meet me, isn’t that funny?”

I said in a deliberately playful tone, and Estella looked up at me, blinked, and blushed.

 

She replied shyly.

“Okay…” “…….” “It’s nice to meet your sister.” 

I smiled broadly at her response.

 

Estella’s eyes sparkled with life. I gazed longingly into them, as if they were blooming with new life.

 

It felt like a wall had been broken down between us.

 

I wondered,

‘Would I feel this way if I had a sister?’

 

I hugged her tightly once, then let go.

 

* * *

 “Ah, Miss Vanessa.” 

That night, I woke up, rubbed my eyes, and stepped out into the hallway and ran into Jeremiah. He’d been out somewhere, and his jacket smelled of the cool breeze.

 “What are you doing here?” 

The look on Jeremiah’s face seemed to melt away any lingering lassitude. I narrowed my eyes and stiffened.

 “I came out for a quick drink of water, but the duke’s castle is so big, I’m sure I memorized the directions earlier, but I forgot.” 

The words… were still stuck in my mouth.

 

I fidgeted, and then just smiled. Not even Jeremiah could spit on a smiling face.

 “Ahahaha…” 

…I could almost spit.

 

I silenced myself, looking at Jeremiah, and there was a long silence.

 

Jeremiah’s eyes narrowed, but he finally spoke first.

 “Did you enjoy your dinner?” “Ah, yes. Thanks to the Duke’s attention to detail.” “I’m sorry I couldn’t join you. I had some urgent business to attend to.” “No, Duke, I know you’re busy. I enjoyed my meal with Estella.” “I’m glad to hear it, then.” 

Jeremiah smiled. Apart from the tension in his chest, his smile was gorgeous in the flickering firelight.

 “I’m glad. You must be feeling better now.” 

His frosty demeanor softened a bit. Even without Estella beside me, he doesn’t seem intimidating.

 

I clasped my hands together, pressing down on my heaving chest. The shade on his face seemed much lighter now, too.

 

I forced a smile and told him.

 “I really like the room Estella gave me, and I thank the Duke for it.” “I’m glad to hear that,”

he said,

”but you needn’t thank me, as it was purely Estella’s doing to arrange it.” “Still, the Duke of Oppenheim’s castle belongs to the Duke, so if I got a room there, it’s only natural… so… eh… because housing is expensive these days…?” “Haha.” 

I could hear the sound of laughter coming from the front at my rambling words. I looked up at Jeremiah, a little dazed.

 

It was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh out loud.

 

I could see the corners of his pretty eyes crinkle, and his silver hair glistened above them.

 

‘Wow, you must be really happy.’

 

My heart pounded in my chest again, but this time it was a different kind of pounding than the nervous kind.

 

‘…God, what to do with this sinful brother and sister. He’s got me hooked without even trying.’

 

I stared at his face in fascination, barely able to compose myself, and jerked my head away.

 

Just then, Jeremiah, who hadn’t been paying attention, spoke up.

 “You seem to be a very caring person, Ms. Vanessa.” “Oh… am I?” “Yes. And… is very beautiful, and above all, has very pretty eyes, I like them.” “…thank you.” 

It seems like an empty phrase to say that a man who seems to be the embodiment of beauty is beautiful.

 

His sudden baptism of praise left me with a puzzled look on my face, but I thanked him anyway.

 

‘What,’

I thought,

‘is he doing this in response to my earlier thanks?’

 

As I shook my head, Jeremiah suddenly sighed. The smile was gone from his face.

 “……?” 

‘Am I mistaken? He seems to be pondering something.’

 

I tilted my head and looked at him, and Jeremiah looked down at me, unsure of what to say.

 

Then he finally spoke.

 “Miss Vanessa, have you ever thought about becoming Estella’s step-sister?” “……?” 

Jeremiah’s tone was so crisp that I didn’t understand his words for a moment.

 

I blinked and stared up at him, and he stared back down at me, his disheveled hair twinkling like stars.

 

‘If I’m Estella’s sister…, I must be Jeremiah’s spouse. …, did I just get proposed to by Jeremiah?’

 

It took a few seconds for his words to sink in. I looked around, then pointed at me and asked,

“Is that… you’re referring to me?” 

Jeremiah nodded steadily. His hazel gaze was pinpointed on me.

 “What is it?” 

Poetry, a new form of bullying, or a confession?

 

Flustered, I stared into his hazel eyes and barely spoke after a few moments.

 “Why, why would you say that to me?” “…It’s just that I like your eyes, Miss Vanessa.” “And you propose to me because you like my eyes?”

I asked, stunned by Jeremiah’s ridiculous answer.

 

He doesn’t just ask me to marry him, he asks me to be Estella’s step-sister. He’s not the one asking me.

 

‘Oh, he thinks it’s okay because Estella is so good to me?’

 

He’s not going to get married anyway, and Estella is the most important thing to him right now.

 

I grabbed Jeremiah’s cheeks with both hands without fear. Jeremiah, speechless for a moment, looked at me in surprise.

 

I opened my mouth to speak with great seriousness.

 “Duke, you shouldn’t have said that!” “Why?” “It’s not like the Duke likes me… and what if you run into a scary or strange woman along the way!” 

I don’t know what Jeremiah was thinking to just spit those words out in front of me, but I glared at him with a strange sense of mission.

 

I’m glad I was the one who heard Jeremiah say that. That loser of a man from upstate, acting like a… eh? And then he got caught by a girl with something up her sleeve!

 

Jeremiah narrowed his eyes slightly as I gave him a stern look.

 “Well, assuming the former is true,… is that scary/weird woman Ms. Vanessa?” “I don’t think so…” 

Jeremiah tilted his head slightly in the direction of my hand, and I blinked in surprise.

 

‘What the hell, what are you doing? Don’t you realize this is incriminating?’

 

No, Jeremiah was already guilty by his very appearance.

 

I glanced at him lightly and removed my hand from his cheek. I let out a small sigh and started walking toward the kitchen, where I’d originally planned to go. But then.

 “Why are you following me?”