The Virtually Exiled Duke’s Daughter Is Troubled When Her Fiancé in a Neighboring Country Says, "I Will Never Love You" - Episode 20

“I finally understood!”

Shelly spoke with great enthusiasm while eating lunch.

“Isn’t Lady Deborah just like a cat!?”

“…Cat…?”

However, that opinion didn’t seem to be well received by everyone in the staff dining hall. Since the reaction wasn’t good, Shelly put more effort into her explanation to persuade them.

“At first, I thought they were childish like my younger sisters, but actually, they’re more like the cat we had at home!”

“Where is it?”

“Usually, you can’t read his expressions, but surprisingly, he has some cute sides too. And when he catches a mouse, he looks so happy when you praise him!”

“Mouse…”

Seeing Mrs. Lauren turn pale, Shelly panicked.

“Oh, no, that’s not right! Lady Deborah doesn’t catch mice!”

“Of course! It’s not the kind of topic you should be discussing during a meal!”

“…Ah! I’m sorry…”

Shelly looked around at the shocked faces and hurriedly apologized while stuffing food into her cheeks. Mrs. Lauren muttered, “Honestly…” and stopped eating. Had she lost her appetite? Seeing this, Vito complained to Shelly.

“Hey, hey, my meal is going to taste bad if you keep messing with it.”

“……I’m sorry.”

“Moreover, that opinion is completely different. If anything… a dog? It feels more serious than a cat.”

“That’s not right either! What do you mean, calling Lady Deborah a cat or a dog?”

Mrs. Lauren also denied Vito’s words and gave him a light glare. Vito, slightly relaxing his mouth, said, “Oh, scary.”

Apparently, his earlier remark about the dog was his way of joking.

“…If you’re going to say cats and dogs, I think the image fits better with something more childish.”

Everyone looked surprised at the person who had interrupted. Even Sherry stood there with her mouth agape, frozen in place.

“…What is it?”

“Because, Ashley-san, you said something like that! You were suspecting Lady Deborah of being a spy from that country, weren’t you?!”

Shelly, without any malice and still surprised, straightforwardly posed such a question to Ashley. Ashley was annoyed.

“I’m still suspicious. This is just a hypothetical based on the current context, assuming you’re not a spy. That reckless behavior is like something a child would do, isn’t it?”

Just as everyone was starting to somewhat agree with Ashley’s story, a man squeezed out a very, very small voice, saying, “Um…” Vito looked to the side and saw a young apprentice cook trembling.

“Um, well, I know it’s strange for someone like me to go against Ashley’s opinion, but…”

“What’s wrong, Peter?”

“Um, Lady Deborah is not a child. Watching her closely, she’s really an incredibly beautiful person, and also, peeling a lot of onions all the way to the end is something a child can’t do…”

Vito also agreed.

“Yeah, that’s true… She’s a strange young lady, but she has the guts not to throw in the towel once she takes on a job.”

At the words “having guts,” the other servants lightly nodded in agreement. Then, the cafeteria fell silent.

Probably, everyone present was thinking the same thing.

What kind of person is Deborah? What does she think to take such actions?

And as no one could come up with the optimal solution, the sound of a piano could be heard through the ceiling.

“Oh no! It’s already that time!”

The servants hurriedly finished the remnants of lunch, and except for the maid preparing tea, they headed to the music room. In the music room, besides Deborah, the master, Marquis Sisley, was already present. Seeing the expressions on the two, Shelly murmured to herself.

(Deborah being a spy is impossible.)

The marquis is watching Deborah play the piano with kind eyes. Shelly trusted her master. She thought that if Deborah were suspicious, the marquis wouldn’t behave this way.

Then, Deborah looked up during the break between songs, met his gaze, and smiled happily. She then began to play the next song with great enthusiasm.

(Hmm, that way of showing joy does seem a bit dog-like or even child-like… But before Master said “play the piano,” he didn’t look this happy while playing… So, isn’t he just a capricious cat after all?)

Thinking that, I looked up at Mrs. Lauren. The head maid was staring at Deborah with an expressionless face, like a Noh mask. Then, shifting my gaze to Ashley, I noticed he had a slight frown on his forehead.

(Haha, even Lauren and Ashley can’t fully understand it, huh?)

Shelly felt a sense of pride in her heart, thinking that she might understand Debora better than the two outstanding individuals.

After finishing playing the piano, Deborah gives a slight bow to everyone. Everyone present applauds in appreciation of the performance. Then, the marquis speaks up.

“Miss Deborah, I will be away from home for a while next week. Please refrain from playing the piano during that time.”

“Uh… yes, understood.”

From the lively expression she had just a moment ago, Deborah’s face completely lost its light and became doll-like again. It was clear to everyone present that she was as disappointed as a dog whose bone had been taken away. The marquis gave a wry smile.

“Well, there’s a bit of a reason for that. There might be someone coming while I’m away. I don’t want them to hear your performance.”

“……Yes”

Deborah answered succinctly without asking any questions. However, she felt something off about the way she had just phrased her response. After leaving the music room and returning to her own room, she asked Mrs. Lauren instead of the Marquis.

“Hey, Mrs. Lauren, can I ask you about what happened earlier?”

“？ Please go ahead.”

“While the Marquis is away, someone is supposed to visit… I wonder if they are not very welcome?”

“…I am too honored to say.”

“Oh, you’re a noble? In your position, you can’t just send people away recklessly, can you? That’s troublesome.”

Mrs. Lauren’s eyes widened at Deborah’s quick response. Seeing this, Deborah flashed her usual polite smile and continued speaking.

“When the Marquis is present, they can’t come, which means they are weak against him. But knowing that the Marquis is absent… Do the neighboring lords really go out of their way to find out? I thought that person might be a close relative.”

“……!”

Madam Lauren’s mask of composure shattered in surprise. Understanding with so little information was too quick.

What was here was neither a dog nor a child, let alone a capricious cat. It was a noble lady, a lady among nobles, well-versed in the ways of nobility. The lady, in her agitation, inadvertently responded.

“Yes, Count Supreme is your cousin. I think you don’t want to introduce Lady Deborah to him.”

“Okay, I understand. …That’s good.”

“?”

Deborah smiled faintly. It seemed to be a genuine expression, unlike the forced smile from earlier.

“I thought you were saying that my piano was no longer needed, but it seems that’s not the case. I’m glad.”

“……”

The inner thoughts of Mrs. Lauren cannot be fully expressed here. Just note that she was very confused.