The Virtually Exiled Duke’s Daughter Is Troubled When Her Fiancé in a Neighboring Country Says, "I Will Never Love You" - Episode 25

“If you can keep that fake smile forever, then that’s fine. But sometimes, your face turns serious again. That serious face… I think that’s your real self, isn’t it?”

“……”

Deborah nodded. She had noticed it herself—recently, she hadn’t been able to keep smiling as easily.

“It’s scary, you know. You’re incredibly beautiful, so the difference between your doll-like serious face and your fake smile is too big. Once someone realizes it’s fake, your smile has the opposite effect.”

“The opposite effect…?”

That was a thought that had never crossed Deborah’s mind. Ever since she was strictly taught by her etiquette instructor that a lady must always wear a smile, she had done exactly that. Even when she confronted Aaron about their broken engagement at that social gathering, she had smiled.

A smile was her armor, showing composure. And when she added a charming smile on top of that, it became a weapon. Many people had been drawn in by her smile. But perhaps that was only because she had never shown them her real face. A creeping sense of unease spread through Deborah.

“So… the reason people here sometimes looked confused wasn’t just my imagination? My smile actually had the opposite effect?”

As Deborah’s unease deepened, the gardener spoke to her in a serious tone.

“That’s right. Look at me for a second.”

“?”

Lauren pointed to his own face. His sharp, cynical expression stared at Deborah with a serious gaze. Then, suddenly, his lips curled into a sly smirk.

Deborah didn’t understand at first. But when he spoke next, she felt the tension in her body ease.

“See? Doesn’t this look suspicious?”

“Pfft—”

Beside them, Marquis Sisley burst out laughing. It was the same kind of reaction that noblemen had when Deborah had made a sarcastic remark to Aaron at the evening party.

“You have no idea what I’m thinking, do you? Doesn’t it look like I’m plotting something bad?”

“Fufu—”

“It’s better to stay serious than to give people that impression… Wait, my lord, why are you laughing!?”

“S-Sorry… But, hahaha… Lauren, you really said that about yourself?”

The marquis covered his mouth with one hand and clutched his stomach with the other, trying to suppress his laughter—but he couldn’t. His eyes were already wet with tears from laughing too much.

“Someone like me, with a face like this, makes the best example, doesn’t he?”

“Fufu—”

A small, very soft laugh could be heard.

The gardener and the marquis both noticed it immediately and turned their heads.

Deborah had been chuckling quietly. But when she realized they were looking at her, her cheeks turned red, and she quickly lowered her gaze.

“…Well, see? You can laugh properly.”

“No, Lauren, this is the first time I’ve seen her truly laugh. You did well.”

“I never knew I had a talent for being a clown.”

Deborah’s shoulders trembled slightly as she kept looking down. It seemed that the conversation between the cheerful Marquis Sisley and the sharp-tongued gardener had struck her funny bone. But she was trying to suppress her laughter and avoid showing her face.

The marquis gently said to her,
“Miss Deborah, can you look up? Like I said before, here, you can laugh whenever you want.”

“……”

“You might feel embarrassed to show your real smile, but seeing it would make us happy. Please?”

Slowly, Deborah lifted her head.

Her cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment, but her expression was no longer a forced smile. Her gray eyes no longer looked like lifeless glass; instead, they were filled with emotion and will.

Seeing that, the two men nodded in satisfaction.

“…Yeah, that face is much better than a fake smile.”

“Agreed. From now on, don’t force yourself to smile.”

“I… I’ll try, but…”

A hint of hesitation flickered in Deborah’s eyes.

“…Smiling has become a habit. Especially when I’m asking for something.”

“Ah, I see. It’s not easy to change that overnight. But take your time.”

“That’s right. Oh, how about this? When you feel like forcing a fake smile, just remember my face.”

Lauren smirked again, that same sly, cynical grin. This time, Deborah couldn’t help but let out a natural laugh.

“Oh my… fufu…”

That smile—thanks to her natural beauty—was breathtakingly lovely, yet still had the innocence of a young girl. It was brimming with charm.

Gary Sisley and his gardener, Lauren, exchanged glances and smiled as if to say, we did it.

“…Wait a minute.”

Just when the marquis should have been in a good mood, his expression suddenly turned serious.

“Hmm, this is a little frustrating.”

“What do you mean?”

“?”

Both Deborah and Lauren looked at him curiously. Maintaining his serious face, the marquis spoke in an extremely earnest tone.

“I’ve spoken with Miss Deborah many times and observed her closely, yet I hardly ever got to see her real face. But Lauren, you’ve only just met her today, and not only did you see her true self, but you even made her laugh. That means I lost completely.”

“…”

Both of them stared at him, speechless.

After a short pause, the gardener slowly asked,
“Uh… You’re not jealous, are you?”

“It’s not jealousy. It’s just frustrating. I realized that, compared to you, I’m lacking in observation skills and understanding of people.”

“…My lord, I think you’re plenty remarkable as you are. Besides, it’s not like I figured everything out by myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“My wife tells me about Miss Deborah every night—what she did, what she said. So when I finally met her in person, everything just made sense. If it weren’t for my wife, I wouldn’t have been able to figure out anything at all.”

Lauren said this with a playful wink.

Deborah wondered—was this his way of bragging about his wife?

The thought made her smile again.