I Was Confessed to by the Person I Was Admiring

Chapter 142: 2/8 — (Jeremiah POV)

A servant appeared immediately and led me to the reception room.

The interior of the room, decorated with sophisticated furnishings, was familiar but did not provide any comfort.

After a while, my friend appeared.

“Welcome, Jeremiah. It’s been a while since you came to me for advice. Is something wrong with Lorraine?”

As I tried to greet my friend, Count Bruno Grimani, I was stuck on the teasing question he threw at me.

“Well… judging from your expression, maybe things aren’t going well.”

Bruno said that with an indescribable expression and then suggested that I sit down. I sat down as he suggested and asked him.

“How did you know? I was about to explain it to you.”

“Well, because you usually handle everything smoothly, and the only reason I can think of for that troubled look on your face is her, so I just said it.”

Bruno said with a wry smile.

I didn’t think it was true, but come to think of it, I didn’t have many memories of asking my friends for advice.

“So, what happened? You were so happy to be called to the capital and be together.”

Prompted by him, I decided to briefly explain what had happened so far. I had already conveyed it in a letter, but I thought it would be better to explain it in person. 

Thinking that it would be inconvenient if it was too long, I talked to Lorraine about what happened around the time she returned, including my feelings at the time. They both listened silently, so it was easy to talk, but when we finally came to the part where I touched on the content of the consultation, Bruno gave me an indescribable look.

Feeling uneasy, I cut off the conversation for a moment.

Then, as if he took the silence as the end of the story, Bruno asked in confusion, “She’s not still under a ban on going out, is she?”

I could see Bruno’s feeling of disbelief in his voice, so I quickly looked away and focused on the furnishings.

“If that’s the case, is it still ongoing? But why? The incident has already been resolved. His Highness declared it so, and if you’re really worried, you can just have an escort. You finally got a chance to go where you like.”

“That’s true.”

I thought of Lorraine at the duke’s mansion.

Surrounded by a pile of books and spending all day there, she was being taken care of by faithful servants who obeyed my sister Paula’s orders even if she couldn’t go out, and she seemed quite happy.

Seeing that, I didn’t know what to do.

Maybe it’s okay to let her go out now. 

However, I hesitate to break that seemingly happy situation. Perhaps they are trying to forget the painful things that happened.

Besides, my sister Paula still refuses to leave.

As a guest, I am hesitant to go against her wishes while staying here. I don’t want to make an enemy of the duke.

I even thought about finding someone to be a chaperone and moving to the Castalde mansion in the capital city.

So, I asked around subtly. However…

“Lorraine herself doesn’t want to leave. Maybe she’s afraid of going against Nee-san’s orders, but she seems to have decided to stay. Besides, she doesn’t seem too unhappy, so I can’t really force her.” 

“Hmm, I can’t say anything since I don’t really understand the situation. Lady Astorga still hasn’t allowed Lorraine to go out, right? Then for now, we just have to wait and see.”

“I see, that makes sense.”

While nodding, I was not convinced. It couldn’t be okay like this. I was sure of that, but the situation made me hesitate to take action.

“…I know you’re kinder than anyone else.”

When we fell silent, Bruno suddenly spoke up. I looked at my friend who still had a calm smile on his face. 

“It’s not just me, she probably knows too. So maybe she’s not trying to leave because she wants to reassure you and the people around you, rather than just following Lady Astorga’s orders.”

When asked that, I thought about it for a moment.

I had thought that might be the case. If all those eccentric behaviors were done to reassure everyone, then I could understand it easily.

However, it still seemed too enjoyable for that.

“So if we subtly let her know that everything is okay now, she’ll probably stop on her own.”

“I see, there’s no other choice then.”

I let out a big sigh and decided to end the conversation.

“Thank you. I feel a little better now that I’ve talked to you.”

“Well, I’m glad. If Tatiana were here instead of me, she could have given you more helpful advice.”

I thought that was true, but just being able to talk about it made me feel a little better. It was nice to have a friend who would respond kindly even in sudden situations like this.

I thanked him again and left the Grimani mansion. 

◆

After returning to the Astorga mansion, I decided to go check on Lorraine’s condition for the time being. I knew that the situation hadn’t changed much without even seeing it, but I still had a faint hope that there might be some change.

As I approached the room, I ran into Dennis, who seemed happy while taking care of Lorraine all day long.

In her hand was a tray with an empty cup and saucer, indicating that she had just finished drinking tea.

“Jeremiah-sama, welcome back.”

“Ah, how is Lorraine?”

As I asked while looking at her face, Dennis seemed pleased. It was faint, but she looked so happy that it was hard to miss.

It’s no wonder.

The master had taken a liking to the entertainment novel she recommended.

Seeing that expression, I truly felt that it was the right decision to introduce the two of them. Dennis is a hard worker. However, because she tends to go too far and is easily misunderstood due to her appearance, her true value has not been recognized.

Thinking it was good, I waited for a response.