Published at 24th of January 2020 08:19:59 AM
Chapter 23
The arrest of fake Agnes left a great impact to the social circle .
When the weekly magazine picked up the news, she was once again back in the spotlight .
“--But well, isn’t it better than before?”
Lazare said while holding the magazine in one hand with an amazed look .
The good news was, the bad rumors surrounding Agnes was all the impostor’s fault, as for the real Agnes, it was reported that she was not a bad person . The testimony of the sisters at the orphanage was put in the article too . It was written in detail that she was a modest and humble person, and due to the long standing activity in the orphanage, it didn’t sound like it was a lie .
“But the truth about the real Lady Agnes gone missing is not written there . ”
“You’re right…”
Following the incident about the fake Agnes, the magazine was selling well with a flying mark, it was easy to imagine that the reporters were now looking for the real Agnes’s whereabouts .
“Speaking of which, have you considered on migrating?”
“No, not yet . ”
“How’s the problem in the house?”
“It has been sorted out . I’ll ask about it later at night . ”
“Alright, I’m counting on you . ”
He thought it was dangerous to live within the royal capital at the moment .
Bernard’s house was located at the outskirt area, but it still had some people coming and go around there . It was not a place that truly deserted . He was thinking it would be hard to continue hiding .
“Well, that being the case . The talk is over now . Leave it to me . ”
“Yes . Thank you very much . ”
He was ordered to take half a day off today .
These few days after the incident had been so busy that he could barely breathe, so he showed some concern .
The incident had been brought to somewhere out of their reach now . Things finally calmed down .
Bernard changed into his casual clothes and went to the town .
Looking at the bustling cityscape, he suddenly remembered .
He hadn’t gave Agnes anything for playing as his fiance . The day his mother went home, he thought of buying something while going home, but he was involved with the fake Agnes case and completely forgot about it .
When he looked around to buy some sweets, he saw a white rabbit signboard .
‘White Rabbit Cafe’
It was the shop with baked goods that Carol and Celia were so hyped about .
In the end, the scones that fake Agnes gave were submitted as evidence .
The twins didn’t get to taste it .
There was a long line at the front of the shop . It was so crowded that he felt so fed up .
When he observed closely, the queue was split into two lines .
One line went to the shop, while the other was leading to a small window that giving out something .
It seemed they sold the take-out cakes . The people waiting in that line there was more than the line to the shop .
Bernard frowned and looked at the lines .
He understood just by looking that it was a difficult experience to wait until actually buying it .
But he didn’t understand what could make a woman happy . He just thought that Agnes will like it too since the twins really wanted to eat it, so Bernard lined up on the queue to the take-out cakes .
Waiting on the last line, he felt despair . The queue was that long .
The blowing wind was so cold like it was piercing his skin .
In the last few days, there were times where he was so worn out and couldn’t go home . The north wind stung his sleepless body .
He only realized now that he was tired .
After two hours, he finally could buy them .
Standing under the cold sky, his body was freezing .
His throat felt sore and he coughed violently .
The sweets he was holding on his side felt very warm . While warming himself with the baked sweets, he thought of quickly returning home and dashed to the carriage just before its departure .
By the time he arrived at his mansion, he felt so dizzy .
When he opened the door and entered the hallway, he saw Agnes who was surprised because he returned early .
Apparently she was cleaning the floor, she was holding a broom in her hands .
“We-welcome home, Master . ”
“Ah, I’m home . ”
Bernard shook his head when Agnes offered him cafe au lait because of the cold . He was thirsty but his throat was sore .
For now, he just handed the sweets .
“This…”
Agnes received the box containing the sweets with a blank face .
“ . . . Eat it . ”
“This is, for me?”
He bought the sweets for Agnes .
There was no doubt, Bernard was embarrassed because he didn’t have any experience in giving a gift for a girl .
As a result, what came out from his mouth next was something to hide his embarrassment .
“--Do, don’t get me wrong! I didn’t buy it for your sake . Carol and Celia want to eat it, so share it and eat it with everyone else . ”
“Y-yes, understood . Thank you very much . ”
He bought ten sweets in total .
He had bought a lot so Agnes could share it with everyone .
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He disliked that part of his that couldn’t say it honestly .
He couldn’t think rationally with his fever and dizzy head .
His throat became more hurtful, and his cough couldn’t stop .
He would be better after resting in his room .
As he thought that, he immediately went to his bedroom .
He told Eric, who he met midway, that he will be resting for a while so no one should come in to his room .
Being a faithful butler, he bowed his head and saw his master off .
He took off his jacket and hung it on the chair, and sloppily removed his ties . After unbuttoning his clothes, he was completely exhausted .
He didn’t feel like changing to his sleepwear . He drank half of the water jug with one gulp and just sank into the bed afterwards .
After that, he slept soundly for a few hours .
He woke up feeling something cold touching his forehead . When he tried to touch it, he felt someone’s hand instead .
He unconsciously hold the hand he touched .
It was pleasantly cold to Bernard’s feverish hand .
The hand he was holding was smooth and soft .
As he touched the coolness in his hand, he gradually came to his senses .
The hand he was holding was not his own hand, it was definitely someone else’s .
It was not Carol or Celia’s small hand, nor was it Gigille’s rough hand because of housework, it was also not Dominic’s rugged hand .
It was a beautiful hand that seemed to never hold something heavier than a spoon . However, there was a little thick skin on the palm and there was a blister . That was something that felt really out of place .
--A blister on the delicate hand of a noble lady?
“U,uwah!”
He released the hand he was holding and opened his eyes .
When he looked around, he saw Agnes who wore a troubled expression .
“Wha, you!”
“Yes . ”
“Why are you here?”
He asked while still confused .
Agnes answered with a kind voice .
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“That, to look after Master . ”
“Look after? Why?”
“The doctor said you caught a cold . ”
“Cold . . ?”
“Yes . ”
Now she said it, his head was throbbing and felt a dull pain in it, his throat also felt swollen and hurt so much .
He felt like coughing badly too .
“Are you thirsty?”
“Well, yeah . ”
“Then, I will prepare some honey lemon . ”
Agnes took the kettle from the stove and moved to the table beside the bed . She put it on top of the pot stand then placed some ingredients into the cup . Dried lemon, honey, sugar . Put them inside the cup and pour hot water, it’s as simple as that . He gazed absentmindedly to the swirling water inside the cup as Agnes stirred the spoon around .
He could smell the sweet scent as he was handed the cup .
He could tell that it was a sweet and sour drink when he put it in his mouth .
It had a gentle taste that made him relax, and it didn’t make his throat hurt .
He drank slowly as he waited for it to cool down .
After that, he drank the medicine he was given .
Eric brought a change of clothes as soon as he finished drinking medicine .
He was informed of the dinner, but as he didn’t have any appetite, he shook his head and told them he didn’t need it .
After Agnes left the room, he changed his sweaty clothes into the sleepwear and slept once again .
The next day .
He woke up before the sun rises .
Maybe because the medicine worked, he didn’t feel the pain in his throat and his headache were gone .
His stomach growled and he remembered that he missed dinner last night .
There were traces of someone nursing on the table beside the bed .
Looking at it, he thought that it’s been over 10 years since he last had a cold .
He stretched his body and took a deep breath . His body felt lighter healthy .
He called Eric and ordered him to prepare some hot water .
He took a bath and moved to the dining room .
Gigille was surprised to see Bernard there .
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“Master, you seem to have recovered from the cold . ”
“Yeah, I feel much better . ”
“Perhaps, you are going back to work?”
“Obviously . ”
“How about you take a one day rest?”
“I’m not that weak . ”
“Are you sure?”
Bernard finished the dishes on the table one after another .
Seeing that, Gigille casted away her worry .
“Oh right, Master . ”
“What is it?”
“Agnes-san is the one nursing you until morning . --Oh, it’s not like I want you to thank her, I’m just wondering if I should inform you about this . ”
“Is, that so . ”
The honey lemon he drank half awake last night was not a dream . Also, the thin and soft hand he held .
He brought back his memory and was attacked by embarrassment .
“Oh, and then . Thank you for the scones . My daughters were happy about it . ”
“ . . . . . ”
Bernard caught a cold thanks to the scones the twins spoke of . It caused him to loathe it now . He wondered how Agnes felt about while eating the scones . He was somewhat curious, but asking that now would have seemed like he was throwing a tantrum .
Bernard, who was making different faces, didn’t even notice that Gigille was watching him .
She then said something shocking .
“Yesterday was especially cold, doesn’t it hard to wait in line during that time?”
“--HA, HAAAH!?”
“The rumors say that you have to wait for hours everyday to get the White Rabbit Cafe’s scones . To think you would trouble yourself to buy them . ”
“Y-You, that, you must not told the other that right?”
“Yes, of course . ”
“If, if you said it . ”
“If I said it?”
He thought of what kind of punishment to give, but nothing came out .
For now, he just said, “If you said anything, I won’t just let it go!” .
Besides, while he was thinking, a deep frown was built on his face .
After his effort to thank Agnes, and just when he felt a bit cheered up, he made another debt to her .
Once again, he needed to thank her .
How it came to this, he wondered .