Debora quietly awaited Jen to break the silence, who had been maintaining silence but now seemed to open his mouth again.

Perhaps not intending to persist in silence until the end, Jen chuckled and pointed to the soup bowl in front of Debora.

“…It seems to have cooled down, if not turned lukewarm.”

“Oh. I’ll eat quickly.”

As Debora carefully put down the candy can, Jen, supporting his chin, said,

“Please eat slowly. I wasn’t urging you to eat quickly.”

Smiling subtly, contrary to Jen’s concerns, Debora slowly moved the soup, imbued with a delicate warmth, into her mouth.

Honestly, when Debora first received the soup bowl, she had worried that he might take offense.

Considering the time and the situation of having to eat alone in front of someone, it wasn’t a comfortable scenario.

However, contrary to Debora’s concerns, her heart was at ease.

The soup was tender, and being alone with him at this late hour turned out to be more comfortable and enjoyable than she had expected.

“But isn’t the detective’s behavior a bit strange?”

“Huh? Detective?”

Suddenly, a detective? As Debora widened her eyes, Jen nodded and said,

“Yes. I’m talking about the detective in the novel you’re reading. That…”

“…Wait, Mr. Baker. It’s better not to talk about it.”

When Debora tried to stop him, Jen grinned.

‘Is he doing this on purpose?’

Jen had playfully tried to talk about the contents of the book several times, and Debora had to intervene several times to stop him.

Returning to her room and lying on the bed, Debora recalled the playful smile on Jen’s face.

‘He’s surprisingly mischievous. Really…’

It was the moment when Debora’s cheek gently remembered that. In Debora’s mind, the face of Dia came to mind.

Today may not have been all good at the party, but if only bad things had happened, she wouldn’t have made such an expression.

‘Maybe Mr. Baker kept his promise to me.’

Even though it might have been too much to expect perfect kindness, Jen would have done his best.

‘Indeed, Mr. Baker is a good person.’

Despite being coercive and having a gruff tone, he was a good person.

‘Why did a person like him do such a thing?’

Even if she could overlook everything else, why did he cross the line with another woman?

Debora couldn’t understand, no matter how much she thought about it.

‘Okay. Let’s stop thinking about it. You know. That story is neither the past nor the future.’

A story that doesn’t exist, like a nightmare. So there was no need to understand it.

‘I’m not involved in that matter. I just need to focus on the present. Just now…’

Debora tried to ignore the discomfort in her heart and struggled to fall asleep.

Until then, she didn’t know.
The story might have changed, but the original Jen Baker and the current Jen Baker are the same person, a fact I realized later. And it was an event I truly hadn’t expected.

After attending the party, Jen refrained from going outside for a while, as if waiting for someone.

However, since Jen couldn’t afford not to work, he began calling people to the mansion.

Debora thought while looking down at the carriages coming and going through the window.

‘When I first came to this mansion, they didn’t invite external guests inside.’

Even if they met outside, they never brought anyone inside.

‘Except for Mr. Glass, the chief assistant.’

Why did Jen’s attitude change?

‘Ah, did it not change, but rather the need to be cautious disappeared?’

It used to be necessary to keep Dia hidden, but recently, he revealed Dia at the party.

‘Whatever it is, it’s for the best. Mr. Baker needs a break.’

Of course, he was busy with work even at home, but it seemed better than handling business outside.

“The guests seem endless.”

Irene said with a smile-mixed voice. Debora gave a slight smile and replied,

“Who knows when he’ll take a break. Mr. Baker.”

At that moment, Dia, who had been diligently writing, twitched. His hands, which had been moving diligently, stiffened, and his cheeks, which had been only white, turned red.

“Do you have any difficult parts?”

Irene approached Dia and asked. Dia quickly shook his head and said,

“Oh, no. I’m fine.”

Finding Dia’s behavior strange, Irene raised her eyebrows, but she soon shrugged it off.

Watching this from a distance, Debora couldn’t help but smile awkwardly.

‘He’s like that whenever Mr. Baker’s name is mentioned.’

Since the first time she came to this mansion, Dia had trembled every time she heard Jen’s name.

But if she were to compare the first time and now, they weren’t the same.

‘Back then, he was scared, and now…’

It was clear that he liked it. Why did his feelings change so much?

It felt strange to Debora that Dia had a liking for Jen.

In the original story, Dia sympathized with Jen when she learned about his family situation, and sympathy soon turned into love. But now?

‘Did Mr. Baker tell Miss about it?’

Well, considering Dia’s personality, it was clear that such a heavy story would be evident in his expression.

‘Then, what happened at the party… Oh.’