“If you’re not too busy, how about having tea together, Lord Preston? It’s almost tea time. Unfortunately, Benjamin, who was supposed to have lemonade with us, has been dragged to the bathroom by Mrs. Ritz. He might even take a bath.”

Glancing at the clock, Windsor put down the pen he was holding. He replied in a gruff voice.

“There are exactly 7 minutes left until tea time. And now is the time to handle business.”

“I know. It will take about that long for Betty to bring the tea, so Lord Preston, please finish your work. I’ll wait here quietly.”

Saying that, Jacqueline sat down on the sofa. Windsor couldn’t understand her. Wouldn’t it be better to come at the exact time rather than waiting blankly for 7 minutes?

Then, realizing something, he nodded.

“It seems you want to nag me. To the extent of enduring a boring wait.”

“How could that be? You forgot, I’m Lord Preston’s…”

Pausing there for a moment, Jacqueline lowered her voice. There were only two people in the room, but she was a person of trust.

“Secret tutor. A teacher wants their student to achieve. And don’t forget that Benjamin’s birthday party will be held in a few days. And the fact that you’ll be having tea with various nobles there.”

Raising his eyebrows, Windsor dropped his gaze back to the desk. He stood up exactly 7 minutes later.

Just then, Betty brought the tea. Jacqueline smiled at her as she set up the tea set on the table.

“Thank you, Betty. You may go now.”

“Yes, Miss Somerset.”

Watching Preston walk towards the sofa, Jacqueline lowered her gaze to the silver tray. It was the moment when she became talkative.

“Today, I’ll teach you about tea etiquette. Since you’ll be having tea and chatting with gentlemen before the party begins, this is a necessary lesson for Lord Preston.”

Windsor listened to her words with his back straight. Her voice, clear in its pitch, sounded like a humming song.

She was a completely different person from Windsor, from head to toe. Especially her emotional nature that could cry and laugh in an instant.

Sometimes he didn’t understand why Jacqueline became sharp. Surely, he probably won’t know in the future either.

“Hold the teacup and bring it up to your nose. First, enjoy the aroma.”

As Jacqueline demonstrated, Windsor followed suit.

“It’s good to say a word or two about the aroma.”

“……”

As if not knowing what to say, Windsor looked at her. Jacqueline nodded and said.

“It doesn’t matter what you say. Everyone else is the same anyway. ‘The aroma is deep,’ or ‘The aroma is good’ is enough.”

“Aren’t you teaching me too casually?”

Windsor threw a doubtful glance. Jacqueline boldly met his gaze.

“I told you. It’s unnecessarily complicated and cumbersome etiquette. Not every action has a reason. Now, if you’ve enjoyed the aroma, you can take a sip of tea.”

At Jacqueline’s words, Windsor brought the teacup to his mouth.

The more one looked, the neater his movements were. Windsor might not know, but even without strictly adhering to noble etiquette, there wouldn’t have been much gossip.

Moreover, his perfect appearance bewitched the viewer’s gaze, making small flaws unnoticeable.

“The tea tastes good.”

“Perfect!”

Jacqueline’s eyes sparkled as if looking at a student who knew ten things when taught one. Windsor paused for a moment and put down the teacup.

Yes, these were things that were different from him. Like a cat and a sparrow, or a whale and a frog, the two were completely different species.

From where they lived to their behavior, habits, and thoughts. The two individuals were perfectly different.

“When putting down the cup, it’s better to make a slight sound. But not too loud.”

Clink.

He was an excellent student, and Jacqueline was genuinely happy with her pupil’s achievement. Enjoying the warm afternoon sunlight, she glanced at Windsor.

Suddenly, their eyes met.

“……”

At that moment, Jacqueline’s back tensed up. She couldn’t understand why. Whether it was because of his gaze that seemed to draw her in, or because of the sharpness disguised as indifference.

The man occasionally exuded a sharp atmosphere that didn’t seem noble-like. Or it could be described as a precariousness, as if standing on the edge of a blade.

Jacqueline thought that perhaps it was because of the man’s previous occupation.

Those born as nobles were bored and leisurely in everything. They had lives that had everything from the start.

They had never worked sweating, nor had they spent sleepless nights worrying about money. So there was an inherent boredom in the attitude of nobles.

But Windsor was different. He was like a tightly drawn bow. A bow that could be fired at any moment.

Sometimes he too seemed leisurely, but it was different from the boredom of nobles. Rather, it was similar to the relaxedness of a satiated beast. A brief leisure that could immediately go hunting if it wanted to.

Jacqueline smiled slightly, trying not to reveal her tense inner thoughts. She was aware that the corners of her lips were awkwardly stiff, but they wouldn’t easily relax.

Comfort and unease.

The man evoked these contradictory emotions simultaneously. It was a strange feeling that couldn’t be rationally explained.

Jacqueline unknowingly avoided the man’s gaze and fiddled with the teacup. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned her gaze to him.

Windsor, who had been elegantly sipping his tea, slowly raised his head.

Who could think he wasn’t a noble? At the same time, who could think he was a noble?

“Oh, come to think of it, you’ll have to dance at the party.”

“Did you say dance?”

The front of Windsor’s eyebrows furrowed. It didn’t seem to be a particularly pleasant topic. Seeing this, Jacqueline nodded sternly.

It was better to chatter about something than to remain silent. Sometimes she felt like she would suffocate in Windsor’s heavy silence.

“A fine gentleman should by all means ask a beautiful lady to dance.”

“Ah, you mean the unnecessarily complicated and cumbersome etiquette.”

Jacqueline pretended not to hear those words and stood up. She put her hands on her hips and looked down at him with determined eyes.

“Now, ask me to dance.”

“I don’t think there’s a need to learn how to dance. No lady would want to dance with me anyway.”

Jacqueline said nothing. She had noticed that it was self-deprecation about his background. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, as much as when she called herself a ‘penniless lady’.

Jacqueline mumbled as if making an excuse.

“But Lord Preston is a marquis, and there will surely be ladies who want to catch your eye…”

“I will hand over the title of marquis to Benjamin when he comes of age and step down. Knowing this fact, would any lady want to dance with me?”

In public, there were rumors that Windsor would swallow up the Preston family. That the greedy uncle would take the young nephew’s place.

But Jacqueline knew these rumors were false. He really had no attachment to the position of marquis. Windsor Preston was a gruff uncle, but not a bad one.

“I have the responsibility to make Lord Preston a remarkable gentleman who attracts attention in social circles. A gentleman who can’t dance, I’ve never heard of such a thing. So stop arguing about every little thing and ask me to dance.”

“Stop arguing about every little thing…?”

Windsor frowned at her as if checking if he had heard correctly. Jacqueline pretended not to hear and extended her hand to him with a brazen expression.

Imitating a gentleman, she lowered her voice.

“At times like this, you should say, ‘Would you give me the honor of dancing with a beautiful lady?’ Come on, take my hand.”

Instead of answering, Windsor stared at the hand she had extended. Jacqueline impatiently waved her hand as if to say, what are you waiting for, take it already.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t as patient as Benjamin.

“Come on.”

“I have never danced before in my life.”

At those words, Jacqueline’s eyes widened.

“Didn’t you say your mother was an opera singer? Didn’t you learn to dance from her?”

“She wasn’t that affectionate. She preferred dancing with a new lover rather than teaching her son how to dance.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Jacqueline apologized with an awkward expression.

However, Windsor didn’t understand why she was apologizing. His mother’s affairs with men weren’t her fault, were they?

“How long are you going to keep me waiting? It’s not gentlemanly to embarrass a lady.”

Only after her second urging did Windsor reluctantly extend his hand. And he placed his hand on top of Jacqueline’s palm.

Flinch.

Jacqueline’s shoulders trembled unknowingly. Her fingertips tingled as if she had been electrocuted. It also felt like thunder was rumbling somewhere.

Reflexively glancing at the window, she quietly inhaled when she saw the cloudless, bright weather.

The cool scent of cologne invaded her nostrils. It was a fragrance that suited Windsor very well.

He took a step towards Jacqueline. The two faced each other with just a span of distance between them.

Suddenly, Jacqueline held her breath. It was because of an inexplicable pressure weighing down on her shoulders.

Windsor was taller than she thought, and his shoulders were broader than she imagined. Jacqueline opened her eyes wide as if realizing this fact for the first time.

For some reason, she couldn’t maintain her composure. She bit her lip with a worried expression, concerned that her hand might tremble and Windsor might notice.

He slowly turned his eyes. His gaze, which had been lingering on their fingertips, moved to her cheek.

A voice heavier than usual flowed from between Windsor’s teeth.

“What should I do next?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes.”

Jacqueline, snapping back to her senses, looked up at him. She took his other hand and flipped her palm. Windsor’s hand went down, and her hand came up.

Jacqueline lowered her eyes demurely like a lady who had been asked to dance.

“Since Lord Preston asks, I’ll dance one song with you.”

Windsor’s eyebrow twitched, but she didn’t notice as she was looking down at the floor.

“Since we can’t play music, try to follow my movements in time. I’ll move slower than usual. Are you ready?”

Instead of answering, Windsor just raised an eyebrow.