“I think I know what you’re thinking, but I hope you don’t misunderstand, Lord Preston. It’s not that I’m afraid, but actually Colin doesn’t like being alone at night.”
No answer came. The wrinkle between his brows seemed to deepen slightly, but perhaps it was just an illusion. Even with the oil lamp lit, it wasn’t bright enough to see wrinkles in such detail.
Jacqueline exhaled lightly once more and spoke in her usual voice.
“I can’t sleep, so I was going to have a cup of tea. Is there anything you need, Lord Preston?”
Windsor’s gaze shifted to the kettle on the stove. White steam was already rising from the spout.
“Oh my, the water has already boiled.”
Following his gaze, Jacqueline transferred the boiling water to the teapot. She gathered the tea canister, strainer, and teacup onto a tray and turned to look at him.
“So what do you need, my lord? Though it’s not my kitchen and unfamiliar, I’ll do my best to help.”
Windsor was struck speechless by her kindness. He couldn’t bring himself to say that he had followed her out of suspicion.
“Why didn’t you call for a maid?”
So instead of answering, he posed a question. She opened her eyes slightly wider, then gently furrowed her brow.
Even in the darkness, her every expression was clearly visible. His searching gaze slid over her face.
“As a tutor who just arrived today, I felt somewhat sorry to wake a maid so late at night for something this trivial. Fortunately, I’ve become quite accustomed to doing these things myself lately.”
That was a roundabout way of expressing her circumstances. Saying that she was no longer in a position to receive the service of maids.
Nevertheless, there was no sign of embarrassment or shame on Jacqueline’s face.
Windsor recalled the rumors surrounding her. The most famous one was her nickname, “The Penniless Lady.”
He had thought she was a hothouse flower, but she might surprisingly be a wild flower strong against adversity.
“So what is it that Lord Preston needs?”
Windsor took a few steps forward. Brushing past Jacqueline, he skillfully took out a crystal glass and poured water.
After taking a refreshing drink of water, Windsor set down the glass and turned to her.
“Miss Somerset doesn’t need to attend to me. I’ve become quite accustomed to doing things myself as well.”
It was a flimsy excuse. After all, there was a water pitcher neatly placed on the bedside table in his room by a maid.
“I see.”
However, she took Windsor’s words at face value. Unlike him, Jacqueline was not skilled at doubting others. She nodded compliantly.
Well, it made sense. He was different from other nobles. Born as the illegitimate child of Bentley Preston, he had grown up under the care of his opera singer mother until adulthood, and would have had to handle everything on his own.
It was ironic. Jacqueline, who had relied on others her whole life, now had to do everything herself, while Windsor, who had always managed on his own, now had to rely on others.
The two were like polar opposites in every way. From their personalities to their circumstances, truly everything.
But then.
“……”
She placed Colin in Windsor’s arms.
Windsor’s eyes moved slowly. He stared blankly at the teddy bear on his chest. As if it were an object he had never seen before, with a very unfamiliar gaze.
And this time, he raised his eyes slightly to stare at Jacqueline. Their eyes met in the darkness. She smiled faintly.
“Would you take Colin to my room? I need to carry the tray. Unfortunately, I only have two hands.”
Even at those words, Windsor didn’t move. Jacqueline raised her eyebrows as if to say, “What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to take him?”
Windsor remained silent at the unexpected turn their conversation had taken. As if trying to figure out where exactly things had gone wrong.
“I believe Lord Preston wouldn’t ignore a lady in distress.”
“Distress, you say.”
He slowly extended his hand. As if she had expected this, Jacqueline’s eyes softened. But the next moment.
“Huh?”
Windsor’s hand reached for the tray, not Colin. Skillfully balancing the tray with one hand, he turned to leave first.
“I’ll take this.”
“If I may offer some advice, that side is harder to balance because it’s full of water… Oh, you’re doing well.”
Jacqueline followed behind Windsor, who was walking steadily without spilling a single drop of water. She held Colin tightly in both arms.
Belatedly, she remembered that he had been in the navy. Perhaps balancing like this was child’s play for someone who had lived on a rocking ship.
Windsor set the tray down on the table in her room and then turned to look at Jacqueline with indifferent eyes. His golden hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight streaming through the window.
His face, deeply shadowed, gave off a much more masculine impression than it had during the day, but even that suited Windsor very well. Or perhaps this was closer to his true nature.
“I thank you for your kindness, Lord Preston.”
Jacqueline curtsied lightly. Colin, nestled in her arms, bowed to Windsor as well.
Looking at the teddy bear with an unreadable gaze, he left the room.
“Next time, call for a maid for such matters.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I wish you a good night, Miss Somerset.”
“!”
At those words, Jacqueline’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. She never expected to hear a good night wish from someone so brusque.
Eventually, a smile as gentle as moonlight appeared at the corners of her lips. Just before the door closed, her lips parted.
“You too, Lord Preston. Have a good night.”
Click.
The door closed. Whether he had heard her greeting or not was unknown. But Jacqueline was certain he had. Because she thought she saw Windsor’s head nod up and down.
Jacqueline let out a languid sigh and buried her face in the back of Colin’s head.
“He really is like Benjamin. That gruff kindness that doesn’t refuse help. Don’t you think so, Colin?”
Her muffled voice disappeared as if absorbed into Colin’s head.
[This is the timeline separator]Jacqueline knew better than anyone how to appear as the perfect lady. It was one of her specialties.
Dressed in a morning gown with her braided hair pinned up, she was an impeccable lady. Especially her upright posture and graceful gait.
A little while ago, she had confirmed that the carriage carrying Windsor had left the mansion. In other words, it meant that from now on, it was her time.
“Hello, Benjamin.”
At Jacqueline’s cheerful greeting, Benjamin, who had been reading alone, stood up. Today too, he was perfectly dressed like a well-groomed doll.
Probably the work of Mrs. Ritz, Jacqueline thought as she strode into the room.
“Good morning, Miss Somerset.”
His greeting was perfect as well. Jacqueline walked towards the child with a bright smile.
“Yes, good morning.”
Betty, who had followed behind her, set down the luggage she was carrying on the table.
The diligent maid did not ask Jacqueline what she was going to do with it. She knew that question was not her place.
“Thank you, Betty. You may go now. Benjamin, our first lesson will be about the new trends in art. Appreciating art can be considered a basic quality of nobility.”
Jacqueline greeted Betty and then turned her head towards the child as she continued speaking.
But in fact, it was not meant for Benjamin, but for Betty. She could tell the maid’s ears had perked up without even looking.
The maid curtsied slightly and left the room. Jacqueline knew she would go straight to Mrs. Ritz.
That was the duty of a diligent maid. To report in detail to the head maid about what the unfamiliar tutor was doing.
Click.
The door closed.
“……”
No receding footsteps were heard. Jacqueline noticed that Betty had not yet left from in front of the door.
The faithful maid seemed to want to gather more information rather than go straight to Mrs. Ritz.
Left alone in the room, Jacqueline moved very skillfully. She squeezed paint onto the palette and moistened the brush. All the while, her lips moved busily.
“Until now, art has been largely divided into realism and impressionism. Realist painters paint objects and scenery as they are. To what extent they were realistic… Well, it would be good to talk about a certain painter who transferred a funeral scene, which was considered taboo, onto canvas. That work caused quite a shock to the world.”
Benjamin listened quietly to what she was saying. Although it was content he already knew, he didn’t bother to interject.
Rather, he was curious about what she was doing. His brown eyes rolled busily, following her hand movements.
“Impressionism, which emerged afterwards, focused on the fleeting moments of objects. The appearance that can only be seen at that moment. For example, even if painting the same cathedral, the cathedral in the morning, in the afternoon, at sunset, and in the dark night were all different. Painters boldly omitted specific shapes and instead emphasized light and color.”
At that moment, quiet receding footsteps were heard. A deep smile spread across Jacqueline’s lips.
“As I said at the beginning, art until now has been dominated by realism and impressionism. Although there were popular styles from time to time, they didn’t deviate much from these two trends.”
She strode forward, holding the palette and brush. The brown eyes that had been absently following her suddenly widened.
“!”
Jacqueline’s voice took on a more cheerful tone.
“And finally, the Fauves appeared. The old-fashioned tradition faded, and a new trend began to sweep the art world. The most important thing in Fauvism is.”
Benjamin couldn’t say anything. But his wide eyes and raised eyebrows clearly revealed the child’s surprise.
“Don’t be afraid to use primary colors, and express the artist’s individuality without reservation. At last, a world for me has arrived.”
“!”
Jacqueline pressed the red brush against the ivory-colored wallpaper with a swift motion. There was no hesitation in her brushstrokes.
Benjamin didn’t even blink. The child looked like a meticulously crafted doll. If his long eyelashes hadn’t been fluttering slightly, he might have really been mistaken for a porcelain doll.
“What do you think, Benjamin? What does this painting look like to you?”
“……”
The child, who had been in shock, only came to his senses when he heard his name. Benjamin concentrated to answer the tutor’s question.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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