“Like a thieving cat, where are you going?”
“Th, that is…”
She didn’t know what to explain to the Duke and trailed off.
Duke Valige, who was watching Lina indifferently, said flatly, drying his hair with a towel,
“Don’t worry about today’s matter. I have no intention of holding you responsible.”
Though she was surprised at the Duke’s nonchalance, it was indeed a fortunate thing for her.
Then, the Duke picked up a neatly laidout shirt to change into. Lina approached to assist him as usual.
But as if he didn’t need her help, he buttoned up the shirt himself.
‘What’s going on? Dressing himself?’
“You can go and rest for today.”
The Duke’s voice, after fastening even the cufflinks, echoed in the room.
“Lina.”
“Yes?”
Lina thought she had misheard.
‘He just called me by…’
Telling her to take a day off was surprising, but what was more surprising was,
‘He called me by my name?’
He had always called her “Hey, you, maidservant” as if he didn’t know the two letters of her name, Lina. But suddenly, he called her by her name.
Startled, she stood stupidly, forgetting to reply, and the Duke asked,
“Do you dislike it?”
“No? Oh, no. Thank you.”
Surprised to even get a short holiday from the Duke, Lina was flustered.
[This is the time separator]A sudden holiday. But on that golden day, the only place she could go was the stable.
“I wish I could go to the village and buy some necessities… But I’ll just go see the horses.”
She couldn’t ride them like before, but just feeding and petting them was good enough. She had wanted to come to the stable many times but never could find the time.
When Lina finally arrived at the stable with light footsteps,
“Huh?”
She saw a figure tending to the horses.
“Henry?”
The tall, light brownhaired man turned at her voice and waved happily.
“Lina!”
Lina almost ran to Henry.
“When did you come back?!”
“It’s only been a few days. I wanted to greet you and went to the mansion several times, but every time you were with the Duke.”
Because Lina was with the Duke all day, it seemed she and Henry kept missing each other.
“Well, I’m glad we met now. Are you back for good?”
“Yes. I plan to stay here for a while.”
Henry was the stable keeper Rick’s son and one of the few children who were friendly to Lina. And he had left for the capital last year, wanting to learn blacksmithing.
“You seem like a completely different person now.”
The appearance of Henry, who had suddenly grown from a boy into a man, felt unfamiliar.
“You, of all people, are still the same. Are you eating properly?”
At this point, she was twentyfour years old. But her appearance was still that of an eighteenyearold girl. Lina swallowed a bitter smile at Henry’s words.
“What about becoming the Duke’s exclusive maid? I heard you’ve been trusted quite a bit.”
“What… should I call that trust?”
With an awkward expression, Henry messed up Lina’s hair.
“I knew you would be doing well, Lina.”
Even though Henry was the same age as Lina, he had always treated her like a younger sister.
‘That’s why the maids who liked Henry tormented me the most.’
Thanks to Henry’s particular care for Lina, she had become the target of others’ jealousy.
“But there was a big incident recently…?”
“A big incident?”
Henry asked with a somewhat serious expression.
“You mean Susan being chased away?”
“Yes. I heard you almost faced disgrace because of it.”
“Oh… You heard? But it’s okay. It’s all over now. Tell me about your life in the capital instead!”
As Lina spoke as if it was nothing serious, Henry said thankfully and began to tell about his time in the capital.
How much time had passed? The sun was setting, and Henry and Lina were in the midst of blooming conversation when they felt a presence.
“Henry? What’s wrong?”
As he stopped talking to Lina and stared behind in surprise, she also turned to follow his gaze.
“Your Grace?”
Duke Valige, who had returned to the mansion at some point, was holding the reins of Thunder and quietly looking at Lina.
“That’s the Duke…?”
Henry asked, and Lina nodded. Panicked, he hurriedly bowed in greeting.
“Yo, Your Grace! It’s my first time meeting you. I used to work in the stables…”
But Valige ignored Henry’s words and approached Lina. Then, he gestured to Henry.
“You.”
“Ye… Yes! Yes!”
“Take this horse inside.”
“….Yes! Understood!”
Henry took the reins with brisk movements and sent a look to finish their conversation later as he headed toward the stables.
Lina nodded to Henry and looked at the Duke who was standing in front of her.
But the Duke’s complexion had darkened considerably.
“Why are you here?”
“….Pardon?”
The Duke pressed Lina with a fierce intensity.
‘Why does he look so angry? Did something bad happen outside?’
A foreboding feeling crept up Lina’s ankle. She carefully answered, watching his mood.
“I just came out for a walk.”
“Is that so?”
‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’
She had to think hard about what she might have done wrong due to the cold aura emanating from the Duke.
“That’s fortunate then. I needed you just now.”
Lina’s shoulders flinched at the Duke’s unexpected words.
“Me? But you said I could take a break today…”
“That’s right. But.”
The Duke, with a surprised face, lifted Lina’s chin and murmured.
“Not now.”
Sure enough, Lina’s bad feeling was not wrong.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
