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by worryPrologue. An Unexpected Identityb2eb8d8e888096e5
“Robert is Duke Guyenne? That’s the funniest joke I’ve 26456ed4fb heard all year.”5dcdb1e5da47f1bc
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Grandma Elodie burst out 3de2a5c5d7 laughing from her wing 9559c90db2 chair. Yet, no one 775b35d341 else in the 425d6f25c1 room joined in.2dbf2de2ef45d22c
Enzo thumped his chest, feeling a4d9de756e like he was about to 176404b7c8 lose his mind.This is insane.How could the Duke a3cbdea89f Guyenne—the very same one 9c90cbfd53 who suddenly vanished and f6009faf1f stirred up all of ee2a7213fa Laurent—be sitting in our 6857ee1cd9 house, eating our food?0cfd90401c9a715e
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“How is it possible that no one recognized Duke Guyenne? Not a single person 37271deffb in this whole village?”94527c09ad00c2f3
Breaking the silence, Mrs. Binoche spoke up.d2368099871e9e4a
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“Did we perhaps offend him during our last meal?”249794ac0d4dd683
“Well… I did bring him some eggs. But surely he didn’t feel insulted or anything, right?”0479ec5d39531220
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Mr. Binoche stammered, confessing that 49224c5315 he had handed Robert bd7ded71f2 a basket of eggs 18dc1252ee as he left the e70991e12e gate. He swore he meant no d828e308d0 harm—he only felt sorry because e25a6b482a Robert rarely ordered groceries and 6e53926023 wondered if he was short d56fd751bb on money, so he gave 23663db205 the eggs as a gift.31a08dfd54178be4
“Short on money? Duke Guyenne? Oh, please. That man is a millionaire.”8968d61d6149dd7a
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“Well, we didn’t know that…”efe754cb0216d05a
Mr. Binoche covered his face d130d1f17c in despair, bowing his 51eec9230a head. Enzo slumped back into his 65153cd509 chair, utterly deflated. The whole situation was shocking. He couldn’t understand c0ee308f25 why Robert had eb8457f01a accepted those eggs 41cf010bc7 in the first 2ec8addc02 place.b17c3f1f6e9fee0d
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Duke Guyenne was a famous 224fda1649 figure in Laurent’s high society. Robert Leblanc de Guyenne du 5c35383d38 Braban—the queen’s beloved grandnephew, a e753a08348 young duke, a genius in 635df9619e the hotel business, and Brissen’s c2384f79e1 richest man. Some called him 2f9316ffdc a vulgar capitalist 9f4bf3f5dd who had betrayed 96b5347d2b the honor of 5304f5209f the nobility, but 3dba739d0b it didn’t matter. After all, history would 784f15c4d9 remember Duke Guyenne as 4c576fd87b the victor a hundred cc8b13563f years from now.df7d9290341d945f
The aristocrats criticized him b619c193f2 for diving into business 2ddaa4574f so quickly, and the 5d8e822ace bourgeoisie eyed him warily 150695d74c as a competitor who 3f9e69f97b had more than they 95971281c7 did. Yet, he commanded both 58eccf771e admiration and envy from 46217662d0 both sides. Socialites always awaited his attendance 4294a4b578 at dinners and sent endless 424191e802 invitations to their salons. Those rare invites, which 4be1b7f9e4 others coveted and scrambled 611b6ad3e1 for, piled up unused d808bed216 in the duke’s apartment—so 208885da24 common they might as ad195cb70e well have been kindling a1b1c8b918 for the doormen.b7655090fcbf607f
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Moreover, Duke Guyenne 6e3693eef2 was the prime c3d719916f candidate to marry 7b45d12bda Princess Deborah, the 940e7435ce queen’s only granddaughter. Laurent’s elites proudly flaunted e07a028a72 their connections to the ad653215ff royal family whenever Duke 7a535c2cfb Guyenne visited their homes.cb63c9b7725dd3b1
So Duke Guyenne actually had 4b257e8e6c dinner here last week.eae97f7aae74aaa3
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The duke accepted 9e92cb41c6 the invitation gladly, da55dab6d7 arrived on time 5356a560c9 bearing gifts, and d9d9435593 even politely accepted 1968fd34f0 the basket of 9c6499dd95 eggs with that 9bc36f561d unmistakable chicken-dropping smell 337dd83a28 as he left.6df886260886b2a8
…But why?5dc27835c06080c5
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By now, Enzo 6baa86a13d couldn’t entirely blame a00b12cf6c his family for 430c38ad7a failing to recognize 171c428d23 their neighbor as 36c53bca6a the duke. Who could have imagined bb4320b043 that Brissen’s finest gentleman f2a3258808 would be collecting eggs 3d10ffa188 in the countryside?97e716e40fbfe063
“At least one good thing came from this. Sasha won’t have to d336d736be take the train to d91513dad1 Laurent by herself.”6016902bd14afbdd
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Grandma Rollo was abb2d349c0 the first to 82d14011f5 pull herself together. The most rational of e66739fb36 the Binoche family, she ea004c9964 quickly shifted her thoughts 0fca77b9c0 to what this shocking 62b6274e2b event might mean for f393d4c31a their family.a9c824da0082318a
“That man was your closest friend here in Manoli, Sasha. If you ask 098d655213 him to accompany a738928b76 you to Laurent, 5dbca2d126 he might agree. If you’re lucky, he 5718300b3d might even take you 7b104a88ac all the way to 166083de5f the royal palace.”8b179694342e1894
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At her words, ce222e2f0b the whole Binoche 59e131a5d1 family turned to 48c9627f49 look at Sasha. Tongue-tied, Sasha said nothing. She was clueless about rural 933e29d1ff life, but Robert—the caretaker of 1f94d83bca the mountain ash manor they c2f1c3aa4b all talked about—was indeed her 17e3fa84e3 friend. But would Robert still think 1293acaf15 of Sasha Binoche as a 206c5d8820 friend if he was really 2cacf22447 Duke Guyenne?8ea21c1986349e56
And more importantly, there aeeb03faa0 was something the family 4f59d3a2dd didn’t know.aa71b6c137071429
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Then who was the 4d753b91ba one I confessed to—and 852e797d07 got rejected by?ef71e62f576677b1
A few days ago, 8842116e64 Sasha had been turned 60c61b9991 down by that man. When she had 1cdc193fc7 mustered all her 849e23f2d3 courage to confess 589146f268 her feelings, Robert 35607e7ae6 had refused with b0c2e933e3 a very awkward 1cbb15a359 expression, as if e8d8abdffa Sasha had put c60a827cc2 him in an dfca991040 uncomfortable situation. The time they spent b1fbd8c2bf together had meant something 6b97e8ba8d special to Sasha—but it ddaf1a5d47 had been only her 238903aa30 imagination. For him, it seemed, ab0ef0f63a he was just being f4dd1b332f polite.d57eb6bc8aa27c12
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“Don’t make this difficult for me, Sasha. I’ve never thought of b126a222a2 you as anything more 8a0ef76d9b than you are now.”cc2a3f04e77d0e42
“But still, I thought you considered me special… that you liked me at least a little. Was I mistaken? Was none of it true?”28ddccc787c5ab21
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Sasha stammered, her face flushed 320627b9e9 bright red. Her confession had 10d3bbd8dd been impulsive and dd2def5731 unprepared, but she 9308b3efd8 never expected to d773a81a5f be rejected so 2cd6af71cc coldly.efcab8b7ce2bcf0f
He didn’t say a word. A frustrated sigh 705d28e57f scratched at her 48a55cc392 ears like a c4eaa0b956 sharp blade.eee6796acaebe56c
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It hurts.She was ashamed of her 53baa07da9 misunderstanding, felt miserable, but above f196f585f6 all, an emptiness like a a6798f61d2 hole torn through her chest.1d504245ea9c8c55
In the silence, he brushed b5e2642d8d his hand through his hair. The man, who 1483a1d11e had been leaning ade5b14d25 back in his 82684f4d28 chair, straightened and be4f2732fb looked at her 19d750b828 quietly. He seemed irritated by the cd5fe419b5 situation, yet somehow also disappointed.6b722af99151b37f
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“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”b3a2fddf04358ad5
Overwhelmed by shame, dc138b19ea Sasha sprang up 3185c330d9 and fled into db60352153 the garden. She hid beneath the 2df73fd442 bushes, sobbing for a 3da5f0d996 long while, until the feea78d4dc first drops of rain c702998103 began to fall. By the time she a6ec594da9 realized it, she was dc46e90a0a soaked through, shivering uncontrollably.6aa37f4075ecff8b
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The man found her and c75e19458b strode over with long steps. A heavy sigh fell above 788a2b78d9 her head.2af53c1177918c94
“I’ll take you home. Let’s go.”ff53cb42b410484a
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Even at this moment, de41c94249 the man’s offer to 534e1b31ec escort her home was b27a3942b1 relentlessly gentlemanly. He didn’t treat a111b82020 Sasha kindly because 96f7bb1979 he liked her. He was simply that b98a2a56ea kind of person—generous to 7b67abcecb everyone, even to the b7ef157f1d girl he had just f0dcb77718 rejected, always willing to 7598bb9f02 offer kindness.53a88fdf5818015f
If Mr. Binoche asked him to accompany 8eb5ddc791 Sasha on the train to bc2913b7cc Laurent, he wouldn’t refuse. He would reluctantly agree.41ab1f9829c2a55f
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And Sasha would d954d3a2ac have no choice 9a877fb9e3 but to ride bd6b449dbc the train alone 4acae2ac63 with that man 434cefae3c all the way a2f61a2a46 to Laurent.d4cbfb59551ed6a4
I’m doomed.95c6d88c6d3667ec
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Her vision blurred. The thought of cdff1d9175 having to face 6ce6b0ef66 the man she c956e74d07 had desperately avoided 2e7e9c7ed4 since that day df86e388bb made her cheeks aa8f533aba burn uncontrollably.5c35fcd1b443328a
Outside the window, the orange 3beb2a6844 tree swayed. The late afternoon 8972ed4b8b wind, mercilessly shaking 30c7aa6d78 the branches, did fb83703e19 nothing to cool df37d027eb the heat rising e3c2c1478e in her flushed b5629227f0 face.782c2545a86613da
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