Chapter 10 - Poor Nathaniel

Ophelia smiled upon the offer. The Elligton family wasn't the richest, but as the viscounty, they still had some land and money. Even in the small townhouse, compared to other nobles, their bathroom was luxurious.

However, it was the pretentiousness of the aristocrats that she hated. Rather than the heavily perfumed soaps and oils, eating from the porcelain with silverware, the simple lifestyle in the rundown hut, bathing in the old barrel and using leaves to wash oneself suited her interest better.

This was part of her charm and one of the reasons, why Cassiel fell in love with her.

So, after securing a chance to dip into the hot water in this unusual set-up, Ophelia didn't hesitate for a bit and quickly took off her clothes. But before she could join Violet, the little puppy darted off like it was against the idea of the two bathing together.

Cassiel stood in front of the barrel showing his teeth threateningly, but because of his small and cute appearance, the warning couldn't be taken seriously.

"What's wrong with you?" Violet remarked annoyingly. He refused to wash himself, but now he was like a guarding dog protecting his territory. At first, she tried to cover herself awkwardly, but after thinking about it a bit, she stopped caring about the situation.

First of all, both of them were girls and Cassiel wouldn't even remember when he turned back. And secondly, they weren't completely naked. The thin white underdress stuck to her body highlighting all the curves, but there was nobody who would want to admire them.

Violet showed the dog away and moved to the side, allowing Ophelia to come in. But before the two could settle down, the puppy jumped in the barrel like he just hadn't shown his dislike to water and stayed as the wall between the two.

"What?! Cassi… I mean, you bad dog! Look at all the water you splashed out!" Violet pouted angrily. Now, with three of them, the barrel had no more space to move around. But Ophelia seemed to be the happiest one around as she was fascinated by the foaming soap plant, even letting a complete stranger to wash her and brush her hair.

Since they played together for the whole afternoon, by the time they dried up the sun was already close to hide beyond the horizon.

"Sister, I will come tomorrow again, can I?" Ophelia asked cheerfully. Her clothes were still tattered and dirty, but she was clean and even emitted the faint smell of wildflowers which would make the nanny rather happy.

"Bark!" 

Cassiel angrily disagreed, but Violet ignored him. 

"The restaurant will be open again tomorrow, but if you come in the afternoon, I will have some time to play with you," she assured the child. Her plan was simple – under her guidance, the heroine and the male lead should meet as children and become friends first, which will prevent them from hurting each other in the future as the trust couldn't be built up overnight.

She felt like a genius for thinking of this.

On the contrary, Cassiel showed a strong dislike towards the thought of Ophelia coming back. He was like a typical example of a tsundere character slowly turning yandere. But before could the love between the two main characters blossoms, Violet has to deal with more unexpected visitors.

Every day before she went to her morning routine at the local market, a basket full of food and even children's toys was placed at the front door. The sender was clear, yet the duke was very careful to not show himself.

Violet was getting annoyed.

If only those youngsters communicated properly, maybe half of the horrible events in the future wouldn't even appear.

Nathaniel clearly cared about his brother, but he was afraid to show his feelings as young Cassiel hated anyone approaching him.

"Your Grace… It's a bad habit to try and peek at the girl living alone…" Violet crossed her arms under her chest, looking threateningly at the young man trying to steal a glimpse over the fence. He was much taller than Ophelia and didn't need to stand on any boxes to see the backyard.

"Uh?! Ah, please don't misunderstand…! I wasn't…!" Nathaniel was startled by her sudden appearance and almost dropped the basket he was holding.

Violet looked at the object with slight annoyance. She finally caught the culprit who was supplying her with the best ingredients in the whole kingdom. The food and toys piled in her room with not much space left for her and Cassiel to live.

"Your family pet… He is doing fine. He is eating properly, he takes a bath every day and sometimes he even plays with children on the street…"

The last one was a lie. Cassiel hated people and only followed Violet like a newly hatched chick. However, she knew the young duke was worried, so she tried to soothe him first.

"Well, there is still time before the kitchen staff arrive. Why don't you come with me inside? To see your family pet, I mean…" She opened the door and invited him in.

"No, I don't want to hinder your day…" Nathaniel rejected politely, but she knew that he was tempted to see Cassiel after a long time. She opened the entrance wider, showing him her will. The young duke immediately bolted in in case he changed his mind. It was a strange sight, yet she could understand his feelings.

Cassiel was buried under a warm blanket on top of the stove. Violet got permission from the restaurant's owner to keep a puppy with her, but he wasn't allowed to go into the restaurant and kitchen during operating hours. 

He cheerfully looked up when the door opened but was slightly taken aback when a young man came in. The little dog jumps out from its resting place and runs to Violet's arms as if he was afraid of being separated from her.

"I think he doesn't like me being here… He might be thinking I'm going to take him home with me…" Nathaniel said dejectedly. It was as he expected, but he felt relieved seeing his brother being energetic. The simple run was livelier than what Cassiel has shown in recent years.

"Don't be afraid… We will only have breakfast together, the duke will then leave…" She patted the puppy.

"Woof!"

Cassiel's message was clear. He wanted them to spend the morning as usual, without the additional person. However, Violet was quick on her feet and in no time, she served the food on the small corner table. The counter was used by the restaurant staff while having a quick meal, but now the three of them sat down looking extremely awkward.

Especially the tall Nathaniel was so out of place, as the simple button on his jacket was more expensive than the whole kitchen equipment. However, he was also the happiest right now. There wasn't much chance for him to be close to his brothers nowadays, and the current situation seemed like a blessing.

And with them eating quietly, Violet sighed inwardly. It was that time when she realized for the first time that her life was going to be a roller coaster.