Callian looked at the letter paper on the table and sank into thought. How exactly should she reply to the letter?
Suddenly, a plate of exquisite pastries appeared before her eyes. It was Betty. She had come to deliver those five sets of formal clothes for the young master. She had also brought the one for Peppa.
"I heard that you even had ice cream with a foreigner with an unusual hair colour, without me accompanying you. You should be even more careful when going out alone. Don't you know what happened to Miss Marilyn? You will be living in the capital in the future. When that time comes, if I'm not by your side and you run into danger, what should be done?"
Seeing that Betty was truly worried, Callian softly comforted her.
"I gave Peppa clothes to thank her for accompanying me to the capital. Peppa must have had a hard time too."
The one who always gave in first was Betty. She truly had no way to deal with her young master.
At this moment, Callian suddenly grew very curious about how exactly the Marquis's household had found her four years ago. The question clearly made Betty's hand pause as she poured the tea.
"Why would young master suddenly ask about this?"
"Because a servant ran into Laura. And she has now already been married off by Madam."
The disappointment on Callian's face was almost impossible to hide. Sometimes she also felt confused. Why did it have to be her, of all people?
As it turned out, Jaelan's life had been in danger at any moment back then, and the family's situation had also been very difficult. The people around them pointed fingers at the sick Jaelan, and everyone was discussing the issue of the heir. The relatives all applied pressure, wanting Madam to adopt one of their sons. But once there was an adopted son, even if Jaelan recovered his health, those covetous people would absolutely never let him go.
So they found Callian simply because she could be discarded at any time.
That was the truth.
Jaelan had already recovered and would be returning very soon. When that time came, she would be able to return to her original life. So she decided to tell Betty what she truly thought. She wanted to go and find her mother. She wanted to reclaim the life that belonged to Kallia.
She hurriedly ran out of the room, ignoring Betty's attempts to stop her. She took off her shoes and gently set them aside. Then she leaped forward and plunged into the water. This truth was simply too cruel for her. She did not want to think about it any more. Only by soaking in the water could she obtain a moment of peace.
"Today, he was still just as beautiful."
She really did want to escape from this place, but there was also one reason that made her unwilling to leave.
"What a pity. What a real pity."
At this moment, a familiar male voice interrupted her thoughts. The instant she saw who had come, her pupils suddenly contracted. How could the young duke possibly be here?
Claude looked at her with a half-smile. "You really are very interesting, Callian. Is swimming your hobby?"
As he spoke, he stood up and began taking off his clothes.
"What is going on, Betty?"
Betty shook her head repeatedly. She did not know either. It turned out that the young duke had come to visit Jaelan, but had remembered the wrong day. And just at that moment, he happened to see Callian swimming.
"It's been a long time since I last swam, so I'll swim for a while too."
Callian's face instantly turned pale. The undergarment in the water was faintly visible. What would happen if he discovered it? Claude was utterly confused by her reaction, and without caring whether Callian agreed or not, he dove straight into the water.
The splashing water struck Callian's cheek. Soaking in the water, the undergarment inside was faintly visible. Callian raised her hands fearfully and held them in front of her chest. This series of actions successfully caught Claude's attention. With one swift leap, he plunged into the water.
When she opened her eyes again, Claude had already arrived behind her.
"This is my first time swimming with you, Callian."
Callian was instantly at a loss. With a splash, she dove headfirst into the water. She had to get away immediately, but the pursuing Claude grabbed her hand. She turned back in confusion. What came into view was a beautiful smile Claude cast towards her.
Her heart immediately began pounding wildly. She struggled with all her strength to break free from Claude's hold, and in her panic accidentally opened her mouth. The intense discomfort forced her back up to the surface.
Seeing the young master coughing and choking non-stop, Betty looked full of worry. But Claude laughed at her poor diving skills, and Callian was instantly filled with anger.
"It was because you suddenly grabbed me."
"Then I'll give you another chance."
Callian was not falling for it. She turned around and walked away, leaving Claude alone in the water, stunned. Betty worriedly draped a shawl over her. When she turned back, she saw that Claude had also come ashore and calmly walked past her as if nothing had happened.
After sitting down on the camping mat, he let out a deep sigh.
"Come and sit and rest for a while, at least."
Callian obediently did as she was told.
"In weather like this today, you don't need to wrap yourself up so tightly. You probably won't catch a cold."
Callian pressed her lips together. "I'm afraid of the cold. This feels more comfortable."
"What a strange guy."
After throwing out that remark, he went to sleep on his own. Seeing this, Callian prepared to leave, but Claude stopped her.
"How about I don't sleep and keep you company instead?"
"Stop fooling around. I'm not a child."
"You are a child. You're only sixteen."
"I know that."
Yes. She was already sixteen, and Jaelan would be back very soon as well.
At that moment, Claude suddenly asked Callian about her future plans, because according to noble law the second son cannot inherit any property.
"If you wait until after graduating from the academy to look for work, it will be too late."
"I'll figure those things out myself."
"Come and work as a butler for the Hall family. I can take you in."
Callian was full of question marks. So all along she had thought the young duke disliked her. But she also had things she wanted to do herself. Although she had not decided yet, it definitely would not be to become a butler.
"I'm not sure what you're up to, but you definitely won't be treated as well as the butler."
"How much money I make isn't important. What matters is being able to do what I truly want to do."
When she said this, her gaze was astonishingly firm. For a moment, Claude did not know how to respond. At that moment, the surroundings were so quiet that only the rustling of leaves in the wind remained. Callian stopped talking.
"Wake me up in an hour. And you have to wake me up yourself."
As soon as he finished speaking, he lay back down again. Claude really was strange. He had clearly asked her, yet refused to listen to her finish.
"I rode here on horseback, so I'm a little tired and need some sleep. Otherwise, you can lie down too."
The beautiful smile Claude gave her made Callian's cheeks grow slightly warm. She bit her lip and said nothing. In any case, she would forget this place sooner or later. But here, one beautiful thing after another kept happening that made people unwilling to forget.
Even while sleeping, he was frowning. I really don't know what he was thinking.
Callian's hand, resting over her chest, paused slightly. Then she gently stroked Claude's head, and saw the faint upward curve at the corner of the man's lips. She slowly withdrew her hand again. Callian became faintly melancholic.
The one who had suggested sleeping was clearly Claude, but Callian herself also fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up again, she found herself already lying in bed.