Chapter 3
「 Sister Julia is the most beautiful woman I know. You’re like an angel. 」
Edgar kissed the edge of Julia’s sleeve. The reason was that he couldn’t bring himself to kiss the back of her hand. To him, Julia looked so noble and sacred, as if she weren’t a being of this world, that he said he couldn’t sully her with his own kiss.
To Julia’s eyes, the boy looked even more sacred.
If she were to go as Duke Drexton’s private tutor, that brilliant childhood would be completely sullied.
‘To think I’d have to spread my legs for that lovely child?’
Ah, the sight of the ‘sacred’ elder sister of his childhood falling into a courtesan’s role. Her memories with the boy Edgar were the most precious things in Julia’s life. She didn’t want to ruin them.
She wanted to remain Edgar’s ideal sister-figure from his memories.
[T/N: They’re not related, just close when they were children. FL is five years older than ML]
As if she had sensed why Julia was hesitating, Cecile whispered softly.
“He won’t recognize you. It’s been a full fifteen years since the last day you met Duke Drexton.”
“…That’s true.”
“And Julia is a common name, and your hair color is just an ordinary brunette.”
“Still…”
“He absolutely won’t know.”
Cecile gripped Julia’s hand firmly.
“Boys change the elder sister they admire dozens of times, you know. Kids’ hearts at that age are like reeds in the wind. So don’t worry too much.”
Julia no longer knew how she should react. Cecile’s words, that she would have become nothing special to Edgar, were a relief, yet somehow also disappointing.
As Cecile said, she didn’t have much of a choice. Julia fidgeted with Cecile’s hand for a long while, then finally nodded.
“Write me the letter of recommendation, Cecile.”
Cecile pulled Julia into a tight embrace.
“You really thought it through well, Julia. What’s honor worth anyway. You need money right now. And Duke Drexton is really handsome, you know. You’ll enjoy it too.”
Would it really be enjoyable…
Julia was skeptical, but in front of her friend, she had no choice but to nod.
* * *
A few days later, Julia quietly packed her belongings and left for the Drexton Domain.
Duke Drexton kindly even sent a carriage all the way to Cecile’s villa. But the moment she saw the coachman, Julia’s breath caught in her throat.
‘Oh my God, Uncle Matthew.’
Duke Drexton’s personal coachman from fifteen years ago was still working even now, after Duke Drexton Senior had died and his son had inherited the title.
The coachman removed his hat and greeted Cecile and Julia.
“Madam Vernon, good day to you. And the lady beside you must surely be…”
“That’s right. She’s the person I wrote the letter of recommendation for. She’s intelligent and very trustworthy. Her name is Jul…”
“Please call me Missus Devel.”
Julia quickly cut Cecile off.
Cecile’s and Coachman Matthew’s eyes turned to Julia at the same time. Julia bit her lip in embarrassment and lowered her gaze.
She had deliberately not written the first name ‘Julia’ in the letter of recommendation either. If her name were mentioned and someone from the Drexton household recognized it, she felt she truly wouldn’t be able to bear it.
A brief silence.
“Then… is it time to depart now?”
Cecile broke the stiffened atmosphere. Julia let out a sigh without the other two noticing.
‘Maybe I should’ve had a drink before leaving.’
A foolish thought crossed her mind.
No. At times like this, she needed to keep her wits about her. Julia steeled herself and looked straight at Matthew, as if she had nothing at all to feel guilty about.
Perhaps suspicious of Julia’s tense demeanor, Matthew narrowed his eyes for a moment. But as nothing more than a coachman, it would be presumptuous to pry into someone who would, at least on the surface, be his master’s tutor. Without another word, he simply bowed his head.
“Please get in.”
He escorted Julia into the carriage. Julia exchanged farewells with Cecile through the carriage window.
“May only blessings await you ahead.”
At Cecile’s words, Julia nodded with a pallid face.
Before long, the carriage set off. Her chest rose and fell sharply. Somehow, breathing felt difficult.
Coming face to face with a familiar face made it all too real that she was on her way to become the ‘private tutor’ of that boy she had known long ago. Anxiety swept over Julia. She closed her eyes in a daze.
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