ALL NOVEL Chapter 36
Chapter 36 Cheerful laughter erupted. Looking closely, I saw that it was Rosieta, wearing a chiffon one-piece nightgown, with her red hair falling forward. As she brushed her hair back from her face, she wiped the tears from her eyes and her face lit up with joy. “Daniel, you’re still scared of ghosts, aren’t you?!” “… You.” “Ugh, ugh! Pffhahaha!” Rosieta held her stomach and laughed, imitating Daniel, who was surprised to see her just now. It was natural that Daniel’s eyes narrowed when he looked at her. Daniel opened the glass door leading to the terrace and glared at her fiercely. “… Why are you out on the terrace at this hour? You scared me.” “Sorry, I was just having tea with Colin.” “At three in the morning?” “It just so happened.” Daniel’s eyes narrowed even more as Rosieta blurted. He tilted his chin up and looked at Rosietta with a pointed expression. “I thought you said you didn’t want to be seen by the other maids. You seem to be spending a lot of time with Colin.” “It’s 3 in the morning, who cares? And Colin is good at making tea. He made hot milk tea, which is different from what the nobles drink.” “I guess so. Colin worked at a tea shop until he became an adult.” Before Daniel was taken under Roan’s wing, Colin saved his money by working in a tea shop catering to the nobility. No wonder the tea was so good. “No wonder, It was delicious.” “But what did you come here for? It’s three in the morning, you should get some sleep, and I’m sure you’re not here to play ghost.” Daniel motioned for her to come in, and she walked over from the terrace. The bright moonlight made it easier to see her face. Rosieta, who had just come out of a bath, had removed her thick makeup and was dressed simply. The sight reminded me of a fairy tale Rosieta had once told me. Was it Cinderella? The story of a woman who was said to have returned to her shabby appearance after the spell was over overlapped with her appearance. Rosieta seemed to be contemplating whether to go into the room, and then sniffed the air. Then he frowned. “Hey, have you been drinking?” “…….” “You didn’t even mention it at the party… What the hell were you doing drinking alone?” “No, I was just having a drink before bed. Oh my, what’s with all the papers on your desk?” His desk, visible behind Daniel’s back, was cluttered with scattered documents. “You’re too young to be working so hard already. If you work like that, you will grow old and suffer twice as much as the others.” “There you go again. Talking like an old person.” Daniel looked fed up, as if he had been nagged by his mother. But he didn’t feel like he hated it. As he stepped aside near the glass door, Rosietta entered the room. She looked around the room with her back to him and clicked her tongue like an old woman. “Looking at you, it looks like you don’t eat properly and only fill yourself with tea. You’re hurting yourself. Do you think your youth lasts forever? You’re using up your stamina for later.” “Are you here to nag me?” “No, not that.” Rosieta smiled brightly at him and sat down on the couch on one side of his bedroom. “I came to say thank you.” “… To me?” Daniel sat across from her with a puzzled look.When a lamp was placed on the table, warm light poured out and cast shadows on the two people’s faces. “Yes. Thanks to you, I was able to get some fresh air at the palace and spend time with the three of you.” “Because… of me?” Daniel narrowed his eyebrows and asked. All he did was threaten her with money. But Rosieta took it differently. “At first, I thought you were just giving me a hard time. I thought you offered me some kind of stupid contract to do that… but I get it now” She soon put her hands on her legs without smiling. Then she gave an expression that she knew everything. “After all, you offered me that deal to forgive some of my debt, in exchange for going to the party.” Daniel was stunned. He pursed his lips, half in bitterness, half in rebellion. “… Aren’t you just looking at me too kindly?” “Of course, you’re nice. I don’t know how you became the owner of a merchant with such a soft personality.” “…….” “But it’s true that thanks to you, I made 300,000 bills in one night. I’m really grateful.” Daniel noticed that she was cautiously opening her mouth. It was different from the days when the four of them were living in the orphanage, when they were bustling around and relying on each other. Even during her days in the orphanage, she never lost her smile. Even when she’d gotten into fights with the neighborhood bullies, she’d laughed and brushed them off. But now, looking at the fuzzy smile on her face, I could tell that she had changed a lot in those ten years. As if time had washed away some of her cheerfulness. Whenever Rosieta wiped her smile away and stared blankly somewhere, Daniel felt his insides burning hot. An unexpected thank… It was a little unpleasant. Seeing her face, which looked like she was about to leave, made his stomach turn. It was like she had no regrets. She neatly thanked me for what she had received and looked like she was about to head back to her quarters. Moreover, what she brought up was the topic of debt. She said she had just had a nice cup of tea with Colin, but she couldn’t stop talking about money with me… Surely, when Colin and her were alone until dawn, they wouldn’t have talked about such bleak things as money. The thought made the alcohol boil in his stomach. Daniel got up from his seat and grabbed the glass and bottle from his desk. Instead of sitting across from her, he slid into the seat next to her. He opened the bottle and poured, the clear glass once again overflowing with scarlet liquid. “Is that all you have to say?” he asked nonchalantly. “Huh? What do I have to say?” “Don’t you have anything else to say?” “…….” “If I were Colin, would you have told me all this?” Rosieta’s eyes widened a little at the sudden mention of Colin’s name. “Why is Colin suddenly coming up?” “Because it’s true, you’ve always relied on Colin, and you said Lucas was pretty. If I were Lucas, could I whine and throw tantrums at you without any worries.” Was the alcohol starting to kick in late? Daniel was confused, not knowing what he was talking about. Was it because they were alone in Colin’s room until late? Or was it because he felt uneasy at the sudden thank you? His lips moved impulsively again. “I’m not as kind as Colin, and I’m not brazen enough to ask you to like me like Lucas. All I have is your debt of two million.” Only then did he realize that Rosieta and he had become debtors and creditors. And that was so frustrating. This fool wouldn’t know it even if he doesn’t realize it. Rosieta stared at him with a somewhat embarrassed face. “Daniel, I’m your friend. We’ve been together since the orphanage days. Why are you saying that?” “No. I’ve never thought of you as a friend…” I should have stopped talking right there. I guess I had been feeling resentful toward her without realizing it. ‘You’re acting like you’re in debt with me, but you were alone with Colin until 3 in the morning? Are you kidding me?’ If I let my mouth babble like this, even my old feelings would suddenly burst out. What kind of feelings did I have for you for 10 years, what kind of thoughts did I have when I saw the free-spirited nobles of the capital dating… Stop opening your mouth, idiot! Despite the voice in his head warning him to shut up, Daniel was about to open his mouth. The moment he was about to spit out a confession that was so old and was overflowing with obsession. Rosieta furrowed her eyebrows with a sad expression and pursed her lips. “H…….” “……?” Daniel opened his eyes wide and looked at Rosieta. She hurriedly tried to cover her mouth, but her mouth was faster. “Eh, etch! Achoo!” Rosieta buried her face in her sleeve and sneezed repeatedly. The sound was so loud that Daniel hurriedly moved to the other end of the sofa. “Hey, stop…” “Achoo!! Achoo!!” “Stop it! At least turn your head!” Daniel was genuinely annoyed, forgetting for a moment about my subsiding feelings. “You’re sneezing because you’re walking around like that. Why would you sneeze in my room? What if you spread it to me? Go outside and sneeze!” He stood far away and just extended his arm to hand her a handkerchief. Rosieta glared at him, rubbing her red nose. “Hey, am I a germ? I sneeze with my mouth covered!” “I’m a busy person who can’t leave my seat even for a moment, so I can’t let my condition get worse. And contagious diseases….” “Oh, I get it. I’m sorry I came out of nowhere, I’m sorry I sneezed, I’m sorry!” Rosieta sniffed and rubbed the tip of her nose. It must have been because she was walking around the balcony in her pajamas. Anyway, why did she do something so reckless? “But what were you trying to say?” “…….” Daniel looked at Rosieta with pitiful eyes, her nose red and sniffling. He came to his senses belatedly, and all his strength drained from his body. He realized how pathetic he had acted just a moment ago. What kind of confession can I make to a girl like this… Daniel sighed deeply and shook his head. Then he motioned for her to get up. “Forget it, go get some sleep.” “I was going to go anyway, even if you held me back.” “Why would I hold you back? Do you know how much my hourly wage is….” Rosieta covered her ears as if she didn’t want to hear it and shook her head. “Ahhhhh, I don’t want to hear it. Arrogant.” “I’m not showing off, I’m trying…” “Shut up! You stupid!” Then she stuck her tongue out at Daniel and stormed out of the room, not forgetting to tap him lightly. Bang! The door closed, and Daniel, who was left alone in the room, made a bewildered expression. He stared at the door for a few seconds, feeling as if he had been hit in the back of the head. “… Looks like a hurricane just blew through.” He ran a hand through his dark, silky hair and let out a long breath.