Chapter 3

The count’s household fell into utter bewilderment. Their stunned expressions seemed to scream, Pardon? Leon? Not Mr. Dwight, the second son of Baron Graymont? Who on earth are you?

The most startled of all was Elwin, whose hand had been kissed without warning. Having never experienced such an intimate, bold gesture, he stood frozen, frantically trying to recall the contents of Social Etiquette for Beginner Gentlemen, which he had recently crammed.

Hand kiss: A common form of greeting toward ladies or male Omegas. The gentleman bends at the waist and brings his lips close to the back of the gloved hand. However, if the parties are not well acquainted, etiquette dictates that it be performed only when the recipient has first offered their hand.

Elwin searched his memory, but he had absolutely no recollection of extending his hand.

So, that was incredibly rude!

Elwin realized his blunder belatedly, but the man standing before him with squared shoulders looked shamelessly confident. What on earth was this man’s problem?

He wore a tailored jacket with a peculiar reddish cast. Even through Elwin’s blurry sight, the fabric appeared glossy and expensive, yet far too flamboyant for a proper gentleman. Worse, the top two buttons of his dress shirt were left undone—exactly the sort of reckless attire the etiquette manual had marked with three red Xs as an example of what a gentleman must absolutely never do.

Is he some sort of thug? Elwin’s sharp mind reached a rational analysis.

Recalling his senses, Elwin firmly pulled his hand back. “…Mr. Leon, then. I am Elwin Somerset Hetherton of the House of Count Ravenwell. Forgive me, but may I ask what brings you here? We were expecting a visit from the House of Baron Graymont.”

Leon turned his head slightly and offered a charming nod to Toby, who stood beside Elwin. The young attendant promptly flushed red under the handsome stranger’s attention.

A thug and a rake, then.

As Elwin solidified his conclusion, Leon’s gaze returned to him, his lips curling into a bright smile. Yes, the man before him was undeniably a rake.

“I am part of Lord Dwight’s party. The baron’s carriage has just arrived, but there is deep mud in front of the gate, and the lady was terribly worried her fine shoes might be ruined.” Leon requested assistance with an unbothered smile. “Might we borrow a spare mat to lay down?”

Several of the count’s servants hurried toward the gate to assist. Soon after, the entire party descended from the carriage and approached the manor. The baron’s second son—Elwin’s primary target—had finally arrived.

Dwight was precisely the sort of man Toby had described. He possessed the cold platinum-blond hair distinctive to the Hollingsworth family and a face that strongly resembled the old baron Elwin had met years ago, though Dwight’s eyes were far chillier. He was undoubtedly an Alpha, yet his pheromones were so strictly controlled that Elwin could barely detect them.

Nervous, Elwin offered a polite, shallow bow. “Mr. Dwight. Welcome. I am Elwin.”

Dwight gave a stiff, perfunctory nod. “…Pleased to meet you. I am Dwight Percival Hollingsworth of the House of Baron Graymont.”

Dwight entered the foyer with an indifferent air, but the moment Elwin raised his head, Dwight’s eyes widened. He scrutinized Elwin’s face for quite some time. Just as Toby had hoped, the Alpha seemed at least pleased by Elwin’s appearance.

Elwin’s attention, however, was stolen by something other than Dwight’s gaze. Beside Dwight stood the young woman who had ridden in the carriage with him. With long black hair and striking green eyes, she was a vibrant beauty even through Elwin’s blurred sight.

Who was that woman, and what was her relationship with Dwight? He would not have traveled such a distance with someone who meant nothing to him. Was she his wife? But he had heard Sir Dwight was unmarried. Then was she his lover? Surely he had not boldly brought an unwed lover to a mourning house?

“Our party has grown larger than scheduled. I hope our sudden arrival has not inconvenienced you.”

“Ah, not at all,” Elwin quickly smoothed his expression, forcing a warm tone. “If they are part of Mr. Dwight’s party, we welcome them gladly.”

Though Elwin said this, Dwight must have sensed the subtle suspicion in his expression, for he gestured toward the woman.

“This lady is Miss Selena Moro, a relative on my mother’s side. She spent this summer at our estate for her health, and since it was time for her return to the capital, she accompanied us so that we could see her off.”

Selena lifted both sides of her skirt lightly in a graceful curtsy. Elwin breathed a silent sigh of relief. The Moro family of the capital and the baroness were indeed distant relatives. Even to Elwin, who lacked common sense regarding aristocratic living, it seemed perfectly natural for a noble young lady to convalesce at a relative’s country estate.

Next, Dwight lifted a hand toward Leon, the thug of a rake. “And this is…”

Leon gave Elwin a nod, his smile remaining entirely unreadable. “I already had the pleasure of greeting the young lord of the house a moment ago. I am Leon, and I was a schoolmate of Mr. Dwight’s at public school. I happened to be traveling toward Ravenwell myself, and by chance, I ran into Mr. Dwight and joined his party.”

He was on his way here? What business could that man possibly have in our estate? The question flared in Elwin’s mind just as Leon continued with easy charm.

“I had heard there were many beauties in the Ravenwell estate and always wanted to see it for myself.” Leon swept a languid, appreciative gaze over the line of maids. “It seems the rumors were entirely true. Ha ha.”

The maids promptly flushed one by one, clearly thinking, Oh my! He called us beauties! Elwin now understood why Leon had told him, a complete stranger, that he was the great beauty he had heard of.

Regardless, this was a moment that demanded absolute alertness. The single noble gentleman Elwin had expected had multiplied into one noble gentleman, one noble lady, and one public-school rake. Their hospitality required immediate rearrangement.

The seasoned housekeeper soothed the maids who had lost their senses over the handsome stranger, dispatching some upstairs to prepare an additional guest room and others to set out refreshments in the drawing room. With tension plain on his face, Elwin led the guests away.

Seated at the table, Dwight lifted his teacup. “The count was truly an excellent man. I was deeply sorry to hear the news.”

Contrary to his words, however, no sorrow emanated from him. Perhaps he was simply unexpressive, for his voice remained dry and colorless.

Is Dwight unaccustomed to this sort of social activity, just as the rumors of his bookish nature suggest? Determined to break the ice, Elwin scrambled to find a path for conversation.

“Thank you for your considerate words.” Elwin kept his gaze firmly on his guest. “Was the journey here not too arduous? It must have taken more than a day by carriage.”

Selena, seated beside Dwight, lightly fanned her face and intercepted the conversation. “It certainly did! The carriage rattled so terribly that I nearly lost my senses from dizziness. If only there had been a direct train line.”

Despite her demure appearance, she possessed a rather lively disposition. According to the instincts of high society, the appropriate response at such a moment would have been something akin to, You must have had such a difficult journey. Unfortunately, Elwin possessed no such instincts. Even more unfortunately, this was a topic he knew far too well.

“It will likely take ten years before a direct line from Graymont to Ravenwell can be constructed,” Elwin said, his academic instincts taking over. “The section between the two lies over limestone bedrock with marshland above it, so the sleepers are bound to sink. To lay tracks there, they would have to build a viaduct and carry out large-scale drainage works. Technology advances by the day, of course, but the cost…”

The marshland south of the estate was a place Elwin had often visited as a child with his father to collect insects and plants. Before the count’s family began investing in overseas ventures, they had seriously considered railway development, leaving Elwin with a knowledge of the railway business’s history and prospects that surpassed even most employees of railway companies.

Knowing a subject well, however, did not mean one should babble about it endlessly. Elwin, who had nearly launched into a detailed explanation of viaduct construction methods, read the suddenly stifling air and snapped his mouth shut.

Following Elwin’s impromptu lecture, Dwight’s expressionless face had stiffened further, Selena’s eyes had gone round, and Leon’s cheeks twitched as he valiantly suppressed his laughter.

Elwin searched desperately for a new topic, smiling as he offered the tart on the tea table. “In any case, we are all the more grateful that you braved such a difficult journey. Would you care for some raspberry tart? It was made with raspberries harvested this morning from the garden greenhouse. Our chef is truly excellent at baking sweet pastries.”

Leon lifted a fork, his good humor undiminished. “Mr. Dwight does not care much for sweets. May I taste it?”

He began nibbling away at the sweet tart of which the count’s household was so proud. Elwin shot a glance at Dwight, mentally filing away the fact that the man disliked sweet things.

Dwight merely sipped his tea with an indifferent, blank face. He appeared thoroughly exhausted by the journey. Elwin, desperate to leave him with a favorable first impression before tea concluded, grew increasingly anxious.

Should I use that method?

After a moment’s hesitation, Elwin took a sip of tea, then lifted his eyes brightly over the rim of his cup. Just as his gaze happened to meet Dwight’s, Elwin blinked his large eyes at him.

This was, in fact, the secret technique Toby had recommended. That very morning, Toby had demonstrated it himself, boasting that no Alpha could resist such a look.

When Elwin first heard the explanation, he had thought, That is far too blatant. Yet cornered as he was, he found himself willing to try anything. Fluttering his long lashes, Elwin diligently closed and opened his eyes. The gesture was as beautiful as the beating of butterfly wings, but unfortunately…

As expected, this is… not right, is it?

Dwight merely stared back at Elwin, showing no sign of falling for the trick as Toby had claimed. If anything, he seemed put off, as if bewildered by the situation. Apparently, nobles did not express interest in such an obvious manner.

Elwin lacked common sense in this field, but he was not oblivious. He realized he had made a blunder, but while he floundered, unsure of how to salvage the moment, Leon, who had been eating tart, suddenly offered Elwin a handkerchief.

“Sir Elwin seems to have tears in his eyes. You must miss your father very deeply.”

Elwin rolled his sapphire-blue eyes toward Leon. The man was pretending to be solemn, but his gaze brimmed with amusement. He had seen straight through Elwin’s shallow trick and was openly mocking him for it.

Infuriating though he was, the rake had smoothly covered for Elwin’s mistake. Swallowing his pride, Elwin reluctantly accepted the handkerchief. “…Thank you, Mr. Leon.”

While Elwin pretended to wipe away tears, the housekeeper arrived and announced that the guest rooms were prepared.

In the end, tea concluded without Elwin having made a favorable impression on Dwight. Drenched in shame and defeat, he guided the guests to their rooms on the second floor.

Selena, being a female guest, was led to a room in the eastern corridor near Elwin’s younger sister’s chambers, while the spacious guest room in the western corridor was assigned to Dwight. Once Dwight disappeared into his room, only Elwin and Leon remained in the hallway.

Feeling those amber eyes sweep over him once more, Elwin tensed. Wanting to say something, anything, to excuse his earlier blinking, he hurried toward the room assigned to Leon.

“Mr. Leon, you may use this room. And earlier, I…”

Just then, Leon turned toward Elwin and bent his head slightly. The difference in their heights vanished, and his face drew suddenly close.

“Here.”

Before Elwin could demand what he was doing, Leon’s finger pointed to the silver brooch pinned to Elwin’s chest.

After examining it closely, Leon grinned. “You have pinned your brooch upside down. With this design, the cross should face upward.”

As if Elwin had ever worn brooches in his life. Could there be a greater humiliation? While Elwin stood with cheeks flushed crimson, fumbling to turn the accessory right side up, Leon offered a leisurely farewell.

“Then I shall rest in my room for a while. Until later, Sir Elwin.”

Thud.

Before the closed door, Elwin stood awkwardly with the brooch in his hand and pressed his lips together. What on earth is that man’s problem?

Elwin’s brilliant mind quickly foresaw the future. Somehow, that thug of a man was going to become a serious obstacle to his marriage operation.

***