If I Can’t Be Your Wife - Chapter 107

He proudly took her to Sofner Bakery. There was a long line of people waiting to pick up the bread they had already ordered from the entrance. Brady snatched a menu from them and handed it to her.

 

“What kind of cake do you like?”

 

“Uhmm, I like cheesecake.”

 

After much deliberation, Kathleen chose the one that seemed most appropriate. She was well aware of what Emily’s salary was, so she couldn’t possibly choose between the cream cake topped with whipped cream and the finest fruits or the cake made with generous amounts of expensive chocolate.

 

“Then wait a minute over there. I will make a reservation and come.”

 

Brady smiled and pushed the door. Kathleen was taken aback by his smile and nodded blankly.

 

‘You’re really kind.’

 

He was quite the opposite of the gardener. He had just started working in the Duke’s residence, so he probably wasn’t even close friends with Emily, but still obediently agreed to this kind of request.

 

‘Do you like Emily?’

 

It made sense. Otherwise, even though he was the gardener’s nephew, there was no way he would take this much time out of his work to help others.

 

His easy-going personality looked like it would complement Emily well. While watching the people passing by the street, Kathleen vowed that if Emily liked him, she would support them both.

 

Then she saw a familiar person.

 

“Uh…….”

 

She seemed to have stopped breathing. With a frown on his face, he headed to the same place she was; he was one of Count Winston’s, her father’s, aides.

 

‘Why is that person here?’

 

He wasn’t even looking at her but her feet were frozen and she couldn’t move. She had to quickly hide out of sight but her body only trembled. And the moment that the aide looked around…

 

“Miss Kelly!”

 

Brady grabbed her arm. At the same time, people buying bread passed behind her. This allowed Kathleen to hide her body before the aide’s gaze turned.

 

“I made the reservation. They said we can come pick up the cake tomorrow morning.”

 

“Oh…… Yes…… Thank you.”

 

“What happened? You look pale.”

 

“It’s nothing. Thank you so much, Mr. Brady.”

 

Kathleen took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Looking through the crowd, the aide already disappeared.

 

‘I don’t think he saw me.’

 

She had to return to the Duke’s. Kathleen grabbed Brady’s arm and dragged him while saying.

 

“I need to go back soon.”

 

“It’s been a while since you’ve been out, but you’re going to return so soon?”

 

“The chef will check if I bought the rosemary.”

 

Brady looked sad, but like Kathleen said, they returned to the Duke. In the meantime, he insisted that he would carry the basket.

 

“It’s not a birthday cake, but I hope you like it.”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

“By the way, do you like cheese? I like it too, actually. If you melt cheese and dip bread in it, it tastes great.”

 

“Yes, it does…….”

 

Truthfully, Kathleen wasn’t really listening to what Brady was saying but she did her best to respond.

 

‘It will be over as soon as I step inside. Because the Duke’s mansion is safe…….’

 

As she hurriedly moved, she saw the large gate of the Duke’s mansion. She only felt relieved then. And right when she was about to approach it.

 

The iron gate opened and an unexpected figure appeared. Dark hair and golden eyes, the owner of this mansion and her employer.

 

It was the Duke of Walten.

 

The cold golden eyes scanned Kathleen’s hand, which she had lifted to grab the handle.

 

Kathleen hurriedly took a step back and bowed her head. Brady, who noticed the situation too late, also approached and bowed his head.

 

“Your Grace, the knights are waiting at the rear gate.”

 

The Butler Alsdorf followed from behind the gate and reported, but stopped when he saw Kathleen and Brady.

 

“What are these?”

 

A voice that didn’t contain even the slightest bit of warmth fell over her head.

 

Kathleen’s hands that were clasped together softly trembled. Going out during working hours was only possible with the permission of a supervisor. She was terrified because although this outing was due to the chef’s errand, she was not given permission to travel with another employee. Furthermore, this was directly discovered by her employer.

 

“She is a kitchen maid and he is an apprentice gardener.”

 

Alsdorf looked at them and briefly explained.

 

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

 

Duke Walten said nothing. Then the butler hurriedly beckoned. He meant to go in.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Brady whispered cautiously. Kathleen bowed to the Duke of Walten with her gaze down, as she normally would, and walked away.

 

It was only after she had passed through the iron gate that she could catch her breath. Perhaps because he had a status as high as the sky unlike her, standing in front of Duke Walten felt like her heart was being suffocated.

 

“So that was the Duke. That surprised me.”

 

Brady’s face, pretending to sweep his chest, didn’t look surprised at all. It seemed like he did not know the rules within the Duke’s residence.

 

Her temples were throbbing. The Duke of Walten, who was said to be the reaper of the battlefield, should have had a much stricter personality than his nanny, Baroness Duroc, but he sounded so untroubled.

 

“Yes. That was a close call.”

 

Kathleen hurriedly reached for the basket in Brady’s hand and tried to give him her thanks.

 

“I’ll be on my way. Thank you so much for coming with me today.”

 

“Miss Kelly, um…….”

 

“I will pick up the cake tomorrow.”

 

He tried to grab her as if he was going to say something, but Kathleen quickly turned around. She was startled after seeing Count Winston’s aide, and her heart still has not calmed down after encountering the Duke of Walten.

 

‘I think I need to clean more pans.’

 

Although the smell of oil gave her a headache, there was nothing better than simple labor in regaining her calm. Kathleen almost ran towards the kitchen.

 

***

 

“What? You mean you left just like that?”

 

That evening, Emily, who came up to the room after dinner, shouted with her mouth hanging wide open.

 

“Really? Mr. Brady didn’t say anything else? Like when you’ll meet again?”

 

“Yes. But don’t worry, Emily.”

 

“Worry? Why would I worry?”

 

“He helped me really well because you requested it, right? Seeing that, he seems to have great feelings for you.”

 

“You f*ol!”

 

Emily sighed and flopped down on her bed.

 

“It’s you, not me. Brady said he likes you.”

 

“……What?”

 

“That’s why I asked you to help me on purpose!”

 

At her unexpected remark, Kathleen blinked, and her pale blue eyes widened. So, just now…….

 

“So, did you deliberately let Mr. Brady go out with me?”

 

“Exactly. You don’t necessarily have to go to Sofner Bakery to buy cake, so why would I insist that you go there? Brady came to see me. He said that when he saw you, he fell in love at first sight.”

 

“…….”

 

“How was it? Huh? I don’t think there’s anyone as nice as Brady. He’s tall and has the skills, so he’s pretty good.”

 

Emily grabbed her arm and made her sit next to her as she thought of her answer.

 

“When you turn nineteen, you can get married. From now on, it will be good to quickly find someone to date in the Duke’s mansion.”

 

“Marriage. I don’t intend to do that yet, Emily.”

 

“How can you guarantee the future?”

 

Just because Emily was born four months earlier, she would quite often try to act like an adult. Like now.

 

“Being a maid in the Duke’s mansion is a pretty decent job, but you never know. It would be nice to have a place to lean on.”

 

Kathleen smiled bitterly.

 

A place to lean on.

 

If Count Winston finds her, the Duke of Walten will be more than willing to give her up. A maid does not have much value.

 

Emily’s words were not wrong. Only a person with skills, physical strength as well as connections can be a noble house’s gardener, so Brady, who was selected as the next gardener for the Duke of Walten, might be a fairly stable person to depend on financially.

 

But Kathleen didn’t think that anyone would stand up against Count Winston for her. So, she wanted to save up her small but precious salary and stand upright by herself.

 

“Then how about you date him, Emily?”

 

“Hey. How can I take someone who likes you?”

 

“No matter how I look at it, he is not my cup of tea.”

 

“You’re saying that again. Just admit you’ll say no to anyone.”

 

Emily sighed deeply and lay down on her bed.

 

“I’m done, I quit. I tried my best to give my friend a lover, but it was all for nothing.”

 

“But you’re the only one, Emily. You bought me a cake.”

 

“Enough.”

 

“I’ll pick up the reserved cake in the morning, so let’s eat it secretly at lunch together. Okay?”

 

Emily was forced to lose to Kathleen as she tried to appease her by sharing her birthday present. And not long after, she fell asleep.

 

But Kathleen couldn’t sleep the whole time and tossed and turned.

 

‘You will have returned to the Winston estate by tomorrow, right?’

 

It would be a problem if she went to pick up the cake and ran into him again, but it was already paid for so she had to go.

 

Kathleen woke up early in the morning after sleeping full of worries. Sofner Bakery opened early, so she thought she would go without anyone seeing. After Kathleen confirmed that the curfew would be lifted soon, she hurried to the east side road without even eating breakfast.

 

But her ambitious plan was shattered as soon as she opened the door.

 

“Miss Kelly!”

 

Brady beamed and waved one of his hands widely. In his other hand was a white paper box tied with a pink string.

 

“Mr. Brady?”

 

Maybe it wasn’t the cake in his hand.

 

Kathleen felt sweat running down her back and looked at their surroundings frantically. Whether or not the young man noticed this, with a simple smile he exclaimed excitedly.

 

“I’ve gone to pick up the cake. The morning dew is still cold so I couldn’t send a lady there.”

 

“Don’t tell me…… Mr. Brady, you already went to Sofner Bakery?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Kathleen accepted the box Brady had offered with a proud expression. She could feel her eyes spinning. Fortunately, no one seemed to be around yet.

 

“Who are you looking for, Miss Kelly?”

 

“What do we do…… Mr. Brady, you’ve made a big mistake just now. If the guards find out, it’ll be a disaster.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“The gate to the duke’s mansion hasn’t been opened yet, how did you get out?”

 

“I thought the gate was locked, so I just pushed hard. Then I guess the lock fell off easily?”

 

Kathleen sighed, barely able to pull herself together and explained it to him.

 

“The guards put it there at dawn and remove it in the morning. To prevent employees from coming and going when they are away from their position. Besides, it’s not for you to open it and leave as you like.”