Honestly, at first, I didn't expect to see Elodie in person.
This was because I was planning to divorce Ethan early to avoid interfering with the original story.
However, after everything became tangled in different ways, I concluded that I had to lead Elodie's adoption directly for a more certain outcome.
Elodie was, without a doubt, my favorite character in my beloved romantic fantasy novel “The Daughter of a Skeptical Duke”
Maybe Ethan didn't have time to think such thoughts due to the circumstances, but I felt a certain excitement even when I first met supporting characters like Victor or Mile.
This was a work I loved so much that seeing the characters come to life made me feel so moved.
Oh my God, Elodie is alive and breathing...what do I do? I'm not ready for this...!
Since it was late August, and her birthday had not yet passed, Elodie must still be ten years old.
Ten-year-old Elodie! She must be so charming and beautiful that I would faint on the spot.
What if I lost control and hugged her as soon as I saw her? No, I have to restrain myself. I can't let Elodie get afraid and run away...
Just imagining it confused me. Really, if I had actually done that, I might have suffered irreversible psychological damage.
"Camille, are you okay? Maybe you're not fully recovered yet?"
Audrey's voice brought me out of my thoughts.
“Oh, no, I'm fine. I think I got a little dizzy from the sudden sunlight. Let's go; I'm fine now.”
I smiled and gently pushed Audrey forward.
She seemed unsure, but she led us to the church.
“Viscountess Grandbert. You are here.”
A middle-aged priest came out to greet us and Audrey smiled at him.
“Hello, Father Dreyfus. Are you okay?”
“Yes of course”
‘Black curly hair, slim build, glasses… just as originally shown.’
At that moment, Father Dreyfus turned his gaze to me.
“This must be...”
“Oh, yes. This is the Duchess of Dumont. She decided to join me in volunteering this time.”
“Hello, Father,” I greeted Father Dreyfus with a friendly smile on my face.
“Nice to meet you. I am Claude Dreyfus. It is a great honor for the Duchess of Dumont to participate in this noble cause.”
“It's all thanks to Viscountess Grandbert. I've been watching her and wondering if I can do something for those in need as well. Even if it's too late, I'm glad I finally found the courage to try.”
“There is no delay in these matters. With a kind heart, Governor Armas will certainly bless you.”
“Thank you. In fact, I initially intended to bring some aid materials, but I thought that you at the church knew what was needed the most… so I decided to donate a small amount, if you don’t mind?”
Father Dreyfus nodded in agreement, “Sure. Any donation will be used for charity.”
Although there were priests who embezzled donations for their personal interests, Dreyfus was not one of them. He was known for his sincerity and virtue.
At that moment, I heard a loud and gentle voice from behind me.
“Father Dreyfus”
When I heard that sound, I felt a shiver run down my spine.
Inexplicably, I couldn't bring myself to turn around.
“Excuse me for a moment,” said Father Dreyfus, asking us to understand him as he passed by us.
“What's wrong, Elodie?”
I heard Father Dreyfus ask, and my heart sank.
...Elodie? Elodie just said, didn't he?
I had a great chance to meet Elodie today.
But I expected that after our visit to the orphanage.
I never imagined that I would see her as soon as we arrived at the church.
This unexpected encounter shocked me, and I froze in place, unable to move a muscle. At the same time, all my senses were focused on hearing Elodie's voice.
“Um, I finished reading the book you lent me, so...”
Elodie stopped speaking hesitantly.
I heard Father Dreyfus laugh softly.
“You want the next volume, don't you?”
“Yes. I was trying to wait until dinner time, but I was so anxious to see what would happen next... Sorry to bother you, Father.”
Elodie spoke in a whisper, her voice barely audible.
'So cute!'
I accidentally grabbed my chest.
Whatever the book is, I'll buy it for you. I will buy a hundred copies of each volume! If it is not completed yet, I will search for the author and ask him to complete it for you!
While I was screaming this in my head, Audrey, who was next to me, walked over to Elodie.
“Hello, Elodie”
“Hello, Viscountess Grandbert.”
I heard Elodie greet her in a clear voice.
Viscountess Grandbert! How beautiful! How smart it is! Say my name too! ...No, wait, cancel that. I'm not ready yet.
And do you know each other? I knew they knew each other, but still, for her to approach her so casually... I'm jealous!
I still turned my back to Elodie, unable to muster the courage to face her.
Her voice alone was enough to produce this effect on me; I couldn't trust myself to maintain my composure if I actually looked at her.
Then I heard Audrey calling my name.
“Duchess Dumont?”
"Oh, yes, Audrey. What's going on?"
“Are you okay? You don’t look good.”
“No, I'm fine. Really,” I answered, still with my back turned.
After a moment of silence, I heard Father Dreyfus speaking.
“Excuse me, Elodie, I have important guests now. Can you wait for me at the orphanage for a bit? I will bring him to you soon.”
“Yes, I understand, Father Dreyfus. I apologize for the interruption.”
“No, it's okay. Don't worry about it.”
Is she leaving? Is Elodie leaving?
As I was overcome with remorse, I couldn't bring myself to back down.
Eventually, Father Dreyfus and Audrey returned to me.
“I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Duchess.”
“It's okay. More importantly, this child…”
"Oh, you mean Elodie. She's one of the kids from the orphanage. She's very mature for her age, and always gives priority to her younger siblings. She's a smart kid, she actually reads adult books. She came today to borrow another book," Father Dreyfus said quickly, as if making up an excuse.
“Oh, I see. I was about to suggest you look it up for her.”
“...Excuse me?” Father Dreyfus blinked in confusion.
“The book she was looking for. She seemed eager to read it, so why not give it to her now?”
“Oh... I thought I shouldn't keep you two waiting...”
"I don't mind. It won't be long, will it? Right, Audrey?"
“Yes, exactly,” Audrey quickly agreed.
“I understand. Since the Duchess insists, I will bring it now.”
“Take your time”
I smiled as I watched Father Dreyfus leave.
Audrey looked at me for a moment before speaking, “I thought you might feel uncomfortable, Duchess...but it seems I was wrong.”
"What? Uncomfortable? Why?" I asked, my eyes wide.
“Because you didn't try to look at Elodie at all...I'm glad that wasn't the case. As Father Dreyfus said, she's a really nice child.”
“Yes, I know… I mean, she seems like that. I just thought, being weird, I might scare her off, so I kept my distance.”
Audrey seemed to believe my little lie without a doubt.
“I understand. I apologize for your misunderstanding, Duchess. I should not have assumed that.”
“Why are you apologizing? I was the one who behaved in a way that might be misunderstood. And here you are calling me ‘Duchess’.”
“Okay, Camille. Sorry.”
I smiled softly at Audrey's embarrassment.
Uncomfortable, right... Did she think I was avoiding Elodie because I didn't want to interact with a kid from the orphanage?
This was an assumption I had never thought of, but now that I thought about it, it was possible that there actually were noble women who behaved this way.
Honestly, I didn't care if Audrey or Father Dreyfus misunderstood me, but if Elodie thought the same way, it would make me feel a little sad—no, a lot.
No, Elodie, I'm not. Quite the opposite.
I didn't have enough courage to look at you...!