Lady Alice’s Diary

Chapter 13 – A Bold Kiss?

As evening settled, Alice arrived at her grandfather’s estate with her parents.

“Darling, you’re so late today,” her grandfather said.

Alice’s grandfather was not a handsome man. A scar ran from his forehead down to his cheek, said to have been from a knife fight years ago when he had a dispute with someone while Alice’s mother was still a child.

Although people had once mockingly called him “Monster Hank” or “Ugly Hank” because of that scar, Alice knew her grandfather wasn’t as frightening as he looked.

“Dear grandfather, though your granddaughter is only twelve, she still has so many things to do,” Alice said, tilting her head as she stood before Hank.

“Hehe, is that so? Why haven’t you brought your little friends to cause trouble in my orchard lately?”

Hank’s estate was not far from Noah City. In the past, Alice often brought Doris and the others to sneak fruit from the orchard, but after her falling out with Doris, she hadn’t returned.

Alice fell silent at her grandfather’s remark.

Her mother, Donna, noticed the change in Alice’s expression. She realized her daughter was thinking about her friend Doris again.

“Dad, where’s Corliff?”

Donna reached out and gently patted Alice on the shoulder. Alice looked up at her mother, signaling that she was fine.

“Corliff is probably in the garden behind the house,” Hank replied thoughtfully.

“Alice, let’s go. Dinner will be ready soon, and I’m sure little Sean is in the garden too,” Donna said, taking Alice’s hand.

“My dear daughter, are you trying to steal my favorite granddaughter away from me?” Hank pretended to be upset.

“Dear father, I think Alice would rather play with her cousin Sean than with you, you old ugly man,” Donna teased in a rare display of childlike humor.

“Oh? Is that true, Alice?” Hank looked at her with mock despair.

Alice couldn’t help but laugh at her grandfather’s playful antics.

“Guess, grandpa~” she said with a mischievous wink, turning to follow her mother toward the garden.

“Father-in-law…” Everlen took a seat on the sofa opposite Hank, ready to start a conversation.

※※※

“Dad, why do you think Alice is smarter than me?” her cousin asked, sitting beside Corliff in the garden.

Corliff felt a bit frustrated. His wife had died giving birth to Sean, leaving Sean as his most precious possession. Corliff spoiled his son excessively, which made Sean fearless even toward his father.

Earlier, Corliff had accidentally mentioned that Alice was smarter than Sean. The little boy refused to accept it and demanded a reason why.

“I’m smarter than you because I know why I’m smarter, while you don’t,” Alice had said, in a statement that sounded both confusing and profound.

“Alice! You’re here~” Sean noticed his cousin and ran straight into Alice’s arms.

“Oh, you little mischief! Did your hands just get all dirty from the ground?” Alice noticed two black handprints on her dress, Sean’s doing.

“I… I didn’t mean to,” Sean said softly, realizing he’d made a mistake.

Alice tugged gently on his ears, scolding him.

“Sean isn’t afraid of anyone but Alice,” Corliff shook his head.

“That’s because you spoil him too much,” Donna remarked, glancing at Corliff, then added, “Though Alice is only two months older than Sean, standing next to him, she doesn’t seem like a twelve-year-old at all.”

“Really? Dear sister, you think too much. Alice is just a little mature,” Corliff said with a smile, watching his son lower his head under Alice’s admonishment.

Donna silently observed her brother.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“You work hard managing your business and taking care of Sean. It must be tough.”

Corliff paused, then smiled. “It’s nothing. Sean is mischievous and doesn’t always listen, but he won’t go too far. If he misbehaves, I just bring out Alice, and he quiets down immediately. Honestly, sometimes Alice holds more authority over Sean than I do…”

Alice scolded him again, “Make sure you listen to your father from now on, no more mischief!” She used her handkerchief to wipe the dirt off her dress. Luckily, it was just dry soil, and her high-quality silk remained unmarked.

Sean nodded obediently.

“Now go wash your hands. Dinner is about to start.”

Watching Sean obediently head off, Alice shook her head. She knew he wouldn’t stay well-behaved for long and would soon return to his usual mischief.

“My dear, you should become a teacher. Some of the things you said are so profound, I’ve never even heard of them before,” Corliff said.

“I read them in books,” Alice replied.

Dinner soon began. The family sat together, enjoying a rich meal in the warm, familiar atmosphere. The only difference this year was that Sean had broken the piano at his grandfather’s house, so Alice couldn’t perform for the reunion.

This world had pianos and many other instruments similar to Earth. Alice was delighted; she could once again play her favorite instruments.

※※※

After dinner, the family chatted for a long time. By the time Alice and Sean began to yawn, the adults realized it was very late.

Her uncle and Sean stayed at her grandfather’s, while the duke’s family returned to the castle.

That night, Alice sat at the xylophone, idly tapping with a pencil.

Bella was tidying up Alice’s recent drawings, again finding portraits of Doris.

She watched Alice mechanically strike the keys with a vacant expression, and a surge of anger and concern welled up inside her.

“Miss!” Bella grabbed Alice’s hands from the xylophone.

“Stop doing this,” Bella said, looking straight into Alice’s eyes. Her violet eyes were still beautiful but had lost some of their usual spark.

“Bella? Oh… I’ll go to bed soon,” Alice said, seemingly not hearing her.

“Stop this! I don’t know what happened between you and Doris, but just because she ended your friendship over your noble status, she isn’t worth your sorrow!” Bella’s voice was filled with worry.

“What’s wrong with you, Bella?” Alice asked, surprised. Bella usually kept a cold expression; this concerned look was unexpected.

“Miss! Forget her. Forget what made you unhappy!” Bella placed her hands on Alice’s shoulders.

Alice sat quietly, staring at Bella standing before her, speechless.

It was the first time Bella had openly shown her feelings. Alice felt a pang of guilt for not considering Bella before. Alice constantly thought about things that seemed absurd to others—she hated wearing skirts, she feared marrying a man, she didn’t know what to do with her life, whether to pursue her music dreams or inherit her father’s title.

And she hadn’t truly thought about Bella, who had grown up beside her. Not even about the kiss they shared. She had intended to apologize, saying it was just a prank, but she hadn’t fully considered how it might have affected Bella.

In her previous life, Alice had never experienced love and had hardly interacted with women. Now, with a beautiful maid by her side, she had acted as men often do around women—taking liberties. Even though she was a girl now, the core of her thinking still retained some of her past male self.

“If you can’t forget her, then I’ll make sure you do!”

Bella leaned forward, slowly bringing her lips toward Alice’s…