After I, a Penniless Noble, Entered a Fake Engagement with the Most Elegant Duke’s Daughter at the Academy, For Some Reason She Started Showering Me with Love - Chapter 11.1: I Called My Little Sister Cute. The Duke’s Daughter Got Sulky.

Chapter 11.1: I Called My Little Sister Cute. The Duke’s Daughter Got Sulky.

Lulu finally showed herself to Yuri the next morning, at the breakfast table.

“I’m sorry for the rude attitude I showed yesterday.”

Her tone was sincere enough, but her expression was still stiff.

Even after a full night’s rest, it was clear she hadn’t completely shaken it off.

Still, at least she’d calmed down enough to offer an apology.

…Though she was still wearing the maid outfit. That part bothered me a little.

“No need to apologize. Compared to how other nobles act, that was honestly kind of cute.”

“If anything, you were the rude one, Yuri.”

“Hm? I don’t remember being rude.”

Yuri tilted her head slightly.

She genuinely looked confused—and somehow, that made it even worse.

I shot her a sidelong glance as if to scold her, but Yuri didn’t seem the least bit bothered.

She just sipped her tea with a casual, “It has a simple taste.”

That’s the most expensive tea we have, you know?

It’s reserved for guests.

Seriously.

Letting out a small sigh, I started to return to my meal—

When I noticed Lulu still standing, not taking her seat, staring at me with wide eyes.

“You seem off. What happened?”

“Ah, um… I was just surprised.”

“Surprised?”

I didn’t think there was anything shocking about that exchange.

“It’s just… I didn’t expect you to joke like that with a girl.”

“Really?”

I’d never really thought about it before.

But now that she mentioned it, I guess I didn’t usually talk so casually with girls.

Then again, I hardly ever attended social gatherings,

So it wasn’t like I had many chances to talk to them in the first place.

“Also, the way you talk is pretty relaxed.”

“That’s because Yuri told me not to be so formal.”

Honestly, I never expected it to last this long.

Back when we first met in the rose garden,

We’d agreed it would only be when we were alone.

But thanks to this fake engagement, I completely missed the timing to go back.

And the longer we spent time together,

The less I cared about treating her like a duke’s daughter.

Eventually, it just felt silly to keep acting so formal around her.

Across the table, Yuri rested her cheek on her fingers and gave a quiet giggle.

“It just shows how strong our bond is as a couple.”

“Should I start being more polite with you now, Lady Yuliana?”

“…!! Just now, I felt a chill run down my spine, like a drop of water down my back.”

“Same here. Let’s not do that again.”

To think that I’d once been terrified of offending a duke’s daughter—

And now the idea of talking to her politely made me feel physically uncomfortable.

Amazing how quickly people get used to things.

“…and you’re even calling her by a nickname.”

“Lulu? Did you say something?”

“I’m not complaining.”

Wasn’t that basically a confession?

Still, even knowing she was complaining, I didn’t feel like asking what exactly she meant.

Yeah… Lulu didn’t seem like she’d gotten over it yet.

Ever since we came back, she’d been acting like fragile glass—

So delicate, I didn’t know how to handle her.

Though when she greeted me yesterday, she did seem happy.

Looking at her now, lips pressed into a pout,

There wasn’t even a trace of that cheerful smile left.

“Lulu, look… I know you’ve probably got a lot to say, but—”

“I do. A lot.”

“…Right, but for now, let’s just have breakfast.”

I gestured for her to take a seat, but for some reason, she didn’t budge.

She glanced at the chair beside me, furrowed her brows like she was thinking hard,

Then gave a tiny shake of her head.

“Please go ahead. I’ll eat later. My clothes are dirty from cleaning.”

“Cleaning? Why were you doing that? I thought we had helpers coming in from town?”

“Now that you mention it, dear husband, you were the one serving food last night and this morning.”

“…That’s just how it usually is around here.”

We just didn’t have the kind of money to keep full-time servants around.

Unlike other noble families, we couldn’t afford to rely on others for everything.

That said, ever since the gold mine dried up, the territory had been overflowing with people out of work.

Hiring locals for cleaning—even just for a few hours during the day—was one small way to create jobs.

It wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but it was better than doing nothing.

Still, it wasn’t something we could just stop doing.

Which is why… when it came to this, I had no idea why Lulu was doing the cleaning herself.

“As I’m sure it said in Mother’s letter, the town’s been in a frenzy ever since the discovery of the new gold vein. She’s out there talking with the townspeople about what’s going to happen next.”

“So that’s why she wasn’t home.”

Now it made sense why I hadn’t seen anyone besides Lulu since we got back.

I did want to see Mom, though, so I asked when she’d be back.

“She said she’ll stop by this afternoon,” Lulu answered.

I figured we’d have a proper talk then.

But in the meantime, I decided to ask about one more missing family member.

“What about Dad?”

“He insisted the whole gold vein thing was some kind of mistake, so Mother kicked his lazy butt and dragged him off to help with the mine survey.”

“…I see.”

Hard to feel sorry for him, honestly.

He’d relied on Mom for everything up until now.

But as both the head of the family and the lord of this land,

I hoped this would finally be the push he needed to step up.

“So, Lulu… what’s with the maid outfit while cleaning?”

“Well, this was one of the few outfits I didn’t mind getting dirty… Does it not look good on me?”

She lightly pinched the hem of her skirt and lifted it just a little.

“It’s cute.”

“Thank you.”

She finally smiled, and I felt a bit of relief wash over me.

Ever since we got back, she’d mostly worn that sulky expression—

So it was nice to see something different for once.

“You’re awfully generous with praise when it’s your little sister. But you barely compliment your own fiancée.”

“Fake fiancée.”

Lulu’s smile instantly vanished.

She shot me a glare that clearly said, Don’t say unnecessary things.

But as usual, Yuri brushed it off with a gentle smile.

Letting out a breath, I figured I might as well bring it up now, since we were already on the subject.

I turned back to Lulu and got to the point.

“The reason I came back is because of that newly discovered gold vein. There are a lot of things I’m unsure about, But before Mom returns, there’s one thing I want to clear up. Where did the money for the mining survey come from?”

“…That is…”

Lulu hesitated.

Just moments ago, she’d been glaring daggers at me—

And now she was avoiding eye contact, her eyes darting everywhere.

Something was definitely up.

Noticing how suspicious her behavior was, I kept my gaze fixed on her, waiting patiently for an answer.

But all she did was purse her lips and fidget, clearly unwilling to speak.

A heavy silence settled between us.

Then finally, after a long pause, Lulu mumbled out a shaky voice.

“T-The mo—”

“The mo…?”

“…I’ll go change. Excuse me!”

“Hey, wait—Lulu!”

I tried to stop her, but she spun on her heel and dashed out of the dining room, skirt fluttering behind her.

I half-rose from my chair, hand still outstretched, frozen in place—

When Yuri muttered under her breath.

“She ran away.”

“Lulu—!!”

She’s definitely hiding something!

No doubt about it!