IDHGA 24

Chapter 24

Melody Ertel was a person followed around by the label of being the luckiest woman in the empire.

A lucky woman who came up to the capital from a rural territory whose name people barely knew, and captivated social circles from her debutante days onward.

And then, truly luckily, she rose to become the flower of high society, and truly luckily, she caught the eye of the young Marquis Ertel, elevating her status even further.

That was who people meant when they spoke of Melody Ertel.

“I had such high expectations, you see. My husband isn’t a very imaginative man, so he just described things exactly as he saw them. So I’d been doing a great deal of imagining on my own, but truly, she exceeded even my imagination.”

“You are also incredibly beautiful, my lady. That’s too much praise.”

“Me? That can’t be! It is you, the Marchioness of Wellington, who is too generous with your praise!”

A clear, tinkling laugh rang out through the party hall.

She possessed a fresh and clear charm that could even stop passersby in their tracks, and behind that smiling face, her gaze was constantly moving.

So subtly that only someone who knew what that kind of restlessness meant, like me, would notice.

“More to the point, Lady Mason must be so pleased. I heard she’s been staying at the Duke of Fontaine’s residence lately.”

“That’s thanks to the Duke’s consideration.”

“Do you really think it’s just consideration? They say the Duke hasn’t let anyone into that house since the previous Duke passed away. And his gardens are famous for being so beautiful, yet Lady Mason is the only one who’s seen them so far?”

“That must be love, Lady Mason!” Melody Ertel laughed brightly.

At the hostess’s laughter, the people around chimed in with their own laughs, as if agreeing.

They lightly exchanged private gossip—saying things like there was no other explanation but love, or that they hadn’t expected it but the Duke seemed to have a surprisingly romantic side.

“I’m envious, my lady. No one has ever captured the Duke’s heart like that before!”

Though Asiad had never invited anyone to his home before, there had occasionally been people who caught his favor.

*’……Don’t get the wrong idea that you’re the first, is that it?’*

I gazed at Melody Ertel’s benevolent face, beaming at me.

Of course, this harmless-looking face probably wouldn’t dare to openly throw such barbed words at me.

Still, desperate people who crave something are capable of committing even the most irrational acts to get it.

Looking at her—so different from me yet wearing the same face—I smiled softly.

“It’s something to be grateful for. That I could connect with someone like the Duke, I mean.”

“There are rumors everywhere that the Duke has become the greatest romantic of the century. How exactly does he treat you? My husband said he never imagined the Duke would change that much.”

*Sometimes people even say it’s all an act, you know?*

Melody Ertel let out a tinkling laugh and spoke in an envious tone.

“So keep your eyes open, my lady. If it really is an act, as my husband says, then perhaps he’s making an effort for your sake?”

Was this her way of telling me to get lost, or was it genuinely well-intentioned advice?

I gazed at Melody Ertel, who was rattling on with absurd stories about Asiad with a bright, smiling face.

The phrase “making an effort for me” could be interpreted in several ways.

Either Asiad was acting and pretending to love me, or…

*’……Or maybe she’s saying I should leave before I get hurt, because it could all be an act?’*

Either way, I could tell that her innocent-looking smile wasn’t entirely lovable.

*’I thought Aunt said she was one of the gentler-natured ladies among those my age…?’*

When I briefly glanced at my aunt, she was looking at Melody Ertel with a subtly displeased smile that only her acquaintances would recognize.

*’……So she’s not as nice as I thought.’*

I chuckled softly and turned my gaze back to Melody Ertel.

“If he’s making an effort for me, then I’m grateful. That would mean he’s trying his best at something he’s not good at, wouldn’t it? Because his feelings for me are that deep.”

Isn’t that already enough?

I smiled gently, meeting Melody’s eyes with a crescent-eyed grin.

*What can you say if I say I like him?*

After all, he was publicly my man right now, and even if there were issues, they were for him and me to resolve.

So, it’s none of your business.

When I smiled and shot that back at her, a shadow—however brief—passed over Melody’s face.

But as if it had never happened, her bright, clear smile was back in place.

“As expected of the century’s greatest romantic couple. The idea that feelings alone are enough is so wonderful. These days, more and more people are marrying for practical reasons, aren’t they? But conditions aren’t everything, are they?”

*Ah.* Now she was taking a roundabout dig at me.

If I agreed with her, I’d end up insulting people who married for practical reasons. If I disagreed, I’d look like an idiot who couldn’t even understand her own words.

A low murmur rippled through the crowd.

It meant there was no one foolish enough here not to grasp the implication behind her words.

I looked straight at Melody and shook my head.

“Everyone’s circumstances are different. I was fortunate to meet someone whose heart aligned with mine, and the situation was good, but for those whose circumstances aren’t ideal or who meet someone whose heart doesn’t align, they might choose to marry based on conditions, couldn’t they? I don’t think that’s something we should casually judge.”

So, this answer is the best I can give.

I still wore a smile as I replied gently.

I myself was currently stubbornly defying my father, but if I made a wrong move, I might end up having to marry that insufferable crown prince under duress.

There must be plenty of people here in similar situations. One shouldn’t speak carelessly in a place like this.

I listened to the murmurs, which had grown slightly louder than before, as I held Melody’s gaze.

“So, Marchioness Ertel, just because we are happy now doesn’t mean everyone else finds happiness by the same standards we do, does it?”

Everyone thinks differently, don’t they?

I added lightly, tilting my head, and Melody gave an awkward smile.

*Where did she get the nerve to pick a fight like that?*

I smiled faintly and let out a quiet inward sigh.

—

“When is Eloise coming back?”

For the third time already, Asiad Fontaine summoned his aide, Haelen, to ask the same question after his wife had left for the party.

Well, to be precise, the first time had been Penny the head maid, the second time Dayrick, and the third time Haelen—but coincidentally, all three of them were currently gathered in the room right next to the Duke’s office, holding a quarterly budget meeting.

It had been exactly thirty minutes since Eloise Fontaine had left for the Marchioness Ertel’s residence.

Only thirty minutes had passed since the ducal carriage had departed, yet seeing their master come to their room for the third time already, all three of them let out a long sigh.

“……Your Grace. If you’re that worried, why not go and see her yourself?”

“And what if Eloise doesn’t enjoy the party because of that?”

At Dayrick’s careful suggestion, Asiad shook his head.

Eloise had said she would resist her father in her own way.

She said she would find what she could do, where she could be, so that the Five Great Noble Houses wouldn’t collapse if possible.

How could he possibly tell that beloved face not to go?

Asiad let out a quiet, heavy sigh.

With all his heart, he didn’t want to send that gentle person to a place full of pretense and falsehood, but…..

“However, Your Grace, the young lady who will be in the Duchess’s position cannot afford to neglect such social functions, can she?”

Penny opened her mouth in a soothing, coaxing tone.

Dayrick, sitting beside her, also nodded in agreement.

“……She is not yet the Duchess.”

“But you have her in mind, don’t you? If it’s something that must be done, it must be done, Your Grace. Especially if she herself wishes it.”

“But Penny, she is to be the Duchess. Shouldn’t she be able to pick and choose which events to attend?”

“And as I’ve also told you, that would narrow her network of connections. It’s fine to only interact with those you wish, but I also advised that it would be wise to define the scope of your interactions based on what you aim to achieve. The choice was hers to make.”

“Yes, I know. But, still.”

*But, but.*

Even knowing he was sounding like a child, Asiad couldn’t stop the words that escaped like a sigh.

Asiad Fontaine was originally a thoroughly orthodox and decisive person.

If it needed to be done, he did it. If not, he didn’t.

When colleagues who worked with him added a “but” to things that needed doing, he used to glare sharply and push them forward.

But somehow, whenever it involved her, “but, but, but” kept slipping from his lips.

He knew that his constant worry that something negative might touch that lovely face, that that gentle heart might get hurt, kept creating nonsensical exceptions.

He knew.

Everything was her choice, what she wanted.

The Eloise who had wanted to be loved by her father and the Eloise who had decided to properly defy him were the same person, and both were her own choices.

Even as he kept her by his side under the pretext of an engagement, the lingering remnants of the past that crept up were not so easily erased.

Asiad let out another long sigh today.

“Your Grace, I understand your worry, but you must not stop the young lady.”

“I know that much.”

“The young lady is doing better than anyone else.”

Penny, who had been Asiad’s wet nurse in the past and was now still his warm and kind-hearted head maid, smiled reassuringly.

“If you’re worried, when the young lady returns later, just tell her she worked hard.”

“……That goes without saying.”

“And please watch over her so that the young lady’s choices remain her own.”

“The moment you forcibly break someone’s will, it becomes oppression and violence. I know, Penny.”

This was the lesson Penny, who had been rescued by his grandfather after suffering brutal abuse from her husband in her youth, had taught young Asiad countless times.

No matter who you end up with in the future, never try to break their will by force instead of persuasion.

If they cannot be persuaded, accept it. If you cannot accept it, you must turn your backs on each other.

Advice that applied equally to the servants you work with, the family you spend your life with, and the partner you will love without end.

Asiad roughly tousled his well-groomed hair.

“Still, if it gets too late, I’m going to pick her up.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Yes. If I look like I’m about to bolt out midway, let me know.”

“Gladly, Your Grace.”

After this gentle exchange, Asiad left the room.

In the room that fell silent in an instant, Haelen looked at Penny with admiring eyes.

“Truly, you’re the only one who can manage His Grace like that.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that. His Grace was always a good boy.”

*You’re the only one who says that too, Head Maid.*

Haelen shook his head, his sincerity overflowing.