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Chapter 31
The next day, the Empire was thrown into an uproar.
Somehow, gossip newspapers that specialized in scandal had found out and splashed the story across their front pages: that a bastard child of the Ameron ducal house had appeared. People couldn’t stop talking about it.
The Leon count’s household was no exception.
“Have you heard? They say the Ameron ducal family brought in an illegitimate child.”
“……”
The countess chattered excitedly. Even though the count gave no response, she continued without caring.
“Just think about it. That Duchess of Ameron looked down on us so much. It’s ridiculous, really. She can’t even keep her husband in line and yet there’s a bastard.”
“Ahem. Let’s refrain from talking about other families.”
“Yes…”
When the count finally spoke up, the countess shut her mouth at last.
Pouting, the countess shot me another sideways glance.
Honestly, I’m like the neighborhood punching bag.
Whenever my father said even a single word to her, the countess would glare at me with frightening eyes, as if I were the easiest target.
And so the meal continued in silence.
“I’ll excuse myself first.”
As soon as my father left his seat, the countess unleashed the words she had been holding back.
“What’s wrong with talking about other families? All the other noble ladies do it.”
She glanced at me once, then turned to Rose. Rose, who had been subdued ever since being scolded by Father the other day, lifted her head as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
“Exactly. It’s really ridiculous.”
“Anyway, that woman is laughable. She has a commoner bastard herself, yet she mocked us, saying we lacked class because we’re commoners. Now she’s going to end up raising a commoner as her daughter.”
“That’s right. Remember last time we tried to sit with her? She wouldn’t even let us.”
“Exactly. She couldn’t even control her husband, yet she went on and on criticizing the count. I’d love to go see her face right now.”
It was the Duke of Ameron who had cheated and brought home a bastard, yet somehow there wasn’t a single word of criticism aimed at him. It would be the same in other households too.
It was one of those incomprehensible rules of noble society.
Just as I was about to stand up, having had enough of their conversation—
“Miss, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor?”
“Yes. His Grace the Grand Duke Holt has come to see you.”
“What?”
The moment I heard the name “Grand Duke Holt,” I froze.
“Why would Grand Duke Holt come to see Espin? Do you know him?”
The countess, even more surprised than I was, spoke up, but I ignored her question and addressed the head butler instead.
If she knew, it would only become more troublesome.
“Please show him to the drawing room. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Espin. Why is Grand Duke Holt looking for you?”
“He must have something to say.”
Leaving the countess, who was asking obvious questions, behind, I headed for the drawing room.
“Greetings, Your Grace.”
When I entered the drawing room, I saw Trevis standing there in his knightly uniform.
Perfect as always.
He was a man with not a hint of disorder about him.
His clothes, his appearance—everything about him was impeccably neat.
Today, he looked especially radiant, and I almost found myself entranced before I barely managed to pull myself together.
“Lady, I apologize for dropping by so suddenly. Today was the only time I could manage.”
“It’s quite all right. What brings you here?”
“Well, that is—”
Just as Trevis was about to speak, the countess and Rose opened the drawing room door and walked in.
“Oh my, you have a guest.”
Despite having come in together just moments ago, the countess pretended not to know and intruded anyway. She quickly scanned Trevis from head to toe. Judging by her expression, this was probably the first time she’d seen him, since he rarely appeared at social events.
Apparently liking what she saw, she curved her lips into a smile and took a step closer.
“We were just about to have tea with Rose. We’re not interrupting, are we? Espin, who might this gentleman be?”
“I’m sorry for visiting without an appointment.”
When Trevis apologized, the countess waved her hand.
“Oh, not at all. But your name is…?”
“Trevis Holt.”
“Oh! Then you are His Grace, the Grand Duke Holt? My apologies for the late greeting. It’s an honor to meet you. I am the lady of House Leon, and this child here is my daughter, Rose Leon. Rose, greet His Grace.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace. I’m Rose.”
“Yes. Then may I continue the conversation?”
“Ah, of course. We’ll stay quietly so as not to disturb you.”
Trevis clearly wished they would leave, but his expression showed that dealing with them was more trouble than it was worth.
“So, what you wanted to say was…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing major. On the day of the imperial banquet, I will come to escort you. I’ll visit your residence an hour before the banquet.”
“Escort me?”
“Yes. Since I have agreed to be your partner, it’s only natural that I escort you.”
“Ah.”
What? He really intended to be my partner?
I’d assumed he would have forgotten. Trevis was an extremely busy man, and social banquets must have been of little interest to him. Yet here he was, remembering and even coming in person. It was awkward.
“Then…”
“Espin, are you going to the imperial banquet with Grand Duke Holt?”
“Yes. For now… it seems that way….”
The countess’s expression turned icy as she looked at me. Then she turned toward Grand Duke Holt, her eyes welling with tears.
“Our Rose still hasn’t adjusted to noble society yet. If you go and secure a partner all by yourself, how heartbroken do you think Rose will be? How about yielding your partner this time? You know better than anyone how hard Rose’s life has been.”
It was truly absurd. She wasn’t even asking Trevis to take Rose instead of Espin—she was telling me to change partners.
But the countess was someone who treated me rudely as easily as breathing.
Still, this is actually good for me.
Being beside a man with such sharp insight and intuition made me uneasy. If possible, it was better to keep my distance from him.
Thinking this was my chance, I agreed with the countess and looked at Rose with sympathetic eyes.
“Hmm… you’re right. Rose unni would be very sad without a partner. I’m fine, so Your Grace, would you be willing to be Rose unni’s partner instead?”
Seeing me take her side, the countess tilted her head in confusion. After all, from her perspective, it was strange that I—who had been at odds with them for days—was suddenly siding with her.
“Your Grace, I know this is an unreasonable request, but may I ask you one thing? Would you consider being our Rose’s partner instead of Espin’s? Rose is still unfamiliar with high society, so going with you would be a great help to her.”
“Please.”
“Ha.”
Looking at the six pairs of eyes fixed on him with expectation, Trevis let out a disbelieving laugh. Then, with a slightly pitying expression, he stepped closer to me.
“There is no need for you to yield. I have heard everything about why you need a partner through Haren.”
“Ah.”
Whatever Trevis had heard, if it came through Haren, there was a high chance it wasn’t entirely accurate.
“No matter that Lady Espin is not a biological daughter, tormenting her is not behavior befitting an adult.”
“Tormenting her?”
The countess put on an aggrieved expression, despite having nothing to be aggrieved about.
“Just now, didn’t you subtly pressure Lady Espin to give up her partner? The fact that Lady Espin was willing to give up so easily suggests that she has experienced many such situations.”
“……”
Huh?
I didn’t know what Haren had told him, but it seemed Trevis was under a serious misunderstanding.
Thanks to his misunderstanding, the countess’s and Rose’s eyes only narrowed further. Just imagining how much they would complain once he left already made my ears ache.
