TNDHD 5

Chapter: 5

“I’ve heard the Winter Banquet in Weir River is quite splendid.”

“It’s also meaningful, with its purpose of warmly caring for underprivileged neighbors during the winter.”

“This year, the duchess has also joined us, so I’m very much looking forward to it. I’ve been fortunate enough to be invited every year and to take part in such a wonderful cause, but I feel this year will be different with the duchess present. I’m already excited.”

So even from spring, there was already pressure about the winter banquet.

“I am also a little looking forward to it, actually.”

While replying, I scraped the lemon filling along the edge of my plate with my fork and tasted it. It was so sour it made my eyes squint shut. But it was a taste I liked.

“Have you heard about the Winter Banquet, Duchess?”

“Of course. I’ve been diligently learning about it with a joyful heart. If someone other than me were preparing it, I think I’d be much more excited about it than I already am.”

“Oh, our duchess!”

The Duchess Dubon, who had placed a second-large slice of cake onto her plate, laughed in disbelief at my words.

“There are still six months left. Why not start preparing now?”

“Starting tomorrow, I plan to make winter curtains. I’ve also already learned a foreign-style greeting where you set out a table groaning with mountains of delicacies and say, ‘There’s nothing special prepared, but please enjoy.’”

“Oh my goodness, what kind of greeting is that!”

Even at my nonsense, the noble ladies burst into laughter.

I could tell they were subtly reading the room. Not because of me, but because of the shadow cast behind me—Kagan’s invisible presence.

On the other hand, there were also guests who made me feel like I was the one reading the room.

“Oh, perfect timing, Duchess.”

It was the Marquis of Rigen and his wife.

“How about having today’s tea time with us in an intimate setting? Although we are somewhat distant by blood, in our shared love for Weir River we are practically family, aren’t we?”

Especially the Marchioness of Rigen was like that. Even taking into account that she was of my mother’s generation, there was a clear difference in rank between a marchioness and a duchess, yet she subtly treated me as someone below her.

But I still didn’t fully understand the realities of modern nobility.

Perhaps it was because Kagan and the Rigen marquis couple were on such familiar terms. As I had witnessed at yesterday’s reception, the young lord of the Schumann house and the Rigen count also seemed close enough to casually insult each other.

“I was just thinking of inviting you, Marchioness.”

I smiled lightly and invited the Rigen family to tea.

“I think I’ll have many occasions to seek your advice in the future as well.”

I had so many things I wanted to know.

About the history of Weir River, for example.

And about Kagan’s personal past.

But it seemed unlikely I would hear what I actually wanted from the marchioness.

“Our duchess certainly has a charm that draws people in. Duchess Dubon was insisting I arrange a gathering for you two to build friendship very soon.”

She launched into a long stream of formal pleasantries. Her manner of speaking was somewhat reminiscent of someone I had met before—loud, excessive, and performative. Yes, she resembled that matchmaking lady who once brought a marriage proposal from the Steinway family last year.

“You flatter me. I’m actually not very social by nature. Duchess Dubon is simply very kind, so I was able to relax around her.”

I modestly deflected her words. That much was at least true.

The marchioness seemed to accept it.

“Indeed, it’s widely acknowledged that noble ladies as pleasant as Duchess Dubon are rare. The count there is a man who practically lives with his mouth shut, so it must be quite stifling for her as his wife. And it’s unfortunate she doesn’t even have a grown daughter to converse with.”

The conversation briefly veered into gossip about another family.

“Oh, and congratulations on your marriage.”

She casually offered congratulations again.

“You must be tired of hearing it, but I saw you and the duke speaking after yesterday’s reception, and what a lovely sight it was. Congratulations once again.”

She led the conversation in a scattered direction. The marquis beside her simply nodded with a good-natured smile, occasionally joined by their eldest son.

“I also sincerely congratulate you, Duchess. A friend of mine is quite skilled in astrology, and he said your compatibility is absolutely perfect.”

Jace, the Rigen count, was a young man two years younger than me. His sparkling green eyes made him look almost boyish. Even yesterday, whenever our eyes met for the first time, he would grin mischievously, which made me feel like smiling as well.

“Thank you, Count. Please thank your friend on my behalf as well.”

Kagan, the adopted son of the former Duke of Weir River, was not related to me by a single drop of blood.

And yet, for some reason, I felt a faint similarity between his gaze and Kagan’s. Why was that? Was it just the shared air of high nobility? To be more specific, handsome high nobles… especially young, handsome noblemen…

“But it looks like you haven’t been sleeping well.”

At the marchioness’s words, I snapped back to attention and blushed.

“Are you referring to me?”

“Your eyes look a bit dark. Poor thing.”

As a bride who had only just experienced her first night, there was no response I could give without feeling embarrassed, so I answered with an awkward smile.

However, the marchioness let out a heavy sigh as if she had no intention of teasing me.

“You must be under a lot of pressure.”

At her words, the marquis also stroked his thick beard and nodded. It looked like he wanted to say something, but the marchioness continued without giving him space.

“You’ve stepped into a position that had been vacant for a long time, so of course there is pressure. For years, everyone must have been watching anxiously as our duke remained unmarried even into his twenty-sixth year. And now that a new mistress has finally arrived at the Steinway household, it’s only natural that all eyes are on you, Duchess.”

The marchioness narrowed her eyes slightly, folding her hands together on the table. Whether it was pity or amusement, her gaze toward me gleamed like polished glass.

“Everyone trusts that you will do well. These days, how common are devout Ingrestan believers in Biachera? Even if you weren’t particularly well-known in society, you still come from an established family.”

From that point on, her words became ambiguous as to whether they were praise or something else.

“I also have high expectations for you, Duchess. I do not think those expectations are in vain. I believe it was a highly suitable match, one that compensates for the duke’s lack of noble lineage.”

A “evaluation,” she said.

I felt the corners of my smiling mouth stiffen slightly.

It was fine for people to talk all they wanted about my background—a half-blood noble lineage that had barely continued through generations. If I had chosen to trust Kagan’s declaration that he did not need “a wife’s background,” then worrying about aristocratic power struggles was simply a waste of mental energy.

But I could not simply ignore remarks that treated Kagan’s origins as a weakness. He had been recognized by the former duke, named heir, and appointed as duke through the emperor’s decree.

If they were going to belittle him based on his birth…

“Wait, what weakness does the duke even have?”

It was Jace who suddenly interrupted.

“He was knighted by Grand Duke Brangier in recognition of his achievements defending the empire’s frontlines. Even without being adopted by the former Duke of Weir River, he would have become a duke eventually. And in the past four years, his governance has been thoroughly proven. On top of that, he’s a man so handsome the whole empire drools over him. From my perspective, I don’t see a single weakness that needs compensating.”

Jace licked cream off his teaspoon like a puppy and grinned.

The marchioness shot him a sharp look while keeping her lips curved.

“Could you please refrain from speaking so improperly, Jace?”

“Then I suppose I should also add that our duke, unlike the son of your sister, has dignity in both words and actions.”

“Jace.”

In the end, the marchioness lowered her voice to scold him. The marquis cleared his throat awkwardly, signaling him as well.

But Jace acted as if he didn’t hear them at all. He casually combed back his gold-thread-like hair with his fingers and continued speaking brightly.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t help siding with the strong.”

He added, almost as if sharing a secret with me, that he always kept in mind that a “count” was still lower in rank than a “duke.”

He wasn’t wrong. Who could openly criticize a duke in front of a duchess like that? I couldn’t bring myself to agree outright, so I held back a laugh and looked at the marchioness with a somewhat sympathetic expression.

“Count Jace seems like a very lively person. I imagine your household must never feel dull.”

“Haah. A moderate amount of gloom is probably necessary to maintain noble dignity.”

She downed her now-cold tea in one go as if frustrated.

“Jace, I only said that as a relative because I worry about the duke. Don’t make it sound like I’m criticizing him because of my incompetent son.”

“I didn’t misunderstand, so please don’t worry, Marchioness.”

It wasn’t hard to pretend ignorance with a polite smile.

I knew that someone who worried in such a worldly way could be useful. Even in my previous life alone, there had been such honest advisors—like the noble lady next door who came to visit me weekly at my parents’ request after they passed away.

But I still needed to observe whether her words about “compensating for Kagan as a noble” were malicious mockery or not.

“Oh dear, I’m glad you didn’t misunderstand. My eldest son is far too carefree and makes his mother ashamed.”

“I did grow up quite well, actually. Even my face turned out quite refined.”

“Jace, could you please just close your mouth?”

Even so, watching Jace talk back to his mother with a cheerful smile made laughter slowly leak out of me.

It reminded me of myself long ago. I had been quite talkative too. My parents never told me to shut up. They answered my questions patiently and gently, always explaining my doubts…

Lost in nostalgia, I must have been watching their back-and-forth absentmindedly.

When I suddenly made eye contact with Kagan as he entered the reception room, I was completely startled.

He stood at the entrance, staring straight at me. His large shadow filled my vision, quietly overwhelming everything. Somehow, it even felt like a cold, icy aura was seeping from his water-colored eyes, lowering the temperature of the room.

Ah… I must have been smiling too carelessly.

I quickly composed my expression.

“You’re here, Kagan?”

I stood up as if springing from the chair.

The Rigen couple also turned and stood up to greet him.