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Chapter : 45
“No, it’s not like that! If it’s something you give me, Freya, I’ll like anything! So you don’t have to feel pressured.”
It wouldn’t matter if what she gave him were beggar’s clothes or rags. What mattered was that she chose it herself and gave it to him.
He was confident he could treasure any gift from her for the rest of his life.
“If it’s a gift from you, I’ll wear it every day.”
“Every day is a bit….”
“Then I’ll wear it at least twice a week.”
“Pfft, what is that supposed to mean?”
At his earnest answer, Freya burst into laughter.
“You really are stubborn in the strangest ways.”
“Ah….”
“If you’re looking forward to it that much, it makes me want to give you a present. I’ll try to pick something pretty.”
Raiden couldn’t take his eyes off her fair, beautiful face. Even the gentle smile that slowly lifted the corners of her lips made his heart thud.
That expression and that smile—
that was how the inescapable swamp began.
Just like now, Freya in the past rarely showed changes in expression. Perhaps because of her indifferent nature, her emotions didn’t easily surface. So even a small smile felt like a big change.
It was from the moment I first saw that smile… that my liking turned into love.
It was when he was still working in the student council. One night, after a late meeting, as they were about to head home, she was loosening her tied hair and freshening up when she dropped the hair tie she was holding.
As she bent down to pick it up, he picked it up for her instead.
‘Thank you.’
It was just a simple word, but it stirred his heart more deeply than ever.
A plain smile he had never seen before formed on her lips, softening her expression. It was a relaxed yet radiant look he was seeing for the first time.
Ah, she’s beautiful.
I like this. I want to keep… looking at her.
That was when he first learned what it meant to fall for someone.
If only I could keep seeing this side of her from now on.
Since they had been apart and he hadn’t been able to see her, he wanted to see her to his heart’s content from now on. For that to happen, he had to make her smile more.
Smiling back at Freya, Raiden made a firm vow in his heart.
“We’re almost there.”
The entrance to the Imperial Palace came into view through the window. Soon, after passing the procedures, the carriage entered the palace grounds.
The banquet was being held in the Princess’s Palace hall. After a short while, the carriage reached its destination and came to a stop.
“Be careful getting down, Freya.”
“Thank you, Raiden.”
Holding Raiden’s hand as she stepped down, Freya blinked at the Princess’s Palace before her.
Even though she came to the Imperial Palace every day for work, the Princess’s Palace still felt unfamiliar to her. It wasn’t a place she visited often.
…I want to go back.
They had just arrived—was it too shameless to think that? She desperately wanted to get back into the carriage and return, but she had no choice.
“Welcome. Duke Betelheim, Lady of the Marquis of Valce.”
When they entered the Princess’s Palace together, servants were there to greet the guests.
“Oh my, look over there.”
“My goodness. The two from the rumors have arrived.”
Wherever the two walked, the eyes of the banquet attendees gathered on them.
There was still some time before the banquet officially began, yet many people had already arrived.
“So it really is true that you’re attending today’s banquet.”
“I was so curious—what a relief that we get to see you.”
“I heard the competition to attend this banquet was fierce. So many people wanted to come that Her Highness the Princess had to think long and hard about it.”
“That’s only natural. You two are the talk of the town right now. Since it’ll be hard to attend your engagement ceremony later, today is an important chance to see you in person.”
“Exactly. You’ll be busy preparing for your engagement and won’t attend other gatherings or parties, but today’s banquet is different. It’s fortunate that Her Highness is hosting this.”
If it hadn’t been an imperial banquet, with about a month left until the engagement ceremony, Freya and Raiden wouldn’t have attended. The young ladies expressed their gratitude to Princess Helena.
“But… is it just me, or do Duke Betelheim and Lady Valce actually… suit each other better than expected?”
“Oh my, I was thinking the same. I thought they wouldn’t match at all, but it’s really surprising.”
When one young lady spoke cautiously, another nodded in agreement. A third, folding her fan, joined in.
“Me too! Lady Valce is so modest compared to Duke Betelheim, and she usually doesn’t dress up much, right? I thought the difference would be too big, but I’m surprised.”
“That’s true. Dressed up like that, Lady Valce is beautiful as well. Her features are already distinct, so her elegance and splendor stand out even more.”
“The dress she had tailored in the same design as the Duke’s is really lovely. It suits her so well.”
“I wonder which boutique it’s from.”
Leaving the whispering young ladies behind, Freya and Raiden entered the banquet hall.
The moment they stepped in, everyone’s eyes in the hall snapped toward them. Dozens of gazes sharply examined Freya and Raiden as they walked in arm in arm.
“Duke Betelheim and Lady Valce have arrived.”
“To see the two of them like that… it’s surprising.”
The reactions of the attendees split into three groups. First were those who were simply surprised, most of them observing with curiosity.
Then there were those who cast negative looks.
“Look at Lady Valce. How can she be so brazen?”
“If she had any sense, there’s no way she could come here with Duke Betelheim like that….”
“She’s even more shameless and audacious than I heard. After seducing the Duke with such low tactics and even getting a hold over him, how can she walk around with her head held high?”
These were people who disliked the fact that Freya was linked with Raiden, or who believed the rumors Astellia had spread and spoke ill of her.
“She’s just the daughter of a marquis with only a few businesses—how dare she set her sights on Duke Betelheim! It’s outrageous!”
“She probably thought that working at the palace meant she could stay by the Duke’s side. When in truth she just happens to help with his work, that’s all.”
“Isn’t her title as head of the administration just for show? I really don’t know what she’s thinking, daring to approach the Duke.”
Most of them were young ladies who had disliked Freya from the start. To them, it was unacceptable that someone so unremarkable had suddenly become Raiden’s fiancée.
There were young ladies with better backgrounds and looks than Freya—so why her? They simply couldn’t understand.
“Oh my, Lady Valce’s aura has changed.”
“It has. Compared to the last time I saw her, her complexion is better, and she looks brighter yet still elegant.”
Of course, not everyone was speaking ill of her. Those who had maintained good relations with Freya or felt favorably toward her looked at her with friendly eyes.
“It might be because of the dress, but she herself seems different too. She’s still as neat as ever, but that heavy air she used to have is gone.”
“Maybe it’s thanks to meeting Duke Betelheim? She’s always been so busy with work—perhaps it’s been a nice change of pace.”
“Look at how gently he’s gazing at her. They seem to be on good terms, don’t they? That’s such a relief. The rumors going around lately have been so ugly that I was worried.”
Because of the rumors Astellia had spread, Freya’s reputation had been steadily declining.
Even those who didn’t know her deeply but had some sense of what kind of person she was felt uneasy. They didn’t believe the rumors, yet seeing so many others believe them made them anxious.
More or less what I expected. At least this isn’t the worst-case scenario.
Listening to the careless chatter, Freya surveyed the atmosphere of the hall. Since it hadn’t begun yet, not everyone had arrived, but a fair number of people had gathered.
The pouring attention, the converging gazes—curiosity, negativity, and positivity all seemed to wash over her at once. The many voices hitting her ears made her nerves grow sharper.
Calm down.
She wasn’t often placed in situations like this, so the discomfort crept up from her feet. It wasn’t unbearable, but even she, who was good at hiding her emotions, found it a little hard to keep her expression under dozens of staring eyes.
