“Aren’t you tired of standing? Let’s hurry to the carriage. I’ll escort you.”

“…Alright.”

I said, trying not to show my disgruntled expression. I wanted to refuse his offer and ride in the Duke’s carriage, but I couldn’t. After all, I was Leonard’s fiancée and pretending not to know about his affair with Danae, so I couldn’t treat my fiancé coldly in this situation. It would only invite unnecessary suspicion and rumors.

I reluctantly moved to place my hand on the arm he offered.

No, I was about to.

“Sister! Young Duke!”

“You’ve arrived, Young Duke!”

If only Danae and Duke Yusten hadn’t appeared just then.

I immediately withdrew my hand and said to Danae and Duke Yusten.

“You’ve come, Uncle. You’re here, Danae?”

“Yes, Christine. By the way, you look absolutely beautiful today. I regret not being eloquent enough to properly praise you.”

Duke Yusten said admiringly. I smiled sweetly at him.

Then Danae, who had been looking me up and down with obvious displeasure, said:

“Well, you’ve actually put some effort into your appearance today, unlike usual. Though it’s like putting a diamond on a dandelion.”

Putting a diamond on a bellflower.

It was a metaphor used by imperial nobles, meaning ‘A precious and splendid diamond dress doesn’t suit you, who are plain and unremarkable like the common dandelion.’

In other words, it was a backhanded insult to my elaborate attire. I smiled sweetly at her and said:

“Thank you for the compliment, Danae. You also look as pretty and cute as the calico in the garden these days.”

Then I looked her up and down in her blue dress that exposed her neck, shoulders, and upper chest.

This was also an imperial noble metaphor, subtly mocking someone wearing unsuitable clothes for the time and situation, ‘like calico that withers without blooming in seasons with strong sunlight.’

Understanding the meaning, Danae’s cheeks turned bright red with humiliation. She glared at me and shouted:

“Ha! What did you just say to me, sister? Calico? Are you saying my attire looks vulgar?”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I just really like calico, so that’s why I used that comparison.”

“Liar! You knew exactly what you were doing and deliberately insulted me!”

I looked at her flaring up and deliberately drooped my eyebrows. Just as Danae was about to yell at me again, Leonard stepped between us and said:

“That’s enough, Lady Danae Yusten. Christine said she didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Young Duke!”

“Yes, that’s enough, Danae. Even if Christine meant it that way, you were the one who started it by mentioning dandelions first.”

Duke Yusten, who had been watching, also chimed in.

Danae’s face turned even redder with anger as she glared at me, Leonard, and the Duke in turn. Then, for some reason, she suddenly took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She forced herself to speak to me:

“…I understand, Father. Sister, …if I offended you, let it go. I misspoke.”

“Good. Isn’t it nice that she apologized? Christine, accept your sister’s apology.”

“…Yes. Of course, Uncle. I wasn’t even upset to begin with.”

The Duke said to me with exaggerated enthusiasm. I accepted Danae’s apology that didn’t sound like an apology and thought:

‘She’s not the type to stop being angry midway. What is she up to?’

I stared at her with suspicious eyes. Meanwhile, Leonard turned to me with a smile and said:

“Now then, let’s head to the carriage, Christine.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

I nodded in response. Then Danae squeezed between us and said:

“Oh, I want to ride in the carriage with Leonard and sister today too! Dad, is that okay?”

“Hm? Oh, sure. Go ahead.”

The Duke replied with a bewildered expression. While I found her disgusting for blatantly revealing her desire to be near Leonard under the guise of innocence, I was also grateful. It was better to have Danae there so they could talk all they wanted while I rested, rather than riding alone with Leonard.

As I was thinking this, Leonard spoke with a stern expression:

“I’m sorry, but that would be a bit difficult, Lady Danae Yusten.”

“…What? Why?”

I was startled by his unexpected answer and widened my eyes in surprise. Danae also asked in disbelief, grabbing his arm. Leonard gently but firmly pushed away her hand and replied:

“Today I’d like to have an intimate conversation with my fiancée alone. So let’s ride together another time, Lady Danae Yusten.”

Danae’s face contorted unpleasantly upon hearing his answer.

After glaring at Leonard and me in turn, she suddenly changed her expression, smiling awkwardly and saying:

“Ah, haha. I see. So the Young Duke wanted to spend time alone with his ‘fiancée’. …Alright then.”

“We’ll see you later, Lady.”

Leonard responded curtly. Danae glared at Leonard murderously before stomping off to the Duke’s side. I just stood by watching the situation unfold. Suddenly, Leonard wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulder and said:

“Let’s go, Christine.”

Then he led me towards his carriage.

I glanced at him with a bewildered look, thinking:

‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? Did they have a fight or something?’

But I couldn’t show these inner thoughts. I ended up boarding Leonard’s carriage with him.

And so I rode to the Imperial Palace in Leonard’s carriage.

Leonard, seated across from me, kept trying to make conversation throughout the journey. I wanted nothing more than to get out of his carriage if possible, but since I couldn’t, I had to swallow my anger. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, contemplating the events that would unfold in a few hours and preparing for any possible situations. But I was frustrated, barely resisting the urge to silence Leonard’s incessant chatter that gave me no peace.

After about an hour of travel, the carriage arrived in front of the Imperial Palace.

I got out of the carriage with Leonard’s escort. I wanted to get out alone, but Leonard stubbornly blocked the carriage door with his outstretched hand, leaving me no choice. After a brief identity check, Leonard and I headed to the main banquet hall with Duke Yusten and Danae.

As we entered the banquet hall, Duke Yusten pulled Danae to his side and said:

“Oh, Danae. Come here. There’s someone I want to introduce you to.”

“What? Dad, I want to stay with sister and Young Duke…”

Danae resisted, not wanting to go, but the Duke forcibly dragged her away. I quietly watched as Duke Yusten introduced her to his friend, Duke Albert.

The Albert family was one of the houses that had talks of engagement with Danae in my previous life. Duke Yusten had pushed for an engagement with Duke Albert’s son, Gary Albert, against Danae’s wishes, but I had persuaded the Duke after Danae pleaded that she didn’t want to marry yet.

Not knowing that her reason for not wanting to marry was Leonard.

‘What will you do now, Danae? I won’t help you even if you’re in trouble anymore.’

I inwardly mocked Danae, imagining her struggling with unwanted courtship from Young Duke Albert who had fallen for her.

Meanwhile, Leonard took me to where the nobles under his command had gathered. They approached one by one to greet me.

“Oh my, Lady Christine Yusten! You look absolutely stunning today! I hardly recognized you!”

“Indeed! I thought the goddess of gold and light, Taniera, had descended upon us!”

“That’s right. You look so beautiful, noble, and sacred that it feels sinful to even gaze upon you, Lady.”

I just smiled quietly at their exaggerated praises. I knew well that in noble social circles, readily accepting such compliments would lead to later gossip about ‘lacking humility’.

Moreover, I didn’t want to play along with Leonard’s behavior of displaying me like his possession.

As I remained silent, Leonard seemed encouraged by the flood of compliments directed at me and kept grinning. He looked down at me proudly and said:

“Haha, thank you for the praise. To have such a beautiful person as my fiancée, I must be the luckiest man in the empire.”

Then Leonard leaned down and briefly kissed my cheek.

I flinched, covering the cheek his lips had touched with my hand. Feelings of disgust, revulsion, and horror simultaneously overwhelmed me. I desperately wanted to wipe my cheek clean but held back, slightly lowering my head. To others, it would look like a shy fiancée embarrassed by her loving fiancé’s kiss.

“Quite a passionate display so early in the morning, Young Duke Klein.”

Just then, Duke Haven, who had entered the banquet hall, approached Leonard and me.

He looked at Leonard and me, half-embraced in his arms, alternately with furrowed brows, clearly displeased. Leonard looked at him with a smug expression and said:

“Oh my. Duke Haven! You look quite displeased this morning. You must be very envious of me with my beautiful fiancée in such an affectionate pose.”

The Duke stared at Leonard expressionlessly. Then suddenly, he smirked and said: