“Is that true, Your Grace?” Camilla’s words sparked a flurry of curious eyes.

“A separation, really? Has your relationship worsened?”

“Oh dear, oh dear! What should we do…”

Their faces couldn’t hide the excitement for this new gossip.

‘I had a bad feeling about this. So this was why she invited me.’

Camilla pretended to hush the gossiping noble ladies, hastily rising from her seat and waving her hands.

“It’s my mistake! So, everyone, please don’t breathe a word of this anywhere!”

Her act seemed like a desperate effort to protect me.

I observed Camilla with an assessing gaze.

As she silenced the ladies, a sly smile flickered at the corners of her mouth, as if restraining immense joy.

‘Camilla, I didn’t realize from the novel… you’re quite foolish.’

I scoffed quietly and continued with a relaxed voice.

“Camilla, don’t exert yourself too much.”

Her frantic movement abruptly ceased.

Turning her head towards me, her eyes harbored a faint unease.

I crossed my legs leisurely, watching her.

“It’s true that our marriage is going through a separation, but why deny it?”

The ladies exchanged shocked glances, and the room was soon enveloped in a suffocating silence.

Whispers began to break out among them.

“Oh my, really?”

“I knew it! Their relationship was always a bit cold.”

As if everyone’s whispers weren’t plainly audible. I could hear everything.

Despite successfully embarrassing me, Camilla seemed dissatisfied, likely irked by my calm demeanor.

She turned to me again, her lips trembling slightly.

“Your Grace, are you sure it’s wise to admit such a thing so easily?”

“What’s the issue?”

When I countered, Camilla frowned slightly.

‘As transparent as ever.’

I turned towards the other ladies, smiling smugly.

“As everyone knows, the Duke and I had a strained relationship for years. We’ve been working to overcome it, and the separation was part of that effort.”

“Oh my…”

“That’s why our relationship has become very, very heated lately.”

“Oh my… Oh my!”

The ladies blushed, biting their lips and looking at me with envy.

Camilla’s lips trembled again.

“Your Grace, no matter how upset you are, why would you hide the truth that’s soon to be revealed?”

“What imminent truth?”

“It’s a pity, but everyone here knows that it’s unlikely for your relationship to have recovered so quickly.”

Camilla smiled thinly, feigning sympathy.

The ladies who had looked at me enviously began to waver.

“Indeed, your relationship wasn’t the best, was it?”

“It’s hard to believe it improved so quickly…”

Camilla shrugged, regaining her composure.

I stared at her squarely and smiled.

“Camilla probably finds it hard to believe my words. You were there during the most strained times in our marriage.”

“Your Grace, no matter what you say…”

“Well, since everyone knew about our troubled past, I guess it’s natural for the other ladies to also find it hard to believe.”

The ladies looked at me, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
I turned towards them with a soft smile and commanded a servant of the banquet hall.

“Please bring the Duke here.”

My confident demeanor slowly furrowed Camilla’s brow.

‘Camilla, seems like you’re quite flustered that things aren’t going according to plan?’

As I smirked leisurely, watching Camilla secretly biting her lower lip, a servant returned.

“Your Grace, the Duke has been brought as you requested.”

Turning, I saw Cedric approaching. At that moment, everything around me blurred, and only Cedric’s figure continued in slow motion.

Every gaze was fixed on his elegant movements.

“Heard you were looking for me. What’s up?”

His familiar yet captivating voice came from nearby.

Only then did I realize Cedric had come right up beside me.

The noble ladies around me, overwhelmed by Cedric’s presence, had a similar reaction.

They exhaled the breath they’d been holding and greeted him in a flurry.

“Good evening, Your Grace…”

“…Good evening, Your Grace.”

Their faces all bore a dreamy expression.

‘I understand why they’re acting like this better than anyone.’

Even living under the same roof as Cedric, I often experienced this whenever we met.

‘Now that Cedric has arrived and captured everyone’s attention, it’s time to put on a real show.’

I rose from my seat, straightened my dress, and approached Cedric.

“Cedric, I was just discussing with the ladies here about why we started our separation.”

“Our separation?”

His eyebrows arched in surprise. To preempt any chance of him mentioning ‘divorce’, I swiftly spoke up.

“Yes, it was a decision we made to mend our strained relationship. And…”

I took slow steps to get even closer to Cedric.

Though I had previously suggested avoiding raising Bianca’s expectations, the circumstances left me no choice.

I ended up wrapping my arms around Cedric’s neck, speaking softly.

“It also made our relationship quite heated.”

As our faces drew close, a gentle wave seemed to ripple in Cedric’s blue eyes.

Our proximity was now so close that we could hear each other’s breathing.

“Cedric.”

I whispered in his ear.