“Is there a secret to captivating a man’s heart?”

The moment she heard Claude’s words, all sorts of possibilities quickly flashed through Madame Marcel’s mind.

The first thought that came to her was, ‘Could the Duchess, who hasn’t been married to Lowen for long, have another man?’

If not, why would she want to know the secret to captivating a man’s heart?

This was all based on the premise that Claude’s husband and Madame Marcel’s employer, Duke Kaian of Temnes, was head over heels for her.

There would be no reason to try to captivate the heart of a man who was already in her hands.

However, in Madame Marcel’s opinion, that was also nonsensical.

The reputation of Duke Kaian of Temnes was well-known even in the capital, quite far from the Lowen territory.

First of all, the Duke himself had gone to the Five Year War, and since returning from the battlefield until now, he had hardly set foot in the capital or its social circles due to governing his territory, yet there were numerous noble young ladies who admired him.

The Oberon Kingdom was currently facing a comprehensive shortage of marriageable noble men.

There was no room to be picky about the appearance, personality, or tastes of a marriage partner. How desperate must it be for them to even consider marrying widowed foreign nobles as long as their wealth, position, and status were assured?

As a result, the existence of such an attractive young duke was like a beacon of hope for the young ladies of marriageable age in the capital.

It was a great comfort to know that there was still a satisfactory marriage prospect within the Oberon Kingdom that could uphold their parents’ prestige and please themselves, without having to leave for a foreign country if possible.

Because the king had abruptly removed Kaian from the marriage market by royal decree, the loyalty to Valkyuter among the nobles with daughters in the capital had decreased by about 30 percent.

With such a husband, how could the Duchess possibly have feelings for another!

‘… There’s no way, right?’

Madame Marcel, with a confused heart, barely managed to answer.

“Ah. A man’s heart? Whose…”

“Whose? Who else could I want to win the heart of?”

“Do you mean you want to win the lord’s heart?”

“Yes.”

Armed with years of social experience, Madame Marcel was able to suppress her bewildered expression and the laughter that almost burst out.

‘It’s the first day. It’s the first day. I can’t be disrespectful to the lady I must serve from the first day.’

She repeated this to herself countless times.

“I suppose it was too sudden a marriage. Neither of us was prepared, and Lowen and Valmond are so far apart that we couldn’t meet even once before the wedding.”

Claude was serious.

“And it hasn’t been long since I came to Lowen.”

“I see. So that’s how you feel.”

“Moreover, Temnes and Vermonte. You know, don’t you?”

Madame Marcel felt the urge to reveal to Claude the large sum she had been promised by Kaian.

‘If the amount of money a husband spends on his wife’s adornment is any measure of how much of his heart he’s given, the lord seems to have given not just his heart but his entire soul.’

On the other hand, Claude looked so lovable that the affection Madame Marcel had felt earlier based solely on her appearance and aura grew instantly.

Madame Marcel was thoroughly charmed by Claude.

She could understand why Kaian had fallen for Claude.

If the bride who came from Vermonte to marry Temnes had been sharp and sensitive, claiming they were enemies, it would have naturally created a sense of resistance.

Claude, despite being extremely beautiful, seemed pure and humble. A woman’s beauty would be praised by surrounding men, so a beauty couldn’t help but know that she possessed outstanding looks.

However, Claude showed no signs of arrogance or haughtiness, and was seriously committed to her marriage with an enemy.

‘Wanting to win her husband’s heart!’

In a world full of bad women who think they’re all that just because they’re a little pretty and even want to win other people’s husbands’ hearts.

In fact, Madame Marcel, despite being quite beautiful herself with outstanding abilities and a good business reputation, had been divorced by her husband who had an affair.

And that too, with a maid who had just come from a remote territory and was still rough around the edges, doing menial work in her dress shop.

That incident had left a deep wound in Madame Marcel’s heart and hurt her pride.

So how sweet Claude’s words sounded to her ears.

She decided to grant the lady’s wish.

“If you get along well with the lord, it would mean that the long-standing enemy families in Oberon Kingdom’s history would reconcile. That’s good. Just trust me.”

Madame Marcel spoke boldly.

“I will do my best to ensure that you can firmly grasp the lord’s heart.”

“Really? You’ll do that for me?”

“Of course. Ho ho ho.”

Already convinced that Kaian’s heart belonged to Claude, Madame Marcel enthusiastically made empty promises.

After finishing the greetings and leaving the lady’s room, Madame Marcel grabbed Hannah as soon as the door closed.

“How can you not know?”

“Sigh.”

Starting with a sigh right off the bat.

It seemed that even the lady’s faithful maid was not unaware of the fact that Kaian was head over heels for Claude.

“It’s all because of the lord.”

“Why?”

“His actions and words don’t match.”

“For example?”

“He spends a fortune to bring Madame as a new seamstress from the capital, but tells the lady it’s ‘to pay attention to the dignity of the Duchess.'”

“Oh my. Really?”

Hannah was excited to have someone to share her frustrations with.

“Once, he went to the marketplace and practically cleaned out a jeweler’s shop.”

“Cleaned out?”

“Miss. I mean, when the lady left the north, she must have packed her luggage wrong. She said it was strange that there were supposed to be lots of jewels packed, but they were missing. The lord asked for all the jewels in the store.”

“I’d like to see them. Ah, not out of self-interest, but because I want to make clothes that match. No, actually, it is out of self-interest. I want to see them.”

“But then he said something like, ‘If I see anything from Valmond, I’ll throw it in the moat,’ didn’t he?”

“What did you say?”

“That’s what he said when he gave her all those jewels as gifts.”

“It’s a total mess.”

Hannah also couldn’t understand Claude’s position.

The Duke of Vermonte had accepted Claude’s request.

She had asked him not to let Hannah know that she was going to die.

Hannah only knew that Claude had agreed to this marriage to help the people of the territory after contracting an incurable Herzol.

So it seemed ridiculous to Hannah that Claude, who clearly had Kaian’s heart, was worrying, ‘What if he falls for Irena?’

Then, the appearance of Madame Marcel, who exactly sympathized with what Hannah herself felt, seemed like meeting a godsend, and she was very excited.

“Well, the lord’s heart belongs to the lady. The lady just needs to realize that fact.”

Hannah nodded at Madame Marcel’s words.

“Whatever I say, she just denies it. She thinks I only say nice things because I’ve served her for a long time.”

“Hehe. I’ve got one more task. Let’s work hard until an heir is born to our Temnes.”

Until an heir is born!

Hannah immediately liked Madame Marcel.

“And I’ll make clothes for you from time to time.”

“Wow. Thank you!”

Hannah was also pleased that Madame Marcel had spoken to her kindly, as she hadn’t had anyone to interact with since coming to Lowen Castle, unlike when she was at Valmond Castle.

‘I thought women from the capital were stingy.’

Madame Marcel had a refreshing and generous personality.

“Let’s do well together from now on.”

“Sounds good.”

The two women smiled at each other.

The presence of Oberon Royal Castle was even greater at night.

Irena kept the window wide open throughout the carriage ride up the hill to the castle, gazing at the dazzlingly bright castle.

The castle, built with white stone and roofed with gold leaf, was brightly lit all over, looking as if another moon had risen against the dark night sky.

It seemed like a massive light source had descended to earth, close enough to touch.

“That castle will soon be yours, Irena.”

The Duke of Vermonte also spoke with an excited tone, as if feeling something emotional.

“Please don’t say that. Today is just a dinner appointment.”

Just a day after arriving in the capital, someone from the royal castle came to deliver a message.

They would give invitations to the royal ball to the Duke of Vermonte and Irena, so they should come to the palace in person to receive them.

Along with an invitation to dine with the king.

How busy must a king’s position be?

Lunch and dinner with the king were an honor for nobles.

Many people could work as ministers their whole lives without getting such an opportunity.

“This is the reward for raising a daughter well. Hahaha.”

The Duke of Vermonte always proudly called Irena ‘God’s masterpiece’, and he seemed pleased with this situation where, thanks to his daughter, the king sent not only a telegram and an invitation, but even a royal messenger, inviting them to dinner.

“Still, please don’t get too ahead of yourself.”

“You shouldn’t hold back too much either. I’m not getting ahead of myself. By tomorrow, the news that the king wants to see you will spread throughout the capital.”

Who would interpret it differently when the unmarried king seemed to have waited for the famous princess of Valmond to visit the Lowen territory before inviting her midway?

It was a big event that would cause a stir among the nobles who secretly had informants in the royal castle.

“His Majesty the King has never once mentioned engagement until now. The fact that he wants to see you in person is already very significant.”

“He might feel differently when he sees me in person. His Majesty must have his own preferences.”

Irena’s feelings had been fluctuating during the few days she spent in the capital.

Her remarriage was expected.

The heir to Valmond was still vacant.

If something were to happen to Irena herself, the lineage would end right there.

Vermonte didn’t have collateral relatives like Temnes did.

This was because they had many marriages far abroad to maintain the diplomatic blood ties that Vermonte now wielded like a weapon.

It was an unwritten rule to maintain the power of the Vermonte family.

Except for the eldest son, all others added strength to the blood ties for the family’s honor.

Although she understood that she would have to get married and that she would, the image of Claude and Kaian kept unsettling Irena’s heart.

In the past, she wouldn’t have thought that even the king would have likes and dislikes.

It’s not like she didn’t know that noble marriages were based on conditions and family names.

Moreover, Irena had already been through such a marriage once.

She had never considered feelings to be important.

But as her own heart began to flutter, she became concerned about the king’s feelings, who wanted to see her.

Although this marriage might be possible solely on the Vermonte name, if you put her feelings and those of a man she hadn’t even met yet on the scale, it was uncertain how things would turn out.

However, contrary to Irena’s anxiety, when the king saw her, he welcomed her with a bright smile.

“At last, I meet you.”