“He refused to accept a visit from a lady he hardly knew at such an ambitious time, saying he couldn’t afford the rudeness. He was quite gentle. I liked that.”

“……”

The Duchess rolled her eyes as if estimating the meaning of Arthur’s words.

Christina continued her story with a smile.

“Honestly, considering the disgrace I suffered in front of everyone three days ago, I was quite prepared. But he did not completely reject me. He has quite a skill at giving and taking. Well, I have changed my opinion about him quite favorably.”

The Duchess leaned back on the sofa with a disgruntled sigh.

“…It’s a relief that you like him.”

Christina, who was silent while her lips were being brushed by Marina, resumed talking.

“He withdrew, saying he would formally visit me at a less ambitious time.”

The Duchess muttered with a disgruntled look at Christina.

“…When did you manage to do all that? I thought you would just shut yourself up in your room as soon as you got home.”

Christina laughed brightly.

“Mother. I am not seventeen anymore. I understand my duties as a daughter of a noble family.”

Though her grownup daughter’s endearing tone of calling her mother, the Duchess felt somewhat pleased, yet she chuckled.

“Hmm. Other girls are not even married at seventeen. You are trying to clean up the mess you made at twentytwo, and you think you are great.”

Christina let out a small laugh.

“I apologize for that. But who would have known this would happen? Honestly, even if I could turn back time, I wouldn’t think it was my duty to accept such a humiliating marriage. Not even for the family.”

“……”

Because it was not appropriate before.

Honestly, back then, the Duchess was also against the marriage, hopping mad.

Christina continued her words.

“But now I like him. His background, his attitude, his looks. Even his aloof rejection. He suits me.”

Christina changed the angle of her face and reflected her own image in the mirror.

“Isn’t it attractive that he avenges the previous disrespect properly, instead of just letting it go?”

Christina curled her lips up.

“I like him because I think he would match well with me, rather than acting like a fool. We have to spend our lives together, so it’s better to get along with someone I like than someone I don’t. I found his attitude amusing.”

Huh.

The Duchess laughed at her daughter’s words, taken aback.

However, unlike her burning self, the calm and confident daughter was reassuring, easing her anxiety and impatience.

Christina’s voice continued.

“I had been catering to him for a while, thinking I would have to coax and ease him in, but…”

Christina laughed brightly and confirmed her perfect reflection in the mirror.

“Wouldn’t it all become memories later?”

While Arthur crossed to his private reception room to have a brief conversation with his subordinates.

Left alone sitting on the bed, Reyna quietly opened a note from within the quilt.

It was a note that Mr. Lorensen had dropped discreetly into the quilt while avoiding the knight’s eyes when he was treating her forehead wound.

【Taylor has arrived home safely. Don’t worry.】

【If you have anything to say about Sir Arthur, leave a note. I will help you.】

“……”

A note structured to easily fend off any discovery.

Reyna easily deduced the contents between the lines.

“……”

I see.

Sir Arthur had no excuse to frequently meet the Duchess in the yard that he was blatantly guarding nearby, wondering what to do.

A deep sigh escaped him.

He thought if he could not meet her frequently, he could somehow postpone it…

If he was to send a note through Teacher Lorensen… he had no excuse to delay.

Reina saw Teacher Lorensen every day.

If she was waiting like this, at least in a few days…

Even if it wasn’t something significant… anything…

“……”

Reina let out a sigh again in her desolation.

Weakness…

Arthur’s weakness.

“……”

Reina hugged her legs and buried her face in her knees.

…she didn’t want to do it.

“……”

She thought it was a condition worth considering burying her bones in the Duke’s house…

If it meant taking care of her grandmother, she thought she would willingly do it.

No matter how hard she tried to think about her grandmother, she wasn’t happy.

And from the beginning, Reina didn’t know anything about him.

Except that he was very handsome, kind, cared for his colleagues, and was a good person…

“……”

Wait… he cared for his colleagues?

Could this possibly be a weakness…

Reina hesitated.

“……”

However, she soon concluded that she should not write such content.

That’s… that’s too bad.

It sounded as if she could threaten Arthur by taking his colleagues hostage and force him to do anything.

That was too much.

She could not dare to write that.

“……”

Does the Duchess expect me to dig up Arthur’s weaknesses in just a few days anyway?

So even if it’s not a weakness…

At least something that shows she was gathering information for the Duchess…

Reina hesitated, then thought of a forced line of content to write.

“He changes clothes extremely quickly.”

“……”

She looked stupid.

Reina sighed deeply as her knees buckled again.

…Arthur has no weaknesses.

But since the Duchess sent the doctor and the tailor to grandmother, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut forever without finding out anything.

“……”

The Duchess said she could frequently meet the tailor and talk.

And Reina had many things she wanted to ask and consult about her grandmother’s condition.

To do that, she had to tell the Duchess anything about Arthur.

Anything… information that could be known because he was close… even a word that might give hope that she might find out something better someday…

“……”

Does he trust Sir Tristan and Sir Kay?

No.

That was too bad for the same reason as before.

Not such a bad thing.

After a long hesitation, Reina…

She thought of another unsure line.

“……He is not the type to be swayed by a woman’s appearance.”

Tap, tap.

Reina quickly wrapped the note in the sheet.

“Yes.”

Then Arthur came in.