The room was incredibly large. It seemed to be the size of Riena’s bedroom, living room, and dressing room combined.

However, with the curtains drawn, the room was dim and not clearly visible.

Amy walked confidently as if she already knew the layout of the room.

“I will open the curtains for you so you can look around comfortably.”

Amy drew back the tightly closed curtains.

Below the thick blackout curtains was an additional layer of opaque white fabric, so direct sunlight did not shine through, but the room became a bit brighter.

Riena couldn’t help but let out a gasp at the sight of the luxurious room she finally faced.

Paintings covered not only the entire walls but also the ceiling.

There were several baby angels with small wings, as if they were guarding this room.

Riena casually pretended to look around and asked Amy.

“Is there a portrait of the duke from when he was young?”

“Of course there is.”

Amy guided her to one side of the room. In a small frame was a familiar face of ‘Cass’ that Riena knew well.

Even in the portrait, Cass looked timid, showing his shy personality. But Riena was glad to see Cass like that.

“He’s certainly different from how he is now.”

Amy, who didn’t know the two’s past, explained to Riena.

“The young master was a bit different when he was young compared to now. He was physically weak. You may not be able to imagine it seeing him now, but he often fell ill, which worried his mother a lot.”

“I see.”

Except for having a fever when he first arrived at the Dyke mansion, Cass had never been particularly sick, so Riena didn’t know he was that physically weak.

Riena couldn’t leave Cass’s portrait for a long time, but finally managed to move on to other paintings.

What caught her eye next was a large family portrait.

Seated in chairs at the front of the portrait were a black-haired child presumed to be Cass and a blond-haired man closer to a young adult than a boy, side by side.

Unlike the still timid-looking Cass, the blond youth was smiling brightly with a confident expression.

His smile was so warm that it reminded Riena of the sunshine on a spring day.

Behind the chairs stood a blond woman and a reddish-brown haired man, both dressed in formal attire.

Riena asked to confirm.

“This child is indeed the duke, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And behind them would be the previous duke and duchess, and next to the duke is…?”

“Ah…”

Amy’s face stiffened as if she was in a difficult position. From her expression, Riena got the answer.

‘Asher Winkler.’

The man who was the eldest son of the previous duke and duchess and Cass’s brother.

“That person is the duke’s brother, I see.”

Amy asked in a rather surprised voice.

“Did you know?”

“I heard about it before. It was a long time ago, so I had forgotten, but hearing it again reminds me.”

Come to think of it, he also appeared in yesterday’s dream.

“I think his name was Asher.”

“…That’s right.”

“So this is what he looked like. He seems very kind.”

Remembering Cass’s words that even though his parents were cold, only his brother Asher was affectionate, Riena’s heart ached.

If he looked this kind even in the portrait, how affectionate must he have been in real life?

Judging by how he was preciously embracing Cass’s shoulders with his arm, it seemed he truly cherished him a lot.

“I heard his cold developed into pneumonia, is that correct?”

Amy was surprised again, wondering how Riena knew.

“I heard it from my father.”

“That’s right. I think I heard that the eldest young master passed away from pneumonia. Although he wasn’t so healthy that he never fell ill, he was relatively healthy, but for some reason, there was no improvement.”

“I see.”

“I was young at the time, so I don’t remember well, but the atmosphere in the mansion at that time being unusual is still vivid to me.”

“Everyone must have been very shocked and saddened.”

Riena mumbled while fixing her gaze on Asher’s portrait.

“Cass was also very sad when he heard the news. That was the first time I saw him cry like that.”

“Cass? Oh? But that’s the duke’s childhood name?”

Riena smiled at the confused Amy.

“Yes, I’m talking about the duke. You may not know, but when we were young, the duke stayed at our mansion for a while.”

“Ah, it must be then! There was a time when the previous duchess passed away and the duke went on a short trip. It wasn’t that, but he had gone to the Dyke estate.”

“Yes. That’s probably it.”

Amy clasped her hands together and exclaimed in admiration.

“How romantic!”

“Romantic?”

“Didn’t you meet then and are now engaged?”

“Well, maybe so.”

They had indeed promised to get married when they were young. However, that was just a promise between ignorant young children.

‘Well, the duke did say he came to keep his promise, so what Amy said isn’t wrong.’

Amy, seemingly excited to hear the story for the first time, begged Riena to tell her more about their childhood together.

Riena sat down on the sofa next to her and carefully chose her words.

“There’s not much to it.”

“It’s okay even if there’s not much. I’m just curious about your story!”

Riena briefly shared the story of her time with Cass when they were young.

It was a story with nothing truly special, but Amy listened attentively, uttering exclamations like “Oh my,” “How,” and “My goodness.”

However, Riena couldn’t bring herself to mention the promise they made to get married when they were young. It was too embarrassing.

“Then the news came that Cass’s brother had passed away. The next day, Cass left the Dyke mansion with people from his family. Cass said he would return soon, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t. In reality, he couldn’t come back.”

“He must have had to take heir lessons. Speaking of which, I heard the previous duke was extremely strict.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It must have been very difficult for the delicate duke to adapt.”

“Come to think of it, I remember Cass telling me something similar. His parents were strict, but his brother was really kind. Perhaps that’s why he seemed more shocked by Asher Winkler’s death.”

Riena smiled bitterly.

“At that time, I had no idea what family Cass was from or even his family situation. If I had known, I would have treated him better.”

Riena looked up at Cassel’s portrait from around the time they parted, which looked similar.

“Anyway, that’s the story. It’s really nothing special, right?”

“No! It’s extremely interesting!”

Amy chuckled.

“Actually, not just me, but everyone was curious about how you two met. As I mentioned before, the duke had absolutely no interest in the opposite sex. Even when marriage proposals came in, he burned them without even looking. There were conflicts with the previous duke because of that.”

“Really?”

Riena perked up at the story she was hearing for the first time.

“Moreover, before inheriting the ducal title, he only stayed in the duchy. He only briefly came to the capital to pay respects to His Majesty the Emperor after succeeding the title.”

“…”

“Before that, there was no sign at all, but suddenly he said he was going to the south. And he told me, my mother, and a few others to go to the mansion in the capital and prepare the duchess’s room. I had no idea the puzzle would come together like this. Can I tell the others? Everyone will be interested.”

“Hmm. Well, it’s a story that everyone will find out eventually anyway.”

Although it was embarrassing, it wasn’t a story that needed to be kept secret.

“Anyway, I was curious about how Cass lived after returning to the Winkler ducal family. This painting seems to have been done after he returned.”

Riena pointed to another painting where Cassel was standing alone in formal attire.

He looked about fourteen or fifteen years old, but his expression was stiff and his facial muscles were tense.

It was different from not only the face of Cass she had seen when they last parted but also the face of Cass when he first came to the Dyke mansion and was dejected.

“Yes.”

Amy answered in a slightly deflated voice.

“I believe it was painted a few years after he took heir lessons. The previous duke was delighted to see this painting, saying that the duke had finally become fit to be an heir.”

“I see. That’s why his expression seems a bit different from what I remember.”

But did it really improve? Riena had doubts about what the previous Duke Winkler had said.

No matter how she looked at it, Cassel’s appearance in the portrait didn’t seem better than when he was staying at the Dyke mansion.

It might be a good sign for an heir to take responsibility for the ducal family, but as for Cassel as a person, well…

‘I think the way he honestly expressed his emotions was much better.’

It was around the time when their conversation was slowly coming to an end. A servant came looking for the two of them.

“Miss, Madam Lachapelle has arrived.”

“Ah, right!”

Amy quickly stood up.

“I was so engrossed in listening to your story that I forgot. Madam Lachapelle was supposed to come this afternoon! Miss, let’s hurry.”

Riena arrived at the drawing room, guided by Amy.

Madam Lachapelle was wearing a corset that cinched her waist and a white wig that soared high into the sky. She was having tea with a few staff members.

“Madam, it’s been a while.”

“Oh, Miss Carrot. You have completely become a lady now. Seeing your hair, I’m getting ideas for a refreshing design. Would you consider entrusting me with a dress?”

“Where would I have the money to commission a dress from you, Madam? I have nowhere to wear a dress to anyway. Of course, I am curious about Madam’s new dresses though.”

“That’s a pity. If you ever change your mind, please let me know. By the way, the young lady behind you is…”

“Yes, that’s right. This is Count Dyke’s daughter, the duke’s fiancée.”

As Amy introduced her, Madam Lachapelle approached Riena, bowed, and extended her hand.

Riena, taken aback, placed her hand on top of Madam Lachapelle’s, who then kissed the back of Riena’s hand.

“It is truly an honor to be entrusted with making a dress for the young lady. It has been a long time since I made a dress for the Winkler family, so my heart is already fluttering with excitement.”

“I am also delighted to have Madam Lachapelle make a dress for me. I heard that no one in the capital can match Madam’s skills?”

Madam Lachapelle laughed out loud, apparently not displeased by Riena’s praise.

“I am overwhelmed by your high regard for me. Of course, it is true that no one in the capital can keep up with me.”

Riena didn’t mind Madam Lachapelle’s self-confidence.