Riena chattered away again while waiting for the main dish.

“Come to think of it, what were we talking about earlier…? Ah, right. We were talking about touring the estate. I also went to the room where the portraits are kept.”

“…”

“I saw a portrait of Your Grace as a child. You looked just like you did back then. It was almost like going back in time. And…”

Riena stopped short of mentioning that she had also seen a family portrait of Cassel.

In many ways, it seemed like it wouldn’t be a pleasant topic for him.

Although she didn’t know much about the previous duke and duchess, according to what Cass had said, it seemed they weren’t particularly affectionate parents to their second son.

Even Asher, who Cassel said had been his pillar of support, probably wouldn’t bring back good memories.

As Riena kept her mouth shut and only fidgeted with her fingers, Cassel spoke.

“I suppose you would have seen the family portrait as well.”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

Startled for a moment, Riena choked. She hadn’t expected him to bring up the subject first.

Riena hesitated after managing to stop coughing by drinking some water.

“Well, if you want to be precise, I did see it.”

“Did you see my brother Asher too?”

Riena studied Cassel’s face.

But since his expression wasn’t much different from usual, it was difficult to gauge his true feelings.

However, she didn’t want to lie in this situation, so she answered honestly.

“Yes. I saw him.”

“…”

The conversation could have ended there. But Riena carefully continued.

“He seemed like a good person. You could feel it just by looking at the portrait.”

“He was. To this day, I have yet to meet a better person than my brother Asher.”

Cassel added in a small voice after speaking without much thought.

“Except for my mentor and you, of course.”

“You’re still saying the same things.”

“…Pardon?”

“You said something similar when we were young too.”

Riena smiled sheepishly.

“Actually, I had a dream about our childhood last night. A dream that included Your Grace.”

Cassel paused for a moment.

“What kind of dream was it?”

“It was a dream filled with happy memories.”

Riena shrugged.

“You probably know all about it already. Like how I secretly went to your room to nurse you when you had a fever, or the stories of us playing together on the hill behind the estate.”

“I see.”

“And also…”

Just then, the promise she had made with Cass suddenly came to mind.

Cassel said he came to find her in the rain and propose in order to keep a promise.

Had he remembered the lighthearted promise they made as children for the past 10 years?

Had he been waiting to meet her again, longing for her?

Or had he only recalled that old memory, thinking, ‘Ah, there was a girl like that,’ when he received Count Dyke’s letter?

Perhaps even his words about coming to keep a promise were just a strategy to lower her guard and get her to accept the proposal.

She couldn’t know. But she also couldn’t ask Cassel directly. No matter what he said, she felt like it would leave her feeling strange.

If he said he had remembered for 10 years, she would feel pathetic for having forgotten about him during that time.

On the other hand, if he said he had forgotten… Well, she would probably feel a bit hurt. Even though she herself had forgotten.

“And?”

When Riena didn’t continue, Cassel asked back in puzzlement. Riena shook her head and changed the subject.

“It’s nothing. By the way, I received a letter from Aunt Letitia this morning. I mean, the wife of Viscount Donovan. I had written to her yesterday saying I wanted to meet.”

“Did you?”

“Yes. She said she has time next weekend, so I was thinking of visiting the viscount’s residence then.”

“Next weekend…”

Cassel’s expression darkened slightly. Riena unconsciously studied his reaction.

“Is that not possible?”

She hadn’t expected him to have a say in her outings too. Besides, didn’t she need to meet the Viscountess Donovan for the marriage anyway?

However, as if Riena’s doubts were unfounded, Cassel expressed a different concern.

“I may not have time next weekend either.”

Riena blinked, unable to react to the unexpected answer.

As she maintained her silence, Cassel mumbled as if making an excuse.

“I’ll try my best to adjust my schedule…”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

Laughter tinged Riena’s voice as she replied.

“It’s enough for me to go see my aunt alone. That was my original plan anyway.”

It had been a long time since Riena had seen her aunt too. She didn’t want to bring Cassel to an awkward gathering even for herself.

But his expression was still gloomy. It couldn’t be, but he seemed a little disappointed by Riena’s answer.

It really couldn’t be though.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. That’s why I requested Madame Lachapelle to alter some dresses today.”

Riena showed her sleeve-covered wrist and smiled sheepishly.

“The dresses worn by the previous duchess are quite pretty and in good condition, but they’re a bit big for me. Amy said that the Winklers usually entrust orders to Madame Lachapelle, so I asked for an appointment and she came today.”

“Amy is quick with her work.”

Amy, who had been waiting in the back, puffed out her chest with pride.

“Yes. She’s really a capable girl. So I left a few dresses to be altered and ordered some new ones, but…”

Riena’s face fell.

“Now that I think about it, the issue is how to pay for them.”

“Pay for them?”

“Yes. You may not know, but I currently have no funds at my disposal.”

Riena’s face turned slightly red.

She couldn’t meet Cassel’s eyes out of embarrassment at bringing up money from the first day in the capital.

The Dyke family wasn’t particularly wealthy. Still, Riena had enjoyed everything a noble should.

Although she couldn’t indulge in extravagance, she lived without lacking anything.

But as soon as Count Dyke died, she became a helpless child who couldn’t do anything.

“Normally, there would be some assets I’m set to inherit. But the inheritance process hasn’t been properly carried out yet. I think Mother deliberately delayed it. She probably didn’t want to give me my inheritance if I became part of another family without inheriting.”

“…”

“But now that this happened before I could inherit, Mother got her way anyway. Of course, I’ll try my best to claim my share properly. Not because I’m greedy for money, but because I can’t bear to see Father’s money fall into Mother’s hands and be spent meaninglessly.”

Unable to face Cassel, Riena ended up hanging her head low.

“But that will take some time. Until then, I don’t have any funds I can freely use. So…”

Money is a funny thing. Something without form can make a person feel so miserable.

Even if Cassel had said he would maintain the marriage and help her until things were resolved, she didn’t know to what extent he could provide assistance.

And she had to decide for herself to what extent she should receive help.

Even if Cassel was willing to help a lot, she didn’t want to spend money as she pleased.

“That is…”

As Cassel was about to answer, the footman brought out the main dish.

It was a steak cooked medium, garnished with asparagus, mushrooms, and other sides.

A red wine that paired well with the steak was also served.

“The food will get cold. Let’s talk about it after we finish eating. There was something I wanted to tell you anyway.”

“All right.”

Riena picked up her knife and fork and carefully cut the steak. Pink juices flowed out, revealing the tender inside.

Talking about money had left a bitter taste in her mouth and sapped her appetite, but as she put a piece of the steak in her mouth along with the truffle-scented sauce, her appetite returned.

A hunger she hadn’t been aware of suddenly surged.

Riena inwardly marveled as she continued her meal.

Until the two of them had cleared their plates, there was no real conversation between them.

Cassel was naturally a man of few words, and with even Riena, who usually led the conversation, keeping her mouth shut, it had grown quiet.

The cheerful atmosphere from before the main dish arrived had frozen over in an instant.

‘I guess I shouldn’t have brought up money.’

Her father had said the scariest thing in the world was money.

In reality, even the Countess Dyke had tried to sell Riena off because of money.

Cassel probably didn’t like this topic either. Riena was dominated by the worry that he might see her as a materialistic person.

‘But it was something we needed to talk about eventually anyway.’

As Riena was consoling herself, thinking it couldn’t be helped, the final dessert, a tart, was brought out.

She picked up her dessert fork, and Cassel raised his hand and asked the footman.

“Is there any peach in it by any chance?”

“I will ask the kitchen.”

At the word ‘peach’, Riena stopped and stared at Cassel. He met her gaze and said,

“You had a peach allergy, didn’t you?”

“That’s right, I did.”

Riena chuckled.

Riena had a peach allergy.

But since they never served peaches at the Dyke estate, and she rarely ate out, she often forgot about it herself.

However, she hadn’t expected Cassel to be the first to mention the allergy she herself had forgotten.

In fact, she hadn’t expected him to remember such a trivial thing until now.