“I talked with the Duke about the banquet, and for now, he said to request the costumes.”

“Oh, I see.”

Madam Lachapelle, burning with creative passion, grabbed her sketchbook and pencil.

“Are you two attending the imperial banquet together this year?”

“That hasn’t been definitively decided yet. But since we don’t know how things will turn out, we want to prepare the costumes in advance. Even if not for this imperial banquet, there will be occasions to wear them later.”

“Alright. I will pour all my artistic soul into designing costumes for both of you. Do you have any particular feeling or atmosphere you desire?”

“Not particularly. I’ll leave it to you, Madam. You are the foremost expert in this field. And you have a better eye than I do.”

“Oh my, oh my. You flatter me so. At this rate, I might really become arrogant, thinking I’m all that. Of course, I do acknowledge my own skills, though.”

Madam Lachapelle seemed to be in a very good mood.

“The Duke and the young lady, how should I put it? Hmm, individually, you both have such beautiful hair and eye colors, but when you’re together, it’s difficult to match the colors. So I’m contemplating which color to use as the base.”

Madam Lachapelle circled around Riena once.

“Should we just go with the safe choice of white and gold? Gold will complement the young lady’s blonde hair, and white will contrast with and accentuate the Duke’s black hair.”

She explained while diligently sketching the design in her sketchbook.

“The Duke doesn’t like flashy things. It would be good to keep it overall neat, with gold as an accent. And it would be even better to wear accessories that can captivate people’s eyes.”

“Sounds good. Then please proceed with that.”

“Yes. When the dresses are made to a certain extent, I will come for a fitting. At that time, it would be best to coordinate a time when the Duke can also join.”

“If you let me know in advance, I will inform the Duke.”

“Alright.”

With that conversation, Madam Lachapelle left.

Riena inwardly began looking forward to the day she would come again.

After having dinner together with Cassel for the first time, Riena and Cassel had tea time every night to get to know each other.

Actually, not much was said. For Cassel, who hadn’t seen his mentor for a long time, Riena shared stories about her father, and Cassel silently listened to her words.

Sometimes personal topics popped up, but even then, Cassel barely talked about himself and just listened.

Nevertheless, Riena enjoyed that time with him.

Whenever she saw him gazing at her face and listening attentively, she had the illusion of being loved, noticing how affectionate his eyes were.

Her father, who doted on his only daughter immensely, would also focus with a similar face when she was talking.

“I went to see Lucy today, and she seems to be doing well. She looked better than when she was at the Dyke estate. It’s thanks to you, Your Grace. Thank you.”

“I only did what I had to do.”

“But isn’t there anywhere to ride horses in the capital? I’m worried about keeping Lucy only in the stable.”

“There is a hunting ground nearby. The aristocrats of the capital enjoy horseback riding there.”

“May I go there too?”

When she asked in an unintentionally excited voice, Cassel immediately nodded.

“Yes. Let’s go together soon.”

“Great.”

Riena, who was delighted, belatedly examined Cassel’s face.

Among the nobility, there were sometimes people who regarded horseback riding as the exclusive domain of men and looked down on women enjoying it.

Cassel didn’t seem like such a person, but one never knows.

“Is it okay for me to ride?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“It’s unfeminine.”

Riena couldn’t understand why she was saying this herself.

Since learning to ride from her father at the age of 8, she swore she had never once been ashamed of it. If someone pointed it out, she would have snorted at them.

But why did she hesitate like this in front of Cassel? Tracing back her actions in her mind, Riena finally understood the reason.

She feared Cassel disliking her.

Cassel seemed to not fully understand her meaning at first, then suddenly let out a chuckle.

She had seen him smile faintly, but this was the first time she saw him laugh out loud.

As Riena unconsciously observed him, Cassel muttered as if making an excuse.

“I apologize. It’s just that it was an unladylike thing to say.”

“Unlike me?”

“Didn’t you often ride horses and run through the fields with me when you were young?”

“That’s true, but…”

As Cassel said, she frequently rode horses with him as a child.

Count Dyke had also gifted Cass a black horse, and he didn’t stop the two children from riding around.

Rather, he enjoyed horseback riding together with them, teaching them posture corrections and points to improve.

So it felt strange to suddenly talk about being unfeminine now.

And when past stories first came out of Cassel’s mouth, the man in front of her truly felt like Cass, as if she had returned to her childhood.

Riena deliberately spoke in an even more excited voice.

“Come to think of it, Your Grace, you never once beat me. Your running speed may have gotten faster than mine, but your riding skills haven’t improved at all.”

Cassel replied in a slightly amused voice.

“You’d better not let your guard down. I’ve improved a lot in the meantime.”

“Do you think I just sat still while Your Grace practiced horseback riding? My skills have also greatly improved. To the point where my father was surprised.”

“Then it will be an enjoyable competition. I’m also happy to enjoy horseback riding with you, Lady Riena.”

‘I’m happy.’ Clearly, he wasn’t saying he was happy with her, but simply happy to enjoy riding together. Yet Riena began to feel fluttered again.

As she lowered her head to hide her flushed cheeks, Cassel carefully opened his mouth.

“By the way, I’m thinking of announcing our engagement soon.”

“Ah, I see.”

“It’s been almost ten days since we arrived in the capital, hasn’t it? I think it would be good to announce it after you meet Viscountess Donovan this weekend.”

Riena pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes, that’s fine. I will follow your intentions, Your Grace.”

Thus, on the upcoming weekend, Riena immediately went to see her aunt, Viscountess Donovan.

As he had mentioned beforehand, Cassel couldn’t accompany her due to a prior appointment, but Riena wasn’t disappointed.

It just felt a bit empty somehow.

The fortunate thing was that Amy came along, so she didn’t have to ride the carriage alone.

If she had to ride the carriage by herself as well, it would have been quite lonely.

“It’s a pity you can’t go with His Grace.”

Amy, who had readily come along, was more regretful than Riena.

“It can’t be helped since he’s busy.”

“Still! What could possibly keep him so busy? It’s unlike His Grace. Well, of course he would be busy, but…”

The reason Amy was upset was precisely because of the Empire’s culture.

Usually, it was the man who went to the woman’s family to seek permission for marriage.

In other words, in principle, it should have been Cassel, not Riena, meeting Viscountess Donovan.

Considering that Riena wasn’t simply visiting her aunt after a long time, but also going to receive permission for marriage, it would have been right for Cassel to accompany her.

‘But since Father sent a letter to His Grace, it’s as good as already having permission, isn’t it?’

To be precise, in the letter Count Dyke wrote to Cassel, it was a marriage proposal rather than permission, but she thought it was the same thing.

“It’s fine. I’m also going to see my aunt after a long time, so it’s better for me to go alone. If His Grace comes along, Auntie will probably be surprised.”

“If you say so, then there’s no choice.”

Although she didn’t show it, Riena was grateful to Amy for taking her side.

“And it’s not like His Grace has been neglecting me.”

Cassel was truly busy, not just in words.

Even when having dinner with Riena, he would check documents from time to time, and there were times when Rio would come to him requesting approval.

Still, he never missed a day of having dinner with her. Riena was sufficiently grateful for his consideration.

While chatting with Amy, the carriage soon arrived at the Donovan Viscount residence.

Viscountess Donovan, who had personally come out of the residence, greeted Riena with a bright smile.

“My goodness, Riena! How long has it been? It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face!”

Riena also smiled brightly at her.

“It’s been a long time, Auntie. Have you been well?”

“I’ve been doing well. As for you… There’s no need to even ask. You must have suffered so much heartache.”

Viscountess Donovan’s eyes reddened as she looked at Riena. She took Riena’s hand and led her inside the residence.

“Let’s go inside and talk for now. We have so much to discuss.”

“Indeed.”

Riena was guided to the parlor attached to Viscountess Donovan’s room.

Not the simple guest reception parlor, but being brought to the parlor connected to her room showed that Viscountess Donovan still cherished Riena dearly.

The Viscountess dismissed the maid who brought the refreshments. Then, personally pouring tea into the cups, she said,

“I heard the news about your father. I wanted to attend the funeral, but I thought the sight of the former wife’s sister attending the funeral wouldn’t sit well with the Countess. So I couldn’t bring myself to go. I’m sorry.”

Riena shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. I’m grateful for your heart.”

“No. Seeing your face, I feel like I’ve been too indifferent. I should have paid more attention to you… I can’t face your mother. If she knew I had neglected you like this, she would surely be angry.”