Chapter 51

The three invitations I had handed over, Nine pulled back and placed in front of me again.

‘…What?’

Stunned, I looked at his expression again, but it seemed I hadn’t misheard.

‘Why not?’

Like the other retainers of Eclipse, I had thought Nine would naturally welcome my participation in society.

But instead of welcoming me, he rejected it outright.

The unexpected reaction startled me so much that I set my teacup down with a clatter.

“……”

“……”

Silence sank between us.

I tried to guess the reason for his refusal, and only one came to mind.

Just as Norman had followed me all the way to Count Blueberry’s estate, it must be because Nine still lacked trust in me.

I had thought that his recent behavior showed he was beginning to feel some affection for me, but perhaps that wasn’t enough.

Disappointment welled up, but I quickly shifted my thoughts.

‘Well, affection and trust are two different matters.’

Even if his attitude toward me had changed, the matter of the love potion still hadn’t been settled.

And this was the capital. I had far more freedom of movement here than in the North, so it was only natural if his wariness of me had risen again.

Just as neither of us could break the silence, a sigh sounded from behind Nine.

“Sigh…”

Norman, who had been working at his desk, stood up with a heavy sigh.

Both Nine and I turned our eyes to him.

“If you don’t explain your reasoning, Lady Chacha will misunderstand.”

‘Misunderstand?’

Puzzled, I tilted my head. Nine also looked confused.

Norman frowned as if exasperated, rubbed his face, and muttered under his breath: “You two are exactly the same.”

Lifting his head, he glanced at Nine, then realizing we didn’t understand, he turned toward me.

“The Duke is refusing because he’s worried about you, Lady Chacha.”

“…What?”

Worried?

About whom?

Blinking blankly at Norman, I turned to Nine as if to ask if that was true. He gave a small nod.

Norman adjusted his glasses, not bothering to hide his frustration, and spoke to us both.

“The Eclipse Duchy’s standing in society is weak. Because of that, there are many noble houses that look down on us, despite our rank. And now, the Duchess herself is only barely twenty.”

“……”

“To them, you are the perfect prey.”

Only then did I understand why Nine was worried about me.

Norman was pointing out the social reality of Eclipse that I also knew very well.

They simply didn’t know how accustomed I was to high society.

I had proven my competence in administration, but never in society—never in the nobles’ games of words and power.

‘But surely they’ve heard the rumors about me alongside Helena? They must know I’m not someone so easily pushed around…’

The thought passed briefly through my mind, but their underestimation didn’t feel unpleasant.

If anything, it meant they trusted the me they had met, rather than the rumors they had heard.

And more than anything else—Nine was worried about me.

That alone was enough to sweep away my disappointment and fill me with joy.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

I smiled at the two pairs of watchful eyes fixed on me.

Seeing that, Nine rose from the sofa, as if to conclude the conversation.

“Then let’s end the matter here—”

“But.”

He froze mid-step and turned back to me.

I met his gaze squarely and once again held out the three invitations I had returned.

“Even so, I want to participate in society.”

I was glad he worried for me, and I understood his reasoning.

Most twenty-year-olds would indeed find a society with no allies unbearably difficult.

And truthfully, accepting his opinion would make things easier for me.

‘But no.’

I had to take part in society.

Nine didn’t know it, but what awaited me after divorce depended entirely on this season’s society.

In the end, though the conversation dragged on, I managed to persuade both Nine and Norman.

I couldn’t prove my abilities yet, nor could I reveal my true motives, so it had taken some detours, but it worked.

However—

“Since you insist, I can’t stop you. Please attend at ease.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

“But there are conditions.”

“…Conditions?”

The first: I was not to remain at any event for more than three hours.

“I will personally come to fetch you when the time is up.”

“What?”

“I apologize that I cannot stay with you there.”

“Ah, no, that’s quite alright.”

I was startled at his offer to fetch me, but even more so at what followed.

He spoke as if he truly regretted not being able to accompany me. His sincerity left me speechless.

But it couldn’t be helped.

He was unaccustomed to society, and in any case, titled men rarely attended such gatherings.

And the second condition—

‘Though only a handful within Eclipse know of your pregnancy, it is still a delicate time. So you must take a knight with you inside the venue.’

Saying this, Nine assigned me three female knights, rare even in the North.

His consideration left me dumbfounded again, but since it was hardly a burden, I quickly agreed.

Even so, he worried until the very moment I departed, repeating over and over that I must be careful, that I must tell him if anything happened.

“Pfft…”

The memory made me laugh to myself.

Thus, in a carriage passing the familiar streets of the capital, I arrived at the Regwin Duchy’s townhouse.

The first event I had chosen to attend was the Regwin Duchess’s tea party.

Had no invitation come, I might not have gone, but once invited, it was proper to make hers my first call.

‘Besides, I can take the chance to gauge her temperament in society, since she wasn’t at the imperial ball.’

As the people nearby spotted the crest on my carriage, a ripple of murmurs spread.

Escorted by a knight, I stepped down to be greeted by a graceful lady whose face was marked by illness, and an elderly attendant at her side.

I smiled warmly.

“Good day, Duchess Regwin. Your garden is truly beautiful.”

“Thank you for coming, Duchess Eclipse. I prepared the tea outdoors—it’s a blessing that the weather is so fine.”

“Yes, I’m glad to enjoy such a lovely garden on such a day. Thank you for inviting me.”

At the meeting of two Duchesses, I could feel the eyes of young ladies and noblewomen shift toward us, though they feigned indifference.

But contrary to their expectations, I shared no ill will with Duchess Regwin, and the mood was not unpleasant.

Yet, the moment I stepped into the tea garden—

“Oh my, we meet again here, Duchess Eclipse.”

At the sound of that familiar voice, the air in the garden fell into a chilly silence.

‘Haah…’

I had braced myself for it, but it seemed this social season truly would be a rough one.

There she stood, waiting at the entrance as though to greet me herself—Helena.

I returned the greeting.

“Indeed, we meet again, Lady Oswald.”

I had often wondered why Helena, clever enough to graduate second in class from Dragonia Academy, used her brains like this.

Casting a sidelong glance, I noted the mood of the tea party.

Helena had always been obsessed with her reputation in society. Unlike me, who had gone north after graduation, she had remained in the capital, consolidating her position.

“Ah, so that’s the lady Helena mentioned…”

The young noblewomen already present whispered while stealing glances at me.

‘Hmm. I expected this, but the air is even more hostile than I thought.’

I turned my eyes back to Helena.

Her lips curved in a smile, but her gaze held no trace of it.

The eyes locked solely on me brimmed with hostility.

In that moment, I understood clearly what she wanted.

Helena longed to take Nine from me and punish me for betraying her—by utterly destroying my reputation, leaving me unable to hold my head high in society.

Her intent was so blatant that nothing else showed in her eyes.

There was nothing but pure malice there.

A gaze driven solely by vengeance.

A pang of heaviness struck me as I looked at her.

She was the story’s villainess, yes.

And though I had drawn close to her only to fulfill my role—

‘Still, I was once her closest friend.’

Even if Helena herself would insist I was merely her subordinate.