Chapter 56

The next day, I acutely felt the aftermath of the ballroom’s Cinderella ending.

“Did you hear about Count Bernard’s ball yesterday?”

“Of course! It’s the most famous story right now!”

The moment I stepped into a popular cafeteria in the capital, which had been my favorite spot since my academy days, I heard chattering voices. Since I had already attended a couple of social events, I had ventured out today specifically to hear the rumors firsthand.

It was possible because my attire was ordinary, and by calling a common, albeit simple, carriage favored by nobles, no one recognized me since I had been careful.

Even now, the noble young ladies chatting by the window continued to spread rumors about me, completely unaware that I was Duchess Eclipse.

“I was there, and seriously, none of the rumors about Duke Eclipse are true!”

“And because of the sudden marriage, there were so many stories about the Duchess, too! Like the Duke blackmailed her into marriage, or he kidnapped her for her family’s trading company!”

“BUT IT’S NOT TRUE!”

Since they were young ladies, their voices grew louder as they got excited. Though they pretended otherwise, the other customers seemed to be listening in, but thankfully, no one complained.

I took a sip of the tea on the table and listened.

“The cool, wild handsomeness you can’t find just anywhere, those long legs that look as tall as me, and those broad shoulders a passing bird could land on!”

“That handsome man, the Duke himself, suddenly emerged from the balcony carrying the Duchess in his arms!”

“Later, someone saw a pair of shoes dropped on the balcony. So, he carried her because the Duchess’s feet were hurting!”

The young ladies, engrossed in the romantic gossip, squealed and started pouring out all sorts of stories. How stunning Nine’s looks were when they first saw him, whether I saw them whispering to each other…

I quickly drank my tea to cool down my increasingly red face.

“Maybe they fell in love at first sight?”

“Oh, how affectionate their glances were towards each other!”

“Ah, I’m so jealous!”

“Cough, cough!”

I choked on my tea as the story drifted further and further from the truth. The young ladies whose conversation had been interrupted gave me sharp looks, but it was just because their chat was broken; fortunately, they didn’t seem to recognize me.

As I couldn’t lift my flushed face, Annie rubbed my back and smiled teasingly.

“Hehehehe…”

“…”

It was a little… no, quite embarrassing, but the fact that the negative rumors about me had subsided was good news.

Moreover, as the rumors about me changed, the standing of one particular person had dropped conversely.

“If you think about it, Lady Oswald just looks foolish, doesn’t she?”

It was Helena.

She had been a well-known figure in society since her debut, and thus, many people remembered her actions.

“I heard she followed the Duke everywhere, even during the Academy days. And she even tormented the other young ladies who followed the Duke, too!”

“Oh my!”

“Actually, there are also whispers that Lady Oswald spread all the malicious rumors about the Duke to get revenge on him for choosing the Duchess.”

“Can’t you tell just by looking? It must be true! Lady Oswald has been manipulating the social scene for a long time.”

As the negative rumors about Nine and me subsided, public opinion about Helena was rapidly turning sour. This was a stroke of luck for me, as I was wary of her.

‘She’ll be more careful now.’

Since her standing in society was important to her, Helena wouldn’t dare make a move until she could reverse the public opinion. In the meantime, my social season as Duchess Eclipse would end.

***

After going out, I washed up, feeling weary, and was now standing on the balcony, enjoying the fresh air in light attire.

*Knock, knock.*

“Come in.”

“Excuse me, Lady Chacha.”

It was Van who came to see me.

On the silver tray he carried was another large stack of invitations. This was a considerable amount, even after he had filtered out the unnecessary ones.

I suspected it was because Nine had gained a reputation as a devoted husband, leading people to hope that he might attend again by following me, the Duchess.

‘Besides, the Eclipse family hasn’t participated in social events until now.’

Many people would want to establish a connection with Nine through this opportunity. The only way to meet Nine was to use me, such as by inviting me to a ball.

Van showed me the pile of invitations and spoke with a cautious expression.

“Lady Chacha. You have already attended two events, so I wonder if you should cancel any further engagements…”

Van was one of the people, like Nine and Norman, who had constantly worried about my attendance at social events. Seeing him bring the invitations and speak to me like this, it seemed there were a few I needed to look at personally.

Invitations that were difficult for him to refuse on his own.

These specific invitations were placed right on top for me to see immediately.

“…”

I picked up a total of three envelopes and took out the invitations one by one.

One was for the Viscountess Cale’s Tea Party, who was known to be the current Emperor’s mistress. Another was Duke Oswald’s Dinner Party, Helena’s territory.

The last was Duke Mabelin’s Ball, a key part of the Imperial faction, unlike the Eclipse family, which had distanced itself from central politics and become closer to a neutral faction. Moreover, I had no personal relationship with them.

‘Indeed. They were worth bringing.’

I put down the invitations one by one and pondered.

First, the Viscountess Cale’s Tea Party. The Empire was monogamous, so even if the Cale family was part of the Emperor’s faction, we didn’t need to elevate the Emperor’s mistress. If anything, the Emperor should be watching the Eclipse family’s reactions.

And second, Duke Oswald’s Dinner Party. This required no thought.

‘She’ll definitely have something planned, and there’s no need to walk into the tiger’s den.’

Especially since I had no intention of catching the tiger.

And Duke Mabelin’s invitation…

“Why is Duke Mabelin, who didn’t even attend the Imperial Vanquet, inviting me?”

I tilted my head, unable to understand the invitation’s intention, so Van explained.

“Duke Mabelin did not attend the social season, but the Young Duke is participating.”

“Is that so?”

After a brief thought, I decided not to overcomplicate it. During the social season, it was customary to invite key social figures even if there was no prior friendship.

‘Besides, they are one of only four Ducal houses; shouldn’t we avoid hostility.’

***

I stood in front of Nine’s door feeling a little nervous.

I intended to ask Nine for his opinion on Duke Mabelin’s invitation, but he had gone straight to his room to rest the moment he arrived. I felt bad immediately bothering someone who was tired, so I gave it some time and came to his room as dinner approached.

‘Hmm…’

Since all the servants had been dismissed, the area around Nine’s room was quiet. This was the first time I had come to Nine’s room like this, and even though I was just coming to ask for his opinion, I felt tense.

“Phew.”

I let out a small breath and gently tapped, knock, knock, on the door.

However, after waiting a moment, there was no reaction from inside.

‘He was supposed to be in his room.’

Finally, I knocked again and spoke up.

“Excuse me, Your Grace. It’s me. Do you have a moment?”

The door slid open as soon as I finished speaking. I looked at Nine through the open doorway with relief.

“I apologize for disturbing your re—”

My words were instantly choked in my throat, and my eyes widened.

The person visible in the doorway was Nine, who looked drowsy, as if he had just woken up. If that was all, I wouldn’t have been so surprised.

Nine seemed to have been napping after a shower; his hair was slightly damp, and he was only wearing a single gown. The problem was that the front was completely open, fully revealing his firm chest.

Heat rushed to my face. I quickly covered my face with both hands and called out to him, almost screaming.

“Y-Your Grace!”

Nine seemed to have woken up fully at my voice. He looked down at his own state and was instantly startled. It seemed he hadn’t realized his attire because he had been sleeping. He also might not have expected me to visit.

“I-I apologize.”

Nine closed the door with a bang, his voice extremely flustered. I don’t know how he was putting on clothes, but I heard loud thudding and clattering noises from beyond the door.

I quickly fanned my face with my hands to cool down my flushed cheeks while he changed.

‘The c-capital is hot after all…’

Well, it’s certainly hotter than the North. I muttered to myself.