Coldly casting off an old lover who was getting in the way of one’s bright future — wasn’t this a scene commonly seen both in plays and back alleys?

And this was exactly within Kalian’s expectations.

How messy had the rumors about Stella Ambrose that he’d heard been?

The rumors about Stella that those inferior guys had mentioned at that low-quality social club last time were on the mild side.

The rumors about her he’d heard in the military were extremely messy, extremely dirty, and disgusting.

Even among those who occasionally went on leave to the capital, there were guys who claimed to have touched Miss Ambrose’s chest and thighs.

They said she untied her ribbon strings herself when shown a red uniform and given a few coins.

Even so, since there was no one who claimed to have spent the night with her, he couldn’t tell whether she had some sense of chastity or was just clever.

He couldn’t tell.

‘I’ll know if I wait and see.’

Anyway, she was now the woman who would become his wife. Although the period would be limited.

Kalian lightly touched the thick envelope he had placed beside him.

He had originally come today to give this.

It was documents to enlighten Stella, who had obtained everything she wanted, to reality so she wouldn’t become arrogant.

If he presented this, he would know exactly which side she was on.

“Mommy! Look at this!”

A young girl’s laughter flowed in through the open carriage window. Naturally, Kalian’s gaze moved.

“This, this!”

Was it because he had just met Miss Stella Ambrose, or was it because he saw a girl of that age?

Naturally, old memories came to mind.

The party held to naturally let him meet the girl who would become his fiancée, the invited children of the same age, the party that continued until late, the forest, and.

“……”

The girl standing still with the moonlight behind her.

He might not have known she was a lost child.

Lost children usually cried making unpleasant sounds or screamed looking for their parents.

But that girl didn’t do that. She just stood quietly with the moonlight behind her, looking up at the sky.

……So at first, he thought she was a fairy.

The white dress with lace and ribbons, the brown hair swaying in the wind, the light green eyes that slowly looked at him when he made a sound.

Somehow, everything felt unreal at that time.

If it hadn’t been for the warmth he could grasp in his hands, if it hadn’t been for the smile that appeared with relief when she found her way, he might have mistaken her for a fairy for life.

But now.

“This is pretty!”

The child’s laughter faded away. Kalian closed the carriage window without regret.

The carriage ran diligently and arrived at the Rochester ducal residence.

“Have you returned, Your Grace?”

Wilter, who came out to greet him, looked at the envelope in Kalian’s hand.

“It seems you couldn’t deliver it.”

“Miss Ambrose showed me an interesting sight. I forgot to deliver it.”

“Shall I send someone separately to deliver it?”

At Wilter’s question, Kalian shook his head.

“She’s going to be my wife now, so I should deliver this much personally.”

Kalian, who smiled lightly, sat down on the terrace chair in his room. Wilter placed a newspaper that Kalian always read on the table and asked.

“Shall I bring some simple fruit and tea?”

“Make the tea strong.”

Kalian nodded and opened the newspaper. He began reading from the small sections.

Someone’s marriage news was printed small along with another person’s obituary, and in a slightly larger section was an article saying the new trade route was a scam.

It seemed like he could hear the pig-like wailing of those who had given up thinking with their own heads all the way here.

And what occupied the largest space was.

[ Prince Radny’s Imminent Return!

How Will He Accept His Two Brothers’ Tragedy? ]

‘It’s about time for him to return.’

Hadn’t he received a letter not long ago saying he had decided to return a bit early due to such a sad incident?

Now it was time to move properly. It was when Kalian was slowly drawing a picture in his mind.

“Your Grace.”

Wilter, who had set down slices of fruit and a cup of tea, carefully presented a letter to Kalian.

A letter with a red seal and gold decorations.

It was a letter from the imperial palace.

“Finally.”

Kalian smiled. Then he turned his head and fixed his gaze on the newspaper.

“Handle it appropriately.”

“Are you sure you don’t need to read it?”

“Is there any need to? It’s probably the special marriage permit I submitted not long ago.”

Although it was already finished underwater, the surface wasn’t.

Thanks to that, Kalian was following normal and general proposal methods.

He had sent a proposal to House Ambrose, waited for an answer accepting the proposal, and then submitted a special marriage permit to the king.

Not all nobles were like this, but high-ranking nobles like Kalian required the king’s permission to marry.

“But……”

When Wilter hesitated as if worried, Kalian kindly tore open the envelope and checked the contents inside.

His expectation was not wrong. It was a marriage permit with his name and Miss Ambrose’s name written on it.

“Your Grace.”

Kalian stared at Wilter as if telling him to speak.

“It seems House Ambrose doesn’t have the means to provide a dowry.”

Wilter lowered his voice as if someone might hear this fact that everyone knew.

“It seems we’ll have to handle all the wedding preparations on our side.”

It was a house that couldn’t give a single penny of dowry for their precious daughter.

Naturally, they wouldn’t have the means to prepare a wedding for that daughter either.

“Then we’ll handle everything on our side.”

Kalian nodded indifferently without taking his eyes off the newspaper.

Just from his voice, it sounded so calm that one might think someone else was getting married, not him.

“Understood. Then I’ll send a letter to House Ambrose so the young lady can choose the dress and accessories she’ll wear at the wedding……”

“Is there a need for that?”

Kalian folded the newspaper.

“I know Miss Ambrose’s taste well.”

“Pardon?”

Wilter reflexively questioned back.

As far as he knew, the two had only met a few times, so how could he be so confident?

“Vulgarly.”

The butler’s curiosity soon turned to shock.

“Make it as gorgeous as possible, materialistic, and beautiful enough to hide her rotten insides.”

Kalian smiled.

“Because that’s Miss Stella Ambrose’s taste.”

⁕⁕⁕

The wedding of Duke Rochester and Miss Ambrose, which had been the talk of society, was extremely lavish.

The cost of fresh flowers decorating the wedding venue alone was equivalent to several years’ living expenses for commoners, and the tablecloths were the finest goods brought from distant foreign countries.

The teacups for guests were silver, the plates were gold, and the utensils were made of ivory.

Really.

“……How vulgar.”

It was utterly inharmonious.

The person who took a sip of tea frowned.

“Because the teacups are made of silver, they’re dulling all the fragrance and taste of this precious tea.”

“That’s not all.”

Another person also fanned themselves while surveying the overly decorated interior of the church.

“Miss Ambrose seems to believe that the biggest flowers are the most beautiful, doesn’t she? All the flower decorations are excessive.”

“That belief seems to apply when choosing jewels too. Look at that vase. To think she’d bring a vase studded with such large gems into a church that should be sacred and modest.”

“It would be better to know nothing at all. How will they change the commoners’ taste to something aristocratic?”

“Duke Rochester and the Grand Madam will have some trouble ahead.”

People’s murmuring spread thickly through the wedding venue that should have been filled with blessings.

When that sound reached the bridal waiting room, Stella’s head dropped down.

Will I be okay?

Stella, wearing a pure white dress, just froze while tightly gripping her bouquet.

‘Will I be able to live well from now on?’

She hadn’t hoped for the miracle of marrying someone she loved like her parents, but she had believed she could marry someone who knew how to respect each other.

Reality was far too different.

Duke Rochester, who would become her husband, despised her, and she hadn’t even properly sorted out her feelings about such a duke yet.

‘And duchess.’

Managing even a few servants and a small mansion required a lot of work.

That’s why girls learned from their mothers and governesses from a young age, receiving bridal lessons and learning how to manage estates and command people.

But she had never learned such things.

All she had learned so far was how to survive on the streets.

For such a person to become the mistress managing House Rochester, of all places.

‘No.’

It was still unknown.

Would the duke who despised her give her the duchess’s room?

He might rather give her some small room and give the duchess’s room to someone he truly loved.

“……”

At the imagination that made her feel sad just thinking about it, Stella smiled sadly.

The emotions she still hadn’t sorted out were stabbing at Stella’s chest.

“Sister.”

“Sanderson?”

It was almost time for the wedding to begin.

Sanderson, who should have been sitting in the front row with Mother and Mary, was entering the bridal waiting room.

“Sister.”

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Did something happen to Mother or Mary? Did Mother’s coughing fit start again, or did Mary cause some trouble?

She asked with a worried heart, but Sanderson just rolled his eyes with his mouth tightly shut. His face looked somewhat sulky.

“Sister, let’s run away!”

Suddenly, unexpected words burst out. Once they started, words poured out like a waterfall.

“Everyone here is strange! They’re saying this and that about you! Fortunately, Mother and Mary don’t seem to have heard properly, but it’s really strange! Normally people don’t say such things when family is around!”

“Sanderson.”