Chapter 3 (Part 2)

Rio, who had never paid much attention to social gossip, found her behavior quite different from other noble ladies. There was something cautious about her, and at times, she even displayed a faintly dark expression.  

It was clear to Rio that there must be some circumstances at play. The more time he spent with her, the harder it became to suppress his growing curiosity.  

Even though he knew his words might touch on a painful subject, Rio couldn’t resist speaking up to satisfy his curiosity.  

“That’s not even half of what most noble ladies own. To call this a lot… Was the Martin family really that poor?”  

There was no reply to his words. She simply looked at him with a bitter smile, her lips tightly shut.  

Feeling a strange sense of unease, Rio hastily added, 

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”  

“It’s fine. And thank you for picking out such beautiful dresses.”  

Reinis bowed her head in gratitude and left before Rio could stop her.  

From that day on, Reinis subtly avoided Rio. Even though she was well enough to come down to the dining room for meals, she feigned a leg injury and refused to leave her room.  

Eventually, Rio, frustrated, went to Theodore’s office.  

“I think the lady hates me.”  

“Hah…”  

Theodore let out an annoyed sigh at Rio’s behavior.  

Thud!  

He slammed the pen he was holding onto the desk and sat down across from Rio.  

“Why are you so concerned about the lady?”  

“Well, I mean…”  

Rio, at a loss for words, stared blankly at Theodore.  

‘Come to think of it, there’s no reason for me to be this concerned. It’s not like she’s going to be my wife anyway.’  

Awkwardly smiling, Rio quickly came up with an excuse.  

“I heard she was abused by her family. Of course, I can’t help but be concerned.”  

At those words, Theodore rubbed his forehead and let out a deep sigh.  

“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with, is it?”  

Rio knew in his head that Theodore was right, but feeling embarrassed, he responded in a playful tone.  

“What’s this? Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”  

“You idiot. Get out.”  

“Get out? If the lady finds out you said something like that to your dear friend, she’ll be disappointed.”  

Though Rio continued to speak playfully, his mind was in turmoil.  

The image of her giving that bitter smile and thanking him lingered in his thoughts. He couldn’t figure out why Reinis was occupying his mind so much.  

Rio, who had been subtly irritating Theodore, left the office just before he could explode.  

Lost in deep thought, Rio wandered aimlessly until his feet brought him to a stop in front of Reinis’s room. He was briefly startled by the realization that he had come here without any particular reason. But as he slowly turned his head toward the presence he felt behind him, he saw Reinis walking toward her room, returning from somewhere.  

“Sir Rio? What brings you to my room…?”  

“Oh, um… I… I was wondering if you’d like to go for a walk!”  

“But the sun has already set… A walk?”  

“The Duke’s manor’s garden is always more beautiful at night!”  

Noticing that Rio’s reaction was strange, Reinis furrowed her brows.  

“Sir Rio?”  

Her voice calling his name made his heart pound once again. Rio, trying his best to appear nonchalant, hurriedly shifted his gaze elsewhere.  

“Ah! On second thought… It’s… It’s too late today, so let’s do it tomorrow! Hahaha, well then, goodnight, my lady!”  

Awkwardly bidding farewell, Rio quickly passed her and headed toward his own room.  

It was strange. Until now, no woman had ever made his heart race like this. He had also never unconsciously sought out a lady’s room before.  

Closing the door behind him, Rio felt his heart beating faster than usual. It was pounding so loudly and rapidly that he could hear it in his own ears.  

Clutching his chest, Rio muttered to himself.  

“What’s… wrong with me…? Could it be… that I’m sick?”  

Initially, all he had wanted was to learn more about the woman whom the Duke said he would marry.  

After seeing Reinis’s dressing room, Rio had asked his secretary to investigate her background.  

“She seems to have been treated poorly by her family, and it was the same in social circles. She doesn’t appear to be someone who would plan on becoming a Duchess on her own. Moreover, her family has already accepted a marriage proposal from someone else, so it doesn’t seem like she approached His Grace with any ulterior motives, as you feared.”  

Hearing this, Rio understood why Reinis was different from other noble ladies.  

Though his secretary’s explanation was brief, just hearing that she had been poorly treated by both her family and society gave him a general idea of her circumstances.  

‘But how did she end up becoming friends with Chloe Teyshire, whom Nico disliked so much?’  

“Who would have thought such a day would come to the Duke’s manor…?”  

Heldor murmured to himself, gazing at the beautifully arranged tea table with an emotional expression.  

Since the passing of the late Duke and Duchess, the Duke’s manor had never once invited guests. Of course, aside from Rio, there had been no visitors who stayed at the manor, so it was only natural for Heldor and the manor’s staff to be excited. Among them, Emma was so overjoyed that she even shed tears.  

For the first time since Theodore became the Duke, an external guest was visiting the manor. The staff of the Duke’s manor were working harder than ever. Not only the chef, who was in charge of preparing the desserts—the centerpiece of any tea time—but also the maids and gardeners, who were decorating and setting the table, were united in their determination to host the most beautiful tea party.  

It was just one guest, but their preparations resembled those for a grand party with dozens or even hundreds of attendees. Witnessing this, Reinis couldn’t help but gape in astonishment.  

“Um… Sir Rio, are noble tea parties always this extravagant?”  

Reinis, who had been watching the enthusiastic staff, turned to Rio, who had approached and stopped beside her, and asked.  

“Some are extravagant, but not to this extent…”  

Trailing off, he thought to himself,  

‘Even the Crown Princess’s tea parties aren’t this over-the-top, so this is definitely excessive.’  

Since he knew why everyone was going to such lengths, he chose not to say it out loud.  

“By the way, what did you decide with Theo?”  

“I told him there’s no need to go out of his way to reveal his identity just because of me.”  

“Still, don’t you want to introduce your fiancé to your friend?”  

At Rio’s question, Reinis replied with a bright smile,  

“I can introduce him without revealing his identity, can’t I?”  

For some reason, her words made Rio’s heart pound again.  

‘Damn it, it’s happening again. I need to see a physician.’  

While Rio was lost in such thoughts, a servant arrived to inform them that Chloe would be arriving soon. The two of them then prepared to welcome her.  

Theodore, who had reluctantly dressed up under the insistence of the staff, approached the pair.  

“What’s this? Who are you trying to impress, dressing up like that?”  

At Rio’s teasing remark, Theodore furrowed his brows and turned his gaze to Reinis.  

“My lady, I’ve sent Miss Yuria to guide your friend’s carriage, which will soon arrive at the front gate.”  

Reinis, who had been momentarily mesmerized by Theodore’s kind smile as he met her gaze, snapped back to her senses only after hearing Yuria’s name and spoke.  

“Oh… Yes! You look wonderful!”  

She had intended to express her gratitude, but her true feelings slipped out instead.  

Theodore, who was looking at Reinis with a loving gaze as her face turned bright red, let out a faint laugh.  

“If the lady says so, then perhaps dressing up isn’t such a bad thing after all.”  

A rosy atmosphere flowed between the two.  

The staff watching them from the sidelines had warm smiles on their faces. Among them, only one person—Rio—was glaring at Reinis and Theodore with a dissatisfied expression.  

Without even realizing the look on his own face, Rio continued to shoot discontented glances their way until Chloe arrived, guided by Yuria.  

“Ren! What is going on here? Do you have any idea how worried I was?”  

Chloe rushed over in an instant, grabbing Reinis’s hands tightly and looking at her with a concerned expression.  

“I was so shocked to hear that you were staying at the Duke’s manor, a place I’ve only heard of in rumors! And more than that, I heard you were injured—was it serious? Are you feeling better now?”  

Though her tone was filled with concern, Chloe’s eyes darted around the room, making it seem as if her worry for Reinis wasn’t entirely genuine.  

“Yes… I’m fine. I’m sorry for making you worry.”  

“No, no. I’m just happy that you invited me like this, Ren. Do you know how worried the Baroness and Earl Plarad were when they said they’d only seen your face briefly?”  

“Ah……”  

Letting out a short sigh, Reinis lowered her head with a stiff expression.