Chapter 4 (Part 2)

As soon as Plarad saw Chloe, he began bombarding her with questions about Reinis, asking if she was doing well and expressing his concerns for her.  

While Chloe responded with a kind voice, irritation bubbled up inside her.  

‘What’s so special about Reinis that he’s acting like this? She’s not as pretty as me, nor is she particularly popular in society. Even the Knight Commander and the other men—why don’t any of them have better taste!’  

As Chloe fumed silently, Plarad finally brought up the main topic.  

“Lady Teyshire, the Marquis mentioned that you have an invitation to the Duke’s manor. Is that true?”  

At his question, Chloe hid her bursting smile and put on a troubled expression.  

“Yes… But that invitation was meant for Ren’s friends.”  

“Oh, I see… I understand. But, Lady Teyshire, since you are so close to Lady Reinis, surely you could get as many invitations as you’d like, couldn’t you?”  

“That may be true, but Ren has no intention of marrying you, Earl. I want to respect Ren’s wishes and bless her happiness, so I can’t give this invitation to you, Earl.”  

As Plarad spoke, Chloe, as if she had been waiting for this moment, pulled out a red invitation from her belongings.  

When Plarad saw the invitation, stamped with the black seal of the Duke’s manor, he couldn’t let this opportunity slip away and began pleading.  

The Marquis, knowing Chloe would never hand over the invitation herself, sided with Plarad.  

In the end, Chloe reluctantly handed the invitation to the Marquis and said, 

“Father, I just want my friend to be happy. So, please… I hope you won’t give this invitation to Earl Plarad.”  

Having performed her act flawlessly, Chloe hurried back to her room and began writing a letter. It was a message to Reinis, telling her that she had something urgent to say and would visit her as soon as the sun rose.  

“Miss, should I send the letter?”  

“No. I need to confirm whether Father gave the invitation to Earl Plarad after he leaves. If he didn’t, sending the letter would only embarrass Father unnecessarily.”

After finishing her letter, Chloe responded to the maid’s question.  

‘If Reinis marries the Knight Commander, I’ll be able to visit the Duke’s manor freely. So, Earl Plarad must be made into the villain.’  

Everything was proceeding according to her plan.  

After confirming that Earl Plarad had left, Chloe sought out the Marquis and, as expected, learned that her father had handed the invitation to the Earl.  

“Deliver this letter to Reinis, but make sure no one else knows about it.”  

Chloe handed the letter to a young maid at the lowest rank. Watching the maid walk away with the letter, Chloe smiled.  

‘There’s no way the Duke’s manor will accept a letter without my seal. Tomorrow, at sunrise, I’ll head straight to the Duke’s manor and claim that the letter was returned, making me worried enough to come in person!’  

* * *  

“A surprise visit… What brings you here?”  

Reinis, startled by the news of an early morning visitor, headed to the drawing room.  

Thanks to Theodore’s ban on her family entering the manor, the only person who could visit her was Chloe.  

“I came too suddenly, didn’t I? I’m sorry… But I had something I absolutely needed to tell you, Ren. I sent a letter yesterday evening, but it was returned, so I thought I had to let you know as soon as possible, which is why I came so early.”  

“Something you absolutely had to tell me?”  

At her question, Chloe stepped closer to Reinis.  

“Ren! You know I’m on your side, right? I truly support you marrying someone you genuinely love, and I just want you to know that I only wish for your happiness.”  

Reinis, overwhelmed by Chloe’s passionate gaze as she tightly held her hands, unconsciously nodded.  

“I… I really told him not to… but… Father…”  

Chloe lowered her head, as if she couldn’t bring herself to continue.  

“What happened?” 

Chloe struggled to suppress the laughter that threatened to escape at Reinis’s worried voice.  

‘How is everything going exactly as I planned? Reinis will probably never, in her entire life, experience this feeling.’  

With that thought, Chloe composed her expression and raised her head to look at her. Her reddened eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke to Reinis.  

“Earl Plarad… took the invitation away from me.”  

At that moment, Reinis’s heart sank with a heavy thud. Even though she knew Chloe wasn’t truly her friend, Chloe was the only person she could call a friend. A whirlwind of thoughts swirled in Reinis’s mind.  

‘Could it be that Earl Plarad harmed Chloe? Maybe… maybe he forcibly took the invitation or even threatened her. If it’s the Earl Plarad I know, he’s certainly capable of doing such things for the sake of his mistress.’  

As Reinis tried to comfort the crying Chloe, anger slowly began to fill her gaze.  

‘How could he do this to such a fragile woman…?’  

Noticing that Reinis was angry, Chloe let her tears fall even more dramatically as she continued speaking.  

“Ren, you have someone you’re supposed to marry… and I support the two of you… I should’ve torn up the invitation so Earl Plarad couldn’t take it…”  

“No, if you had tried to stop Earl Plarad from taking it by force, you could’ve been seriously hurt, Chloe. Don’t feel too upset about it; I’m fine.”  

By the time Reinis had finally managed to calm Chloe down, Emma and Yuria, sensing the situation, had prepared tea and brought it over. Once the teacups were set on the table, Chloe finally stopped crying.  

“Are you hurt anywhere?”  

When Reinis asked with genuine concern, Chloe responded with a bitter smile and nodded.  

“Yes. Thanks to my father being with me, I was fortunate… But now that Earl Plarad has taken the invitation, what should I do? What if he comes looking for you and causes another commotion…?”  

At Chloe’s words, Reinis bit her lower lip tightly.  

It was already infuriating enough that he had caused a scene at the Duke’s manor, but the thought of him causing trouble elsewhere only made her angrier. Most of all, she was enraged that he had harmed others under the pretense of wanting to see her.  

“If he does something like that… I’ll make sure to spread rumors about everything he’s done to you, Chloe!”  

Reinis, with a resolute gaze, finished speaking and looked at Chloe.  

Startled by the sudden change in her expression, Chloe flinched. She had never seen such a look before.  

Even at social gatherings, no matter how cruelly others treated her, Reinis would always smile foolishly without batting an eye. Chloe had never imagined that Reinis could ever have such a fierce and intense look in her eyes.  

‘Does she truly believe that Earl Plarad did something terrible to me… and is genuinely worried about me?’  

Chloe, feeling flustered, awkwardly laughed and shook her head.  

“N-no, I’m fine. I’m actually more worried about you, Ren. What if you and the Knight Commander get scolded by His Grace because of me? What if the two of you end up fighting…? All I want is for you to be happy, Ren.”  

“Lady Chloe…”  

To Reinis, those words were deeply moving.  

‘Chloe cared enough about me to stand up to Earl Plarad… I always thought she only saw me as a tool to make herself look better. But maybe Chloe truly sees me as her friend…’  

Noticing Reinis’s thoughts, Chloe inwardly rejoiced and tightly held Reinis’s hands.  

“Ren! Don’t forget! I’m here cheering for you. If anything troubles you, you can always lean on me.”  

“Thank you, Lady Chloe.”  

Moved by Chloe’s actions, Reinis’s eyes welled up with tears.  

The reason Reinis accepted Chloe’s words so earnestly was largely due to Theodore. Through him, she had come to realize that genuine kindness toward others could exist. Because of this, she believed Chloe’s intentions were sincere. More than anything, despite being used by Chloe, she was still the only person Reinis could call a friend. Hearing Chloe say she cared for her made it impossible for her not to be swayed.  

As the two enjoyed their tea time, Rio, the instigator of the recent incident, heard about the reconciliation between the two and went to Theodore’s office.  

“That’s a relief. So, the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”  

“What about the tutor?”  

“I’m looking into it. I’ll make sure to choose someone from a reputable family who knows how to keep their mouth shut.”  

Without responding to Rio’s comment, Theodore returned his focus to the documents in front of him. Rio, as if accustomed to this, made his way to the sofa and sat down.  

Noticing Rio settling in instead of leaving, Theodore frowned in displeasure and spoke.  

“Do you have something else to say?”  

Rio, unfazed by his stern tone, pulled out the marriage permit he had been carrying.  

“Are you sure you won’t regret this?”  

At the word “regret,” Theodore paused and looked at Rio.  

“What do you mean by that?”  

“I’m saying this because you must already know how difficult divorce is for nobles. Both you and the lady barely know each other yet.”  

Indeed, divorce among nobles was no easy matter.