“Miss Hailey Salmon.”

“……Yes.”

Hailey drooped her shoulders like a misbehaving student summoned to the principal’s office, her head bowed low. This time, she really had no excuse if she were to be kicked out. It was fortunate she had decided to leave on her own first.

“Have you finished packing?”

“……Yes.”

With the window behind him, Tayton sat at his desk, casting a steady gaze in her direction. The longer the silence stretched, the lower Hailey’s head sank.

“I must say.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“I’ve broken off the engagement with Princess Britton.”

“……Yes, Your Grace.”

“Aren’t you curious why I did?”

Tayton did not get angry. He didn’t raise his voice. He spoke in a tone lower and calmer than ever before.

That made it even scarier.

Hailey lowered her head as if she were about to dig into the ground and asked in a voice smaller than an ant’s.

“Why… did the engagement get called off…?”

“Miss Hailey Salmon.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Miss Hailey Salmon.”

“Yes, Your Grace?”

Only when the duke continued to call her name without answering did Hailey raise her head with a puzzled expression. Tayton, who met her gaze, gave her a gentle smile.

“It was because of you, Miss Hailey Salmon.”

“Ah…”

So it really was.

Her head drooped again as if weighed down by a heavy stone. If there were a saucer of water nearby, Hailey would have plunged her face into it without hesitation. Instead, she stared holes into the pattern of the carpet.

That looks like a cloud. Oh, and next to it, that one looks like an upside-down bear.

“Are you listening to me, Miss Hailey Salmon?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“They say that your request for a dance with me made Princess Britton a laughingstock. Apparently, her pride was deeply wounded.”

“…But Princess Irene also danced with Andrei Lermont.”

Hailey added in a tone tinged with injustice. Tayton barely suppressed a laugh at how she repeated exactly what he had said before.

He continued in an exceptionally solemn voice.

“It seems the gossip among the noble ladies dealt quite the blow. Even His Majesty the King couldn’t contain the fallout. As you know, Miss Salmon, women tend to be quite delicate creatures.”

“…Yes.”

Hailey nodded reluctantly. She was the one who had rejected the duke and chosen to dance with Andrei. Yet now, Princess Irene was acting the victim out of nowhere. Hailey couldn’t make sense of it at all.

But status was everything. If Irene said so, then it was so. Hailey pushed her pouty lower lip inward, struggling to hide her sulky expression.

“And now, I’ve become a shameless philanderer who insulted Princess Irene by dancing with another woman while I had a fiancée.”

“But…!”

Hailey raised her voice again, but Tayton added nonchalantly,

“Regardless of the truth, that’s how people will see it.”

“…Yes.”

Hailey answered quickly, her voice downcast. Now he’d be branded not just as the cursed duke, but also as a philanderer. He would probably be condemned as the villain who made Princess Irene cry.

And it was all her fault. That fact weighed on her far more heavily than she had expected.

“Now then, let me pose a question.”

Startled by the sudden change in topic, Hailey’s eyes widened. The guilt in her light green eyes was briefly replaced by confusion.

“A shameless philanderer who toyed with Princess Britton.”

“……”

“Or a romantic gentleman who abandoned the princess for a fated love with the poor daughter of a baron.”

“……”

“Which one do you think would appeal more to the public?”

“Uh…”

Hailey unintentionally let out a foolish sound. Her mind began spinning. 

‘So what I’m thinking is right, then?’ Just as she looked up at Tayton with uncertain eyes—

His silver eyes, bathed in sunlight, sparkled like crystal beads. Hailey found herself staring. Her eyes grew dazed.

And in that moment, Tayton whispered softly,

“Miss Hailey Salmon.”

So she answered a beat too late.

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

“As an adult, don’t you think it’s only right to take responsibility for your actions? If he’s the man I believe him to be, even the kind-hearted Baron Salmon would have taught his daughter that much.”

“……”

“Unless, of course, you have the means to pay an astronomical amount in damages. Then the conversation would change.”

“……”

Of course, she didn’t. If she did, she would have fixed Kent Hall’s roof long ago. Tayton knew that as well.

“Even if you grew up in the countryside, Miss Hailey Salmon, surely you don’t believe a broken engagement with the royal family would come without compensation, do you?”

Hailey nodded blankly. “Good,” Tayton replied, his voice laced with a faint chuckle.

“I have no intention of paying that massive sum for something that wasn’t even my fault. And unfortunately for you, Miss Hailey Salmon, my lawyer is very competent.”

Wait—he meant that compensation…?

“So I hope to see more responsible behavior from you going forward, Miss Hailey Salmon.”

Hailey blinked dumbly, not quite processing what she’d just heard. Her light green eyes finally showed signs of distress.

For some reason, a chill crept down her spine.

***

「The Duke of Gunner’s New Fiancée! Miss Hailey Salmon, the Meteor That Shook High Society.」

Daniel dropped the newspaper from his hands and stared at Hailey with a blank expression. Under his gaze, Hailey bowed her head deeply, as if silently scolded.

“Hailey.”

“…Yes.”

Even the duke always called her name before saying something unpleasant. Now, she was already sick of hearing the name Hailey.

“If I’m not mistaken, didn’t I tell you to return home?”

“…Yes.”

“But the duke’s new fiancée? What on earth is going on? There wasn’t a single word about this until the day before yesterday! No, more importantly, how could you get engaged without Father’s and my permission? This engagement is unacceptable.”

Hailey hung her head with a tearful expression. She didn’t know how things had gotten so tangled either.

If she could turn back time, she would. The problem was, she didn’t have the ability to do so.

“Uh, well… as a proper adult who must take responsibility for her actions…”

“Hailey…!”

Daniel called out to her with a face as pale as a sheet. His voice sounded so serious that Hailey’s expression stiffened as well.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Did something happen between you and the duke?”

Daniel, choosing his words carefully, asked with extreme caution. Hailey tilted her head, not understanding his intent, and replied, “Pardon?”

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat, Daniel reluctantly opened his mouth again. With an awkward expression, he avoided her gaze.

“Did you… perhaps get pregnant…?”

“No!”

Hailey shook her head with a horrified expression. Thinking that wasn’t enough, she even waved her hands frantically. Seeing her reaction, Daniel let out a sigh of relief.

“Then why on earth…?”

Before he could finish his sentence, the drawing room door swung open. Daniel, who had instinctively turned to look, wore a startled expression at the unexpected visitor.

“Duke Gunner.”

He was quite shocked to see the duke in person for the first time. Just like the rumors said, he wore a black velvet mask that covered his face, making him look bizarre.

But that wasn’t the issue right now. Daniel quickly tensed his eyes and glared at the duke. Tayton’s lips curved with amusement.

“Daniel Salmon, was it?”

Tayton approached and sat on the sofa. Daniel and Hailey, who had been standing in confrontation, also sat back down.

“Yes. Do you know me, My Lord?”

Daniel looked a little surprised that someone of such high status knew who he was.

“You’re going to be my brother-in-law. Of course, I should know you.”

Brother-in-law.

Mouthing the word silently, Daniel’s face turned ashen. Tayton watched him with a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

Hailey shook her head quietly toward Daniel. As if to say, it’s easier if you just give up. After all, no one could win an argument against the duke.

“You attend the Royal Academy, don’t you?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“You needn’t worry about the remaining tuition. I’ll support Baron Salmon as well. Supporting the family of my fiancée is a gentleman’s duty, is it not?”

“Ugh.”

Daniel clenched his fists and furrowed his brows. His gaze turned to Hailey, who sat beside the duke. Compared to the towering duke, his small and innocent-looking younger sister seemed even more fragile.

A princess captured by a monster.

Daniel forced a bitter smile, inwardly hoping a hero would appear from somewhere.

“Hailey is still a mischievous girl who hasn’t even received proper training as a bride. For her to be the fiancée of the great Duke Gunner… it’s ridiculous. Absolutely not.”

The sudden verbal blow left Hailey’s head spinning. She shot Daniel a resentful look, as if betrayed by someone she trusted. The attacks from allies always hurt more than those from enemies.

Tayton responded with a relaxed smile.

“I’m well aware. She slacks off behind the beech trees whenever she has free time, or sits on the dirt chatting with the stable hands. She runs around every single day, and Marty never stops scolding her. That’s not all. She never turns down food. Of all the women I know, she must be the biggest eater. She probably doesn’t gain weight because she causes trouble every single day.”

Daniel’s deep green eyes slowly moved. He looked at Hailey with a stunned expression. Apparently, he hadn’t really meant the “mischievous” comment earlier.

Meeting his gaze, Hailey lightly shrugged her shoulders, as if to say it wasn’t her fault.

Swallowing a silent sigh, Daniel turned back to the duke.

“Yes, well… she’s still not fit to become Your Grace’s fiancée. I worry that Hailey will become the subject of gossip. She may not look it, but she’s a very sensitive girl. Please reconsider the engagement.”

“Don’t worry. I am a gentleman broad-minded enough to accept all of Miss Hailey Salmon’s shortcomings. As you may already know, I wasn’t the one who requested the dance. It was Miss Hailey Salmon. Thanks to that, I was rejected by Princess Britton.”