「Fateful Love Story Between Duke Gunner and Miss Hailey Salmon Revealed. How Did Hailey Salmon, the Poor Daughter of a Baronet, Capture a Duke’s Heart?」

Irene threw the newspaper from her hands. Her maid, Margaret, quickly refilled her teacup. Irene took a deep breath and gripped the cup with both hands.

As the warmth seeped into her palms, the sharp edges of her anger slightly dulled. From between her red lips came a cold voice.

“There was a reason the royal family announced that the Duke would not respond to anything regarding the broken engagement. And then the day after the breakup, he announces a new engagement. How insidious and cunning.”

Margaret picked up the crumpled newspaper and placed it back on the table. Then she sat where the newspaper had been just moments before.

“Whether this romance with Miss Hailey Salmon is real or fake, public opinion is bound to shift drastically. Even the royal maids were gossiping about His Grace Duke Gunner just yesterday, but today they’re chattering about the love story between the two. After all, a baronet’s daughter—who’s basically a commoner—and an engagement with a duke, the pinnacle of nobility? Naturally, it draws attention.”

“Hah, romance? Duke Gunner? Don’t be ridiculous, Maggie. Of course it’s a lie.”

Irene snapped coldly. Her eyes were just as icy as her voice, like a frozen lake. Margaret nodded in agreement with a sympathetic look.

“Yes. That’s true.”

“Do you think it was sincere when that man asked me to dance? No, he just didn’t want to be criticized as my fiancé. You should’ve seen the look in Duke Gunner’s eyes when he asked me to dance, Maggie. They were freezing cold. That man in love? I’ve never heard a more absurd joke.”

“But according to the article, they say the Duke of Gunner really looked like a man in love at that banquet.”

At those words, Irene pressed her lips tightly together. She stared into the air as if the Duke of Gunner were standing there.

She recalled the sight of the Duke of Gunner dancing with Hailey Salmon. Yes, the way he whispered sweet nothings into her ear and smiled gently looked unmistakably like a man in love.

“That calculating, sinister man? I’ll bet he even breathes according to plan.”

Irene did not accept that the Duke of Gunner had fallen in love. No, she didn’t want to.

She hated the Duke of Gunner intensely, but the fact that he had fallen in love and broken off their engagement was a blow to her pride.

Even though she had achieved the breakup she wanted, Irene felt no sense of victory. It felt like she was dancing in the palm of his hand.

“There’s definitely some scheme at play. And…”

She paused, biting her lip slightly.

“Father must have some kind of plan too.”

“His Majesty the King?”

“Otherwise, he wouldn’t have so readily allowed the engagement to be broken. He used to glare so fiercely every time I brought it up and told me to endure.”

“Isn’t Your Highness perhaps overthinking it?”

“No.”

Irene shook her head with a look of certainty.

“Something’s definitely going on, Maggie. Something I don’t know about, something very secret.”

She no longer wanted to be just another piece in her father’s grand game. But there was nothing she could do.

To bloom beautifully like a flower, marry the most powerful man, and thereby enrich the royal family—that was the purpose of her existence.

“Poor Miss Hailey Salmon. If what you say is true, then she’s also being forced into an engagement she doesn’t want.”

“Hailey Salmon.”

Irene softly murmured her name. The name of the pitiable woman who had become the new scapegoat in her place.

***

“Miss Hailey, please raise your arms. Yes, that’s good.”

“Madam Mastis, what do you think of this? It’s the latest design trending in the capital.”

“Would you like to take a look at our catalogue? We have many new items. Fresh designs not yet revealed to the noble ladies of the capital.”

Hailey looked around the room with anxious eyes, and eventually, her expression crumpled into one of distress.

“What is all this, Marty?”

At her call, Madam Mastis, who had been rapidly giving orders and making decisions, stopped what she was doing. She turned to Hailey, placing both hands on her hips.

Hailey still looked around the room in bewilderment, meeting the gaze of each person—the tailor measuring her, the designer discussing dress patterns, the jeweler handing over the catalogue.

Her head was spinning. Madam Mastis frowned slightly, as if wondering how Hailey could ask such an obvious question.

“You’re about to become the Duke’s fiancée. You can’t keep wearing those kinds of dresses. It would damage the Duke’s reputation.”

“But this is just too…”

The word overwhelming vanished without a trace under the gaze of Madam Mastis’s frowning eyes.

“Maintain your dignity as the Duke’s fiancée.”

“…Yes.”

The engagement was scheduled for a month later. But as the Duke had said, Hailey was already publicly acknowledged as his official fiancée. Invitations to banquets had already started arriving from all over.

「Scandal of the Century! The Duke of Gunner announces engagement to Miss Hailey Salmon the day after breaking off with Princess Irene!」

「Exclusive: Love story of the Duke of Gunner, wealthiest man in the capital, and Hailey, daughter of a poor baron!」

「Breaking News! Miss Hailey Salmon becomes the Duke of Gunner’s fiancée overnight. Who is she? Exclusive interviews with close sources!」

The Duke had been right. The arrows of criticism that had once rained down on Tayton vanished overnight with the announcement of his broken engagement to Irene.

In their place, Hailey, who had become engaged to the Duke over the Princess, stood at the center of all the spotlight.

The fact that he had announced a new engagement just one day after breaking up with Irene was shocking enough, but the new fiancée being the daughter of a poor baron—and his live-in governess no less—made for a story sure to ignite the public’s imagination for a while.

Everyone buzzed with speculation: what kind of love story had unfolded behind high walls? What magic had she cast on the cursed Duke?

Among them, the one who most irritated Hailey once again was the reporter Don Robin.

「A brave woman wins the Duke! Miss Hailey Salmon, who asked the Duke for a dance defying social etiquette, finally captures his heart.」

‘Do they think I’m throwing myself at the Duke?’

Fuming, Hailey soon dropped her shoulders. She would take responsibility for her actions, but a single dance request leading to all this? That just felt unfair, and the thought quietly raised its head.

“Miss Hailey.”

Madam Mastis called her name in a stern voice. Only then did Hailey notice she was slouching and quickly straightened her back.

Just then, the designer spoke in a troubled voice.

“To complete the engagement dress within a month, we’ll need forty seamstresses.”

“Whether it’s forty or fifty, don’t worry about the numbers. Just make sure it’s finished on time. We must not bring disgrace to the Duke’s name.”

“Yes, understood. I’ll return once the fitting is complete.”

“Goodbye, Madam Mastis.”

“Thank you for using our shop. We will do our utmost to meet the Duke’s expectations, madam.”

The flurry of people who had been bustling around like a tidal wave now receded, leaving only Hailey and Madam Mastis in the room.

“Marty.”

Hailey wasn’t looking at Madam Mastis, but into empty space. Madam Mastis, who had been tidying up, turned her head.

Hailey began to speak in a voice steeped in thought.

“Marty, you’ve seen the Duke’s face without his mask, right? Did he really have smallpox scars?”

“……”

It seemed to be an unexpected question. Mastis slowly straightened her back instead of answering. Her expressionless face gave no clue what she was thinking. She even seemed slightly tense.

After staring intently at Hailey for a moment, she finally parted her lips. A slightly stiff voice flowed out.

“Are you afraid of the Duke too, Miss Hailey?”

After pondering the question, Hailey nodded and said, “Yes.”

Mastis’s expression grew even more rigid. Though, since her face was always stiff to begin with, it was barely noticeable.

Hailey added in a sulky tone.

“Aren’t you afraid of the Duke, Marty? He’s so unpredictable, you never know when he’ll get angry. Every time he raises his voice like a thunderstorm, my heart nearly stops. It always feels like I’m on edge, wondering where the sparks will fly today. And do you know how awfully he insults me? Of course I’m scared.”

“……”

Mastis once again remained silent. She looked at Hailey with eyes that were unreadable. Then, cautiously, she opened her mouth.

“Is that all?”

“What else would it be… Oh, the curse?”