Chapter 16

The Kinson family’s carriage moved slowly through the moonlit night.

The letter bearing the crest of the Duke of Vinzetten had arrived several days ago. It was an invitation to dinner, stating that he wished to discuss the matter of the arranged marriage.

Upon hearing the news, the baroness had immediately fussed, saying there wasn’t enough time to have a new dress made and that they must at least purchase some new jewelry. She summoned a jeweler to the Kinson estate without delay. Nothing could break the determination of Baroness Whitman.

Though the letter was only a thin sheet of paper, offering no insight into the duke’s intentions, the members of the Kinson household couldn’t help but feel quietly hopeful. After all, an invitation to dinner suggested a positive attitude from the duke’s side.

The only one who wasn’t excited was Rosalie.

She quietly studied her reflection in the rattling carriage window. The aquamarine earrings and necklace she’d chosen so carefully for the occasion glimmered faintly.

She was beautiful—no one could deny that. Her appearance was tailored to please Kenneth Vinzetten, polished like a carefully wrapped gift for someone else.

And likely, that was how her days would be from now on.

To win Kenneth Vinzetten’s favor, she would have to lose her true self—shaping every standard to fit him instead. Her dress, her jewelry, her scent, her expressions—everything visible would be molded for his taste.

Rosalie looked at the woman in the window with a quiet pity.

From the moment she resolved to marry Kenneth, the former Rosalie no longer existed.

What remained was only vengeance and hatred—those were the reasons Rosalie Cailon would go on living.

***

As she stepped out of the carriage, two figures came into view at the entrance of the mansion.

Former Duchess Carindia Vinzetten, and Duke Kenneth Vinzetten himself.

Rosalie took a step forward and stood before Kenneth, looking up at him.

Those blue eyes that met hers felt as though they were binding her whole body.

She took a breath, lifted the corners of her lips, and greeted him with a graceful smile.

Carindia and Kenneth returned the greeting in kind.

“Thank you for the invitation, madam.”

“No, thank you for accepting it, Countess. Shall we go inside?”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the ladies followed the butler into the mansion.

Kenneth was just about to turn when a small figure stepped in front of him.

“Your Grace, surely you’ll escort your guest properly, won’t you?”

Rosalie Cailon—this woman was impossible to read.

A breath that was almost a scoff slipped from between Kenneth’s lips.

When they had been on the lake together, she looked as if she’d lost the entire world. Then, at Celetina’s garden party, she had smiled like nothing had ever happened. And now, she was brazenly demanding his escort.

Kenneth found himself wondering what on earth was going through her head.

She’d mentioned meeting with his mother. Perhaps that explained the sudden shift in her demeanor.

Maybe she had been denying the truth—that she had no place in his memories—and only accepted it after hearing the confirmation from someone else’s mouth.

Whatever the reason, it made things easier for Kenneth. There would be no need to explain anything further to Rosalie.

As long as he could resolve this arranged marriage.

Kenneth extended his hand toward her.

When her warm palm settled into his, he bent his arm, allowing her to place her hand over his.

“For you, my lady, it would be my pleasure.”

With each step toward the dining room, Kenneth ignored the subtle, unwelcome sensation of her hand on his arm.

Once the dinner began, one dish after another was brought to the large table.

The ladies exchanged soft, polite conversation throughout the meal.

But the real protagonists of the evening, Kenneth and Rosalie, simply chewed in silence.

Though they sat face-to-face with a clear view of each other’s expressions, their eyes didn’t meet once.

As the plates emptied and time went on, the tension among the women at the table only deepened.

“Your Grace. Now,”

Carindia whispered, unable to endure the silence any longer, urging Kenneth with a pointed look.

He had just finished his meal and was sipping wine. Setting his glass down, Kenneth finally opened his mouth.

“I hope the meal was to your liking.”

“It was delightful. You must have an excellent chef.”

“I’m glad it pleased you.”

The ladies fell into expectant silence, waiting for what would follow.

“I would like to annul the engagement with Lady Cailon.”

The announcement landed cold and heavy. The ladies’ faces froze in shock.

“It may have been a promise made between former heads of our households, but I was never informed of it. And since our families ceased contact after the agreement, wouldn’t it be best to regard it as nothing more than a formality?”

There was nothing wrong with Kenneth’s reasoning.

Even Rosalie had only learned of the engagement after Norman Cailon produced the document.

Norman had claimed to have found it among his father’s belongings—a fact that suggested the agreement had been forgotten after the accident that took his life shortly afterward.

When she recalled that day, Rosalie vaguely remembered the adults speaking of such things.

Her brother, Riden, might have teased her and Kenneth with a playful grin.

But to a child more interested in playing, the difficult words of grown-ups meant nothing.

Even though the answer she wanted hadn’t come, Rosalie remained composed.

She had never expected Duke Vincent to readily agree just because of a sheet of paper bearing family seals.

Raising her downcast gaze, Rosalie looked past the worried eyes of the ladies and offered a faint smile.

“I would like to speak with His Grace alone, if I may.”

“Very well.”

Sensing that the two needed time alone without interference from the elders, the women promptly sent them out into the garden.

Rosalie walked ahead and didn’t turn back until they reached the fountain.

Standing a few steps away, Kenneth watched her, arms behind his back, as if telling her to go on and speak.

“I cannot accept Your Grace’s decision. I’m just as bewildered by this sudden engagement as you are.

Even if my parents had told me, I was far too young at the time—too young to even understand what marriage meant.”

“……”

“But now, I want to proceed with this engagement.”

Kenneth finally replied just as the water from the fountain came to a halt.

“Why? Why insist on this? All this engagement will do is tie you down.

Surely, among those who desire you, there must be a suitable match.”

“Because it was a bond made by both of our parents.

If those unfortunate accidents hadn’t occurred, we would already be husband and wife by now.”

Sensing that Kenneth’s gaze had turned slightly sharper, Rosalie instinctively lowered her head, trying to soften her expression.

A rustle from the bushes nearby made them both look in that direction.

A small animal darted through the grass and scrambled up a tree.

Once it disappeared into the distance, silence fell again, as if affirming that no one else was around.

After a moment of quiet, it was Rosalie who spoke first.

“Do you not find me appealing?”

The unexpected question almost made Kenneth let out a dry laugh.

But what troubled him more was his own silence—his inability to give her a prompt answer.

“Or is it because of your lover?”

“…Lover?”

Kenneth’s brow furrowed instantly. He knew exactly whom she meant.

“Lady Celetina Bellure. Isn’t she your lover?”

“She is merely one of the many ladies who accompany me to tedious balls.”

Kenneth dismissed his relationship with Celetina in one stroke and studied Rosalie with a curious gaze.

So far, Rosalie’s words were far too dry for someone proposing marriage. Her tone, as if she were only fulfilling a duty reluctantly, stirred something unpleasant in a corner of Kenneth’s chest.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to convince me if you simply said you loved me?”