Having made her own assessment of the mood, Bellisa closed her mouth without asking further. Since the master and mistress were getting along so well, there seemed to be nothing to worry about.

* * *

The carriage that departed from the Dietrich mansion passed through the Edesa Bridge with unstoppable momentum.

Chloe quietly gazed out the window as it quickly passed by. Through the lights illuminating the pitch-black night, Denev Palace appeared at the edge of her vision.

The carriage, which had now entered the approach to the palace, gradually began to slow down. The king, Johannes, had summoned the prominent nobles for a rather simple purpose.

[Palace Banquet Commemorating National Day]

As written on the invitation, there was nothing special about an event commemorating the National Day. In fact, over the past fortnight, grand parties had been held in rotation at noble houses throughout Vasa.

But it was extremely rare for such an occasion to be hosted at Denev Palace. It was equally rare for Chloe to appear before many people as the Duchess of Dietrich.

Of course, she had attended some invitations with Andert from people they were acquainted with. However, it would be fair to say this was her first appearance at such an official event since her wedding.

When Chloe gripped her gloves with tense fingertips, a low voice reached her.

“Chloe?”

A gentle smile spread across Chloe’s lips at the affectionate call. Her straightforward gaze immediately turned to Andert sitting beside her.

He had been busy checking accumulated reports since returning from their honeymoon. But no sign of fatigue was visible anywhere on his sharply defined face.

Chloe gently fixed his slightly crooked cream-colored bowtie with a soft touch.

“Andert, aren’t you tired?”

“Not yet. Though I think I’ll soon be exhaustingly tired.”

He answered, gesturing toward the palace visible through the carriage window.

Chloe let out a small laugh at his candidly honest answer. She didn’t hate the grumbling of a man who would excellently fulfill his role once he stood before people.

With a smile on her lips, Chloe adjusted her appearance by putting on lace gloves. After carefully checking her dress skirt and cuffs, even confirming the direction of the pearl on the back of her hand, she finally looked up.

“How do I look?”

Chloe asked with eyes that meant she wanted to know if there were any inadequacies she might have missed. Andert, who had been watching her every movement without missing anything, answered simply and clearly.

“Excellent.”

But Chloe skeptically questioned the reflexive answer that came without having time to think.

“Really? I’m asking to check before we enter the banquet hall.”

“You’re beautiful, Chloe. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”

His voice was filled with certainty, as if there was nothing more to ask. It felt strange to face Andert, who expressed words like “beautiful” with surprising plainness.

He wasn’t the type to offer empty praise or idle words. Coming from such a person, she wanted to trust his words without question.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve regained my slightly shaken confidence.”

Chloe shook off her rising tension with a half-joking comment. Then a large, firm hand gently wrapped around one of hers.

Even after marriage, Andert had prioritized her wish to focus on her studies. Thanks to that, it was true that she had some leeway in her responsibilities as the mistress of House Dietrich. But she knew well that she couldn’t live like that forever.

She couldn’t ignore the minimum social interactions that a member of a titled noble family should maintain in society. But that didn’t mean she wanted to control Vasa’s social circles.

What Chloe wanted was a proper balance. Her previous married life had been one where she was completely erased under the name of Dietrich. So this time, she wanted to maintain herself while being with Andert.

Meanwhile, the carriage slowly came to a stop. It was a signal that they had reached the point where carriages of those attending the palace banquet stopped.

“Chloe, shall we go now?”

Andert, with a relaxed smile, lightly extended one arm. Since Johannes had gathered the nobles in one place, it seemed difficult to leave until dawn when the party ended.

At another time, it would have been hours endured out of a sense of duty. But making an appearance with Chloe had meaning in itself.

The duke’s unhesitating steps, escorting his wife, headed toward the main hall where servants stood in line.

“Duke and Duchess Dietrich have arrived.”

At the voice announcing the arrival of new distinguished guests, the attendees’ gazes simultaneously turned to one side. Soon, the heavy doors opened, and the Duke and Duchess Dietrich appeared.

Though Johannes was the host of today’s grand party, it was Andert and Chloe who attracted the most attention. Those gathered in the banquet hall had been waiting for the appearance of the ducal couple, who rarely attended such occasions. Even the noble ladies’ gossip, hidden behind fans, was about news of the Dietrich couple.

“I heard they returned from Larcel last week. They went on a belated honeymoon, didn’t they?”

“Yes, I heard that too. But no matter what, for the mistress of House Dietrich to spend an entire season without formally inviting guests—isn’t that too much?”

“Well, I heard the duchess just graduated. Then, won’t she be more active publicly now?”

“No, they say she jumped straight into exhibition planning after getting her degree. It seems the busy duchess has put social circles on the back burner.”

It was a whisper infused with subtle mockery.

Those who exchanged glances skillfully contained their displeased sentiments behind their gently waving fans. It was an undeniable fact that they had secretly waited for invitations from Chloe, who had once again become the mistress of Dietrich.

They had decided to pretend to reluctantly open the channel of friendship again. Of course, the duchess’s status was the biggest attraction, but since Chloe also had considerable personal inherited wealth, there was nothing to lose by being friendly with her.

But contrary to expectations, Chloe hadn’t sent any gestures. To live as part of Vasa’s upper class, one needed to build a tightly woven network. Expanding one’s social circle was the most important virtue that the mistress of a noble house should attend to.

‘But she’s been holed up in school, obsessed with getting a diploma.’

It was an incomprehensible course of action from their perspective.

‘And now she’s even taking on the task of personally preparing an exhibition. On top of that, her husband, the duke, is accommodating his wife’s convenience.’

They were a couple whose thoughts were completely unfathomable.

The group shook their heads, and their gazes soon turned to the ducal couple greeting guests. Seeing them in the hall where the light from the magnificent chandelier shimmered, they were indeed a well-matched pair.

Andert, wearing a black tailcoat over a white dress shirt, was thoroughly committed to the basics as always. Well, with that handsome face, he didn’t need to go to the trouble of being overly stylish.

Naturally, people’s attention shifted to Chloe, whom the duke was escorting. Beside Andert, who made even the monotony of black and white special, the lemon-colored dress skirt rippled at Chloe’s feet.

In fact, among the noble ladies dressed in formal attire, the flowing, voluminous skirt wasn’t particularly eye-catching. But when combined with her elegantly lined face, even the vibrant color that highlighted the season became nothing but graceful.

Those who scrutinized her, not wanting to miss even the smallest detail, bitterly smacked their lips. Duchess Dietrich’s appearance was truly flawlessly beautiful.

Sharp gazes soon returned to one spot as if by agreement. It was Chloe’s white nape, where a dazzling necklace hung.

‘Diamond embracing the sunrise.’

The radiance of the yellow diamond, which had been the talk of the town at auction, was truly brilliant. Countess Sharlo, who watched the couple with narrowed eyes, swallowed.

‘To think that wooden, rigid Andert would offer that jewel as a wedding gift!’

If her daughter’s marriage talks with House Dietrich had proceeded smoothly, that place would have been Espin’s. It was truly lamentable.

She couldn’t understand why Espin had done such a reckless thing. Not only was the engagement broken, but her husband, who had suffered massive business losses, still hadn’t called Espin back to the capital.

“How could my child be so stupid? Daring! To try to ruin her father’s business with such inadequate actions.”

Judging by her husband’s still fiery anger, it seemed difficult to see her daughter in the capital before winter arrived. Countess Sharlo’s expression darkened as she thought of Espin, who was under discipline at the eastern villa.

The regret doubled as she faced the confident Duke Dietrich, who seemed to have no difficulties in the world. It wasn’t just because of the diamond around Chloe’s neck that fueled her disappointment.

“I heard that the person who received the highest dividend from Artron Oil’s profits last year was none other than the duchess.”

In fact, when she first heard this from her husband, Count Sharlo, she didn’t understand what it meant. It was only after attending a tea time gathering of noble ladies a few days later that she learned the detailed inside story.