Chapter 7 (Part 5)

Oh my goodness!

At the same time. Lady Sandra’s eyes widened as she hid in the garden.

She was on her way to the mansion to meet Duchess Lennox. Who would have thought she would overhear such an interesting conversation in the garden?

After finishing her conversation with Patrick, she had asked the knights to arrange a meeting with the Duchess, and they had simply told her she could meet her at the mansion. They said a servant would guide her once she arrived at the mansion.

Annoyance bubbled up as she had to walk to the mansion alone since the busy knights had no time to escort her.

As she walked with a dissatisfied heart, she overheard an intriguing conversation.

The moment she heard Reina’s voice, Sandra quickly hid herself. This allowed her to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two people who hadn’t noticed her.

A necklace that shows compatibility? Is there such a thing?

At first, Sandra thought she had misheard. How could such a thing exist in the world?

But upon further reflection, she thought it might be possible.

She had believed that magic didn’t exist in the world, but recently, the first magician from the Solloi Empire had appeared.

This magician was also the lover of the eldest daughter of the Lennox family, so their conversation couldn’t be entirely baseless.

Thus, the content of their conversation piqued her interest. Sandra, too, was curious about who her own compatible partner might be.

However, what if the partner turned out to be an insignificant man? She valued honor and wealth more than marital relationships. She considered marital relationships secondary.

So, she needed to set aside her curiosity for a moment. The important thing was the content of their conversation.

Seeing that Reina’s partner was Earl Selkirk, it meant that she and Patrick were not compatible at all. And it seemed the Lennox family believed wholeheartedly in the magical necklace.

I can use this, can’t I? Serves her right for coveting someone else’s man.

Sandra had heard good things about Earl Selkirk. According to rumors, he was a suitable marriage partner. Good manners, capable, and handsome.

Why would she covet someone else’s man while having such a good man by her side?

If Sandra were in Reina’s position, she would have chosen Earl Selkirk immediately. Then she would have taken him to bed right away, seducing him physically. She couldn’t understand Reina at all.

Tsk. She’s still young, that’s why she doesn’t know.

That naive little girl didn’t understand how important compatibility with a man was, so she was stubbornly insisting on her way. How could such an innocent girl have any charm as a woman?

As the situation seemed to be turning in her favor, Sandra felt increasingly confident that she could make Patrick her man.

Feeling as if the heavens were on her side, Sandra decided to change what she would say to Duchess Lennox.

She planned to subtly mention that Commander Marionus was too busy to meet her and casually bring up what she had overheard.

It seemed Duchess Lennox was unaware of this, so once she learned everything, she would likely try to connect Reina and Earl Selkirk. If lucky, they might even have an engagement ceremony soon.

Can things really go this well?

With a smile on her face, Sandra walked towards the mansion.

After meeting the Duchess, she planned to meet Earl Selkirk. It was only fair that the person involved knew the whole situation.

It wasn’t difficult for her to suddenly visit a man she had never met before to detach that clingy Lady Lennox.

* * *

“You wanted to meet me?”

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Sandra Berkshire. I apologize for the sudden request for a meeting, and thank you for agreeing to see me.”

“So, you’re the daughter of Baron Berkshire. What do you want to ask me?”

As planned, Sandra subtly mentioned that she wished Patrick had more leave time, expressing her frustration that they had no time for dates due to his busy schedule.

“Ah, that’s not something I can handle, but I’ll mention it to the Duke.”

“Thank you. May I ask you one more thing?”

“If it’s something I can answer, I’ll tell you.”

Sandra then cautiously brought up what she had overheard in the garden. Originally, she shouldn’t have asked such a thing, but seeing the Duchess’s friendly demeanor gave her the courage.

“I heard that the Lennox family has a magical necklace that shows one’s destined partner. I also heard that Lady Reina Lennox and Earl Selkirk are destined for each other. I’m curious if I could borrow the necklace to see if my fiancé and I are compatible?”

“…”

As expected, the Duchess seemed surprised, clearly unaware of this. However, she didn’t seem offended by Sandra’s bold question.

Rather, she looked relieved that her second daughter’s match was a good man.

“I didn’t know about this, so thank you for telling me. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can lend you the necklace. I think we should end our conversation here.”

“I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time.”

After apologizing, Sandra left the drawing room with a smile. From now on, the Duke and Duchess would handle everything, so she had nothing to worry about.

* * *

“How did it go?”

As soon as Reina entered her bedroom after finishing her conversation with Louis, Richelle, who was sitting on the sofa, jumped up.

“Lilith told Louis about our conversation.”

“What did he say?”

Richelle looked more interested than surprised. Reina recounted her conversation with Louis, which was more of a complaint than an explanation.

“I can’t understand why Brother acts that way!”

“He probably finds your reactions cute.”

“And what about Father? Why doesn’t he listen to my opinion? Why is everyone doing this to me?”

“They just want to pair you with a good person.”

However, Richelle also seemed to agree with the Duke’s thoughts.

“Shouldn’t they ask for my opinion first?”

“Do you dislike Earl Selkirk? He seems like a good person.”

“Why are you saying this when you know how I feel?”

“You said the man you like didn’t change the color of the necklace, right? So why not take this opportunity to get to know a new man? Your destined partner has appeared, after all.”

“Are you going to be like this too, Sister?”

Reina bit her lower lip and glared at Richelle.

Already feeling distressed, Reina felt even more stifled as Richelle seemed to side with Duke Lennox.

“What did I do?”

Richelle shrugged as if to say there was nothing wrong with her words.

From her perspective, Earl Selkirk seemed much better than the strange man Reina liked. Earl Selkirk was an impressive man anyone would desire, so she wondered why Reina didn’t like him.

The more she couldn’t understand Reina’s attitude, the more anxious she felt.

They say once you fall for a bad guy, you can’t escape…. How charming must he be to overcome compatibility?

Richelle felt sorry for Reina’s innocent infatuation with the bad man. So this time, she decided to side with the Duke.

She had personally experienced that the necklace not only showed compatibility but also pointed to a man who could attract her logically, so it was a natural conclusion.

I’m sorry. I hope you follow my choice this time.

Richelle swallowed the words she couldn’t bring herself to say to Reina. Believing that Reina’s heart would eventually lean towards Earl Selkirk, she quietly left the room.