Chapter 3

“Duke Graize.”

She greeted Raon. Since that ball where they had met again after several years, this was the first time he had sought her out first.

“I’m glad you seem well.”

“Ah…….”

Kina understood well enough what he meant, even though he did not clearly name the incident, and she smiled awkwardly. As Kina grew embarrassed from the memory rising up again and could not properly look at Raon, he glanced toward Bersha and watched the situation.

“If it’s all right with you, are you free tomorrow?”

After confirming that she had spent a long while playing with the children, he asked Kina.

“Tomorrow?”

“If it is all right, I would like to borrow some of your time tomorrow, Miss.”

At those words, which really could so easily be misunderstood, it suddenly felt as though her heart dropped with a thud.

“I don’t know what it is about, but…… yes. I’m free.”

And then, at Kina’s permission, he even smiled in relief.

“I’ll come to your house tomorrow.”

Before he turned away, having even decided the place,

“Ah, this is a secret from Bersha.”

Then, without even waiting to hear Kina’s answer, he hurried off. He looked as though he had done something he should not have done. Kina could not take her eyes off him until he disappeared.

Secret. The feeling that word gave was strange. Kina needlessly touched her heated cheeks.

It felt as though feelings she had let go of from the moment she learned he was dating Bersha, no, from the moment she learned he was someone beyond her reach, were rising again.

*

“You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Hm?”

The next day, as Kina was getting ready to go out for her appointment with Raon, Perry, who was fixing her hair, said that. Kina stiffened and looked at her face in the mirror. There she was, wearing a face full of anticipation.

“Well, the event is over now. You must feel relieved, right?”

Before Kina could even make an excuse, Perry came to that conclusion on her own. Since Perry knew how much effort Kina had put into the Imperial event, it was a guess she could make. Embarrassed by how guilty she felt for no reason, Kina only gave a small smile.

“You really are remarkable, Miss, carrying on Madam’s dying wish.”

Taking that smile as agreement, Perry diligently adjusted her hair.

“Though you do go through so much for it.”

Her voice was one of encouragement, as if she found it unfortunate and yet admirable.

Since she had followed her mother around from childhood, it was not as hard as one might think. Seeing the children they supported grow up and properly find their own paths made it rewarding enough to wash away the hardship.

Viscountess Sennet, her mother, had in her own way been the heroine of a Cinderella story. She had grown up in a poorhouse and suffered greatly, but in the end she became a noble lady through her love with Viscount Sennet.

The Viscounty of Sennet might have been insignificant compared to high-ranking nobles, but compared to commoners, it was beyond merely comfortable.

And Viscount Sennet had truly loved such a wife. Enough to buy the poorhouse for the sake of the dying wish of his wife, who had passed away from a chronic illness. To him, the poorhouse was the very image of his wife herself. It was the same for Kina. That place, touched by her mother’s hands everywhere, was somewhere special that the Sennet family had to protect.

Besides, since she had followed her mother around from childhood, it was not as hard as one might think. Seeing the children they supported grow up and properly find their own paths made it rewarding enough to wash away the hardship.

Just as she was deeply sinking into those memories, there came a knock.

“Duke Graize has come to see you.”

The butler announced Raon’s visit. Hearing that, both women were startled.

“Already?”

Kina, because Raon had come early, and Perry, because the visitor was Duke Graize.

“I’ll be right there. It’s finished, right?”

“Yes.”

Ignoring Perry, who looked at her as though wanting an explanation, Kina hurried away.

“Was he shown into the drawing room?”

As she hurried down to the first floor, she asked the butler.

“No. He said he would remain in the carriage.”

“In the carriage?”

“Yes.”

Had I made him wait too long? 

Without even having time to think deeply about it, Kina came down to the first floor and headed toward the carriage of the Dukedom of Graize waiting in front.

“My greetings to you, Duke.”

When Raon spotted Kina and stepped out after opening the carriage door, she quickly gave a proper greeting.

“Was I very late?”

At hearing that he had not even gone into the drawing room, she asked worriedly. Usually, not entering the drawing room was taken to mean that the matter was urgent and one should hurry.

“No. It was simply that my heart could not sit still.”

If it was a lie, he did not seem displeased. Kina, who had rushed down, let out a small sigh of relief.

“Shall we go?”

“Ah, yes.”

Kina took Raon’s offered hand and climbed into the carriage, hoping he would not feel the trembling in the hand he held.

“Set off.”

As soon as he took his seat across from her, Raon gave the order to the coachman. Seeing the carriage move without him even stating the destination, it seemed he had arranged it in advance. And they arrived at that destination much sooner than she had expected.

“It’s a jeweler.”

It was where she had come down, following his guidance.

“I want to give a gift, but I don’t know what would be good.”

At Kina’s gaze, which asked for an explanation, Raon answered awkwardly.

“Ah…….”

Seeing that face, one she had seen before at some point, she realized why he needed her. To be exact, it was a face she always saw whenever he was beside Bersha, not her.

“Then I’ll have to help you choose something astonishingly beautiful.”

Kina spoke in a playful tone, praying that her disappointment would not show on her face.

“Thank you. Then shall we go in?”

Fortunately, Raon did not seem to notice, and he opened the jeweler’s door for her.

* * *

“Do you have anything else?”

At Kina’s question, the shop owner thought for a moment and then brought out a sample from inside.

“The one sprinkled on here is diamond.”

“Diamonds on the canopy too?”

Startled by the owner’s words, Kina asked back. Soon, however, conscious of Raon beside her, she fell silent. She did not want to seem like a woman clinging to every coin. Feeling needlessly embarrassed, Kina lightly pressed her lower lip.

“That’s why it isn’t something we usually put out. We only show it occasionally to those looking for something special.”

Fortunately, perhaps understanding her, the shop owner explained the situation. The sort of people he meant by those looking for something special were probably nobles who did not worry about money.

Certainly, the canopy the owner had brought was beautiful, with sparkling diamonds scattered across the black lace like stars in the night sky. Moreover, the canopy possessed a splendid extravagance, exactly the kind of style Bersha would love.

After all, what she was always saying was that she would hate, absolutely hate, having the same thing as everyone else.

“What do you think of this?”

Kina asked the opinion of Raon, who had remained silent the whole time.

“It’s beautiful.”

Unlike back at the beginning in the shop, this time he answered readily.

“I like it.”

At those following words, Kina signaled to the owner to prepare it.

“……Are you going to propose?”

When the owner briefly stepped away, Kina, running her hand over the canopy without looking at him, carefully asked. She avoided meeting his eyes because she did not want him to notice any wavering in them.

Every place Raon had gone while saying he wanted to give a gift had been shops for home furnishings. Bersha already had her own room at the Kapris Marquisate, so even if he gave them as gifts, she might react indifferently. Kina did not think Raon would be unaware of that.

If, lastly, a jewelry set was to be given along with such gifts, then the only answer was marriage.