Chapter 29

“Hugo, if it’s something like this… what are you talking about?”

Catherine was on high alert against Hugo, like a mimosa that curls up when touched.

Hugo awkwardly smiled and showed her the hair he had caught in his hand.

“…Just removing a hair.”

Only then did Catherine realize her misunderstanding and her face turned red.

‘Well, Hugo isn’t someone who would suddenly engage in physical contact. Even on our first night… it was, um, quite plain.’

Recalling the past made Catherine’s face even redder.

She fanned herself and quickly opened the window.

“I-it’s a bit hot, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t hear an answer, Catherine.”

Hugo asked as he gently placed a blanket over her knees.

Such a persistent man, Catherine inwardly resented Hugo while forcing a smile.

“That much is fine, Hugo. Friends can do that much.”

“Ah, friends.”

Why did his words sound like staccato? So rigid.

“I don’t do such things with friends, but anyway, let’s say that much is acceptable. And Catherine, you also need to adequately perform your role as the prospective Duchess.”

Hugo leaned forward again. 

Did he really suspect there was an eavesdropping device, or had he found some suspicious circumstances?

Wouldn’t it be better to move sideways rather than leaning forward like this?

Facing Hugo’s close-up face head-on was burdensome.

Catherine hesitated for a moment before lifting her bottom and sitting next to Hugo.

Hugo’s eyebrows rose and fell like mountains.

“This is much more comfortable for talking.”

It was good not to have to look directly at Hugo’s face and to be able to avoid his gaze appropriately.

“Alright. From now on, let’s always sit next to each other.”

“And although I’m not sure what the role of the prospective Duchess entails, I will do my best within the limits of the situation.”

Catherine preferred the term “Duke’s fiancée” over “prospective Duchess,” but since Hugo said “prospective Duchess,” she accepted the title.

“I thought you would. By the way, can I choose our engagement witness?”

“Do as you wish, Hugo.”

“I thought you’d say that, so I already asked someone.”

Catherine was surprised once again.

When did he make such preparations when he had rejected my request?

Honestly, his deliberation ended faster than Catherine had expected.

Unlike in the past, he was decisive and quick to act.

‘No, even in the past, he would immediately leave when a request came from the mercenaries. I acknowledge both his decisiveness and action-oriented nature.’

“I see. But do engagements need to be notarized? It’s not even a marriage.”

“We agreed to give each other rights equivalent to marriage through our engagement. So it’s necessary. And Catherine, your situation,”

Hugo paused to catch his breath. After carefully gauging Catherine’s reaction, he continued.

“Served as a wake-up call for me.”

Hugo referred to the misdeeds of Earl Bedwig and Countess Bedwig towards Catherine.

“A very good lesson indeed.”

Catherine pouted her lips, and Hugo smiled softly.

“So who is the person notarizing our engagement? Is it someone I know?”

“You could say you know them. You’ve seen them before. By the way, they will be here today.”

“Today?”

Catherine tried to think of any acquaintance of Hugo who could notarize their engagement.

The only ones that came to mind were his aide John and the Edward family’s butler, Roek.

‘I heard Roek stayed at home, so it must be John. John dislikes me, so I feel bad for making him notarize our engagement. I should prepare a gift for him.’

Catherine and Hugo remained silent until they arrived at the banquet hall. However, the silence didn’t last long.

The carriage soon arrived at Countess Napolli’s mansion, the first banquet venue Catherine had chosen.

“It’s unusually noisy at the entrance today.”

Catherine got off the carriage with Hugo’s escort.

The entrance, illuminated by lights, was indeed bustling, as Catherine had said.

“There aren’t many carriages, though.”

The only people who had just arrived were those from Catherine House.

There was no reason for the entrance to be crowded. Catherine tilted her head in confusion.

“Oh? That, that cloak? Isn’t that the Queen’s cloak?”

Brooke exclaimed with her mouth wide open. Everyone’s heads followed Brooke’s gaze.

At that moment, a strong wind blew.

The velvet cloak, dark blue like the dawn sky, embroidered with the kingdom’s emblem of a phoenix in gold thread, fluttered.

The owner of the cloak was Queen Regencia of this country.

“Her Majesty is here? At this banquet?”

Catherine looked back at Hugo. His smile, full of amusement, answered her unspoken question.

“My notary is quite busy. They said they couldn’t make time except for today. Let’s go, Catherine.”

After Queen Regencia entered the banquet hall, Hugo took Catherine’s hand and led her.

As she was being led away by Hugo for the second time, Catherine thought.

‘Is this really okay?’

***

An engagement ceremony traditionally involves inviting the elders of both families, having a meal, and exchanging rings.

Originally, engagement ceremonies were grand affairs, but Queen Regencia’s grandfather, the previous king, abolished such extravagance and simplified the ceremonies.

This was because the increasingly lavish engagement and wedding ceremonies of the nobility were drawing criticism from the commoners.

A lot of time had passed since then.

Most commoners skipped engagement ceremonies, and nobles, as mentioned earlier, either scaled down the ceremonies or ended them with a meal.

Sometimes, when love between a man and a woman burned hot, they would skip the ceremony altogether.

Therefore, even if an engagement ceremony was held at someone else’s banquet venue, it wasn’t a big problem.

Moreover, if the host was informed in advance, some hosts considered it an honor to have their banquet used for such a grand event.

Especially, who would refuse an engagement ceremony attended by the Queen herself?

“It’s very splendid today. Countess Napolli must have put a lot of effort into it.”

Riena whispered to Catherine.

“What do you think? Does it look good?”

Hugo, with his sharp ears, overheard Riena and joined their conversation.

“It’s really beautiful. A banquet hall filled with fresh flowers! Oh my goodness! Look over there, Catherine! It’s a bouquet of tulips! I’ve never seen so many tulips before.”

Tulips, being imported by ship from abroad, were quite expensive.

In fact, since the Dalton Kingdom didn’t engage in floriculture, all flowers were expensive.

This meant Countess Napolli had spent a fortune on fresh flower decorations.

‘Is Count Napolli’s business doing well? Should I subtly ask where they invested?’

The thought of business calmed Catherine’s startled mind.

Deciding that focusing on business would be better in many ways, Catherine made up her mind to concentrate on it.

However, Catherine’s focus was soon broken. It was because Countess Napolli suddenly appeared in front of her.

Catherine had to accept that her concentration was poor.

“You’ve arrived, Duke!”

Countess Napolli greeted Hugo warmly.

She gave him a light hug and a cheek-to-cheek greeting, a gesture only possible between close acquaintances.

Catherine blinked quickly.

‘Did Hugo know Countess Napolli? Since when?’

Unaware of Catherine’s curiosity about her connection with Hugo, Countess Napolli continued her conversation with a blossoming smile.

“Thanks to you, Your Grace, today’s ball is a success. You even personally arranged for the flowers. Your Grace, you have made my dream come true.”

“You’re too kind. It was possible because your dream was beautiful, Countess. Who dreams of decorating a banquet hall with fresh flowers?”

Hugo’s words implied that it was not a materialistic dream like wanting to make a lot of money or have a young lover.

“Meeting someone who can make that dream come true is special.”

Catherine noticed something peculiar in their conversation.

It seemed Hugo had helped Countess Napolli. Helped her enough to arrange all the fresh flowers.

But did Hugo have such connections and wealth?

Most importantly, why?

Why would Hugo go to such lengths for Countess Napolli’s banquet?

Catherine’s question was soon answered. Hugo provided the answer before she could ask.

“It was only natural for me to prepare for my engagement ceremony.”

“Hugo, you prepared all these flowers for the engagement?”

It had only been a few days since Catherine proposed the engagement.

And Hugo had agreed to the engagement just a few hours ago.

When did he prepare all this?

“I forgot to introduce you. This is.”

Ignoring Catherine’s question, Hugo pulled her closer.

“I know. There’s no one here who doesn’t know her, Duke. If you hadn’t received your title this year, the banquet hall would be buzzing with her stories by now. It’s been a while, Lady Catherine.”

Catherine greeted gracefully with a smile.

Countess Napolli and Catherine were not on bad terms.

Countess Napolli was one of the enlightened elders of the social scene.

When Madame Smith bullied Catherine over a ridiculous pretext, it was Countess Napolli who subtly approached and comforted her.

Although it was a small gesture of offering a drink, it was a great comfort to Catherine at the time.

After that, they behaved like complete strangers.

Catherine introduced Brooke and Riena to Countess Napolli. Lillie had already introduced herself.

“Oh my! You’ve brought beautiful young ladies again this year, Catherine. The gentlemen will be thrilled.”

Countess Napolli exchanged a few words with Brooke and Riena.

“Catherine, let’s go do what we need to do.”

“What do you mean by our task?”

“Our engagement ceremony.”