Chapter 53

Calvino, stepping out of Eliona’s banquet hall, was about to board his carriage when he remembered something he had forgotten.

‘I didn’t say goodbye to Aunt.’

He had made a brief eye contact when he entered, but he hadn’t properly greeted her.

Even if he left now, he would have technically kept his promise, but it would be hard to avoid the nagging from his aunt and his mother.

‘Alright, let’s just say goodbye.’

Calvino tapped on the carriage door. As the coachman descended, Calvino instructed him, “Delay the departure,” and turned around.

He headed towards the brilliantly lit banquet hall but changed direction again at the entrance.

He needed to say goodbye, but the timing was off.

Peeking through the door, he saw Eliona with a woman, looking for someone.

Calvino was certain that Eliona was looking for him. And the woman beside Eliona was likely the match she had picked for him.

Going in to say goodbye in such a situation was akin to sticking his head into a crocodile’s mouth.

There was no need to ponder which was better: listening to Eliona’s nagging later about where he had been or spending the entire party with a woman he didn’t know well.

So Calvino decided to kill time outside. And someone was following him.

“Catherine, I really don’t know what you’re doing. Are you pretending to be a detective? Is that man a prime suspect or something?”

Hugo, who had been silently following Catherine, caught her dress hem halfway across the garden and stopped her.

Then he took off his jacket and draped it over Catherine’s shoulders.

It seemed he stopped her not so much to ask questions but to give her the jacket as she looked cold.

“Thank you, Hugo. But didn’t you say your ankle was hurting? What if you catch a cold?”

“Ankle and cold are separate issues. It still aches.”

Whether he was adopting a sympathy-inducing concept today or not, Hugo didn’t retract his statement about his ankle despite giving Catherine a chance to correct him.

Catherine narrowed her eyes and buttoned the jacket Hugo had put on her.

“I’m not a detective, but I want to observe Lord Strain closely today.”

“You’re making me ask the same question repeatedly, Catherine. Why?”

Because I think he might be a match for Brooke!

But she didn’t reveal her reason, as she intended to observe and reconsider if Calvino Strain wasn’t suitable—not in terms of appearance or background, but whether he would match with Brooke.

“Weren’t you planning to be my assistant when you followed me?”

“Oh, you’re steering towards being a detective?”

“It seems that would suit you better.”

“Understood, Catherine. So what should a detective’s assistant do?”

“Just follow quietly. No questions until I ask.”

“You’re the epitome of a detective, Catherine.”

A very harsh detective, one unkind to their assistant. Catherine smiled slightly.

“I’ve read some detective novels. Let’s go, Hugo.”

Following Calvino with such stealth that even her footsteps were silent, her impromptu midnight detective play ended after they circled the garden once.

“It’s over, Hugo.”

As Calvino hesitated at the banquet hall door and turned back, Catherine spoke.

“Aren’t you going to say hello? You said you wanted to establish a connection.”

“After observing, I changed my mind. It’d be better for them to meet directly. Conveniently, the person in question is coming out.”

Where Catherine pointed, Brooke was exiting the banquet hall with a deeply furrowed brow.

“Were you trailing him to introduce him to Miss Brooke?”

“Yes. I wanted to see if he’d be a good match for Brooke.”

Hugo felt slightly embarrassed as he realized Catherine’s interest in Calvino was for Brooke’s sake.

“Now it’s your turn, Hugo.”

“What do you mean?”

As Hugo asked, Brooke and Calvino collided.

Watching Brooke and Calvino’s gazes meet directly, Catherine asked Hugo.

“Why did you stop me from meeting Lord Strain? As if something terrible would happen.”

“Oh, that’s because…”

Hugo could have given a hundred answers, starting with “I can’t stand you looking at another man.”

But how was that different from a confession?

Both Hugo and Catherine were old enough to know that jealousy is another form of love.

So Hugo needed to find a suitable excuse, and why did Countess Bedwig have to catch his eye at this moment?

***

Countess Bedwig was astonished to see Catherine and Hugo together.

Hugo used to be one who understood her words well. At least in the past.

But it seemed not anymore.

Perhaps he had gone deaf upon becoming a Duke. Or maybe his head got messed up in the war.

Otherwise, he shouldn’t be sticking so closely to Catherine and laughing when Countess Bedwig had even threatened to reveal the contract.

“Catherine, there you are!”

Countess Bedwig’s appearance made Catherine frown openly.

“What brings you here?”

Catherine didn’t bother to hide her wry smile as she nodded.

“Why wouldn’t I come to a banquet? The host invited me, so I came.”

Catherine regretted asking a pointless question. It only led to an unwanted conversation with her. She should have ignored her.

“Duke, we meet again.”

“It’s been a while.”

“A while? We met just yesterday.”

‘Yesterday?’

Catherine widened her eyes and looked up at Hugo.

Did he meet Countess Bedwig while he wasn’t visiting me?

What did they talk about?

Was the reason he didn’t come because of Countess Bedwig?

Did she throw money at him to break up with me, like in a Shakespearean play?

Or did she pour tea on him?

Catherine’s eyes shifted from shock to concern.

“Oh, yesterday. I forgot, Countess Bedwig. If you have nothing specific to say to me, I’ll be on my way. Catherine, I haven’t danced yet. Would you dance with me?”

Though it was better not to provoke Countess Bedwig, Hugo couldn’t leave Catherine alone with her.

At least while he was by her side, he wanted to protect her from being hurt by Countess Bedwig’s sharp words.

‘I don’t know how long I can keep doing this.’

Hugo thought of the contract issue.

His head throbbed for a moment, but Hugo maintained his composure and took Catherine’s hand.

“I haven’t finished talking with Catherine yet, Duke.”

“Do you have business with my fiancée? It would be best to arrange a separate meeting next time.”

Hugo didn’t back down.

“It will only take a moment. You can stay here if you like.”

Hugo looked at Catherine. His attitude suggested he would do as she wished.

Catherine hesitated, then turned towards Countess Bedwig.

“Since it’s brief, go ahead. I had something to tell you as well, so this is convenient.”

Countess Bedwig’s eyebrow twitched. She expected Catherine to run away with Hugo.

If she had, she planned to scold her for her rudeness.

Unlike before, Catherine wasn’t avoiding her, which subtly irritated Countess Bedwig.

“Well, it’s not something to discuss outdoors, but since you’re busy, it can’t be helped. I’ll visit the Tigris household. There was an issue with Rael last time…”

“That matter.”

Catherine abruptly cut off Countess Bedwig.

Countess Bedwig’s brows furrowed.

“I’ve already contacted Earl Tigris. I apologized for what happened that day.”

Countess Bedwig covered her mouth with a fan. Behind it, her mouth gaped open.

Rael was a fool, so it was obvious he would return to Tigris and simply say, ‘It was fun.’

So she had delayed contacting the Earl, but Catherine said she explained everything that happened.

“What did the Earl say?”

“He congratulated my friendship with Rael. And.”

“And?”

“I made it clear that I have no intention of marrying. Since he seemed unfamiliar with the capital’s circumstances, I explained them in detail.”

Catherine raised her hand to show their engagement rings prominently.

To Earl Tigris, Catherine clearly wrote that she was engaged to Hugo, and they had no plans to break up.

Earl Tigris was greatly surprised.

He believed Catherine had been forced into the engagement due to her ex-husband’s tyranny.

Earl Tigris thought that with his help, Catherine would escape her predicament, and hence he pushed for Rael’s marriage.

Of course, this was the surface reason, and the true reason was his desire for Catherine as a match for his slowly growing child.

However, the surface reason had disappeared, and meddling with a woman already engaged risked moral criticism.

Moreover, it was akin to attacking a high-status Duke, so Earl Tigris’s calculations naturally changed.

When the equation changes, the answer changes.

Catherine was precious, but it wasn’t urgent enough to risk estranging the Duke, favored by the Queen, and endure social ostracism for Rael’s marriage.

Moreover, he was disappointed with Countess Bedwig.

She had assured him to trust Rael with her, but Rael ended up becoming a laughingstock.

Although Catherine’s quick thinking prevented a major incident, Earl Tigris could easily predict that the story of Rael and Catherine would be social gossip in the capital for some time.

Earl Tigris clearly stated his intentions in his letter.

• Lady Catherine, I sincerely congratulate you on your engagement. Please grant me the honor of presenting a small token.

“So, Mother, you don’t need to bring Rael to the capital. There’s no need to travel between the Tigris household and the capital anymore. Oh, and Count Tigris plans to take Rael on a long trip for recuperation. Even if you visit now, you won’t be able to meet him.”

Under the fan, Countess Bedwig’s lips trembled slightly.