But neither of them touched the tea or pastries. The high-quality black tea with its deep fragrance quickly grew cold.
“I only meant to stop by briefly to see your face, but I didn’t expect such lavish hospitality, my lady.”
“Hosting any guest well, even those passing by, is a virtue of the Seyfried ducal house.”
Of course, Reina was essentially an uninvited guest who’d barged in without courtesy, but Daphne maintained her dignity to the end.
Though she didn’t forget to add barbs to her words.
“I heard you haven’t been feeling well lately.”
That was also a rumor Astaire had spread. Since she’d mentioned divorce, Astaire absolutely refused to let her engage in any outside activities.
Considering he’d married her to use her as an informant in high society, she couldn’t understand him at all.
“That’s probably why sinister rumors have been circulating in high society recently.”
Reina seemed almost pleased as she said this.
Daphne lifted her teacup and stared at Reina impassively without speaking.
She wasn’t particularly looking forward to what would come from those lips.
“For instance, talk that Duke and Duchess Seyfried might divorce soon.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s absolutely ridiculous, isn’t it? That’s why I went to the person spreading the rumor and got angry, telling them not to dare disgrace His Grace and the Duchess.”
Daphne could have bet money that Lady Melanian was telling a bald-faced lie.
She asked bluntly.
“Who was spreading that rumor?”
“…”
She should have answered immediately, but strangely, Reina didn’t.
Daphne caught the flicker of confusion passing across her face disguised as calm.
“It would be good if you could tell me their name.”
“…Y-you don’t need to worry too much. I coaxed and soothed them well, so they won’t spread such false rumors again.”
The moment she heard that answer, Daphne was certain.
No such rumor was circulating in high society at all.
Only Reina knew about it.
But it was also puzzling.
How did Reina know she was trying to divorce Astaire?
Even if Astaire enjoyed secret meetings with Reina, he wouldn’t have told her first from his position. Because Reina would pressure Astaire to remarry.
Could it be…
Daphne blinked slowly.
“We should stop now, shouldn’t we? This tiresome, joyless love charade—you should wrap it up soon.”
“That d*mn divorce talk—aren’t you tired of it yet?”
She remembered the argument with Astaire in the VIP lounge on the day they went to the imperial ball.
She recalled how a shadow had briefly passed by the door then, and that ominous feeling came vividly back to life.
As expected.
The person who’d eavesdropped on her and Astaire’s conversation outside the lounge that day.
She was certain it was Marquis’s daughter Reina Melanian.
She’d let her guard down because the imperial VIP lounge was only accessible to the “Blue Bloods,” but Lady Melanian, being one of them, could access the lounge.
Sneaky cat behavior.
Daphne’s head was starting to ache.
How should she handle this?
She still hoped the fact that she was divorcing Astaire wouldn’t become known to the world.
She wanted to leave him as quietly as possible.
She didn’t want to suffer any more from people’s attention and the checks and mockery disguised as interest.
She wanted to go quietly to a small city where no one knew her and live her own peaceful life.
“Who says that?”
Just then.
A long shadow suddenly appeared from behind.
Both women jumped up, and naturally their heads turned that way.
“Astaire!”
Reina’s face was colored with confusion. She looked at him with an expression wondering if Astaire had been listening to their conversation all along.
Her pale face had turned ashen.
“I came to the estate, and heard my wife and my friend were having tea time for the first time in a while, so I stopped by.”
Astaire spoke with narrowed eyes.
His voice was dry. But Daphne, having been by his side for a long time, noticed. The man had come to the garden quite deliberately.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me who that scoundrel is, Lady Melanian.”
He even called Reina by her family name, unlike usual.
An ominous atmosphere circulated among the three people forming a triangle.
And Reina seemed quite flustered by Astaire’s cold attitude.
“W-well, you see.”
She probably wouldn’t answer to the end.
Because Reina was the only one who knew that news.
Watching Reina’s confusion wasn’t bad either.
Astaire smiled coldly while embracing Daphne, seemingly no longer interested.
“I have no idea who’s spreading such false rumors.”
“…”
“Daphne and I get along as well as ever.”
Squeeze—his arm around Daphne’s shoulder tightened.
“Right, Daphne?”
Astaire asked, looking at the Duchess. His eyes were saying it. Answer yes quickly.
Daphne wanted to shake off his embrace right now.
She didn’t want to move according to what the Duke wanted.
She disliked Astaire more than Reina.
So she deliberately kept her mouth shut. An unknowable silence hung over the garden. Only the fragrant flower scent reached her nose.
In the awkward silence, all three stared at Daphne, each thinking different thoughts.
“Your Grace.”
Then the head butler came looking for the Duke. Somehow it seemed like beads of sweat were running down the butler’s temples.
“What is it?”
At Astaire’s displeased response, the head butler wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and said, “A guest has arrived. But, well…”
“A guest?”
He seemed displeased that another visitor had come to the ducal estate.
Daphne didn’t show it outwardly, but inwardly she was curious.
Who could it be? Someone who’d come to the ducal estate at this hour without notice.
Someone looking for Astaire, she guessed, but…
“They’ve come to see the Duchess.”
Everyone in the garden was surprised by the head butler’s words.
Seeing the head butler’s reaction, even sweating, this was no ordinary guest.
“Tell them the Duchess is currently receiving another guest.”
“That, that might be difficult.”
“Who on earth is it?”
When the head butler hesitated, Astaire responded with irritation. Sweat began to flow more on the butler’s face. He was in a situation where he could do neither this nor that.
She needed to find out who it was.
Unable to stand it, Daphne was about to return to the mansion herself when she saw an unfamiliar person lingering at the garden entrance.
“Who is it?”
The guest who’d come to the ducal estate.
It was none other than Second Prince Phaios.
“…We greet the Second Prince.”
For an attitude welcoming a distinguished guest, Astaire’s voice clearly revealed his dissatisfaction.
“My apologies, Your Highness the Second Prince. If you’d contacted us beforehand, we would have received you in the drawing room rather than the garden like this.”
Astaire’s following remarks were indeed befitting the only noble in this empire who could express his discomfort to royalty so directly.
“No matter how much I tried to contact her, I couldn’t hear from the lady of the house, so I rushed over with hope. I came in a hurry, so don’t worry about it.”
Despite Astaire’s barbed remarks, Phaios just smiled leisurely and deflected, pretending not to notice.
Invisible sparks flew between the two men.
Right now Astaire was smiling, yet not smiling.
The same was true for Second Prince Phaios.
“So what brings you all the way here in person? If you’d summoned us, we would have come right away.”
“I don’t want you coming to my palace. Though the Duchess would be another matter.”
At those words, Astaire silently clenched his fist.
Meanwhile, Daphne and Reina, watching this situation, said nothing. Particularly in Reina’s eyes, a strange light flickered momentarily. Daphne didn’t miss it.
Daphne bit her lip silently.
This feeling wasn’t good.
For whatever reason, the Second Prince was showing interest in her.
And that fact—both Reina and Astaire had realized it.
Even one of them knowing was problematic, but both of them finding out.
Crisis after crisis seemed to pile up like mountains, giving her a headache. Reina knowing about the divorce was dangerous enough, and now she’d essentially handed another weapon to the enemy.
“I believe your words just now could be misunderstood by people. I’d appreciate it if you’d be careful.”
“That would be due to the rich imagination of idle gossips. I’m not that deep a thinker.”
Phaios was supremely confident.
The tug-of-war between them continued.
And finally, Phaios’s mysterious violet-tinged irises turned toward Daphne.
Daphne flinched momentarily.
Without realizing it, she found herself quietly looking into his eyes.
Then suddenly she was seized by a strange sense of déjà vu.
Those eyes seemed to have looked at her this way before.
What was it?
“Let’s not stand here uncomfortably in the garden, but move somewhere more comfortable to the drawing room.”
And so the Seyfried couple, Reina Melanian, and Second Prince Phaios.
The strangely combined foursome’s time together began.
The atmosphere was awkward throughout tea time.
No one touched the refreshments or even the tea, making it seem like all four were playing a game where whoever drank tea or spoke first became “it.”
Finally, Reina took a sip of tea. As she set down the teacup soundlessly, she called to Astaire.
“Duke Seyfried.”
It was a formal title, unlike usual. Probably because of the rebuke she’d received from Astaire earlier.
“What is it?”
“Actually, I came because I have something to say to you as well, Your Grace.”
Reina’s voice trembled, unlike usual. Daphne instinctively felt she knew what the lady was going to say to Astaire.
Probably about the divorce from her.
Wanting to confirm whether they were really divorcing.
She almost wanted to applaud Reina’s desperate love now.
She’d once had such moments herself.
As expected, love makes people foolish.
Long ago, she recalled Astaire’s cynical comment about the emotion called love in passing.
“Once all the sweetness is gone, it’s just an emotion to throw away. Like garbage.”
Back then, she’d been secretly in love with Astaire, so hearing those words felt like her heart would break.
She didn’t love Astaire anymore, but he remained a clever man as always.
Love is futile.
He’d known that eternal truth from long ago.
That’s why he hadn’t loved her. He probably didn’t truly love even Reina, who was by his side now.
“Is it something you can’t discuss here?”
“Um… that would be a bit difficult.”
Astaire sighed briefly, seemingly troubled. He soon looked back and forth between Daphne and Phaios.
The moment Phaios’s eyes met Astaire’s, he curved his eyes and smiled.
That smile wasn’t directed at Astaire.
It was a smile anticipating that Astaire would leave with Reina, allowing him to remain alone with Daphne for a conversation.
Daphne wasn’t unaware of the meaning contained in his smile.
What on earth did he want to talk about?
Why was that man acting like this?
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bluemoon238
Yep, once all the flowery visions associated with love blindness fades, only cold truths remain without the blinders. If you don’t value your oaths and commitments properly you end up with what us modern folk call Divorce. Quite common nowadays