Rien and Claire came to Salmonda Street next to Rivelland Street. They stopped by a famous macaron shop there. 

 Inside the open shop, they saw ladies drinking tea. Though whispered conversations occasionally reached their ears, the words were muffled by fans covering their mouths. 

 With their eyes crinkled in smiles, it was hard to tell if they were speaking ill or sharing amusing stories. 

 ‘But eyes don’t lie.’ 

 Seeing them glance at her occasionally, they seemed to be talking about her. Not that they were interested in her personally, but rather curious about her married life. 

 Actually, Claire was more concerned about Rien sitting across from her than the whispering women in the cafe. 

 “Rien, I’m fine, so you don’t need to worry.” 

 Her expression was gloomy, perhaps still upset about earlier. Though she had held back and followed Claire out since she couldn’t intervene, she seemed unable to forget what she’d heard. 

 “But……” 

 “It’s enough that someone feels upset for me. I have you on my side, don’t I?” 

 Claire smiled brightly and handed Rien a macaron. Though she munched on it, her eyes remained downcast, apparently still not over her anger. 

 “Are you that angry?” 

 At Claire’s question, Rien nodded vigorously as if she’d been waiting for it. She spoke angrily as if it were her own issue. 

 “Why did you stay quiet? I’m so angry! They don’t even know you properly but they interpret and misunderstand things however they want……” 

 “Would anything change if I went to confront them? They’d probably just deny it.” 

 If they were the type to admit it, they wouldn’t have been speaking ill behind her back in the first place. 

 “B-but if we just let them misunderstand, they’ll surely gossip more about Your Highness.” 

 “Maybe so.” 

 Claire listlessly put a macaron in her mouth and chewed. 

 ‘They say this is a good place, and indeed the filling isn’t too rich but just right.’ 

 And what about the coque with its pretty frills? The texture that crumbled just right when bitten into and the way the filling melted and disappeared in her mouth were exquisite. 

 Claire earnestly ate macarons while listening to Rien’s passionate speech before her. 

 “How can Your Highness not care? I’m worried they’ll write more nonsense gossip.” 

 As Rien said, tomorrow there might be huge articles about Claire in the newspapers. 

 Benjamin Alec was probably on many women’s lists of potential husbands with his handsome looks and gentle personality. 

 If Claire hadn’t mentioned Benjamin Alec’s name, he might not have received this much attention, but it wouldn’t have made a difference whether she had quietly told the employee or written his name on a note. 

 “Well, ‘Grand Duchess’s Secret Lover?’ ‘Predicted Marriage Life?’ They’ll probably use provocative headlines like that.” 

 Rien put down her macaron with a shocked face. Her appetite seemed to have disappeared at Claire’s words as she hung her head low. 

 “Shouldn’t we go to the newspaper right away to stop this? We can’t let such nonsense circulate in the capital.” 

 “There’s no need. Everything will be resolved when the banquet is held anyway.” 

 Rien tilted her head sideways. Naturally, from her perspective, this wouldn’t make sense. 

 However, all of this was also part of the process for one decisive moment. 

 ‘Talk all you want.’ 

 Even now, the conversations occasionally reaching her ears were about her relationship with the Grand Duke. 

 “She stole her sister’s marriage partner, right? He matched so well with Her Highness. My goodness, I can’t believe how shameless she is.” 

 “Miss Ferel, I heard she even married secretly without His Majesty and Her Highness knowing. They say there wasn’t even a wedding ceremony…… Well, I suppose His Majesty benefited since he didn’t have to spend any money.” 

 She didn’t steal him. She was switched in. Would they believe her if she said all of it was Isabelle’s scheme and she was the victim? 

 Claire propped her chin and munched on macarons. 

 ‘Sweet, so sweet. This shop makes good macarons.’ 

 Perhaps because her mouth felt bitter, the macarons tasted sweeter than before. 

 “No matter what, stealing her sister’s future husband, everyone was curious, right? How well they’d live together…… Though we didn’t expect her to come up to the capital alone to pitifully eat macarons.” 

 “Oh my, she’s not alone. There’s a maid sitting across from her. Miss April, it’s too much to ignore someone right in front of you.” 

 Hohohoho. They covered their mouths and laughed quite deliberately. 

 “But all her clothes are the latest fashionable designs, aren’t they? The fabric looks like Kvarando silk too…… I wonder if she’s spending all of the North’s budget on luxuries.” 

 This part particularly frustrated Claire. She had expected rumors to be distorted since she’d married in such a rushed way, but she hadn’t expected this level. 

 “Miss Ferel, lower your voice. What if she hears? Looking at how she’s having tea with a maid, she doesn’t seem to have learned proper etiquette…… It would be troublesome if she came over and threw tea in our faces.” 

 “My dear, she’s a Grand Duchess in name only. Would His Highness, who’s said to view women like stones, care about a daughter born to His Majesty’s concubine?” 

 They showed no signs of stopping. Though they had started with quiet whispers, now they were even sneering while laughing. 

 ‘I’ve eaten enough and gotten a general sense of the atmosphere, should we leave now?’ 

 Claire called over an employee. Then she whispered softly. 

 “There, and there. Um, just give macarons to all the tables in this cafe.” 

 “Yes, understood.” 

 “The macarons are so delicious, but everyone keeps chattering non-stop — perhaps because they’ve run out? It’s quite unpleasant.” 

 When Claire spoke to the employee with her golden eyes crinkled in a smile, his body stiffened as he caught her meaning. 

 Well, what could she do when she was being thoroughly chewed up in a shop known for delicious macarons. 

 Feeling sorry that things had gotten reversed, she said she would treat the cafe to macarons. 

 That’s right. Her words meant they should stop talking and just eat the macarons they came for. 

 “Shall we go?” 

 “Yes!” 

 Rien’s face brightened compared to earlier. She seemed to have immediately understood the hidden meaning in Claire’s words to the employee. 

 As Claire stood up to leave the cafe, her eyes widened at the man entering through the door. 

 He who should have been at the mansion was standing before her for some reason. Wearing a black uniform, he crossed the distance in one stride with his long legs. 

 “Wife, did you enjoy the macarons?” 

 Cedric glanced at the table where she had been eating and reached out his hand. This caused her face to press against his chest as she ended up in his embrace. 

 “Ce-Cedric?” 

 His name escaped her lips in surprise. He picked up a macaron she had left unfinished and put it in his mouth. 

 “There are new ones, new ones! Why eat the one I was eating……” 

 “It’s fine since my wife ate it.” 

 Claire gently pushed him away. Cedric’s eyebrow twitched slightly as he looked at her. 

 “Your Highness, this place really is delicious. I left those because I was full.” 

 “I’m glad it suits your taste. I searched hard all night to recommend this place, but…… it seems I made a mistake.” 

 But no. She really enjoyed eating here. 

 Claire didn’t understand. It was one of the few truly delicious macaron shops. 

 “The people’s manners don’t match the quality of the food. To have my wife come to such a place. It was my oversight.” 

 Cedric swept back his hair and looked around. Wherever his gaze landed, ladies hurriedly rushed to cover their faces. 

 “I’ll guide you to another place.” 

 “Are you done with work?” 

 “Nothing is more important than my wife.” 

 Cedric extended his hand to her. Claire took his hand and left the shop. 

 Rien followed behind, grinning widely at something she found pleasing. 

 “Really, you’re impossible.” 

 Though she didn’t know how he knew to come, thanks to Cedric’s appearance at the cafe, the whispering voices stopped. 

 Actually, everyone had already shown shocked expressions when she ordered macarons to be distributed. Though she hadn’t said it directly, nobles would have understood the implied meaning. 

 “Wife, don’t stay quiet when you hear such talk.” 

 “I wasn’t quiet.” 

 “From now on, it would be better to take me with you when going to the city. Your ears must be rotting……” 

 Cedric held her face and examined it from various angles. Claire struggled to break free. 

 “I get it, so stop! I won’t go out alone anymore. We’ll go together, okay?” 

 “You’ promised.” 

 Claire nodded. 

 His timing seemed too perfect to just be good intuition……” 

 As she was getting into the carriage to return to the mansion, Claire smiled upon spotting a tail slightly peeking out of Cedric’s jacket pocket.