“Hello, Duke. We met at the Marquis Belzak’s engagement ceremony. I am Chester……”

“Storms. Pleased to meet you.”

Chester opened his eyes wide at Lars’s stiff tone. That day, due to the commotion caused by Lucienne’s bombshell announcement, they hadn’t had a chance to exchange formal greetings.

“I didn’t expect you to know me. Of course, you made such an impressive entrance that you captured everyone’s attention.”

“I don’t have a bad memory.”

Chester became even more puzzled by his words, delivered with a crooked lift of his distinctly defined lips. He hadn’t done anything particularly memorable.

Though he waited for further explanation, Lars didn’t seem particularly friendly or sociable. After briefly lowering his gaze, Chester soon smiled nonchalantly and spoke.

“I heard rumors that you’re getting engaged to Lucy. It seems her proposal that day made quite an impression on you.”

With a “hmm,” Lars narrowed his brow and looked at him obliquely. He didn’t seem pleased. Raising his chin, he looked down at Chester and said:

“I heard you were close with Lucienne for a while. I was told you got engaged last year?”

“Ah, yes.”

Chester noticed from his sharp gaze that he knew more than just his name. And that he didn’t approve of how he addressed Lucienne.

Turning to face Chester directly and looking down at him, Lars showed a bland smile.

“I’ll gladly attend your wedding if you invite me. Along with Lady Bickman, of course. Ah, though our engagement might come first.”

“……Are you really getting engaged to Lucy? Why?”

His tone came out accusatory without realizing it. Seeing Lars’s deep green eyes darken with displeasure, Chester hastily waved his hand.

“No, I mean, Duke, you hardly know Lucy, it seems like too hasty a decision……”

“More than me.”

After drawing a short breath, Lars’s sharp expression was now clearly spreading with hostility. He continued slowly.

“It sounds like you’re saying you know more about her.”

Though he appeared calm on the surface, he might have a more aggressive personality than expected. Come to think of it, he was someone who had earned his title through tremendous military achievements, so it made sense. Chester clenched his fist and responded calmly.

“It’s true that I’ve known her for a longer time.”

“Well. Spending more time with someone doesn’t necessarily mean you know them better.”

Stretching out the word “well,” Lars folded his arms across his chest and added with a slight smile.

“Though it doesn’t seem like you spent much time together anyway.”

Feeling suddenly upset, Chester replied curtly.

“Lucy is completely different from other women. If you’ve accepted her proposal out of mere curiosity, you should reconsider.”

Lars’s eyes narrowed at his words. Though Chester realized he had misspoken, he didn’t want to back down because he genuinely worried about Lucienne.

Standing with his back straight while looking up at the other man, Lars lightly raised his arm. Though Chester flinched inwardly, he didn’t dodge because he saw a self-deprecating smile spreading across Lars’s lips.

Lightly resting his hand on Chester’s shoulder, Lars said quietly.

“Indeed. She’s certainly not a woman one can handle out of mere curiosity. She’s a rascal whose hobby is running wild without knowing her limits.”

“What, what did you say?”

Though Chester bristled at the unexpected string of words and tried to move, the pressure firmly holding down his shoulder prevented him from budging. Watching him with a coldly settled gaze, Lars spoke quietly.

“But such concern seems excessive, Storms. Your fiancée might have unnecessary misunderstandings if she heard. It sounds just like the words of a man with lingering attachments.”

Chester couldn’t counter the words that hit the mark. Lars tilted his head impassively and stepped back.

“I’ll take good care of my fiancée, so why don’t you take care of yours?”

“Who’s taking care of whom?”

At the suddenly cheerful voice that flew in, both men turned around simultaneously. Lucienne stood there wearing a green dress with a smooth, flowing sheen.

A hair ornament made of woven silver threads cascaded beautifully down her left chest. Around her slender neck, she wore a necklace elegantly strung with countless diamonds and emeralds.

Though it didn’t appear heavy, the jewels created a dazzling radiance like starlight. The eyes of everyone around were fixed on her necklace.

Lucienne looked up at Lars with a prim expression while holding the hem of her dress.

“While ignoring a lady climbing the stairs?”

Though her tone pretended to be displeased, her gray eyes were filled with a vitality never seen before.

She looked like a small chirping bird, which seemed unfamiliar. Chester had never seen Lucienne with such an expression before.

“If we had ridden in the carriage together, I would have escorted you from the moment we got out, but who was it that refused?”

Lars responded naturally as he went down a couple of steps and extended his hand. Lucienne placed her hand on his with ease and pursed her lips.

“I couldn’t help it. Maya was burning with an artisan’s spirit, saying she needed to remake the hair ornament to match this necklace you sent…… Ah, Sir Chester.”

Lucienne, who had come up close, curtsied with a smiling face. Chester returned the courtesy and felt his cheeks becoming stiff.

He could tell at a glance.

She who had always appeared calm and mature, never getting excited over trivial things, now looked like a young girl.

And a girl in love, at that.

Her clear cheeks were flushed like a ripe apple, and her gaze toward Lars contained the distinctive primness of a woman conscious of a man.

It wasn’t something that could be faked. Lucienne herself probably didn’t even realize it.

He couldn’t understand what had happened.

She had proposed to Lars claiming love at first sight, but Chester hadn’t believed it. When Lucienne proposed to him at Belzak’s engagement ceremony, her expression had contained something fierce swirling within, different from anything sweet.

But now she was completely different. As if looking at a lover after a misunderstanding had been cleared up, Lucienne opened her mouth while gazing at Lars.

“May I ask what you were talking about?”

“Just exchanging light greetings.”

Chester spoke up before Lars could answer. He hoped Lars wouldn’t say anything unnecessary in front of Lucienne. Seeming to catch his intention, Lars raised an eyebrow and said:

“We were discussing whether the Storms wedding or our engagement would come first, that sort of thing.”

“Has a wedding date been set? I should prepare a nice gift.”

Lucienne opened her eyes wide and smiled. That charming smile contained not a trace of regret.

She probably had never liked him even once. With bitter feelings, Chester’s voice naturally lowered.

“Not yet, but has your engagement ceremony been decided?”

“Well, I’m not sure how much preparation is needed. I should take more time to seek advice……”

“Next month. We can’t delay any longer. And I already told you that you don’t need to prepare anything.”

At Lars’s firm words, Lucienne sharpened the corners of her eyes.

“How can I not prepare anything for my only engagement ceremony? I have things I want to do too.”

“Those things.”

Lars lifted Lucienne’s hand that he was holding and brought his lips to the back of it as he asked.

“Couldn’t you do them for the wedding?”

It seemed like the sound of her gray eyes—previously as calm as a frozen winter pond—cracking could be heard. Seeing that no sound came from the mouth of the usually eloquent Lucienne, Chester swallowed a sigh.

“I should head inside now. You two should come up as well.”

“Ah, yes. See you later then.”

Lucienne, who seemed unusually flustered, gave him a nod. Chester turned his back somewhat hastily and climbed the stairs. The image of Lucienne’s flushed face would likely linger in his mind for a long time.

Lars chuckled at Lucienne’s expression as she watched Chester stride away. With narrowed eyes, he lowered his head and murmured.

“He seems to think I’ve taken his place. Those eyes still look completely smitten with Lady Bickman.”

“……What? What did you say?”

Lars’s eyebrow twitched at her response, which came after a slight delay as if she had been thinking of something else rather than watching Chester. He didn’t particularly enjoy the thought that she might be recalling past memories with him.

“Well. The time you spent with Chester Storms wasn’t short. He was someone you seriously considered as a marriage partner.”

“He was. But Duke.”

“What.”

When he asked bluntly, Lucienne glanced up at him, gave a small fake cough, and quietly asked.

“Can you say it again?”

“Say what?”

“What you said about doing it at the wedding. With exactly that voice, that tone.”

Lucienne held out her hand as if urging him to try.

Lars narrowed his brow and straightened his head at the unexpected request, noticing that her eyes were trembling slightly. Feeling laughter about to escape between his teeth, he deliberately composed his expression sternly and gently took her hand.

“Lady Bickman.”

“……Yes.”

“……I’m hungry, let’s go up. Duchess Pichet will be waiting.”

Lars climbed the stairs while holding her hand. Following behind him as if being pulled along, holding her dress hem with her other hand, Lucienne grumbled in a voice full of dissatisfaction.

“Wait a minute. That’s not the same tone as before. When does that tone come out? What do I need to do to hear it?”

Though people whispered at the sight of the two, who appeared to be affectionately bickering, neither of them paid any attention to it.

The grand party had already begun.

* * *

Duchess Pichet, who loved extravagant things, practically rushed over and grabbed Lucienne as soon as she saw her necklace. Her young lover, suddenly cast aside like baggage, expressed his disappointment, but to no avail.

“If I had known such a beautiful piece existed, I would have bought it no matter the cost! Where did you get it, Miss Lucienne? Why didn’t you tell me…… Oh, a gift from Duke Diconmeyer? You’re getting engaged? Oh my goodness!”