* * *

A week had passed since Violet had arrived in the Duchy of Arendt. As Kaiden had predicted, a private tutor came to visit Violet.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Amber. I am Josephine Kerner, and I will be giving you lessons in etiquette.”

A middle-aged woman with light brown hair and blue eyes greeted Violet. Violet hesitated, unsure of what to do.

‘What should I do?’

Although ‘Violet Amber’ came from a modest noble family, she was still a daughter of nobility. She might have learned the basics of etiquette, even if not perfectly.

However, Sarah was different; as a commoner, she hadn’t learned a single bit of etiquette. If she made a mess of her greeting, Josephine might get suspicious, but if she handled it too smoothly, Kaiden might get suspicious instead.

Fortunately, Josephine gave her the answer she needed.

“I heard about the Duke. You lost your mother at a young age and weren’t able to get proper lessons.”

Ah, so she had to pretend not to know. Violet looked embarrassed.

“Yes, unfortunately that’s true.”

Violet had assumed that Josephine would make fun of her. Tutors were usually very good at teaching nobles how to behave, and they often had an air of arrogance about them.

Besides, Josephine was clearly capable, trusted enough by Kaiden to take on this responsibility. The thought that such a person would see her as a country girl with no knowledge of etiquette made Violet feel truly embarrassed.

But contrary to her expectations, Josephine replied nonchalantly.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Lady Amber. You’re just starting a little later than others, that’s all.”

Hearing Josephine’s calm words, Violet felt embarrassed for a different reason. It dawned on her that she’d been trapped in a narrow perspective – that nobles had to be perfect in every way.

Bending her knees, she rose and spoke sincerely to Josephine.

“Then I look forward to learning from you.”

It seemed that with a teacher like this, Violet could learn much more than etiquette.

* * *

“How was your first lesson?”

Kaiden asked suddenly. Violet had just finished her lesson, seen Josephine off, and was returning inside when he asked the question.

Violet was startled for a moment, not realizing he was in the mansion. However, she quickly regained her composure and replied.

“It was fun.”

It wasn’t a lie – it really was fun. Pretending not to know what she was doing was a challenge, but Josephine was an excellent teacher, patiently teaching her without getting angry.

Listening to Josephine’s thoughtful lessons made Violet feel like she had returned to her childhood, when she had first begun to learn etiquette.

“I see. Josephine is quite strict, so she seems to have taken a liking to you.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“A good start.”

“Then I’m glad.”

“There is not as much time left until the debutante as you think, so make sure you follow the lessons diligently.”

“Understood.”

“By the way.”

Kaiden’s eyes swept over Violet from head to toe.

“You need a new dress.”

“Indeed.”

Violet agreed. She had thrown away all her old clothes when she arrived at the Arendt mansion.

‘Not that I would have been able to wear them anyway.’

Fortunately, the mansion had guest dresses, and Violet had worn them for the past week out of necessity. But since Violet was petite, the dresses were too big and didn’t look right on her.

“It’s time to introduce you to the others. You’d better go to the salon and have a dress made for you.”

“Go straight to the salon?”

Violet asked in surprise. Normally, nobles – especially high-ranking ones like Kaiden – did not visit the salons personally, but had tailors brought to their estates.

“Yes. Going directly to the bustling city is a good way to announce your presence.”

“Ah, I see.”

Violet replied, realizing that Kaiden probably wanted rumors about her to spread through social circles before the official debutante event.

“Understood.”

“Then get ready and come out.”

“Yes.”

With Lucy’s help, Violet changed into an outing dress and came down to the first floor, only to be surprised to see Kaiden dressed for an outing as well.

“Are you coming with me, Your Grace?”

“Yes.”

“But why…?”

“I just don’t feel comfortable sending you off alone.”

It wasn’t exactly a reason to be suspicious, but Violet pouted anyway. From Kaiden’s point of view, though, it made enough sense that she couldn’t argue back.

“Let’s go then.”

As they approached the carriage waiting in front of the mansion, Kaiden held out his right hand to Violet.

Violet gracefully held the hem of her dress with her right hand and took Kaiden’s hand with her left as she stepped into the carriage. The movement was smooth and natural.

Kaiden stared blankly at the palm of his hand.

‘Strange.’

From a young age, Kaiden had been trained in etiquette. Escorting a lady into a carriage first was one of the rules he had learned. This time, his body reacted instinctively before he even thought about it.

It was only afterwards that he remembered that Violet hadn’t yet learned the proper etiquette. He was about to tell her that in situations like this, she should simply take his hand and step into the carriage.

Of course, Violet took his hand and stepped into the carriage with ease. Her small hand barely put any weight on his, and there was no sign of her losing her balance – something to be expected from someone unfamiliar with such escorts.

As she gracefully sat down, she gave him a subtle nod of thanks, her gaze conveying gratitude. In that moment, Kaiden saw Violet as a dignified, noble lady, completely composed and fitting for her role.

“Your Grace?”

Only after Violet’s curious question did Kaiden snap out of his thoughts and step into the carriage. Sitting across from her with his legs crossed, he asked.

“Did Josephine teach you how to be escorted?”

Violet froze for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and replied confidently.

“No. But if someone offers their hand before you get into a carriage, isn’t it natural to take it? Even commoners do that. Of course, they rarely ride in carriages, but they do climb steep hills and such.”

Escorting is not an exclusive privilege of the nobility. It’s simply a gesture of courtesy between humans, or so Violet claimed. Kaiden nodded in agreement.

“That’s true.”

“Isn’t it?”

Violet replied nonchalantly, although she felt a wave of relief inside.

I should be careful until I’ve had a proper amount of etiquette lessons.”

As she made this decision, the carriage began its journey towards the busy streets.

The carriage came to a gentle stop on Essen Street. Kaiden stepped out first and held out his hand to Violet. Just as she had done when she got on, Violet took his hand to get off. This time, however, she deliberately shifted her weight toward Kaiden to appear clumsy.

Her balance shifted and her body lurched forward as if she was about to fall.

“…!”

She had not anticipated this outcome!

Startled, Violet squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the inevitable pain. But instead of falling, she quickly found herself in Kaiden’s arms.

The scent, fresh as a winter breeze, tickled her nose. Her palm, which had instinctively pressed against Kaiden’s chest, felt its firm solidity.

Startled, Violet’s eyes flew open as she tilted her head up to meet Kaiden’s gaze, which held a hint of surprise.

The distance between them was closer than she had expected. If Kaiden lowered his head even slightly, their noses might touch.

“Um…”

Violet blinked in surprise, unable to react as Kaiden put an arm around her waist, holding her upright. Hastily, Violet let go of his hand.

“Tha… thank you.”

“You need to be a little more careful.”

“…”

Violet couldn’t muster an answer to his reproach. Her heart was beating so loudly that it drowned out any coherent thoughts.

‘Strange.’

She placed her right hand over her left chest and took a deep breath.

‘This is really strange. I’ve never felt like this before.’

Her heart had never raced like this, not even when she was with Eric Anderson.

“The answer?”

Kaiden’s soft voice from upstairs brought her back to her senses.

“Yes, I’ll try to be more careful from now on.”

Violet replied, pulling herself together.

“It’s not about trying, you have to be sure.”

“Understood.”

“Then let’s go inside.”

Kaiden extended his left elbow and Violet carefully slipped her arm through his as they entered the salon together.

The atmosphere inside became chaotic as Kaiden, who rarely made public appearances, stepped inside.

“My goodness, it really is the Duke of Arendt!”

“I thought it was a rumor, but he’s really here!”

Attention soon shifted to Violet, who stood by his side.

If it were Sarah, she’d probably find a situation like this overwhelming. She hunched her shoulders slightly on purpose, pretending to be afraid and wearing a worried expression on her face.