Chapter 118

“The pie looks wonderful, Lady Roen.”

With a playful lilt in her voice, Velli picked up a slice of pie that Rabiana had baked herself.

Her lips were painted a vibrant red, and she offered Rabiana a dazzling smile before pulling her into a hug instead of a formal greeting.

“Velli, welcome.”

“I’m so happy you invited me to your party!”

“Of course I did. You’ve been my friend for so long.”

Though there had been an awkward distance between them for a while, Rabiana and Velli had returned to their old, close friendship.

Inviting Velli to her first party as Duchess felt like the most natural thing in the world, and seeing how delighted she looked made Rabiana happy, though she also felt a bit sheepish.

She hadn’t expected such positive reactions from those around her.

It made her wish she’d opened up like this much sooner.

“Velli.”

Just then, a man Rabiana had never seen before called out to Velli.

Velli’s expression lit up at the sight of him—so different from the way she’d looked just moments before.

Her face practically glowed, and even Rabiana, usually oblivious to such things, noticed the change and glanced toward the man as well.

He smiled broadly, showing his teeth, and gave Velli a light hug before kissing her on the cheek.

Rabiana’s eyes widened in shock as she looked between the two of them.

Velli, noticing Rabiana’s round, rabbit-like eyes, scrunched her nose and grinned.

“Rabiana, let me introduce you. This is my friend Jack.”

“Oh…”

Friends, and they kissed on the cheek?

To Rabiana, it was a shocking sight.

But when she glanced around, she realized no one else seemed to think it strange.

She must have really been isolated all this time.

Rabiana forced herself to smile, trying to appear unfazed.

“Jack, it’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Lady Roen.”

With a warm, easy smile, Jack extended his arms as if to hug Rabiana as well.

Rabiana looked a little flustered.

Do friends normally hug each other like that? She’d never experienced it before, so she couldn’t bring herself to go along and just watched the people around her.

Jack raised his eyebrows, as if wondering what was wrong.

“Nice to meet you, Jack.”

Suddenly, Alberto cut in and hugged Jack himself.

Jack’s eyebrows knitted together in surprise, but he quickly managed a smile and returned the greeting.

Technically, what Alberto had done was quite rude.

In noble society, greeting someone without a proper introduction—especially between men who don’t know each other—would be frowned upon.

Rabiana knew as much from things she’d heard.

But there was no one here willing to criticize Alberto.

“My wife put so much thought into everything here. What do you think?”

Alberto fired off questions, intent on overwhelming Jack.

From the placement of the paintings, to the vases, the kinds of flowers, and even the homemade pie…

Jack, overwhelmed by Alberto’s barrage, could only repeat “It’s wonderful, very impressive,” over and over, his expression growing tired.

Eventually, spotting his own party passing by, he made his escape as if he’d just remembered something urgent.

Velli, meeting Rabiana’s eyes, let out a quiet laugh.

“You chased him off on purpose, didn’t you?”

Velli scrunched her nose, knowing exactly what Alberto had done.

Alberto just nodded with a satisfied smile as he took a bite of pie.

“Of course. Who does he think he is, trying to hug my wife?”

The sweet scent of apple filled his mouth as he chewed.

“It’s so good, I want to eat the whole thing myself.”

“It’s not that good…”

Alberto’s voice was too loud.

He meant to praise Rabiana for all her hard work staying up for days to make the apple pie, but the way people glanced over made Rabiana feel self-conscious, as if his words weren’t true.

Still, hearing him say things like that always gave her confidence, as if he were casting a spell over her.

***

After that, the guests came in waves, and Rabiana didn’t get to eat anything at all.

Hungry, but with no time for even a short break, she kept hearing compliments and greetings.

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

Maybe it was from hunger or from talking to so many people at once, but her head started to spin.

Just as she was about to force herself to keep going, Alberto gently took her by the shoulders.

Slipping her away from the crowd, he apologized to those nearby and led her out onto the terrace.

The door closed behind them, muffling the noisy chatter.

At least now, she could breathe. Rabiana let out a long breath.

The tall glass windows were covered with curtains, blocking anyone from seeing in.

With the quiet night behind him, all Rabiana could see was Alberto kneeling before her.

“You must be exhausted.”

He settled her into a soft chair out on the terrace and slipped off her shoes, setting her feet on his bent knee.

As he started massaging the arch of her foot, Rabiana looked down at him, the sensation prickling and tickling her at once.

“Mm. I’m a little tired. But it’s been fun.”

“It’s all fine, but don’t hurt yourself for it.”

Alberto handed her a plate from the table. When did he have time to prepare this?

There was apple pie and lemon cream cake.

“You saved some for me? Thank you. I was starving—I haven’t had a moment to eat all day.”

“I know. Do you have any idea how upset it made me, watching you rush around starving just to host a party?”

“Upset?”

Still massaging her calves, Alberto sighed.

“Watching you run yourself ragged just to host a party and not even getting to eat—I wish I could have stopped you, as your husband.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

She knew he had every reason to be concerned.

She’d been so busy all day she hadn’t even been able to see Lucian.

Of course, Lucian was well taken care of by the nanny and by Julia.

And Rabiana had Alberto too. Even if she neglected herself, he always took care of her.

Her person. Her family.

The realization warmed her.

“Alberto, I have a question. Do friends normally kiss each other on the cheek?”

“What?”

The hand massaging her calf stopped dead.

Rabiana hurried to swallow her mouthful of apple pie and shook her head at his fierce expression.

“No, it’s not that I did! I just saw Jack and Velli do it earlier. I was just wondering if that’s normal between friends or if it’s just them…”

“That kind of thing is only done by people who’ve lost their minds.”

Alberto cut her off, grinding his teeth as he glared at the air.

Judging by his expression, you’d think there was actually someone who’d dared kiss Rabiana under the pretense of being a friend.

He looked so fierce, she made a mental note never to let anything like that happen.

“If anyone ever tries that, just kick them right here with your foot.”

Alberto grabbed her ankle, pressing firmly against the inside of her thigh.

Feeling the solid pressure, Rabiana glanced around—though, of course, there was no one else on the terrace but the two of them.

“O-okay. I’ll do that.”

Alberto seemed to have finally learned how to let things go a little.

Even when he looked like he was about to die of worry in front of her, he kept his emotions under control.

Rabiana patted the seat beside her.

Following her silent invitation, Alberto sat down, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Tired? Should I send everyone home?” The party was still in full swing.

“I can’t do that. I was the one who organized it, after all…”

“It’s fine. You’re the hostess—you can do whatever you want. I just don’t want you to push yourself. Reputation? Who cares? Let them talk.”

For some reason, his blunt, no-nonsense attitude felt reassuring tonight.

She really did feel like his top priority.

As he gently rubbed her shoulder, Rabiana looked up. In the darkness, their eyes met.

She’d been too busy all day to pay any attention to Alberto, and only now did she realize how handsome he looked tonight—his suit perfectly tailored to match her dress, that sharp face softened by the gentle eyes he only ever showed to her.

Alberto lowered his gaze, leaning in closer. Just as Rabiana was about to close her eyes—

“Lady Roen, are you out here? The women are—oh my!”

Had she been gone too long? Suddenly, the door burst open and an unexpected guest appeared. Startled, Rabiana shoved Alberto’s shoulder, knocking him over.

It wasn’t much force, but he allowed himself to be pushed back easily.

She didn’t even have time to check on him—she scrambled to her feet like a child caught misbehaving, scratching the back of her neck with a stiff, awkward smile.

“Um, yes? Lady, what was it you wanted to say?”

But her attempt to continue the interrupted conversation was quickly brushed aside.

“Oh, never mind! I should have knocked—sorry! Take your time, my lady!”

Before Rabiana could even reply, the woman rushed out, hurriedly closing the door behind her.

Rabiana slumped back onto the sofa.

“I’m doomed.”

A duchess, who should be setting an example, ignoring her own party and sneaking away for a secret rendezvous with her husband…

There were already rumors about the duke doting on his wife.

Now that someone had seen this, she could only imagine how much worse the gossip would get.

As Rabiana’s face fell, Alberto leaned in and kissed her forehead, comforting her.

“If you’re that worried, perhaps you’d better go out and greet everyone, my lady?”

Alberto teased, helping her to her feet with a sly smile.