Her terrified expression showed she hadn’t expected me to respond this way.

I glanced at her briefly before turning my head to face the gathering.

“Just because I’m a divorced woman.”

Everyone’s gaze turned toward me. And amidst those gazes, I opened my mouth.

“Once, I too considered this normal, but gradually I developed a stubborn streak. I wondered why, if divorce was a sin, was I the only one who received the punishment.”

“……”

“But the stubbornness was fleeting. I felt that if the world wouldn’t change, I needed to change myself. I started working to avoid punishment. If weakness leads to inferiority, I thought perhaps becoming stronger might change something.”

“……”

“That’s why it took me two years to stand here.”

By now, the venue had fallen silent. Everyone was listening to my words with open mouths. Some women nodded as if in agreement, while others looked at me with incomprehension.

After finishing, a strange feeling of exhaustion came over me, and I caught my breath in that silence. After some time passed, I instinctively sensed it.

It was time to wrap up my speech.

Right on cue, Estelia provided an opening.

“Is that the end of your explanation?”

I shook my head and said,

“One last thing remains.”

“……What is it?”

I turned my head to look at the women again and said,

“And secondly.”

“……”

“I am now the mistress of House Esteban. If you continue to mention my past and insult me, I will consider it an insult to my family.”

“……”

“Especially stories about my ex-husband. I don’t think my current husband, Duke Esteban, would find them very pleasant.”

At that moment, several women in the gathering turned pale.

Though I wasn’t entirely comfortable using the family’s power, it seemed it could prevent further spread of non-existent stories.

❀❀❀

Perhaps the knife handle Assel had given me was useful after all.

After my explanation that wasn’t really an explanation, the tea party, which had been filled with awkward conversation, ended while maintaining that awkwardness.

Afterward, while everyone was busy preparing to return home when the gathering disbanded, I was sitting and waiting due to the Crown Princess’s whispered request to stay.

Estelia was conversing with some noblewomen in the distance.

While waiting, I suddenly noticed a presence near my ear.

“Um, excuse me……”

Turning my head toward the timid voice addressing me, I saw a woman looking at me nervously.

I quickly scanned the woman. She had brown hair, green eyes, and a cute appearance.

Olivia Garnet.

Why is she approaching me? She seemed interested in the Single Mothers’ Centers earlier—could it be because of that?

“What is it?”

“I, I have something to say……”

“To me, Lady Garnet?”

When I asked with a bold gaze, Olivia, who seemed lost in thought, finally answered,

“Yes. Actually, I want to ask something.”

Her voice had considerably less timidity than before. She even looked somewhat solemn, which made me smile and ask,

“What is it?”

Is she interested in the Single Mothers’ Centers? Or if not that, Black Rose’s clothes?

While waiting with curiosity, Olivia’s lips parted.

However, the question that came out was something I hadn’t expected at all.

“Lady Ophel… no, Duchess Esteban……”

“……”

“Are you… a good… person…?”

Olivia’s voice as she asked was serious. Moreover, faced with an expression that looked like she might burst into tears if I answered no, I couldn’t help but freeze.

“What…?”

It was truly an absurd situation.

I was lost in thought for a while, wondering what answer I should give. This led to an unintended silence between Olivia and me.

But seeing my hardened expression, Olivia quickly covered her mouth as if she thought she had made a mistake.

“Ah, that was an awkward question, wasn’t it? I didn’t mean to ask it this way……”

“It was awkward indeed. What exactly were you trying to ask?”

Though Olivia looked dejected at my comment about it being awkward, when I asked, she began again in a calm voice,

“……It’s exactly as I said before.”

“……?”

“The woman you are… confuses me.”

“……?”

But somehow, the rephrased question seemed even stranger—or was that just my feeling?

“What…?”

“Why do you keep confusing me!”

“……”

“Do you know how many nights I’ve spent sleepless because of you?”

For a moment, my mind went blank. Am I dreaming right now? What exactly is this situation?

‘Am I… being confessed to…?’

Looking at Olivia reciting lines that wouldn’t even appear in a third-rate romance novel, I felt disoriented.

What’s even more shocking is that there wasn’t a hint of playfulness in her attitude as she asked.

Her gaze was serious, and her voice was calmly settled. Moreover, with tears welling up in her eyes, perhaps due to her squirrel-like appearance, I felt like I would become the villain if I made her cry.

I had this same feeling when I first saw Elysion…

‘No! I can’t get entangled like that time.’

Instinctively feeling a sense of crisis, I hurriedly responded,

“Lady, I……”

“……”

“Regrettably, I’m not interested in that sort of thing.”

“……What?”

“Well, of course, preferences in the world are diverse… but I think it’s good to consider the position of the person receiving such feelings.”

“……What do you mean?”

But why? I thought I had rejected her clearly and was secretly proud of it, but was that not the case for Olivia?

At her bland reaction, neither here nor there, I widened my eyes.

“You didn’t understand?”

“Do you prefer the bad type?”

“……No, I’m not particularly into hitting, nor being hit.”

“What?”

“……?”

For a while, Olivia and I side-eyed each other with puzzled looks. And after that intense non-battle of gazes, I opened my mouth,

“There seems to be some miscommunication.”

“I agree.”

“Why don’t you calmly speak first, Lady?”

“……Let me organize my thoughts for a moment.”

Saying this, Olivia truly seemed to be organizing her thoughts as she turned her gaze away and remained like that for a while.

After what seemed like about a minute had passed, she turned her head back to look at me and began,

“So, are you the bad type?”

“……What do you mean?”

“The Duchess Esteban I knew was the bad type, but seeing you today, I thought my perception might have been wrong.”

“……Ah.”

I finally understood what Olivia meant. She was talking about the prejudice she had held against me.

After the news of my divorce appeared in the newspapers, the rumors that would have circulated in social circles were predictable.

Rumors spread silently and seep in quietly. Even skeptical people easily believe rumors that don’t concern them directly.

Perhaps Olivia was one of those young ladies.

But did my appearance today seem somewhat different from the exaggerated and inflated rumors?

‘Though this is the first time someone has expressed it this way……’

Due to that misunderstanding, recalling what I had just said, my face involuntarily flushed hot.

‘What on earth did I say?’

I felt like hiding in a mouse hole if one were available.

“……I think I misunderstood.”

But I tried hard to maintain my composure.

Olivia widened her eyes as if asking what I meant. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have properly understood what I had said. I sighed with relief inwardly and added,

“And my answer is this,”

“……”

“Rumors are never entirely reliable, so the best approach is to observe and judge for yourself.”

“Ah.”

Olivia uttered a brief exclamation as if she understood, but our conversation didn’t continue much longer. That’s because there was a woman approaching me from the distance.

“What are you doing there?”

With her skirt fluttering, elegantly walking with clear features, it was the beautiful Crown Princess Estelia.

“Please wait a moment.”

I raised my hand to signal her to wait, then looked back at Olivia.

“I’m supposed to meet with Her Highness the Crown Princess, so I need to get up now. Is that alright?”

“Yes… if that’s the case, of course……”

Though Olivia agreed to my words, her voice carried a hint of regret. Seeing this, I opened my handbag and took out an envelope. It was sealed with red wax bearing the emblem of House Esteban.

“I’ll give you this instead.”

I handed it to Olivia, and her eyes widened.

“What is this……”

“It’s an invitation. There’s going to be a special collaboration between La Fleur and Black Rose soon.”

“……!”

“It’s an invitation to a fashion show. By the way, each invitation allows you to bring three more people.”

“Why, why are you giving this to me……”

Looking alternately at the envelope in her hand and me, Olivia couldn’t hide her bewildered expression.

I smiled at her and answered,

“I’m giving you a chance to judge for yourself.”

“……”

“See for yourself and judge. Whether I’m the bad type or the good type.”

Seeing Olivia’s eyes sink with a strange light, I stood up. I walked past her and approached where Estelia was.

Then Estelia linked her arm with mine and led me away. It was quite strong for a woman, but her guidance felt elegant.

Perhaps because of that, I found myself following her movements without saying anything.

Eventually, after leaving the garden and reaching a secluded spot, Estelia removed her arm from mine. I faced her and asked,

“Why did you call for me?”

“There’s no particular reason. A friend doesn’t need a big reason to call another friend.”

“We’re friends…?”

“Didn’t you say so? That if I helped you today, you would trust me.”

“Ah.”

Right, I had made that promise. At that time, I hadn’t expected Estelia to help me so willingly, so I had rashly made that promise.

But Estelia had helped me very willingly, and her consideration was beyond what I had imagined. So, while knowing I couldn’t back out of the situation, I still felt burdened by her use of the word ‘friend’.

That’s because while some trust had been built with her, it wasn’t completely established. But it didn’t seem bad to trust her to some extent.

‘As long as I don’t talk about family matters.’

After some deliberation, I gave my answer,

“That’s right.”

“Does that mean you’ll be my friend?”

“……I suppose so?”

“Oh, then can I casually invite you for tea from now on? Except, of course, when you’re busy.”

“……You can do as you please.”

Somehow, I felt like I’d been caught… but was that just my feeling? Since I couldn’t ignore her kindness, I answered with half-resignation.

At my response, Estelia’s pupils dilated, and then her lips curved upward. Seeing her so delighted, I felt more strongly that she might have approached me with a pure heart, without ulterior motives.

“But, did you ask me to stay just to say this?”

“Ah, originally I was going to leave right away rather than stay… but it seemed a bit odd. I mean, just sending away the noblewomen and ladies I had invited.”

“……Ah.”

“Anyway, I’m very happy to have your permission to be friends. Let’s get along well from now on.”

Estelia extended her hand to me, and I dazedly grasped it.

And until then, I didn’t know. That I would come to regret becoming her friend.

❀❀❀

Several months had passed since I removed my mask and attended the tea party.

During that time, everything had generally progressed smoothly.

Both the collaboration with La Fleur and my position in social circles.

Olivia seemed to have developed a good image of me after coming to the fashion show following that day’s tea party. She invited me to her tea parties and also introduced me to various young ladies, including those she had invited to the fashion show.

In social circles, apart from the capital’s noblewomen, there was an overwhelming number of unmarried young ladies, so naturally, my standing broadened day by day.

But I was well aware of the duality of the reputation I now held. Without the power of Duke Esteban, I wouldn’t have been able to recover my image so quickly.

This was evident in the change in attitude of the noblewomen toward me. Especially the wives from business families, who became incredibly kind to me recently. People tend to become kind in the face of profit.

Suddenly, I felt afraid.

Afraid that if I couldn’t achieve perfect independence by the end of the contract marriage period, I might lose everything I had gained.

Moreover, with the recent huge success of the collaboration between Black Rose and La Fleur, such rumors were circulating,

Was it really a collaboration, or was Diamond Trading Company unilaterally being charitable to Black Rose? Had the Duke, blinded by love, engaged in a losing business?

These were words that made me itch to refute, but they were also truths I couldn’t entirely deny.

Perhaps that’s why. As time passed, my anxiety grew more intense.

I didn’t dislike Assel Esteban, but the thought of having to surpass him in business occupied my mind all day.

Consequently, the intensity of my work naturally increased. I voluntarily worked overtime, and also tried to expand the business in other directions, staying up all night planning and frequently traveling to the provinces.

Recently, despite having a healthy constitution, I could feel my sleep becoming insufficient and my energy depleting.

Today too, my head ached as if I might collapse at any moment.

But after downing a lot of coffee, I sat at my desk with a throbbing head.

While examining documents, a familiar voice was heard nearby.

“Levedi, you should take it easier.”

Thud.

Simultaneously, the sound of something heavy being placed on the desk was heard.

When I looked up, the owner of the voice was there. What he had placed on the desk was a steaming cup of tea.

“……Assel.”

“You look very haggard. Are you sleeping properly?”

“……I’m fine.”

“But you seem to be pushing yourself too hard. How about reducing your workload?”

“No, I said I’m fine.”

Perhaps due to accumulated fatigue making me sensitive, without realizing it, I burst out in anger.

I froze as I met Assel’s surprised expression.

Chapter 8. Past Love Sometimes Doesn’t Return

I unintentionally burst out in anger. Even though it clearly wasn’t something worth getting so angry about.

Just as I was about to apologize, Assel’s lips moved first.

“I’m sorry. I was just worried about you……”

Seeing him apologize when it should have been me made complex emotions surge within me.

No matter how habitual consideration might be for someone, could such an apology come easily to someone who had been embarrassed?

But knowing it was my distorted mind due to fatigue, I only swallowed such thoughts.

“No, I was oversensitive. My nerves have been particularly on edge lately……”

“No. Since you seem to know what you’re doing, I’ll refrain from showing unnecessary concern in the future.”

Assel’s voice as he said this was resolute yet tinged with a strange hurt. It was clearly because of my anger just now.

For a while, an awkward current flowed between us. My chest felt heavy in that momentary silence.

Even knowing it would be resolved soon, I felt suffocated in that brief time.

Just as I was about to say something, turning my head,

“……!”

I froze, meeting Assel’s eyes.

He had been looking at the capital’s landscape of buildings through the office window while running his hand through his hair, and then he turned his head to look at me.

Given the situation, even just making eye contact made my heart pound. Especially that gaze, looking at me as if he had something to say. They felt strangely unfamiliar today.

“Do you have something to say?”

I broke the silence, finding it frustrating that he was just staring at me intently without speaking.

As if he had been waiting, his lips opened,

“Our sales have increased significantly due to the recent collaboration between the two brands.”