At those words, Eloise set down her teacup with a very relaxed movement.

When they had decided to fake Ryan’s death, they had practiced countless times for situations like this. And for a while, she frequently overheard such conversations whenever she went to crowded places.

Eloise glanced slightly at Ryan. He too nodded with a bitter smile.

His expression was tinged with boredom, as if thinking, “Here we go again…”

“I’ve heard that too. But isn’t it just a false rumor? After all, Her Majesty the Queen, as well as the Prince who claimed to be his friend, and his other colleagues all expressed condolences for his death.”

Indeed. Richard had even published a eulogy in the newspaper mourning the death of his friend and superior—a masterpiece that would bring tears to any reader’s eyes.

Just when they thought the rumors circulating in society would pass, the woman who had mentioned Ryan being alive looked around and lowered her voice.

“This is just between us… but he’s really alive.”

At the woman’s words, Eloise and Ryan pretended to drink tea while listening intently to their conversation.

They were curious about what evidence made her speak with such confidence.

“Do you know something?”

“Well…”

The woman hesitated and looked around again.

Apparently deciding that no one was paying attention to their conversation, she continued in an even quieter voice.

“Because Sir Wilgrave got engaged to someone I know.”

At that moment, Eloise accidentally bit her teacup. Who did what? She immediately looked at Ryan sitting across from her.

Ryan too had frozen with his teacup in hand. When his eyes met Eloise’s, he quickly shook his head, as if to say he had absolutely never done such a thing.

Eloise recalled the time she received a medal at the palace. After the ceremony, she had the honor of speaking briefly with the Prince. The Prince had smiled and said this about Ryan:

“Miss Surberton. Did you know that Ryan has flirted with women before?”

“Your Highness! That was for a mission!”

“That’s right. A very successfully completed mission. Your infiltration was so impressive that I thought you might die at the hands of the enemy’s special forces before getting the woman you seduced…”

“Your Highness!”

At those words, Ryan had stood up abruptly as if about to commit treason. This was something Eloise already knew. Among the various articles about him she had seen in newspapers, there were reports of how he had done many things to infiltrate the enemy’s center.

Tabloid newspapers that enjoyed publishing gossip wrote especially about how he had seduced countless enemy women.

At the end of articles filled with explicit and lewd content that made readers blush, there was a disclaimer stating, “This content is fiction written with the sponsorship of the relevant department.”

But to those who read it, Ryan Wilgrave had already become a promiscuous person with base desires below the waist. Ironically, this had only increased his popularity.

What couldn’t be denied was that he had indeed approached women to infiltrate enemy territory. Although Ryan had never spoken in detail about those times, he must have deceived his targets by whispering promises of rosy futures like engagement or marriage.

Though it wasn’t right just because it was a mission, whenever Eloise imagined such scenarios, she would unconsciously narrow her eyes at Ryan.

That’s how Eloise was looking at him now, and as Ryan recognized the poisonous gaze and began trembling slightly, the conversation at the next table continued.

“What are you saying? How could a dead man get engaged?”

“He got engaged because he’s not dead. I wouldn’t be saying this if I had just heard some baseless rumor circulating in the streets.”

At those words, the eyes of the other woman listening widened.

“Could it be that someone I know got engaged to Sir Wilgrave?”

Even hearing this, Eloise calmly drank her tea, and Ryan also tried to stay composed. Though Eloise’s gaze was fixed on her teacup, and Ryan’s hands were trembling so much they might break the saucer holding his cup.

“Yes. And just last week at that.”

At that moment, Eloise and Ryan’s eyes met. If it had been a story from months ago, they could have dismissed it with just a pinch to Ryan’s mouth corner. But an engagement with Ryan Wilgrave last week?

The two exchanged glances. Eloise mouthed words silently.

‘Someone is committing fraud.’

Ryan smiled bitterly at her lip movements. It wasn’t entirely unexpected. Since the announcement of the Wilgrave title, fraud impersonating him had frequently occurred throughout Albion.

The military had officially announced in newspapers that these were all scams, that they couldn’t provide any compensation, and begged people to stop being deceived. Nevertheless, in rural areas where news traveled slowly, scams using his name still occurred occasionally.

“I didn’t think it would happen in a large city like Bringport.”

Ryan said aloud. Looking around, he noticed that the women nearby couldn’t hear their conversation. So Eloise also responded calmly.

“Indeed. In such a crowded place. How remarkable?”

Of course, the two were referring to the scammer who was committing engagement fraud against innocent women.

Ryan sighed.

“I’ll have to contact Richard.”

To come to Bringport quickly and catch the impersonator. For that, they needed to know who the “Ryan Wilgrave’s” fiancée was that the women were talking about.

“Last week? Who on earth is engaged to Sir Wilgrave…”

Perhaps because Eloise and Ryan were conversing so naturally, the woman who brought up the engagement paid little attention to them as she revealed the name of that unfortunate young lady.

“It’s Miss Arabella Primrose. No, I should call her Baroness Surrier now.”

After the women chatted a bit more and left, Eloise and Ryan also rose from their seats. Of course, they continued their conversation as they left the café arm in arm.

“Let’s find out about Baroness Surrier.”

“From what I know, she’s a young lady who inherited her title and all other assets a few months ago after her parents’ carriage accident. And since her parents’ death, she has secluded herself in her mansion and doesn’t come out.”

“The carriage accident happened on a rainy day when they were driving without knowing the road had been washed away by a landslide—truly just an unfortunate accident.”

“That’s about all I know too.”

Tabloid newspapers had raised suspicions about the baron’s daughter. Several low-quality papers published speculative articles questioning whether it was a scheme to inherit her parents’ wealth and title more quickly.

Arabella Primrose mobilized her family’s lawyers and sued all those newspapers. Then other newspapers covered how close she had been with her parents, and investigators sent by the royal family also confirmed that everything had been an unfortunate accident.

Though her innocence was proven, the incident must have been extremely shocking, as Arabella, the new Baroness Surrier, remained secluded in her mansion and didn’t come out.

‘They say she was originally a very bright and lively person.’

She must have been deeply hurt by the scammer. And the fake Ryan must have exploited her wounds.

“If she was in seclusion but got engaged… does that mean she occasionally left the house? Where did they meet? Did he approach her from the beginning?”

The scammer must be rejoicing in his success, wearing someone else’s name and targeting a vulnerable person.

Anger toward the scammer impersonating her fiancé, along with fury toward a distant person she had never seen, boiled hotly in Eloise’s mind.

At that moment, Ryan raised his hand and firmly pressed her forehead between her eyebrows. Then he said resolutely:

“I’ll contact the military department to handle this. You just focus on receiving treatment and enjoying Bringport.”

“My goodness, anyone listening would think I was trying to get involved in the Ryan Wilgrave impersonation case.”

“If you’re not interested, why are you avoiding my gaze?”

As Ryan’s eyes narrowed, Eloise waved her hand dismissively.

“Really, I’m just going to do what I need to do and go back! Parents, friends, and even employees—I have so many gifts to buy. Where would I find time to worry about someone else’s business?”

Even as she said this, Eloise’s gaze was fixed on a newspaper at a street stand. Though he couldn’t make out the content, Ryan could see the words “Baroness Surrier” on it.

Ryan covered her eyes with one hand and whispered in her ear.

“Stop looking at other people.”

“It’s not a person, it’s a newspaper.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Ryan whispered in a voice lower than usual. Eloise shivered slightly as if ticklish.

Ryan continued whispering:

“I don’t blame your parents, but it’s true that we’ve had little time together until now, isn’t it? I was looking forward to coming to Bringport with you… but you’re only paying attention to others. I feel hurt.”

“Others? Someone is impersonating you…”

Eloise was about to say how could she remain quiet when someone was impersonating him and committing engagement fraud, but she froze when she looked at Ryan.

Because he was looking at her with a more serious expression than ever before.

He raised his hand and carefully brushed back a strand of her hair that had escaped, tucking it behind her ear. As he did so, his fingers naturally and affectionately caressed Eloise’s neck.

Those gentle fingers moved lower and lightly touched her necklace. Beneath his fingers, he felt the thin chain. It was a necklace he had bought from a distant place long ago.

A green gemstone that matched Eloise’s eyes exactly hung from the delicately crafted thin chain.

As Ryan’s fingers pressed down, the thin chain stretched, leaving a red mark on her white skin as if a string had touched it.

“Eloise, we promised when coming here. To stay as Lord and Lady Newhaven.”

“And it seems Lord Newhaven is quite possessive. To the extent that he doesn’t want to let his wife out of his sight even for a moment if she thinks about someone else.”

It wasn’t a threat. Ryan couldn’t block Eloise’s path even if he said this. This was closer to sulking. Though it was a particularly thrilling and dangerous kind.

“And I just realized that even the necklace around my wife’s neck has another owner.”

Ryan said this while looking at her necklace. He conveyed that he disliked anything besides himself being near her or leaving marks on her.

“Ryan…”

Eloise swallowed dryly. This jealousy and this look in Ryan’s eyes…

‘It’s so wonderful.’

She felt foolish for having been flustered by the dialogue and gazes of male protagonists she had read about in popular novels.

Why had she imagined such things when the real thing was right beside her?

Eloise firmly embraced his arm that was caressing her and made a resolution.

Yes, let the military department solve the fake Ryan problem. She would absolutely not worry about it. Absolutely not!