Chapter 47
“No, it’s the proposal ring. He said he’d prepare a bigger one for the wedding,” Susan replied confidently.
Her composed demeanor brought a satisfied smile to Rita’s lips. While the marquis’s status wasn’t entirely to her liking, what parent wouldn’t be pleased to see their daughter cherished so dearly?
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
Stella exclaimed with wide-eyed admiration but then asked something she shouldn’t have.
“So, are you getting a pink diamond as your wedding gift too?”
The mention of a pink diamond made Susan’s face pale.
“St-Stella, shh! Be quiet…”
“Are pink diamonds only for duchesses?”
“N-no, that’s not it. I’ll explain later, okay?”
But once Stella’s curiosity was piqued, she rarely let it go—a result of Rita’s doting and indulgent upbringing.
“Susan, you should ask the marquis for a pink diamond. As long as you don’t ask the High Priest to officiate, it should be fine.”
“Stella, I said be quiet!”
“When I get married, I’ll make sure to get a pink diamond as a wedding gift. It’s the prettiest gem in the world.”
Failing to silence her younger sister, she could only stare blankly at Stella’s prattling.
At that moment, Stefan intervened.
While he was always strict with his sisters, he tended to be harsher with the youngest. Despite looking more like Stella than Susan, one would think he’d favor her, but that wasn’t the case.
“Stella, pink diamonds are the scariest gems in the world.”
“Why?”
“They’re mined at the cost of workers’ blood and sweat.”
“All gems are mined by workers, aren’t they?”
Her candid remark made his expression harden.
“Would you believe me if I told you the workers mining pink diamonds are younger than you?”
“No way! Kids can’t do such hard work.”
“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. That’s why anyone with a conscience avoids pink diamonds.”
“…”
“Especially as a wedding gift—it’s the worst choice.”
Understanding the deeper meaning of her brother’s words, Stella pursed her lips and glanced at her mother. It was only then that Rita’s flushed, embarrassed expression caught her attention.
Worried that her wedding plans might be derailed, Susan hastily tried to change the subject.
“I’m not marrying the marquis just because of the gifts.”
“Then why are you rushing to marry him? You only asked for my approval to date him three days ago.”
It seemed Rita was a little upset at her daughter’s haste.
“I’m sure he’s the one for me.”
“You need to observe a person more carefully over time. Right now, you’re just blinded by fleeting excitement.”
“This feels like fate, Mother. You said you felt the same when you first met Father.”
Susan, caught up in romantic fantasies of marriage, brought up her late father. Rita’s expression turned serious.
“Marquis Eden recently lost his father.”
“That’s why I want to be there for him all the more.”
“Trying to fill the void left by someone’s death with your presence isn’t the right approach. According to tradition, it’s best not to marry within the same year as a parent’s passing.”
“…”
“And you’re only twenty years old. Marrying next year wouldn’t be too late.”
“What about Rachel then?”
Rita’s attempt to dissuade Susan inadvertently highlighted Rachel’s situation. She had been married off immediately after her parents’ funeral, at the tender age of twenty.
Her face flushed red again. Having been bested first by her thoughtless daughters and now by her own words, she endured a second round of humiliation in her seat.
“Pfft.”
Stefan let out a scoffing laugh and opened his mouth.
“In that case, we should prepare Susan’s wedding at the ducal estate. We can’t exactly hold her wedding at the marquis’s estate right after a funeral.”
That was undoubtedly a direct reference to what Rita had told Stefan a month ago—that her son’s wedding would be held at the ducal estate.
Rita’s face, already flushed, darkened further as if about to burn. Having been hit by her daughters and now her son, it was clear she was too overwhelmed to think straight.
‘Could it be he’s bringing this up for my sake?’
Rachel’s gaze shifted from Rita to Stefan. But he, as if he had never spoken, wore his usual indifferent expression while cutting his steak.
‘Of course. Would he be the type to help me?’
Rachel thought it best to resolve this awkward situation herself, so she spoke up.
“Congratulations on your engagement, Miss Susan.”
—
“Sis, sis! Sister-in-law!”
Out of breath, Susan blocked my path just as I was about to enter my bedroom.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, my marriage is now a done deal.”
“All I did was back up His Grace’s words a little.”
When I modestly gave the credit to Stefan, she nodded vigorously.
“I just came from thanking my brother as well.”
“Well done, Miss.”
I praised her, proud that she had finally shown proper manners for once. But despite my compliments, she lingered awkwardly in front of me, making it clear she had more to say.
“Is there something else you need help with?”
“I’d like some advice from you. May I come in for a moment?”
“Of course, Miss.”
Once inside the room, she subtly glanced around, as if searching for something. Though it was obvious, I pretended not to notice.
“Please, have a seat over here. It’s late, but would you like some juice?”
“Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
After seating her at the tea table, I excused myself under the pretense of calling for a maid. Of course, I left the door slightly ajar.
Moving quickly like a stray cat, she paced in front of the console table, hesitating before returning to her seat. Confirming her actions, I asked Mary to prepare some drinks and reentered the room.
‘What do I own that Susan might covet?’
It wasn’t cosmetics—Susan prided herself on being more knowledgeable about beauty than I was.
Nor did she seem to be snooping for secrets. She hadn’t opened drawers or searched through things, so I doubted she was digging for something important. Not that I was careless enough to hide valuables in an unsecured spot like a console drawer.
Then, glancing at the console, I noticed something missing—the garnet ring Stefan had been obsessed with.
The ring, which had played a significant role during our obligatory three nights together, had been proudly displayed on the console until just earlier.
‘Could it be Susan? But she’s about to receive an extravagant set of wedding gifts…’
Suppressing my growing curiosity, I sat across from Susan as if nothing had happened.
“Would iced tea be all right? I thought tea might be too heavy for a summer night.”
“I’m fine with anything.”
Her overly polite and composed demeanor struck me as odd.
“What advice did you want, Miss?”
“I’ll soon be leaving the ducal estate and moving to the marquis’s, so I wanted to learn about managing in-laws wisely from you.”
“Are there two wicked sisters-in-law at the marquis’s estate too?”
“…”
“I’m kidding, Miss. No need to take it so seriously…”
Mary entered and set down the iced tea. Susan, perhaps taking my playful jab to heart, guzzled the tea as if to cool herself down. She must have felt guilty about something.
“If that’s a skill, it’s a good one—saying exactly what you want under the guise of a joke.”
“Well, with wit like that, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about in-law troubles.”
I quickly agreed, which made her chuckle, though somewhat exasperatedly.
“In that case, I should learn your bedroom techniques instead, Sister-in-law.”
“I think you’re misunderstanding something, Miss.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t have any special bedroom techniques.”
Even as I blushed and shook my head, Susan persisted stubbornly.
“Come on, just tell me! Don’t think of me as your sister-in-law—just as a friend. Share honestly.”
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing to share.”
“That makes no sense! Then how do you explain my brother’s cheerful demeanor after your nights together?”
“You’d have to ask His Grace about that.”
“Sister-in-law, are you really going to do this to me?”
Seeing her indignant reaction, an idea suddenly came to me—a way to prevent her from asking me for nonsense advice in the future.
“How about learning bedroom skills from your mother?”
“M-my mother?”
