Chapter 48
“Think carefully about the advice Mother gave me when I couldn’t consummate my marriage.”
Susan strained to recall the conversation she had overheard from the room next to Rita’s bedroom, but she couldn’t remember the details at all.
“Sister-in-law, what exactly did Mother say?”
I smiled at her, who looked embarrassed, and thought about Rita’s words.
“She said, ‘Don’t moan crudely, don’t get too excited and cling to the Duke, and don’t overindulge in pleasure for too long.’
‘Don’t dare climb on top of the Duke, and under no circumstances should you mix your bodies more than once a night to conserve his strength. Do you understand?’”
The urge to suggest doing the exact opposite of Rita’s advice rose to my throat.
“Moan crudely and indulge for as long as possible.”
“……”
“Cling to your excited husband and climb on top of him.”
“……!”
“And mix your bodies more than once in a night.”
“D-Did my mother really give such advice?”
“Yes, Miss.”
“This sounds quite different from what I heard….”
“Well, you were eavesdropping from the next room, Miss, so perhaps you didn’t hear it properly.”
When I reminded her yet again of how she had sneaked around like a mouse, Susan’s face turned crimson with shame.
“Fine, I’ll just ask Mother about it myself.”
“Good decision, Miss.”
As Susan shot me a glare and abruptly stood up, I hurriedly asked her a question before the sneaky little cat could escape.
“Oh, by the way, Miss! Do you have a favorite gemstone?”
“A favorite gemstone?”
“No, I mean, is there any gemstone you desire so much that you’d steal it?”
“W-What kind of comparison is that?”
She clearly understood my words but pretended otherwise until the end.
“I just want to give you a wedding gift, something that conveys my heartfelt sincerity.”
“I don’t need a gift. It’s all coming out of my brother’s pocket anyway, isn’t it?”
She must’ve meant she didn’t want me taking credit for spending her brother’s money. Quite ironic, considering she had been living off Stefan’s wealth all this time.
Then again, she had already received a wedding gift from me, in a way—not that I’d handed it to her myself. She had helped herself to the garnet ring.
“You’re sure you don’t want a gift? No complaints later, alright?”
“Alright.”
As Susan stormed out of the bedroom, clearly annoyed, the brilliant purple of the garnet ring glinted in her grasp. Stefan wasn’t lying when he said the purple hue shimmered beautifully in the moonlight.
‘Caught you, you little thief!’
Now that I’d hinted at knowing she had stolen the ring, there was no way Susan would dare wear it. Not that she ever intended to wear it herself.
‘Who could Susan Edmond, of all people, have stolen for?’
There was only one likely candidate.
Ailen Blanche. Her one and only best friend, who had apparently orchestrated her “fateful love story.” Susan must’ve been willing to do anything for her.
Since Stefan had been unusually fixated on the ring during our time together, he would likely ask about it soon. When that happened, I’d just tell him it was lost. If he was that attached to it, he could always have another one made.
“The real thief will be exposed sooner or later, so I’ll just sit back and enjoy the show.”
I had no idea this seemingly trivial matter would bring such a whirlwind of trouble my way.
—
Once preparations for Susan’s wedding officially began, Rita threw herself into the task with burning enthusiasm. Having recently arranged her son’s grand wedding, planning her daughter’s was hardly daunting.
The real problem was the influx of visitors from Eden’s estate, who swarmed the duchy’s mansion for the wedding preparations. Their excessive fuss would make anyone think they were hosting a princess.
“Thank you for giving us the honor of your precious daughter.”
“And we’re equally honored to have such an excellent young man as your son.”
“He’s hardly a match for your daughter, who is beyond comparison.”
Rita felt secretly pleased at the overly deferential behavior of the future in-laws.
Though the other woman was older than Rita and would become Susan’s mother-in-law, Rita was the Duchess of a grand estate, while the other was merely a Marquis’ wife from the countryside. Naturally, she saw this as her rightful due.
“You could’ve stayed at an inn, yet here you are inconveniencing yourselves….”
“With so many spare rooms in the duchy, how could I let my esteemed in-laws stay at an inn? Please, make yourselves at home.”
“Oh my, thank you so much.”
The reason Rita insisted the in-laws stay at the duchy was, of course, to flaunt her wealth.
She insisted on giving separate rooms to both Marquis Eden and his mother, despite their polite refusals. She also provided rooms for his married sisters and their families, totaling five rooms allocated to the Eden family.
“Why do his married sisters need to come for the wedding preparations?”
“Exactly. And bringing their children too, turning the place into chaos.”
“It’s like the kids think they’re on a vacation to the ducal estate.”
The complaints of the overworked staff didn’t reach Rita’s ears. She merely saw the Eden family as devoted in-laws who genuinely cherished her daughter-to-be.
Living up to her expectations, the Marchioness of Eden busied herself touring the capital with her son and future daughter-in-law. Between choosing dresses, selecting jewelry, and shopping for furniture to redecorate the marquisate, they kept themselves occupied, visiting only the finest stores. Even Susan, who had grown up with every luxury imaginable, couldn’t hide her delight.
“I heard the Eden family are lords of the Herkeni region. They must be incredibly wealthy. Mother-in-law is having dresses tailored for me in every color and preparing nine sets of wedding jewelry!”
“Oh my, how wonderful…”
“They’re even renovating the marquisate for my arrival, buying all new furniture. The scale of it is incredible!”
“It’s all because of your good fortune, Susan.”
Rita hugged her excited daughter, displaying the boundless love of a mother.
“Live well, my dear.”
“Don’t worry about me, Mother. Please take care of yourself too.”
“If anything happens, contact me right away. Even after your marriage, you’ll always be a Lady Edmond.”
“I take after you, Mother, so I’m good at everything. I’ll live happily.”
“I love you, Susan.”
“I love you too, Mother.”
Five days later, the duchy hosted yet another grand wedding. Not wanting anyone to say it was inferior to her son’s wedding, Rita poured her heart and soul into this one as well.
Though summer wasn’t over yet, she spared no expense on costly ice sculptures and fresh ingredients for the feast. The guest list was diverse, causing the sprawling ducal estate to feel almost overcrowded. Still, this allowed Rachel to reconnect with some familiar faces.
“Oh my, Leopold! What brings you here?”
“Thankfully, I was invited as well. Quite an honor.”
Rachel didn’t know who had decided to invite him, but she was delighted to reunite with her brother. She greeted Finn, who stood beside Leopold, with equal warmth.
“It’s lovely to see you again.”
“It’s a relief to see you looking well, Duchess.”
“By the way, have you heard from His Grace?”
“About what?”
“I seem to have lost the rhodolite garnet ring.”
“Oh no, how did that happen?”
“Has His Grace mentioned ordering another one?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything of the sort.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
At that moment, Rachel saw Stefan raise his hand in her direction. Finn noticed too and politely excused himself.
“His Excellency is calling for me. I must go.”
“Please, don’t let me keep you.”
She noticed something peculiar about Finn’s demeanor.
“Didn’t he call him ‘Your Grace’ at the accessory shop? Maybe ‘His Excellency’ is more appropriate for this formal setting?”
Puzzled, she tilted her head. Leopold leaned in and asked discreetly,
“Have you met Finn Brighton before?”
“Yes, recently at an accessory shop.”
“Recently?”
“He seems to be traveling between the capital and Courtney for work. That must be exhausting. He’s quite remarkable.”
Leopold assumed Finn’s frequent absences from the viscounty were due to trips to the capital.
“Leopold, what do you think?”
“About what?”
“Do you think Finn could be Stefan’s lover?”
Lowering her voice to avoid being overheard, Rachel posed the question. Leopold, however, shrugged nonchalantly.
“I have no idea, but his tastes are definitely… unusual.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s been oddly kind to me lately, and it’s making me uncomfortable. I’m starting to wonder if his attention has shifted from the Duke to me.”
She had no way of knowing this unease stemmed from letters Finn had sent to Leopold. Instead, she scolded him lightly.
“Stop saying such nonsense and focus on learning your duties.”
“I’m learning diligently, so don’t worry.”
While the Burke siblings chatted away, Stefan moved through the wedding venue with Belle in tow. As always, Belle followed him like a shadow.
Stefan scanned the crowd, studying Rita’s invited guests closely. To anyone watching, it looked as though he was desperately searching for someone.
