I Found a Husband When I Picked up the Male Lead

“Your Grace.”

Lizelle raised her hands in exasperation and brought them to Chase’s ears.

Then she whispered in a voice so quiet, only the two of them could hear.

“We agreed to find the mastermind, remember? I’ll handle this on my own, so don’t worry. Instead, please keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.”

The intimate sight of the two whispering to each other made Selena’s eyes tremble with barely concealed rage.

Were they showing off in front of her, flaunting the fact that she was the duke’s fiancée?

Selena’s jealousy twisted her insides.

“Shall we go?”

Lizelle, with a light smile, turned to follow Selena, leaving Chase behind, who was still looking at her longingly.

Chase was uneasy and tried to follow out of concern, but…

“Your Grace, congratulations on your engagement.”

“Congratulations!”

He was blocked by nobles offering their congratulations.

Red eyes dripping with regret gazed at Lizelle’s back and soon gave in.

He knew Lizelle wouldn’t want him to follow her.

As she said, his job was to focus on identifying the mastermind.

At that moment, his gaze fell on Cedric Durico, standing in the distance with a disgruntled expression and muttering to himself.

 

* * *

 

Selena deliberately led Lizelle to a group of her closest friends.

She planned to use the opportunity to humiliate Lizelle.

“This is Lady Rayta Mary, Lady Elesia Bansis, and Lady Veritas Poibe.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Wilhazelle Frosier.”

Lizelle said, introducing herself after Selena finished.

As Lizelle looked over the ladies, she noticed something strange.

‘Wait, all of these… I sold them…’

It seemed like the four of them had gotten together to make a group purchase, as the accessories they were wearing were all items she owed and then resold.

Rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.

They all look so arrogant. Did they really buy used goods?

While it was odd, Lizelle brushed it off as unimportant.

She also couldn’t recall any of their names being significant in the original story, meaning they were all minor characters at best.

In other words, they were all equally insignificant roles.

“Yeah, pleasure.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Their reactions were lukewarm.

Even though Wilhazelle was Chase’s fiancée, she was still the daughter of Baron Frosier.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have crossed paths with daughters of count families.

Furthermore, everyone knew the Frosier family was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Thanks to Lizelle’s past extravagant lifestyle.

Although rumors said they had managed to avoid bankruptcy and repay their debts.

Everyone assumed that Lizelle must have secured a wealthy man to fund it.

Their gazes swept over Lizelle with clear disapproval.

The line was clearly drawn in those gazes.

As daughters of a count family, they were of a different caliber than a baron’s daughter.

They were pampered and naive, unable to grasp reality.

“What’s that in your hand, Lady Wilhazelle?”

Veritas, with her pink hair, pointed at the small, worn box Lizelle was holding and smiled.

“Oh, it’s a birthday gift for Lady Selena. Just a small token of my sincerity.”

Lizelle handed the gift to Selena while noticing Veritas wore one of her old rings.

“That box looks ready to fall apart, but vintage is trendy these days, isn’t it?”

“Lady Wilhazelle must have spent all her money buying her own things, leaving nothing for a proper gift.”

The sarcasm was obvious to anyone listening.

They even mentioned her previous extravagant behavior.

Lizelle had known from the start that they weren’t welcoming her.

Their crossed arms and condescending tone made it clear.

‘Hmm, what should I do about this?’

It was a difficult situation from the beginning. She didn’t know they would pick a fight with her so openly…

But now that things came to this, the tension she felt when she first entered completely disappeared.

She promised Chase she would handle things well. Should she just laugh it off and move on?

Lizelle was deeply troubled.

“Thank you. I’ll open it now.”

Selena opened the box with a sneer.

Inside was a simple rose brooch, just as unimpressive as the worn box suggested.

“Oh my Lady Selena, this would suit Bebe perfectly. By the way, Bebe is my dog.”

“Lady Selena is truly remarkable. To keep such composure after receiving something like that!”

When Veritas spoke, the young ladies next to her laughed and covered their mouths.

‘Ah… so this is the bullying I’ve heard about.’

Rather than being offended, Lizelle observed their behavior with curiosity.

Their disregard for her feelings, their exaggerated sneers.

Everything about their actions screamed disdain.

“Lady Wilhazelle went through the trouble of preparing this. Let’s not be too harsh.”

Selena tried to stop them, holding back her own laughter.

“Truly, Lady Selena is so generous.”

“Indeed. Who else would accept a brooch others wouldn’t even take for free?”

The ladies giggled as they openly mocked Lizelle.

Their scornful gazes and mocking remarks didn’t stop.

‘Oh, I see.’

Meanwhile, Lizelle’s sharp eyes were fixed on Selena’s expression.

Unlike the others, who openly ridiculed her, Selena pretended to stop them, but her lips curled upward in satisfaction.

So, it’s her. The real troublemaker in this group.

She figured it out right away.

Selena was the ringleader of these arrogant ladies.

She deliberately introduced her to her acquaintances to mock and look down on her.

“Does it seem too plain? It was a gift from Madame Eclaire Morais herself.”

Lizelle said with a cheerful smile.

She was unfazed by their taunts.

By now, she was starting to enjoy herself.

“Wait, Eclaire? You mean that Eclaire?”

Their reaction was unexpectedly intense.

At the mention of Eclaire, the young ladies’ eyes lit up, and they swarmed around Lizelle.

“Yes. While I was getting my wedding dress made, I also picked out Lady Selena’s birthday present.”

Although Lizelle was surprised by their unexpected reactions, she responded smoothly without letting it show.

At her words, Veritas inspected the box Selena held.

When she turned over the old box, she saw a mark engraved on the bottom that said ‘Eclaire’.

It was a clear mark of authenticity for the leading boutique in society.

“I heard that it takes half a year to make a reservation at the Eclaire boutique unless you are a member of the imperial family…”

“Lady Wilhazelle, my birthday is coming up, and I’d love to commission a dress from Eclaire. Could you connect me with them?”

Veritas grabbed Lizelle’s hand and made a desperate request.

There was a very warm smile on her face, as if she hadn’t been mocking Lizelle before.

‘What’s going on?’

Lizelle raised her eyebrow and looked at Veritas in front of her. The rapid change in emotions, like that of a villain, was astonishing.

Is Claire that famous?

Since she’d never heard the name, she thought Claire was a designer who only recently became known after becoming famous. She never expected this kind of reaction.

She recalled what Claire told her when picking the gift.

 

‘They’ll love it. I guarantee it.’

 

Claire’s confident assurance turned out to be true.

“Didn’t you just say the brooch design was unimpressive? And now you want a dress from Claire? Isn’t that a bit contradictory?”

Lizelle smiled back with no intention of letting this go.

Initially, she planned to, but not anymore.

Her silence led them to underestimate her, and she had no intention of letting that continue.

Even if this was a contract marriage, she was about to become the lady of the Halos family.

If this current disregard continues, it could have a negative impact on Chase as well.

With that justification, Lizelle’s eyes sharpened.

“T-that… I didn’t know. As expected, Lady Wilhazelle’s taste is exceptional. I was mistaken.”

Yet, she said it was so old-fashioned that it should be given to a dog as a gift?

Veritas fumbled for an excuse having read the look in Lizelle’s eyes as she spoke.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Lizelle replied with a light chuckle, brushing off Veritas’s clear attempt at reconciliation.

“Oh, Lady Wilhazelle. Can I ask you a favor? I need a dress for a ball in a few months.”

“As expected, your knowledge and experience, along with your sense and insight, are amazing! I was unaware. So, can I ask you for a favor as well?”

Then, as if waiting, the rest of the young ladies surrounded Lizelle and asked her for favors.

Unlike the swarming young ladies, Lizelle’s gaze shifted to Selena, who stood a step back.

She was glaring at Lizelle with a murderous look in her eyes.

Her face turned bright red, perhaps because this wasn’t the situation she wanted.

‘Why does that woman hate me so much?’

She just met Selena today.

Not only had they never had any contact up until now, but she hadn’t wronged her in any way.

So, why on earth did she hate her so much? She couldn’t figure out why.

But…

There is a saying that goes, ‘If someone dislikes you, give them a reason to’.

Lizelle decided to give Selena a reason.