I Taught You Carefully, So Why Are You Obsessed?

I opened the Aria newsletter and let out a silent scream.

An article about me and Duke Roger was plastered all over the front page.

The main text unnecessarily detailed how we appeared in a fancy carriage in the bustling city, how he treated me with utmost care, and how we entered the most upscale restaurant in town.

But the real absurdity lay in the section about what happened once we were inside the restaurant.

Throughout the meal, Duke Roger smiled like a shy wildflower blooming in early spring! I will not elaborate on how the ladies at the nearby tables gasped, but suffice it to say that the sight of his blushing cheeks left them in awe. The true surprise, however, is how the Grand Duchess continued to eat as if unaffected by that beautiful smile!

‘What… what kind of nonsense is this?’

My hand holding the newsletter trembled.

‘Duke Roger, a shy wildflower…? What in the world?’

I mean, sure, Duke Roger is handsome, but we weren’t in that kind of atmosphere at all!

‘And besides, shouldn’t that kind of description be reserved for me? I mean, I used to be the Ice Flower of the social circles!’

I was so bewildered that I found myself longing for the kind of flattering titles I used to shy away from.

My face turned a mix of red and blue as my expression soured, and even Vivi, who had brought me the newsletter, started to look uneasy. She glanced at me nervously.

“M-Madam… Are you alright?”

“No.”

I definitely wasn’t.

At my firm response, Vivi clamped her mouth shut with a small gasp.

The article got even more ridiculous as it went on.

It portrayed me as if I were weighing the Duke and Roger against each other after nothing more than a simple meal together.

‘Ugh, this Aria newsletter writer is unbelievable!’

Up until now, they’d written decently about the Duke and me, so I thought they were a good person.

Turns out, they’re terrifying!

The opinions section was even worse.

-For some reason, I just had to read the newsletter today…

-Is this real? Did anyone actually witness it? I can’t believe it.

-My friend saw it! She said the atmosphere between Duke Roger and the Grand Duchess was amazing!

-I didn’t expect this from the Grand Duchess…

‘What are you people even talking about!’

I was about to write a rebuttal in the feedback section when I suddenly froze.

“Madam…?”

“Wait a minute.”

At that moment, a chilling realization swept over me.

‘Oh no! Ian Cloud!’

It hit me that he, too, would have seen the newsletter by now.

I shot up from my seat, startling Vivi.

“M-Madam?”

“I need to get to the dining hall.”

“M-Madam? Madam!”

Before Vivi could stop me, I practically ran to the first-floor dining hall.

Sure enough, Ian was already sitting there with the Aria newsletter in hand.

I’m doomed.

A wave of dread washed over me as I slowly entered the dining hall, carefully watching his reaction.

“Um, Your Grace?”

My cautious voice echoed through the hall. Ian raised his gaze from the newsletter and looked at me.

“……”

He silently scanned me before setting the newsletter down and picking up his utensils.

Normally, this would be when I’d hear his usual stiff, mechanical greeting like, “Good morning, the weather is fine.” but not today.

‘He’s already read it.’

I felt a surge of helplessness and let out another silent scream before quietly sitting down to his right.

I hadn’t even done anything wrong, but my palms began to sweat like I’d been caught doing something terrible.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and clenched my fists.

‘No, no, wait. Why should I feel guilty? I’ve done nothing wrong!’

After all, I’d gotten Ian’s permission to have that meal with Duke Roger.

All I did was eat and come back without any fuss.

The newsletter was wildly exaggerated, focusing on Roger, not me.

Though admittedly, the headline did suggest otherwise.

‘Ugh, seriously, who blushed? Not me! It was Roger with his wildflower nonsense!’

With that thought, I straightened my back and sat proudly. I even remembered to take a defiant sip of water.

“It seemed you were invited to the Duke’s estate, but it turns out you went on a date instead.”

“Pfft!”

My recent resolve vanished as I nearly spat out my drink.

“Ah, well, Hayden—I mean, Duke Roger’s chef had an accident just an hour before I arrived, burning his hand while preparing ingredients. So, as Roger said, we had to… improvise.”

“It was an accident, huh.”

He mumbled quietly as he glanced at the newsletter he had placed on the left side of the table.

His gaze lingered, as if confirming the name of the restaurant printed in bold letters.

It was certainly a bit too famous of a place for something that was supposedly a rushed visit.

Realizing something seemed off, I hurriedly added.

“Actually…! It’s not a place you can visit without a reservation, but Duke Roger must have known the baron who manages it, because they let us in. And we even got the best window seat—”

Oops. I almost said something I shouldn’t have.

Now was not the time to boast about being mentioned on the same page with a man from an imperial faction family.

I clamped my mouth shut, and Ian’s gaze turned towards me.

“…I see.”

A brief response escaped his lips. He then neatly diverted his attention away from me and picked up his utensils, showing no intention of pursuing the matter further.

Is that it?

I had expected Ian to launch into a tirade about the prestige of the grand duchy, the responsibilities of the grand duchess, and my duties, but instead, he remained silent. Though…

‘Did he already have a plate of ice for breakfast?’

His face looked oddly cold, not just his usual detached expression. I wasn’t the only one who noticed—the servants in the dining hall kept casting furtive glances our way as they brought out the plates.

Just the other day, they had been beaming and hovering like court jesters, but now, they were quietly setting the dishes down and retreating quickly.

I can’t breathe!

I wanted to scream.

I thought back to the words I had confidently said to Ian not too long ago.

I had looked him straight in the eye and declared that I had never tarnished the name of the grand duchy and that there would be no reason for that to change.

I had even told him he should focus on doing his part well.

Now, it seemed like I might have to swallow those words.

Of course, nothing had happened to disgrace the grand duchy… but still.

Wait, but what about Duke Roger?

This situation must be far worse for him, right?

After all, I’m a married woman, and the article only mentioned us having a meal together.

But Duke Roger had been described as blushing and acting shy in front of the grand duchess.

I briefly considered writing him a letter since meeting face-to-face would be awkward now, but then quickly dismissed the thought.

This was no time to worry about someone else.

Meanwhile, the dining hall remained filled with suffocating silence, save for the background music as we ate.

“…….”

“…….”

It felt eerily similar to my first day after possessing Eloise’s body.

Even so, Ian somehow managed to eat at the same pace as me.

‘At this point, I almost wish he’d start lecturing me about the grand duchy’s honor…’

After a few more courses, dessert was served. Ian set down his utensils and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“Well then, I’ll be excusing myself for today.”

Without even saying goodbye, he got up and left the dining hall.

Watching him leave, I let out a disbelieving sigh.

‘…Is he actually sulking right now?’

 

 

 

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