“…Eleanor already has a separate chaperone. There’s no need for Aunt to personally worry about it.”
“Who is that?”
“It’s Lady Jennings.” (TL: Viscountess→ Lady)
Cecilia’s face twisted in displeasure.
“Marianne Donnelly? Bringing in a woman of such low birth as in charge in educating , how far do you intend to degrade the status of the Duke Griffith’s family?”
“She was chosen because she was highly recommended for her bridal education. What’s the problem?”
“Do you really not know that her mother is a commoner?”
“Why should I care about the affairs of her parents’ generation? What’s so important about that?”
“If even a single drop of dirty blood is mixed in, it can never be reversed! How can Lloyd’s heir not know this!”
Cecilia’s shouted words echoed faintly off the high ceiling of the dining room.
“Fire that woman.”
“…Aunt.”
“Whether it’s that woman or any other chaperone, it’s the same. To become a woman of the Duke’s family, there are things that must be learned directly from a woman of the same Duke’s family. Now, there are things that no one but me can teach.”
Daryl gritted his teeth at the throbbing headache. It was now at its limit.
“That’s impossible.”
For a moment, the place was filled with a chilling silence as if it had become a charnel house.
“…What did you just say?”
“I said it’s impossible. Both firing Lady Jennings and you staying in this house.”
“You dare to defy my will? The will of your father’s sister?”
“My father is no longer here. I am now the master of this house.”
“Daryl!”
“I am now the Duke of Griffith!”
Daryl slammed his hand on the table, causing the entire table to shake and the dishes to rattle. Layla screamed and covered her ears.
“No one in this house can tell me what to do or what not to do. Not even you, Aunt. Please remember that.”
Daryl spoke in a threatening voice. Cecilia was stunned and stuttered.
“You, how dare you…”
Daryl threw the napkin he used to wipe his mouth and stood up.
“I’ll leave first. I’ll have the carriage ready, so when you’re done eating, you can go home.”
“…How dare you…”
Cecilia was trembling in her seat as if she had a seizure. Daryl left the dining room without a second glance.
Daryl went straight to his office and closed the door. There was a knock, but he ignored it and lit a cigar. His hand was still shaking with anger.
Soon, Eleanor cautiously opened the door and entered.
“Are you okay?”
“What.”
At Daryl’s sharp response, Eleanor didn’t say anything more.
Daryl loosened his tie and took a deep puff of his cigar. After exhaling a cloud of smoke that blurred his surroundings, his extremely tense nerves finally relaxed. Seeing Daryl’s expression calm down a bit, Eleanor spoke again.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“You took my side a lot today.”
“Throw away the absurd misunderstanding. It’s not that I was trying to take your side. I just thought it was necessary to make you realize the reality because Aunt kept crossing the line..”
“But the fact remains that I received help from you.”
“I said it was a misunderstanding.”
“Even if it was a misunderstanding, it doesn’t matter. Thanks to you…”
Eleanor couldn’t finish her sentence. Daryl had closed the distance between them in an instant and pushed her against the door. Eleanor’s back hit the door hard, making a loud noise, and a weak groan escaped her lips.
“I said it was a misunderstanding. Are you deaf? Can’t you understand what I’m saying?”
Daryl growled while staring into Eleanor’s eyes from a hair’s breadth away.
“Do you think we’re really engaged because you’ve listened to me a few times? Do you want to play love games in earnest, drunk on that damn good acting? Wake up from your impossible dream. You’re nothing to me. You’ve been my stumbling block since you popped out of your mother’s belly. It’s all your fault. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have had this ridiculous farce in the first place. Do you understand?”
“…..”
Eleanor’s eyes, which had widened in surprise, gradually returned to their original size. At the same time, her expression disappeared from her face. Daryl cursed and stepped away from Eleanor. He walked to the desk and pulled out a fresh cigar.
“Don’t mistake yourself for a real duchess and live like you’re dead for a year. Don’t bother me.”
“…..”
Eleanor straightened her disheveled clothes and quietly left the study.
****
“This is a mess.”
Anthony muttered with his chin in his hand.
“Isn’t this what they say about a bean powder household? What do you think?” (TL: refers to a family atmosphere where people do not get along well, are at odds with each other, and are not polite.)
“…”
The butler coughed quietly instead of answering. Anthony smirked.
Daryl and Eleanor never returned to the dinner table. Cecilia also left in a rage, and Layla disappeared as soon as she was alone with Anthony. In the end, the only one left in the vast dining hall was Anthony.
“Everyone seems to be not hungry. We haven’t even gotten to the main course yet. It’s a shame to miss such delicious food.”
Anthony took a slightly bloody steak to his mouth. He let out a satisfied moan.
“Of course, dessert is prepared, right?”
“…Yes. Shall I bring it?”
“No, I haven’t finished eating yet. Please let me enjoy it as much as possible. Oh, refill the wine here.”
Anthony tapped his glass, which was about a third full, with his fingernail. The butler returned with a bottle of wine.
‘It’s going to get more and more interesting.’
Anthony took a sip of wine with a satisfied expression.
****
Daryl was leaning against the wall of the royal palace ballroom, tilting his glass.
They call a woman who can’t get a dance request from any man a ‘wallflower’. Right now, Daryl was a wallflower by his own choice, even though he was a man.
Daryl originally hated parties. He rejected nine out of ten, no, nineteen out of twenty of the countless invitations that flew in every week. He didn’t enjoy the time he had to engage in meaningless conversations with strangers and endure all sorts of women’s flattery.
Of course, this didn’t mean that there were no people approaching him. Whether it was his name, his face, or something else, there were countless people who approached Daryl with their own goals. Especially today’s party, because he was the protagonist.
The reason he participated in today’s royal party was to officially announce his engagement to Eleanor.
An hour ago, right after the announcement, as expected, a great commotion ensued.
Some were so surprised that they couldn’t even recite their obvious congratulatory speeches. It was understandable. He said he was going to marry a woman suspected of being his father’s illegitimate child, so it wouldn’t be strange if all the parties and dances were on fire with this topic for a month, maybe two. Originally, he planned to leave as soon as the announcement was over. The reason he stayed was because he hadn’t yet greeted the host of this party.
“His Highness the Crown Prince!”
Just then, the news he had been waiting for arrived. The orchestra played a grand music to match the entrance of the Crown Prince. Daryl put down his empty glass and moved towards the center of the hall.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Ah, Daryl.”
Crown Prince Aaron patted Daryl’s shoulder with a friendly smile.
“I heard the news. Congratulations. I thought you would stick to the single life for at least 5 years, but my prediction was off.”
“It’s not completely off. I wanted to do that if possible.”
“You casually say something that would upset your bride. Did you leave your partner and come alone? On such a festive day, you should show a loving appearance together.”
“She hasn’t been feeling well these days. She wanted to come, but I stopped her. Since we have an important day coming up soon, she shouldn’t overdo it.”
“You’re absolutely right. But it’s a shame. There were rumors that she was a beauty, and I just missed the opportunity to see her beauty.”
“I apologize. We will visit together soon.”
“Alright. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
The conversation that flowed like water was actually pre-arranged. A few days ago, Daryl had met with the Crown Prince in advance and explained all the circumstances. The reason why Aaron was not surprised at all that the bride was Eleanor, and did not ask sensitive questions, was because of that.
