Who is your dad?

“So, is it true that Duke Albrecht is really getting married?” Olsene asked. Her neatly styled brown hair swayed as she spoke, displaying her eagerness.

“It seems so. He stated it very firmly,” replied Lady Robin.

“Duke Albrecht, really?”

Even after hearing Lady Robin’s confirmation, Olsene repeated the same disbelief several times.

It’s unbelievable, Duke Albrecht and that woman? It’s absurd!

“I’ve never heard any rumors about His Grace being involved with any specific woman. Does that make sense to you?”

“I also thought it was false when it was just a rumor. But when His Grace directly said he would marry the Countess soon, I was truly… shocked.”

“I just can’t comprehend it no matter how much I think about it. I mean, it’s natural to assume His Grace would marry at some point, but out of the blue, with Louisette, that woman. It’s incomprehensible, unless His Grace has lost his mind.”

“Well, being blinded by love is a form of losing one’s mind.”

“Love? Who could love such a haughty and cold woman?”

“Why not? The Countess is outwardly very impressive. There’s no man in the world who wouldn’t admire a beautiful woman.”

“Duke Albrecht wouldn’t be swayed by superficial appearances. It can’t be love. It might be more of an arrangement where they provide certain conditions for each other. That’s the only way it makes sense.”

“Well, His Grace did seem to look at Countess Louisette in a rather favourable manner.”

“But why suddenly take Countess Louisette’s side?”

Subtly undermining Celeste, Olsene openly expressed her disappointment when Lady Robin did not take her side.

“Take sides? I only speak of the truth as I see it.”

With these words, Lady Robin hid her gaze behind her teacup. Olsene, finding herself displeased and red-faced, clenched her mouth shut at the blatant display of jealousy before the truth.

“Isn’t it hard to believe in a one-sided marriage?” Tecla, who had been silently observing the conversation between the two women, finally interjected. She couldn’t forget the humiliation she had suffered at Celeste’s hands on her first day as the house manager.

In truth, there was no humiliation, but Tecla was surrounded by the misconception that she had been attacked by Celeste just in front of someone like Lady Laila Tooper.

“Being a Viscountess seems sufficient to rival a Duke. That’s just my opinion.”

Attempting to leave a mark somehow, both women looked uneasy, while Lady Robin elegantly smiled. She was one of those present during the recent altercation between Tecla and Lady Laila Tooper.

Knowing Tecla’s excessive jealousy towards Tooper, Lady Robin recognized the unnecessary confrontations but found no reason to intervene or agree, choosing to remain a bystander.

The same scene unfolded that day. As she passed by Tecla and others, she coincidentally encountered Lady Laila Tooper, causing Tecla to halt her steps as she expected her to provoke Tooper pointlessly.

It was said that she started tormenting Laila with all sorts of excuses. To end this tedious torment, Tecla’s satisfaction was essential.

In other words, it meant that in order for Tecla to derive satisfaction from torment at the end, Laila’s face should turn earthy or shed tears in some way. Just as Robin was watching them with a slightly bored mind, an unexpected person appeared – Countess Louisette.

Her appearance was truly surprising. But even more surprising were the words she uttered out of the blue.

“What is everyone up to?”

A somewhat uncomfortable expression, seemingly indifferent at first glance, but in fact, the subtly cold face full of discomfort underneath was her trademark.

The haughty and cold Countess Louisette. Like thorns blooming on a beautiful rose, her beautiful appearance and cold personality earned her the nickname “Black Rose.” Perhaps unbeknownst to her, in social circles, the purple black rose clearly referred to Countess Louisette as a metaphor.

For some reason, the purple black rose not only did not just pass by Laila without interfering with her but also took Laila’s side. It was unimaginable in the usual circumstances.

Tecla, if she were her usual self, would have voluntarily taken on the role of Countess Louisette’s subordinate, trying to please her, but this time she did not. Probably since that incident two years ago, their relationship had completely deteriorated. Tecla had unexpectedly added Countess Louisette to her list of people to torment whenever they crossed paths.

To Robin, Tecla was someone who could never be Countess Louisette’s counterpart, but seemingly oblivious to this fact, she continued to pick fights that were unwinnable, like trying to crack a rock with an egg.

In any case, the commotion of that day resulted in an unexpected outcome.

Tecla tormented Tooper, and Countess Louisette, who appeared by chance, sided with Tooper and rebuked Tecla, and in the midst of Tecla’s outburst of excessive noise provoking her, the Grand Duke suddenly appeared and announced news of a marriage.

“How surprised they were.

The explosion of the ‘grand marriage of the Grand Duke’ that took place at the gathering of ten noble ladies and princesses instantly exerted its influence over the entire capital.

The Grand Duke, Albrecht, the jewel of the royal family, was marrying Countess Louisette with purple-black roses. It was known that they already had a child. This unprecedented scandal spread endlessly, causing endless repercussions.

“Hey, isn’t that Lady Tooper?”

In the familiar blonde-haired lady caught in Mrs. Robin’s gaze while lost in thought, Laila, with her tantalizing bright blonde hair neatly gathered to one side and gracefully flowing down, was wearing a serene dress today, beautifully mixed with white and pink.

“It seems like a message from Lady Pulcheria has arrived.”

The situation turned into adding fuel to the fire. Following Mrs. Robin’s gesture, Tecla’s face twisted mercilessly as she inspected Laila and seemed to be contemplating whether to engage in a fight or not.

“It hasn’t been long since all that chaos, it would be better to stay calm today, Miss Tecla.”

Tecla, once again arguing with Laila, was discouraged by Olsene, who always took Tecla’s side, worried that Mrs. Pulcheria might appear this time.

“Why would Lady Pulcheria be in the dressing room popular with young noble ladies?”

Bubbling with anger, Tecla barely suppressed her welling rage.

“Oh, don’t you know? Lady Pulcheria has taken over all the popular dressing rooms in Lahrt these days.”

“Why?”

“Why indeed. It’s for the new niece-in-law they are about to welcome.”

The new niece-in-law referring to Countess Louisette.

“Lady Pulcheria, fond of Countess Louisette? That can’t be true!”

With a haughty demeanor like that of a duchess, Mrs. Pulcheria scrutinized people’s characters very closely, showing no sign of admiration for the arrogant Viscount Louisette. The sharpness of Tecla’s voice ripped through the air.

“Why, but of course. I’ve just bumped into Miss Laila in the wardrobe three times in the past week on errands for Mrs. Pulcheria.”

According to rumors, Mrs. Pulcheria had finished mourning her husband and immediately began preparing for her nephew’s wedding. Everyone had expected her and Viscount Louisette to be at odds, but she surprised them all by showering endless affection on her niece and future daughter-in-law.

Those who knew Mrs. Pulcheria’s temperament were appalled by the turn of events, but she continued to openly display her love for Viscount Louisette even more.

“After capturing the attention of the Grand Duke, now even Mrs. Pulcheria… It seems Viscount Louisette possesses some fatal charm.”

“Could it be some sort of enchantment that captivates people? After all, isn’t it the Viscount’s profession to mine and work with enchanted stones?”

“Enchantment? That’s a dangerous notion, Olsene. While the Viscount oversees the mining, processing, and distribution of enchanted stones, every step involves supervision and intervention from the royal family. Even if he is the head of the family, he cannot simply misappropriate enchanted stones for personal use. It would be disastrous if such rumors reached the Viscount’s ears.”

With Robin’s cutting remark, Olsene cleared her throat, coughed lightly, and closed her mouth firmly.

“Well then, I must be off.”

Mrs. Robin discreetly took advantage of the pause in conversation, worried about getting caught in any potential disturbance, and quietly rose from her seat.