"Oh! It's so nice to meet you. I'm sorry I don't remember seeing you before. May I know your name?" Rubiella asked.

She was delighted because she had always wanted to know more about her mother. Her father never talked about her and she couldn't just ask the queen about her mother.

"My name is Lady Vyen Sallow. Could you please tell your lover to unhand me?"

"Oh. I don't think she's dangerous. You can let go of her," Rubiella said to Hansel.

"As you wish, my lady," Hansel said and abruptly let go of Vyen which made her almost lose her balance.

"S-such rudeness! Who is this man?! I am sure your mother would not have approved of this kind of treatment to an innocent lady like me," Vyen said.

That was a lie. Vyen was far from innocent and Rubiella's mother was a very kind person.

Rubiella frowned at her.

"You wouldn't know that. She isn't here to tell us her opinion so I do not think you should put words in her mouth," Rubiella said, glaring at Vyen.

Vyen crossed her arms and turned to Hansel.

"Who are you? I haven't seen you in any of the society balls," Vyen said with an unapproving tone.

"Let's leave. You don't need to answer her," Rubiella said and got up to leave.

Rubiella sensed that this woman wasn't really her mother's friend. She was probably just looking for something to gossip about. How unpleasant. This was why she wasn't fond of going around social circles.

"Wait! Does your father know about this? Your status is low in society but you are still a noble. You shouldn't let his looks delude you into thinking that you are free to do anything you want. Young people these days. Tsk. Tsk. So improper," Vyen said.

Rubiella gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.

"Hansel, can you shut her up for me? Scare her a bit?" Rubiella whispered.

Their backs were turned to Vyen and they were already leaving but the unpleasant woman was still babbling about proper decorum and social status.

"Gladly, my lady," Hansel said.

Hansel took a butter knife from his coat coat pocket and tossed it in the air backwards.

"What th- Eeeeeekkk!"

The knife landed on Vyen's hair up do and tore off the ribbon supporting it. Vyen's unremarkable blonde hair spilled down her shoulders in a dissaray.

"I recommend that you no longer associate yourself with us, Madam," Hansel said with a smile.

Rubiella and Hansel left the park, leaving a very shocked woman with messy hair.

*

*

*

Vyen Sallow went on to tell everyone she knew, even people she didn't particularly like, or people who didn't like her back about Rubiella's secret lover. The viscount's only daughter having a lurid affair with a stranger in the park. The horror, isn't it?!

People weren't really that horrified. Most of them didn't know Rubiella anyway. They knew her mother, Lady Rosietta. But the daughter did not inherit her mother's confidence and she wasn't active in society. She didn't attend tea parties or balls for the coming-of-age parties of ladies her age. She was in fact, a recluse of society.

The people talked anyway. People did that. No matter how trivial the matter is if one could make it sound shocking, it would be the talk of the town for a day or two.

"Who was Rosietta's daughter?"

"She is called Rubiella I heard. Red-haired with long ridiculous curls Lady Vyen said"

"Never heard of her."

"Me too. She must look like her mother then. You know, the same hair."

"Lady Vyen said Rubiella's lover attacked her."

"Good gracious! Lady Vyen must be right then. He must be a commoner! A noble would not attack a lady out of nowhere."

"Perhaps Rubiella was just taken hostage by that commoner?"

"No, I heard they were doing the dirty in the park. Scandalous, isn't it?!"

"Oh my. Is Lord Summers going to have a grandchild that was conceived in the park? How absolutely mortifying!"

Such things were the talk of the ton and such as with the nature of gossip, it twisted into the most ridiculous of tales that one wouldn't even be able to fathom what the truth was anymore.

*

*

*

"RU-BI-E-LAAAAAAAAA!" Lord Edward bellowed.

His angry voice carried out of the study and reached Rubiella from her room.

"Father. He's angry," Rubiella said.

"I believe so too, My Lady," Annie said.

The two of them were arranging Rubiella's dresses in the order of purest to most seductive. Why arrange by color when you can arrange by the type of girl you want to be for the day instead?

"Should I escape from the window?" Rubiella asked, sorely tempted to make her usual escape out of the mansion.

"RUBIELLA! COME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

"I advise not to, My Lady. I think he's mighty angry right now and it might be better if you try to hear him out first," Annie said.

"Right. Could you prepare an evening dress for me then? I have a feeling I won't be served dinner in this house and I might have to go to out this evening," Rubiella said.

"As you wish, My Lady. The green dress, is it? The one with the plunging neckline. To show off your gorgeous necklace, of course," Annie asked.

"THE NEXT TIME I SHOUT, I'LL DISOWN YOU!"

"Yes, the green one. Thanks, Annie, you're a gem," Rubiella said and ran down the stairs to go to her angry father's study.

"Father! I see that you are well," Rubiella said.

"No, I am not! Do you see what I have here?" Lord Edward said, scrunching up a newspaper in his fists.

"I'm not quite sure but judging from the grayness of the paper, I think it's a newspaper. Shall I dispose of that for you, Father?" Rubiella asked trying to sound cheerful and helpful at the same time.

"You shall not! What I'm holding here is trash. A tabloid! Do you know why I am reading this trash, Rubiella?" Her father yelled.

"There must be something of interest written in the tabloid that caught your attention?" Rubiella guessed.

"Right, you are. Such cleverness yet such hell of a foolishness you displayed for everyone to know. Read it!" Lord Edward said.

Rubiella unfolded the scrunched up tabloid carefully and began to read.

"Summer Heiress Has a Secret Affair With A Criminal Commoner," Rubiella read out loud.

"Keep reading," her father said.

"An anonymous source reported that Lady Red (the alias we have given for the Summer Heiress) was engaged in a very scandalous act in a park. Lady Red's lover saw our anonymous source and interrogated her in the most improper way. Lady Red's lover is of mysterious origin as his face has not been seen in social circles therefore he must be a commoner. With Lady Red's command, her commoner lover attacked our anonymous source with a knife. It is only with God's grace that our anonymous source escaped with her life and lived to tell the tale," Rubiella finished reading.

"Well?" Her father prompted.

"This is ridiculous! Father, this is utter nonsense! You are right. This is trash. I shall dispose of this for you and I shall tell the servants to not give you another tabloid again," Rubiella said.

"Answer me first! Do you have a lover?" Lord Edward asked, fuming with rage.

Rubiella tensed up. Should she lie? But she didn't want to keep seeing Hansel secretly.

"Yes, Father but the rest of the article is nonsense," Rubiella said.

"Which part exactly is nonsense? The part where it said you were behaving in an unacceptable manner in the park? Or is it the part where you had your commoner lover attack the one who witnessed you?" Lord Edward asked.

"All of those. Now, if you will excuse me, Father. I shall speak with the liar who spread this ridiculous story," Rubiella said.

Lord Edward sighed. He suddenly felt old and weary.

"Tell me. Is he a commoner?" Her father asked.

Rubiella bit on her upper lip and gulped. Her father was never going to approve of their relationship if she tells him that he's a butler. A little white lie won't do much harm, right? They can cross the river when they get there.

"He's a noble, Father. It's true that he doesn't show himself to the social circles but it's because he doesn't like all the attention," Rubiella said.

Her father narrowed his eyes at her.

"His family line. What is it called?" Lord Edward asked.

Rubeilla could feel her cold sweat running down her back.

"Griffin, Father. May I please take my leave now? I believe he must be truly distressed right now with this news full of lies," Rubiella said.

Her father nodded. Rubiella was about to leave the room when he suddenly spoke.

"That necklace. Did he give that to you?" Lord Edward asked.

Rubiella smiled.

"Yes, Father. It's so beautiful, isn't it? See the gems? A ruby, an emerald, and a diamond. I've never seen anything like it," Rubiella said.

Her father nodded. His face deep in thought.

"Bring that lad to me as soon as possible. I want to meet him and see for myself if he is worthy of you," Lord Edward said.

"Yes, Father," Rubiella said.

Rubiella went back to her room. Her green dress was splayed out on her bed already ready for her to wear. Now, how would she tell Hansel that she needed him to act as a noble to gain her father's approval?