“You must like the dress very much.”

“I… want to wear a blue dress like that.”

Gabriel, who hoped that wearing a similar dress would let her shine like Elise, dreamingly smiled.

“A blue dress?”

Rubica held her breath for a moment.

In her opinion, the color royal blue and Gabriel were just not right for each other. She really wanted to whisper to the girl that there were other colors that matched her more, but she had to try hard not to. However, Gabriel didn’t notice it and replied innocently.

“Maybe Ms. Solana will be on ‘The Little Bird’s News’.”

“The Little Bird’s News’?”

“Gabriel, how could you speak of such a magazine full of gossip in front of the duchess?”

“It’s not full of gossip. It is a small newspaper for girls full of entertaining articles and useful information.”

“That is exactly why it is even more dangerous. It gives useless ideas to young girls! I heard it even said there is a nation ruled by a woman. It spreads rumors that haven’t been verified, and I don’t think it is good that it is getting more and more famous.”

Rubica was curious about it, but the countess couldn’t let her daughter continue to talk about such a gossip magazine.

“Look at the embroidery in this napkin. This is so pretty. Claymore’s seamstresses are extremely skilled.”

“Oh, but Her Grace has done it herself.”

“Really?”

Countess Tangt raised an eyebrow at hearing that.

“Oh, then that rumor must be real.”

“Rumor?”

“I head the duke loves his wife so much that he invented a machine that threads needles for her.”

Rubica almost dropped the fork she was holding. She then smiled awkwardly and tried to take care of it.

“He said he made it as a pastime. Right, Ann?”

“Oh…”

However, Ann didn’t give a clear answer and just smiled.

The countess continued, “It must have been embarrassing for him to tell you the truth.”

At first, Rubica desperately tried to deny it, but in time, she realized the countess had a point.

‘Did… he really make it for me?’

Suddenly she felt like crying.

Moreover, he said he just made it because he had too much time?

She couldn’t believe she bought that. Why was he always trying to defend himself with those cold words?

“Your Grace,”

Thankfully, Carl talked to her.

“Oh, it must be the time to recite a poem.”

It was an idea to add more style to the tea meeting. Therefore, Rubica had picked a classic poem about friendship to not kill the mood.

“I must have Elise prepare for it.”

“Your Grace…”

Carl smiled at her as if he had something to say.

“His Grace has sent Lord Russel.”

“Lord Russel?”

“That Lord Russel?”

Suddenly people started to murmur. As Rubica didn’t know much about poetry and poets, she was a little confused, but she didn’t show it. She asked naturally, “But why did he send Lord Russel so suddenly?”

“As he couldn’t come himself, he sent Lord Russel to recite a poem instead of him.”

It looked like Lord Russel was a famous poet, and Rubica was relieved that she didn’t embarrassed herself by asking that and simply allowed it.

As she just heard, Lord Russel was a famous poet. However, he was arrogant and eccentric. He didn’t even come to meetings no matter how much money he was offered.

However, he had come to this tea meeting for one simple reason. During his time at the Academy, he had avoided failing a subject by getting Edgar’s help with an assignment.

Edgar threatened to announce that the assignment had been completed with his help if he didn’t come.

“It is my honor to meet you.”

Russel kissed Rubica’s hand. He had always wondered what kind of woman Edgar would fall in love with.

As he was an arrogant man, Russel thought he would fall for someone as arrogant as himself or extremely beautiful. However, contrary to what he had expected, the woman in front of him looked kind and nice.

Russel sat down at the edge of the fountain and recited a poem.

Everyone was enchanted by his clear voice and the sound of the fountain’s water.

‘It’s not the poem I’ve chosen.’

At first, Rubica listened to it without much thought, but then her face turned redder and redder. The poem was a serenade a man once wrote for his beautiful lover. What was even more embarrassing was that Russel kept staring at her.

“Well, the butler did say the duke sent someone ‘instead’ of him.”

“I guess he must have planned to recite it himself.”

“Huh, that Duke Claymore has changed this much…”

Any man could be braver than ever after confessing his love. Rubica didn’t know what to do about the stories that spread more and more in time. She could have argued that it was all a misunderstanding if it had been only a few weeks ago, but it wasn’t a misunderstanding anymore.

‘How much has he spent to call that man?’

Judging from what the others were murmuring about him, the poet had to be very famous. Rubica was even worried that Edgar might be in debt.

‘Well, even if he has some debts, it wouldn’t be a prob… no, it would be a problem.’

She was going to try her best to stop the war for Edgar. And if she succeeded, the banks would not be destroyed.

‘But wouldn’t they start to criticize me by now? I’ve spent this much.’

She now had to win this fight. Roses that cost a fortune to make, cakes that were sweet enough to melt tongues, the great poet, tables, new silverware and glassware she bought for the meeting, plus expensive tea.

This tea meeting had cost more than a proper ball, so the people were supposed to call her insane. Rubica wanted the guests to say things like, ‘the duchess is so extravagant’ and ‘she isn’t fit to be Duchess Claymore’ on their way home.

‘Well, I really am not fit for this role.’

Everything was just too much for her. The title Duchess Claymore was too much, and Edgar was even more too much. Rubica just couldn’t understand why such a great man wanted her so badly.

***

As the guests went home on their way, they, of course, talked about Rubica. However, what they were saying was completely contrary to Rubica’s expectation.

“I heard Duke Claymore is buying almost all the jewel in the capital, so I thought she would show up wearing a bunch of jewels…’

Countess Tangt muttered as she fiddled with her yellow diamond necklace. She had only put one brooch on her dress as she had been asked, but she still wore the expensive and luxurious necklace that hurt her neck. Still, as she was someone who liked to get attention, the countess was scared that it might not be enough because of the duchess.

“I was surprised to hear her dress wasn’t the work of a designer at the capital.”

“Yes, it is the work of a designer in the Claymore’s dukedom… that designer is about to become famous now.”

The countess bit on her fingernail. Why didn’t she think of it sooner? Finding a talented but not known designer… people were going to wear Khanna’s dress from now, and they were not going to forget the fact that Duchess Claymore had been the one who found that designer.

Plus, it was going to bring even more wealth to Claymore as Khanna lived and worked in its domain. As if the family lacked any money.

“I must send a message to Khanna’s shop as soon as we arrive home. We must get an appointment right away, or we will not be able to order dresses from her.”

“But mother, the society season is still far away. We don’t have to rush like that.”

“Gabriel, who told you I was rushing for you?”

“What?”

“I’m going to order my dresses. Have you seen Ann? She looked at least a decade younger!”

Countess Tangt had survived as a society’s celebrity for many years, and her instinct was yelling the dress was going to be in fashion. Her pride just didn’t let her be out of fashion.

“But I am going to use some gems. I can’t just wear a dress without any gems. Really, I didn’t know the duchess would show up without any jewelry. She wasn’t even wearing a brooch.”

“I think she is extremely frugal, but she isn’t stingy. She shared this rare rose with us.”

Countess Tangt smiled. Her innocent daughter was thinking Rubica had done it only out of goodwill. However, the countess had known this meeting was to let the duchess get used to society without any trouble since the moment she received her invitation.

“Gabriel, what is important is her idea of giving out those roses. If it isn’t the duke’s idea or the butler’s but the duchess’s, she is one scary woman.”

“Are you saying she had a purpose when she gave us roses?”

“Yes. She gave those roses to the guests who went to her meeting. Do you think they will just keep them at their homes? Such rare roses presented by Claymore?”

“No… they will most certainly invite nobles in their neighborhood to boast about it.”

“Yes, and it is a nobles’ characteristic to think they are not important enough when they don’t have something new and rare that the others have.”

The countess pouted. It was her habit to talk about nobles in the third person even though she was one of them herself.