The people had already changed their attitude just from seeing Rose's attire. So there was no real need for a performance meant for show.
This was tantamount to shouting in front of everyone not to lay a hand on Rose.
'It was an act... right? That's what it was, right?'
Rose was now starting to get confused herself.
Just how far was she supposed to take this loving-couple act? Was she simply interpreting things however she wanted because she wanted to misunderstand?
Were those eyes, like a frozen winter sky, truly appearing like a blazing summer sea just her imagination?
"My wife?"
Rose barely returned to reality at the sound of Dane's voice calling her.
'What... did you say again? Ah, right. You asked if I missed you.'
She barely managed to get her mind working, sluggish as if it had melted in the heat.
"I... me too."
"What?"
Dane tilted his head as if he hadn't heard properly.
There was no way he couldn't hear from this close. His smooth, untroubled face was a little annoying.
"...Me too,"
Rose bit her lip hard once, then raised her voice a little more.
"I missed you."
It wasn't a lie. She had been thinking about how she missed him just a moment ago.
Something like a smile briefly flashed across Dane's lips. It was a languid, satisfied smile like that of a well-fed predator.
"So you did."
That short response somehow sounded like praise. She was certain this was the reaction he had been hoping for.
Whether it was for the sake of others or because he wanted to hear it himself, she wasn't sure.
"Haa..."
"Oh my..."
Swooning sighs from the noblewomen could be heard here and there.
A massive, tiger-like man leaned in toward a small-creature-of-a-woman who barely reached his shoulder. Then whispered so only the two of them could hear.
The sight set everyone's imagination alight.
Married noblewomen and unmarried young ladies alike began to squirm in their seats.
"To think His Excellency Schmaichel came all the way here. I can't believe it."
"Did you just see that? I've never seen His Excellency smile before..."
Those who had finally come to their senses whispered among themselves.
"He doesn't even want to be apart from her for a moment. How romantic, truly."
"How can he be so tender! I wish my husband was a bit like that."
"Honey is literally dripping from His Excellency's eyes, you know? If it were me, I would have swooned on the spot."
Casual touches, intimate contact, a soft voice.
All of these were words that had never suited Dane Schmaichel. Everyone had always thought so.
But from today, that would no longer be the case.
The rumor that Dane Schmaichel had fallen so passionately in love that he personally came to pick up his wife from a tea party—
A rumor like that would sweep through high society.
"Your Excellency, you've come."
Countess Holland approached with hurried steps. Her resigned expression suggested she felt the inevitable had finally arrived.
"It's been a while."
"Yes. It's the first time since I graduated from the Academy."
The two appeared to already know each other. From their conversation, the Countess seemed to be the senior.
"What brings you all the way here?"
"It seems the tea party has ended."
Dane cast a single cold glance at Daisy, who was trembling beside them, then—
"May I take my wife?"
He never looked at Daisy again.
He gave her neither the chance to make excuses nor the time to burst into tears.
That attitude alone completely isolated Daisy. It was an elegant, refined, and yet devastatingly cruel response.
Rose had a feeling it would be difficult to see Daisy in high society from now on.
'Did he... help me?'
The look Dane had directed at Daisy was excessively murderous.
It was brief, but it gave her goosebumps how similar it felt to the time he had dispatched the assassins.
'It must be my imagination, right?'
Even as she thought that—
"......"
The moment she saw Daisy's face, as if she had lost everything, an unfamiliar thrill of pleasure washed over Rose.
Intense euphoria, overwhelming superiority. Her heart pounded so fast she could barely catch her breath.
She felt she had won, completely.
"Of course, Your Excellency."
Countess Holland bowed respectfully.
"I hope there were no shortcomings in my care for the Duchess."
"Thank you for your thoughtful attention."
Dane led Rose out of the room just like that. His hand never left her shoulder, right up until the moment they stepped out.
The guests no longer had any words left to say. They only exchanged glances with widened eyes.
Step, step.
Dane escorted Rose all the way to the carriage. He matched his pace to hers—neither too fast nor too slow.
As she walked in step with him, Rose gazed endlessly at Dane's profile.
Recalling the moment that sculpted, firm face had softened gently toward her.
"Are you all right?"
As if sensing Rose's gaze, Dane's lips moved.
In that moment, Rose was suddenly seized by the urge to ask.
'What was that just now? Was it really an act? Or...'
Her instinct as a woman intuitively pointed to a certain possibility. A very sweet, soft possibility.
Perhaps, perhaps Dane was—
'...There's no way.'
But the memories of her past life, deeply embedded in her bones, along with her habitual self-blame, sealed Rose's lips.
What if she was wrong? What if she was the only one misunderstanding? His Excellency, fancying me?
Her self-defense mechanism kicked in, not wanting to get hurt. As long as she didn't confirm the truth, she could keep it as a happy fantasy.
The moment he personally denied her feelings, she would crumble completely. So thoroughly she might never rise again.
"...Yes."
Rose replied with a faint smile. Dane narrowed his eyes slightly, but—
"I see."
That was all. But Rose had an intuition.
'Someday...'
This feeling, swelling up like a great loaf of bread, would eventually force her to ask him.
She knew she would confirm his feelings even at the risk of being hurt.
It was an intuition, almost like a prophecy.
The two of them, with Helena following behind, arrived at the inner courtyard. The carriage Rose had arrived in earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Bow.
The driver seated on the coach box dipped his head.
'Casto, was it?'
He was the man who ran the Arsil Orphanage. Rose realized Dane had gone out with him.
"Shall we go, then."
Dane extended his hand toward Rose.
**
Inside the carriage returning to Schmaichel Castle.
Helena sat up front with Casto, who was posing as the driver. Inside the carriage, it was just me and Rose.
"......"
Rose was fiddling with her gloves, deep in thought. Each time the carriage swayed, the strands of hair resting on her forehead trembled gently.
Touch.
The moment of pressing my lips there came to mind.
'Mm.'
For a moment, I was confused too.
Whether it was something I did conscious of everyone's eyes, or because Rose standing there was simply too beautiful.
Thank god it was a public place. If we had been alone, I might have kissed her somewhere else.
Yes, like now, inside this carriage...
'...No.'
Helena and Casto were right behind us, separated by a single wall. What was I thinking.
Get a grip. This wasn't the time for such thoughts.
Instead, I focused on Rose's pale complexion.
"How was it?"
"...Ah. The tea party?"
Rose, suddenly snapping out of her reverie, answered.
"The tea party was... enjoyable."
"Then you mean the rest wasn't?"
At the pointed question, Rose stared at me for a moment. As if to say it was because of me.
Eventually, Rose took a short breath and replied.
"That's not what I meant, Your Excellency. Everything was truly fine."
That couldn't be true.
Knowing what kind of treatment the original Rose had endured when she attended tea parties alone, I found her answer highly dubious.
She might have had it easier now that she had me as a shield, but the fools of villains didn't even have the intelligence to grasp that.
"Tell me everything honestly. There couldn't have been only people who were friendly to you."
"It wasn't anything worth Your Excellency's concern."
Rose shrugged and said in a relaxed tone.
"Everyone could tell right away. How much I'm loved by Your Excellency."
"Hmm."
"The dress was truly beautiful, and I walked with confidence. I taught a lesson to anyone who picked a fight."
"You did?"
That tiny squirrel had scolded women who were like vicious wild dogs?
I looked at Rose in disbelief.
"Really?"
"Of course. I did wonderfully, you know."
Rose clenched her fist as if to show off. The tightly balled fist was rather cute.
"Do you have any idea how terrifying women's socialite rhetoric can be? Even Your Excellency wouldn't be able to handle it."
"I don't think that's the case."
"Anyway, I too—elegantly and refinedly—verbally slaughtered them left and right."
Rose laughed as she mimed rapidly pummelling something with her fists.
"I definitely didn't lose. I fought like Your Excellency's knight."
Clumsy boasting, nothing more than a trivial little conversation.
"...I see."
A laugh escaped me.
Whether it was because her proud declaration of victory was endearing, or because that firmly clenched fist was adorable, or because her smile directed at me was lovely.
I wasn't sure which one it was.
Clatter!
The window of the coach box opened and Helena poked her head in.
"Hah, really."
Her face was thoroughly scrunched up, as if frustrated.
"Master, you can stop worrying about the madam. She literally turned the tea party upside down."
"She did?"
"Yes! She went absolutely wild, I tell you."
Hearing her put it like that, my curiosity was piqued.
"Tell me in detail how it went."
Helena, as if she had been waiting for this, began rattling off the story.
"...but the madam shut them down with just a few words. They scurried off like foxes with a thousand tails."
"Hoh."
The Rose in Helena's story was the perfect Duchess incarnate. So much so that I wondered if I was hearing about someone else.
The original Rose had also attended tea parties quite confidently after the contract marriage. But she had visibly struggled against the attacks from my former wives and my sister.
For Rose to handle things this flawlessly was something that came much later.
"...Fascinating."
I wasn't sure why she was more excited telling the story than the person who had lived it, but Helena said it with a proud face.
"I'm telling you, it's true. Our madam was an absolute beast out there!"
"Beast? More like a squirrel."
...Oops.
By the time I realized I'd let that slip—
"Huh?"
"A squirrel?"
It was already too late. Helena and Rose had both widened their eyes.