* * *
“I-I…”
I couldn’t quite figure out how I felt about him. If I couldn’t even understand my own heart, how could I possibly accept his feelings…?
Duke Kalinos gazed at me with deeply sunken eyes, as if he understood my feelings. “I know you don’t feel the same way I do yet, Giselle.” His low voice kept tickling my ears. “That’s why I’ll try. I’ll do whatever it takes to win your heart.”
When I ran away from Duke Kalinos, desperate to calm myself down, I heard his voice calling out behind me.
“We’re going to be together at the banquet. No matter what.” His voice, unexpectedly strong, made my face flush bright red.
He really knows how to mess with people’s hearts, doesn’t he? I had been certain he was a lifelong single man obsessed only with research, but now I thought that might not be true.
Biting my lip hard, I headed to my next destination. It was Garno’s room. Knock, knock. As soon as I knocked on the door, Garno cleared his throat and opened it, his eyes going wide when he saw me.
“You’ve come, Lady!”
…Wow, talk about overwhelming. Still, I felt some of the confusion inside me settle down. Shaking my head inwardly, I stepped into his room and got straight to the point. “There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Huh?”
“I want to check all the magical tools in this mansion. Including the ones from the Eastern Continent.”
I didn’t know much about the mansion’s own magical tools, but the ones from the Eastern Continent followed special rules.
“They’re on that wall over there, so why don’t you take a look?”
With my head stretched toward the wall, I looked down from the top shelf, examining each item one by one.
“This one is a potion that turns its target into a eunuch. Ahem. It was developed a very long time ago by a court eunuch from the Eastern Continent.”
“Wow…” That’s seriously inhumane… Muttering inwardly, I glanced down again and spotted a sparkling seashell. “Is there a pearl inside this?”
“Yes, that’s right. But I’m not exactly sure what this pearl is.”
I tilted my head, then picked up the shell and watched as it opened its mouth to reveal a pearl. It’s like something straight out of a fairy tale. Wait, if it’s a magical tool from a fairy tale… A glimmer of excitement flashed in my eyes. I turned to Garno with a bright smile. “Lord Garno! Would you mind lending me this magical tool?”
“Of course. If Lady wants it, how could I refuse?” Garno suddenly switched to formal speech and nodded politely.
I put the shell-shaped magical tool into my pocket and bowed my head deeply. “Then, I’ll be going now!”
Watching Giselle hurried out, Garno tilted his head in confusion. Why would she need that magical tool? He kept tilting his head, then suddenly paused. Come to think of it, I forgot to mention something.
According to the gem artisan, Giselle’s parents had asked the exact same question about the ‘lucky stone’ several decades ago. Back then, they had apparently looked extremely desperate.
I should tell her after she returns from the masquerade.
Still, why had Giselle chosen ‘that’ item specifically? “It’s something I’m currently researching urgently.” But if Giselle wanted it, he could give her anything. As long as she continued staying with his family.
* * *
It was a few days later. Duke Reshaniel’s family’s charity event and masquerade banquet was held. The distinguished guests who graced the occasion were a diverse group, ranging from quasi-barons with single titles to central nobles of high rank who owned vast, prosperous estates. But they all shared one thing in common. They were all capable individuals who possessed ‘mana.’
“A masquerade banquet at the Reshaniel Mansion!”
“Isn’t it just amazing?”
“But why did they invite all the mages, anyway?”
Before long, guests in masks began to arrive one after another. Even their voices were altered. The atmosphere in the lobby, where the masquerade was being held, felt almost sacred.
At that moment, a lady standing near the wall lowered her voice and murmured quietly. “Did you hear? Duke and Duchess Kalinos are coming too.”
“My goodness, to this very banquet, hosted by the Reshaniel family…?”
There wasn’t a soul who didn’t know about the scandal between Duke Reshaniel and Duchess Giselle Kalinos.
One noblewoman adjusted the mask on her face and whispered softly. “Even with masks, we all know exactly who’s who, don’t we?”
“Exactly. That’s why I can’t figure out what they’re thinking.”
Was Giselle just shameless, or was she simply clueless? She walked over with a light laugh.
“But you know, these days, you can’t really say anything about her too hastily…”
“Well, she’s got power, after all.”
They exchanged glances and shook their heads repeatedly. Giselle might be an impressive duchess, but as far as they were concerned, she hadn’t really accomplished anything worth mentioning.
Before anyone realized it, the masquerade banquet had begun. Even with a mask on, Duke Reshaniel could recognize Giselle instantly. Her fragile, slender, beautiful silhouette.
“Giselle has arrived.” He moved with unhurried elegance, as if he were the star of the show. But just as he was about to head straight toward Giselle, he sensed an uncomfortable tension in the air.
Giselle and Duke Kalinos. No matter how much people whispered around them, Giselle stuck close to Duke Kalinos’s side.
With a sly smile curling at his lips, Duke Reshaniel rose elegantly and approached them. “Giselle.”
Giselle would have no choice but to be aware of him, in one way or another. Whether she pushed him away, saying she disliked him, or shed tears because she was happy, it didn’t matter. He had a manual for every possible reaction. But right then, he saw Giselle slip her arms even more affectionately around Duke Kalinos’s. He even saw Duke Kalinos’s chest flinch in surprise.
Duke Reshaniel stared intently at Giselle’s provocative display, then broke into a fresh, bright smile. Giselle might not realize it, but the world was full of people obsessed with gossip.
“Goodness, how vulgar.”
“How could she act so vulgarly?”
“You really can’t hide your origins.”
Especially once he began moving, countless rumors would cling to Giselle.
The masquerade banquet was built around the idea that you never knew who was behind the mask. That meant everyone could pretend ignorance and freely criticize anyone they pleased.
Duke Reshaniel curled his lips in a mocking sneer. Right, let’s see how you handle all these rumors. That’s what I’m most curious about. Would she cry as usual? Or would she try to restore her shattered reputation? Or maybe she’d just square her shoulders and pretend to be strong.
But her reaction was nothing like he’d expected. It was, after all, a masquerade banquet. Yet she simply lowered her mask and gave a light smile.
“Oh my, did someone just badmouth Giselle?”
Anyone who’d spent enough time in high society could easily tell who was behind each mask. That’s why the ladies and noblewomen who’d been gossiping felt free to giggle and whisper among themselves. But once someone, by choice or not, removed their mask, anonymity was no longer guaranteed.
Giselle, having discarded her own mask, shot a sharp look toward the group of chattering ladies. “Sigh, Giselle, real~ly can’t stand this.”
The people nearby shivered at the sudden intensity in her gaze.
“Giselle was trying very hard not to touch anyone else. What to do? Should Giselle just slap someone?”
Others seemed fixated on the phrase ‘slap someone’. But Duke Reshaniel reacted differently. His brow furrowed in an instant. Not to touch anyone else? It sounded like a declaration that she would stop supplying him with mana as she had until now. A cold, dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.
At that moment, while everyone, including him, focused on Giselle’s open display of affection,
“You see, Giselle is going to stay with only my duke fore~ver!” She jumped up and snuggled right into Duke Kalinos’s arms.
…Indeed. Even at this charity event, Giselle’s outrageousness was being displayed without restraint.
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