“The newly wedded Duke and Duchess Claymore have arrived!”

Then the carriage stopped as they had reached the palace.

“… I guess we will have no choice but to discuss this matter later.”

Mentally, Rubica stuck her tongue out at him. Edgar’s beauty had been so hard to get used to, but she had now gotten used to it. She wasn’t going to let him go, no matter how sweet his words were.

Moreover, this wasn’t the end of the event she had prepared. She was a woman who truly knew how to provoke people. When the carriage’s door was opened, people cheered at seeing the beautiful couple.

They had waited for such a long time and must have been tired, but they smiled broadly and threw white flowers and grains dyed in white as the blessing. Edgar got off the carriage first and escorted Rubica.

Soon her dress was shown, and people exclaimed. At least the dress she had designed was beautiful, so beautiful that even Edgar’s beauty couldn’t diminish it.

With each step she took, the golden embroidery flutteringly moved. Rosa was happier than anyone else at seeing it. She wanted to grab the people near her and yell that beautiful dress had been the duchess’ idea.

They continued to sprinkle flowers and grains until the two arrived at the front door. Then they arrived at the opened door where Ann quickly replaced the circlets and veil that pressed their heads with garlands.

“Thank you, Ann.”

Rubica had promised to call her by her first name after the wedding, and Ann smiled in return.

Then, Rubica spoke extremely naturally to Edgar who had just taken off his circlet.

“Let us go, Edgar.”

The next moment, people around them including Ann doubted their ears. Some couldn’t shut their mouths and some opened their eyes so widely that they were about to get out. However, Rubica naturally linked her arm with Edgar’s as if there was nothing wrong.

“What?”

Edgar was just as much surprised as them. However, he instinctively knew that if he scolded Rubica now, there would be no going back on that.

He was arrogant, but even he didn’t have the guts to scold the bride who was entering the hall where the wedding feast would take place in front of the crowd. Then, her cute smile would fade, and she could mercilessly remove her arm.

“… okay.”

Okay. That single word had lots of meanings. It meant he was going to go into the hall together without making a problem, but also meant Edgar knew what Rubica was intending and they should talk later.

Rubica smiled as widely as she could at this.

‘Oh my… he is…’

‘I’ve never seen him like that before.’

‘… I think he is really in love with her!’

‘It looks like mistreating the duchess would be a bad idea.’

Rubica had nothing to lose. She just wanted to press that pride of the duke. However, regardless of her intention, the crowd was surprised to know Duke Claymore was letting her talk to him like that.

In the end, they concluded this impossible situation was only possible because Edgar’s love was so deep. They couldn’t think of any other way to understand that crazy situation.

As Rubica was escorted to the splendidly decorated hall, she replied kindly to all the guests and servants who congratulated her. As she was the duchess now, she could have behaved arrogantly, but she didn’t.

But there was one person she spoke extremely arrogantly to…

“Hey, pass me the pepper.”

It was Edgar. Although he was steaming, he handed her the pepper container. On her dish was a roasted snipe that had been cooked with too many spices to boast about the wealth of the special day. There was no need to add pepper to it. She had to be speaking like that only to get on his nerves.

Just as he thought, Rubica didn’t bother to sprinkle the pepper. The crowd muttered among themselves at seeing that. The scholars who were inventing weapons under Edgar mostly thought the newly wedded couple seemed so in love.

However, a few comments were more than enough to disturb Edgar.

“She’s got him, she’s got him.”

“He has finally been conquered by love.”

Edgar couldn’t take it anymore and decided to speak to Rubica who was happily enjoying the feast.

“This is way too much.”

“Huh? Too much pepper?”

Rubica replied innocently with wide eyes. Edgar wanted to grab her wrist, drag her away, and tell her to stop ignoring him.

He was Duke Claymore. He knew how to handle those who dared to challenge his power and honor. But strangely, this time, he didn’t feel like jumping on his feet or take Rubica’s wrist forcefully.

No, he wanted to, but he couldn’t. He was going to realize that inexplainable feeling had been ‘fear’ only later.

“… we will talk in private later.”

That was clearly a warning, but Rubica didn’t care. She just tasted the dishes that filled the table as the servants from the kitchen had worked hard preparing food from yesterday morning to this evening.

Of course, they couldn’t make the pie Ann had requested, one filled with live pigeons that would fly away when the crust was cut, instead, there was every possible delicacy, including cream cake in the shape of a castle and chocolate with rum filling.

Edgar was looking less beautiful than usual because he was annoyed, but Rubica decided not to care about him anymore. She then started to examine the guests one by one.

Even though the wedding had taken place quickly, as it was a wedding feast of the duke and the duchess, all of them were wearing fancy clothes.

‘Hmm, he is dressed like a scholar indeed. He is wearing such a huge hat to… cover his bald head? But it looks nice, it matches his face.’

After she looked at the scholars of Claymore, she examined the knights.

‘… that man, he is certainly handsome.’

Stephen was dressed in much nicer clothes than the ones he had been wearing when Rubica accidentally ran into him in the mansion’s treasury. He was the personal guard of the duke. He appeared to be in a higher rank than the other knights. Moreover, the knights around him were most certainly good to look at.

The energy of the warriors’ muscles is so… energetic.

“You are watching them too openly.”

Edgar realized where she was looking at and frowned. Rubica wasn’t even surprised at hearing him accuse her.

“They are the Claymore Family’s retainers. I’m just trying to memorize their faces.”

No, you’re not. You looked them up and down and you just stared at that knight’s chest.

Edgar really wanted to say that, but he managed not to. He didn’t like that she was looking somewhere else.

However, he didn’t want her to know that. He didn’t know why, but he felt like it would let her take advantage of his weakness.

“People might get the wrong idea about you.”

“Ann, can I have more champagne, please?”

Rubica openly ignored him and talked to Ann.

“But wouldn’t a glass of champagne be enough for you?”

Ann was worried about the baby and tried to stop Rubica. She didn’t know what Ann was thinking, but she hadn’t asked because she really wanted champagne.

Therefore, she nodded and drank the water that Ann poured out for her instead of champagne.

“Would you like to drink water as well?”

Ann asked, but Edgar shook his head. Then, he was surprised to see her look at him so happily.

‘You must be jealous.’

No.

Jealous? No, not at all.

Edgar thought it was unfair. However, suddenly announcing he wasn’t jealous would only let people know he was jealous. And his pride was ordering him to shut up for now.

“I don’t want water.”

Edgar drank champagne again. He could feel his face heating up quickly. He probably should take the medicine for the cold quickly.

“Where is Carl?”

“He is right over there, Your Grace. I will bring him.”

Ann left in a hurry to call Carl who was giving orders to the servants.

Rubica thought examining the knights again would only make Edgar blow up, so she started to look at the relatives who lived within the mansion.

They were wearing clothes and accessories much better than those of the other guests. Some of them glared at Rubica, but she just ignored them and went on.

Rubica examined people for some time, but then someone caught her eyes. The girl sitting at the very end of the table.

Unlike the people around them who were dressed in splendid silk, her dress was shabby. She seemed afraid as she kept looking around and eating quietly.

The green hat on her head looked quite funny and was exploiting the beauty of her blonde hair. Her skin was rough, and she was crouching. People would never call her beautiful.