The fabric was torn at the wrist, and one sleeve dangled awkwardly — anyone who saw it would think it looked downright bizarre.
“It seems something rather careless happened.”
If it had been any ordinary lady, she would have burst into tears and fled the scene by now.
Yuliana’s cold gaze fell on Giselle.
Giselle widened her eyes.
As Caitlyn sneered at her, Giselle beamed with excitement.
“Oh my~♡ It’s absolutely fabulous!”
Count Terren was so taken aback that his jaw dropped.
Whether he did or not, Giselle flapped her wrist as if she were having fun. Caitlyn frowned and asked,
“What exactly do you find fabulous about this?”
“The sleeve of the dress I bought from Madame Thunder’s collection tore in the shape of lightning!”
Only then did they notice the tear near her arm.
Perhaps the heavens were helping Giselle.
As she said, the tear on the sleeve looked strikingly like a bolt of lightning.
“This dress of Giselle’s might become the one and only piece in Madame Thunder’s collection! Right, darling?”
“Y-yeah, darling.”
Even Duke Kalinos seemed so flustered by Giselle’s carefree cheerfulness that he appeared to buffer for a second.
At this point, Yuliana began to wonder if Giselle was being sarcastic or if that was just her personality. She rested her chin on her hand.
‘Who in the world is she? I’m getting more and more curious.’
Never before had someone stood their ground so firmly in front of her.
Of course, that didn’t mean Yuliana was starting to like her.
“Giselle Florette.”
“Yes~♡”
“The position of the Duchess of Kalinos is constantly exposed to danger. If war breaks out, you may have to live harshly, eating only hard biscuits with your husband in a military camp.”
Giselle took a sip of wine and replied brightly,
“Of course! That’s exactly what the position is!”
“Then stand up.”
Giselle cheerfully stood up.
“Yes~!”
No one in the room could guess what Yuliana intended next.
Yuliana glared at Giselle and spoke in her signature cold, hard tone.
“Remove Lady Giselle’s chair, Caitlyn.”
“…Excuse me?”
Even Caitlyn was visibly taken aback this time.
But Yuliana continued elegantly.
“There is no seat for you here.”
Duke Kalinos’s throat twitched — a sign of discomfort.
“Mother.”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“This is excessive.”
But before he could say more, it was Giselle who stopped him.
“No, no, it’s fine! Go ahead, move it!”
Giselle beamed as she looked at them.
“You said the Duchess of Kalinos must endure hard biscuits in war camps with her husband! Giselle knows that.”
“And?”
“I’ll show you my resolve to stay by his side, even during war!”
What kind of resolve was she going to show?
As everyone watched her, Giselle’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment — and then, she plopped herself right onto Duke Kalinos’s lap.
“I’ll never leave my husband’s lap!”
Right at that moment, a loud clink came from Count Terren’s side.
He had been so stunned by the spectacle unfolding before him that he dropped his wine glass.
But no one spared him a glance.
All eyes were on Giselle — including the now blank-faced Duke Kalinos and Yuliana, whose expression had turned icy.
In the heavy silence, Yuliana finally spoke.
“…Did you ask for permission to marry?”
“Yes.”
“You do understand that just being in the position of Duchess doesn’t mean you’ll be allowed to interfere in family affairs? No one may recognize you.”
That was true for Yuliana, the current Duchess, and had always been true going back generations.
The Duchess of Kalinos is a position where the weak are weeded out.
Only those who prove themselves are respected and acknowledged as the true mistress of the house.
“Ah, is that so?”
It was an obvious statement — but Giselle had no intention of proving anything.
She gave a bright smile and jumped off the duke’s stiff lap.
Then, without hesitation, she stepped forward toward Yuliana.
Yuliana issued a warning-like declaration.
“Especially you, Giselle. You’ve always preferred a quiet country life. It won’t be easy.”
In short, Giselle was a social outcast.
‘Wow, is she seriously attacking her for having no friends? That’s a bit much.’
Well, it didn’t matter.
Most noble ladies, unfamiliar with being disregarded, would’ve been shocked and hurt by such words.
But Giselle was different.
She had faced all sorts of ridiculous people — something as petty as noble-lady speak didn’t even register. If anything…
“Oh, that’s true. I do love the countryside. Would you like a recommendation for a nice resort?”
…she even had the grace to laugh it off.
Yuliana stared intently at Giselle — her silver hair flowing carelessly, her eyes gleaming with something close to madness.
But her interest was not a positive one.
After scanning Giselle from head to toe, Yuliana smirked.
“I’m curious now. Just how far are you willing to go?”
“Oh, really?”
“Then do try to proceed with the wedding. Though I doubt it will be that easy.”
A permission that didn’t feel like permission at all. A warning, more than anything.
Most society ladies would’ve cried or withdrawn at this point.
So what would Giselle do?
Terren turned his head in curiosity — and was met with Giselle’s even brighter smile.
With a theatrical tone, she shouted,
“Darling, honey, sweetheart! Did you hear that? Mother just gave her blessing for our marriage!”
Terren nearly clicked his tongue.
‘She skipped right over the threats and mind games and just took it as approval? Seriously?’
This girl was something else. And to make matters worse…
“I’m thrilled. I really do like her.”
…his brother was acting strangely too.
That faint smile — Terren had only ever seen it when his brother discovered some groundbreaking research, like the mythical “troll mucus” healing potion.
Terren, startled, blurted out,
“…A-are you serious? You’re really going to m-marry my brother?”
“Yes!”
“W-Why? Why??”
“Because His Grace really loves me~♡”
Terren dropped his crystal glass again.
He managed to catch it this time, but Giselle’s cheerful voice kept echoing in his head.
Even Yuliana, ever the sharp and icy woman, was left looking stunned.
Giselle clasped her hands over her chest and beamed like a blooming flower field.
“Why are you all making those faces? Didn’t you hear me?”
“Well, um…”
“Then I’ll say it again! His Grace loves me!”
“…”
Just attaching the word “love” to someone like Duke Kalinos was enough to leave everyone speechless.
But Giselle didn’t stop there.
“Isn’t that right, darling~?”
While Giselle looked at them all with happiness, a deep and low voice answered in return:
“Of course, darling.”
What the hell?
This was the man who never gave any woman the time of day.
‘What is going on here?’
A satisfied smile — the kind reserved for successful experiments — spread across the Duke’s lips.
‘I remember clearly… when Giselle sat on his lap, his eyes were visibly shaking.’
It had felt like watching a boy fall in love for the first time — enough to make Terren look away in embarrassment.
‘Is this… real? Are they actually in love?’
Orange juice dribbled from Terren’s mouth.
1 to 0.
Amazingly, this round went to Giselle.
