Chapter 29
Even after that, Kaiden remained steadfastly by Reina’s side until the social gathering came to an end.
Just that alone seemed to soften the attitudes of the northern noble ladies quite a bit, a testament to his impressive influence.
Reina scanned the now sparsely populated surroundings and let out a sigh.
The day had felt interminably long.
Still, thanks to it, she’d gained a rough understanding of the northern nobility’s dynamics—a worthwhile use of her time.
Perhaps it was the release of tension.
Reina downed the wine left on the table in one gulp.
As she moved toward a chair, her heel caught in the grass, causing her to stumble.
“Careful.”
Kaiden swiftly caught her by the waist.
Thanks to him, Reina avoided an embarrassing fall and flashed a sheepish smile.
“Thank you. I nearly toppled over.”
“You’re not tipsy after just one glass, are you?”
“Of course not. It’s just been a while since I wore high heels.”
“I don’t understand why women insist on wearing those uncomfortable high heels.”
Kaiden grumbled as he glanced at Reina’s heels.
He then guided her to the lounge and instructed Lily to bring some indoor slippers.
Just as he seemed about to seat her in a chair, he suddenly moved to remove her shoe.
Reina, who had been complying without protest, reacted belatedly in resistance.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m checking if you’re hurt.”
Kaiden replied nonchalantly, swiftly stripping off her lace sock in one motion.
“!”
Caught off guard with her bare foot exposed, Reina instinctively curled her toes.
“D-don’t. It smells.”
“It doesn’t.”
“I’ve sweated a lot. Please.”
Reina pleaded, covering her face with both hands.
Kaiden glanced at her and spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“To think you’d sweat over something like this. You must be out of shape.”
He then grasped her ankle and pulled it toward him.
When Reina strained to resist, he muttered as if finding it absurd.
“You’ll hurt yourself like that. Stop being difficult and hold still.”
“Ah, Kaiden…”
Reina sighed his name in resignation, giving up entirely.
She knew full well she couldn’t match his strength anyway.
Kaiden placed her foot on his thigh and examined it closely.
Having caught a glimpse of her ankle twisting momentarily, he pressed firmly behind her ankle bone and asked,
“Does it hurt?”
“It would hurt anyone if you press like that.”
“It’s not supposed to hurt when pressed. Stop whining.”
After gently rotating her ankle and confirming no issues, Kaiden looked up.
In that instant, his eyes met Reina’s directly as she gazed down at him, utterly unguarded.
The sunset was glowing behind her.
Her brilliant platinum hair seemed to shimmer even more today.
Moreover, the reddish hue casting over her pale skin created an atmosphere entirely different from her usual one.
Kaiden found himself staring at Reina without realizing it.
Puzzled by his gaze, Reina called his name softly.
“…Kaiden?”
“…”
“If you’re done, let go now.”
“Ah.”
Kaiden let out a belated exclamation and lowered his gaze.
For a moment, it felt as if time had frozen.
Just as Kaiden furrowed his brow, feeling strangely entranced,
“I’ve brought the slippers, Your Grace.”
Lily approached at that perfect moment, holding out the indoor shoes.
“…Good work.”
Kaiden replied slowly, then extended the slippers toward Reina.
Reina finally felt a sense of relief at escaping Kaiden’s grasp and quickly slipped into the new shoes.
“I’ll be going then. See you later.”
Kaiden stared blankly after Reina as she gracefully departed with Lily, then muttered under his breath.
“I’m going mad.”
As he hurriedly left the spot, his earlobes were flushed an uncharacteristic red.
* * *
The next day, Lady Mary stormed off to find Aiden in a huff.
It was because Reina had assigned her to share duties with Baroness Brington without any consultation.
Of all people, Baroness Brington!
With such an obvious ploy to promote her, Lady Mary couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Meanwhile, Aiden, deeply engrossed in his research, was startled by Lady Mary’s sudden intrusion.
Normally, no one was allowed in while he was working, but Lady Mary was an exception.
It was so he could be informed immediately if anything happened to Dalia.
But as Lady Mary’s voice followed, Aiden’s expression hardened.
“Her Grace the Duchess has gone and divided my responsibilities with Baroness Brington without a word. Were you aware of this, Your Grace?”
“Ah, that…”
So it was about his sister-in-law again.
Feeling somehow deflated by the tiresome topic, Aiden trailed off.
Lately, Lady Mary had been badmouthing Reina at every opportunity.
At first, he wondered if Reina really was odd, but now just hearing it brought on a wave of fatigue.
With a weary face, Aiden offered a perfunctory consolation.
“Don’t be too upset, madam. My sister-in-law made that decision with your health in mind.”
But that only stoked Lady Mary’s temper further.
She narrowed her eyes into triangles and fumed indignantly.
“No. This is clearly an attempt to undermine my position and harm Miss Dalia!”
He couldn’t fathom why diminishing her own standing would equate to harming Dalia.
When Aiden didn’t readily agree, Lady Mary pressed on vehemently.
“I didn’t want to say this, but lately Miss Dalia has become increasingly rebellious, and it’s been nothing but trouble.”
“Dalia, you say?”
As Aiden showed interest in the mention of Dalia, Lady Mary huffed and added.
“Yes. She came back after eating desserts without my permission, and now I have to alter the new dress we just bought. And that’s not all— she even returned from some vigorous exercise unbecoming of a lady, which shocked me to no end. All of this started happening after she began associating with the Duchess.”
Recently, Dalia had been using etiquette lessons as an excuse to traipse around with Reina, enjoying various outings.
Not just horseback riding and shooting, but lately even polo, which had driven Lady Mary to distraction.
A lady should pursue quiet hobbies like embroidery and beadwork, after all.
Reina was using education as a pretext to ruin Dalia.
Seeing Aiden’s grave expression, Lady Mary, emboldened, declared firmly.
“Her Grace the Duchess is corrupting Miss Dalia.”
“Is that so?”
Contrary to her expectations, Aiden’s response was lukewarm.
He simply didn’t see any particular issue in her complaints.
Yet, taking this as affirmation, Lady Mary cried out in an even shriller voice.
“Yes. If I may be so bold, it seems Her Grace is trying to drive a wedge between me and Miss Dalia. Otherwise, why would she promote Baroness Brington?”
It was a claim that lacked any logical connection.
For one thing, Reina stood to gain nothing by separating them.
If anything, it could even be seen as something done for Lady Mary’s benefit, making it all the harder to sympathize.
When Aiden didn’t join in, Lady Mary grew uneasy.
Especially since, for the past few days, his reactions to her words had been oddly passive.
A moment later, Aiden removed his glasses and said nonchalantly.
“Still, Dalia has brightened up a lot lately. Every night, she chatters on praising my sister-in-law—I can’t tell you how much.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s been ages since I’ve seen Dalia babble and laugh like that. I’m actually grateful to my sister-in-law for it.”
“Your Grace.”
“So, I don’t think you need to worry too much. Isn’t she actually lightening your load? I’d like it if you could get along well.”
Faced with Aiden’s laid-back response, Lady Mary ground her teeth.
She tried to protest again, but this time Aiden spoke first.
“I’m still in the middle of my research. If you’ve said all you need to, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave now. I have a guest coming soon.”
“…I apologize for the intrusion.”
In the end, Lady Mary was ushered out of the study without gaining anything, and she clenched her fists tightly.
To think that even Aiden, whom she trusted, wasn’t taking her side.
If things continued like this, she would have no choice but to play her trump card.
