IWEML 37

chapter 37

He said he wasn’t referring to Mélanie, yet why did he keep saying things that reminded her of her?

“Marquis Ingda, right now…”

But before Duke Clotilde could intervene, Marquis Ingda quickly apologized.

“Oh dear, I suppose Josephine has been standing out lately. I must be getting carried away. My apologies. I suppose I’m overdoing the bragging about my daughter.”

Because the Marquis had apologized, Duke Clotilde found it difficult to step in.

Mélanie, who had been quietly listening to the entire conversation, gazed at Marquis Ingda and thought:

‘All my illness was just an excuse. So he thinks his own daughter is the best? And on top of that, Josephine is so charming as a woman that it’s no wonder Polyus can’t take his eyes off her?’

In short, in every way, Josephine was better than Mélanie.

If she intervened now, she might come across as petty and narrow-minded.

Yet doing nothing was equally humiliating.

No matter which way she chose, Clotilde would also end up at a disadvantage.

‘This is… tricky.’

The atmosphere had grown tense. Just as Duke Clotilde, who also cherished his daughter, was about to speak, the host of the gathering, Count Ranilda, spoke first.

“Hahaha, I see. Marquis Ingda is quite talkative today. Has the young lady found someone she fancies these days?”

“Yes, it seems things are going well…”

“Congratulations. Even though Veldert’s young master is devoted to Lady Clotilde, it would be wonderful if Lady Ingda also found a good match.”

Count Ranilda, unaware of the tense mood, continued talking, making it even harder for Duke Clotilde to interject.

Someone nearby, sensing the awkwardness, gave a nervous laugh and tried to follow along.

“Haha, if you’re talking about Veldert’s young master, do you mean Lord Damian Matapju?”

“No, he’s usually just called Matapju, isn’t he? I meant Polyus Veldert, young master.”

At that moment, silence fell over the banquet hall.

The man who had tried to agree blinked in disbelief, questioning his own ears.

“P-Polyus Veldert, young master…?”

“Yes. Isn’t he engaged to Lady Clotilde? I saw him clinging to her not long ago in the theater district.”

Count Ranilda, who focused more on scholarship than social gossip, smiled with a youthful, unworldly expression, oblivious to the sudden chill in the room.

“Hehe, was that a week ago? They’ve been engaged for a while, yet he was still so devoted. It warmed my heart to see it.”

“…Are you sure it wasn’t Damian Veldert, Count?”

Marquis Ingda asked sharply, chewing over Count Ranilda’s words.

Up until now, he had been trying to spin his daughter’s excessive charm as the reason Polyus was “taken”—a way to romanticize what was essentially a flirtation.

Flirtation is bad, of course, but one can always say the woman was difficult to manage or lacking in charm.

He had hoped to use this opportunity to turn Josephine into a captivating woman.

But if the prize ended up clinging to Mélanie instead, wouldn’t Josephine end up looking ridiculous?

‘Everything was going smoothly, so why bring up such nonsense now? They broke up ages ago.’

Marquis Ingda tried to put on a composed smile.

“You seem to be mistaken. Polyus Veldert, young master, has long since parted ways with Lady Clotilde.”

“Haha, but the two Velderts have completely different hair colors! I’m not great at remembering faces, but I definitely noticed it was brown!”

Count Ranilda, unaware that his words were making Marquis Ingda’s expression harden, continued talking.

“Ah, what was it… He asked to represent her? Or said he could be the best partner if they worked together…”

Lord Damian Matapju was already a representative, so there was no need for him to plead to be a representative for Mélanie.

As Marquis Ingda fell silent, Josephine stepped in to shut Count Ranilda up.

“You must be mistaken. That couldn’t be the case. Young Master Polyus said he would work on the video stone business with me, and we are on good terms.”

She had previously said they would be engaged, but after Clara’s intrusion embarrassed her, Josephine kept her statements neutral.

“Oh? Is that so? Did I see it wrong?”

Just as Count Ranilda tried to backtrack, another noble cautiously intervened.

“I’m certain it wasn’t a mistake… I also saw Polyus Veldert with Lady Clotilde a week ago.”

And he was not alone.

“In fact, I heard the same thing… exactly as the professor said.”

“Well… they were together on the street where the theaters gather. Surely more than one person saw them.”

Although the gathering was organized around Count Ranilda, and some favored Josephine, the elder’s word carried weight.

As others agreed, Count Ranilda scratched his cheek and added:

“I was right to see it! Why would he cling to Lady Clotilde if they had already parted? What I saw was certainly not ordinary.”

“U-uh… Professor…”

“Hmm? Did I say something wrong?”

This confirmed everything.

Earlier, they could have claimed it was a chance meeting or a polite greeting, but now, saying he “clung so desperately” or that their relationship looked good left no room for excuses.

Meanwhile, oblivious Count Ranilda loudly asked, ignoring the whispered warnings of nearby nobles:

“He asked to be a representative, so it couldn’t have been Lord Damian? Ah, I see! Then Young Master Polyus clung to Lady Clotilde even after they broke up?”

“Oh dear, Professor.”

The noble who had tried to whisper the situation felt their efforts wasted and clicked their tongue in frustration.

It seemed Marquis Ingda had been attacking Clotilde, but now…

‘Wow, his expression is bad.’

As expected, Marquis Ingda’s face was red with restrained anger.

His daughter Josephine’s expression mirrored his.

‘I’ve been boasting about working on the video stone business with Polyus. About getting engaged! But if that Mélanie Clotilde was the one he clung to… then what does that make me?’

At that moment, Mélanie cautiously spoke. She wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

“I’m sorry. Young Lady Ingda kept saying she would be engaged to Polyus Veldert, so I didn’t tell you, afraid it might hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to hide it.”

Mélanie then smiled gently and added:

“I’m not the type to feel superior by stealing someone else’s man. Nothing happened at all.”

Her words perfectly countered what Marquis Ingda had implied earlier.

“It was just… that I wanted to become the representative of the Black Moon. I wanted to work on business together. That was all.”

“……”

“But what about when Young Lady Ingda said she would work with Young Master Veldert on the video stone business? We might need to check that.”

Yet Mélanie’s calm and sincere demeanor made Josephine and Marquis Ingda, who had been boasting earlier, look awkward.

Duke Clotilde also joined in.

“Yes. How could I have raised my daughter so that I would send her to a man who doesn’t put Mélanie first?”

“Father.”

“I don’t wish for Mélanie to achieve fame or social renown. I simply pray to God that she is healthy and happy.”

The large hand resting on Mélanie’s shoulder was warm.