Episode 29
Kaiden remained by Reina’s side until the social gathering concluded.
His mere presence softened the attitudes of the northern noblewomen considerably, a testament to his remarkable influence.
Reina sighed as she surveyed the now-quiet surroundings.
The day had felt interminably long.
Still, it had been a productive time, allowing her to gauge the dynamics among the northern nobility.
Perhaps it was the release of tension.
Reina downed a glass of wine from 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 tripped.”
“You’re not drunk after just one glass, are you?”
“No way. It’s just that I haven’t worn high heels in a while.”
“I’ll never understand why women wear those uncomfortable things.”
Kaiden grumbled, eyeing her heels.
He then escorted her to the lounge and ordered Lily to bring indoor shoes.
As he seated her, he suddenly moved to remove her shoes.
Reina, who had been compliant, belatedly protested.
“W-What are you doing?”
“What do you think? I’m checking if you’re hurt.”
Kaiden replied nonchalantly, swiftly removing her lace socks as well.
“!”
Caught off guard with her bare feet exposed, Reina instinctively curled her toes.
“S-Stop it. They might smell.”
“They don’t.”
“I’m all sweaty. Please.”
Reina pleaded, covering her face with both hands.
Kaiden glanced at her, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“To think you’d sweat over something like this. You need more exercise.”
He then grabbed her ankle and pulled it toward him.
When Reina resisted with all her might, he muttered as if it were absurd.
“You’ll hurt yourself. Stop fussing and stay still.”
“Kaiden…”
Reina sighed his name, giving up.
She knew well enough she couldn’t overpower him.
Kaiden placed her foot on his thigh and examined it.
Having seen her ankle twist momentarily, he pressed firmly behind her ankle bone and asked.
“Does it hurt?”
“It feels like it’d hurt if you press like that.”
“It’s a spot that shouldn’t hurt when pressed. Stop exaggerating.”
Kaiden gently rotated her ankle, confirming there was no injury, and looked up.
At that moment, his eyes met Reina’s, who was gazing down at him unguarded.
The sunset glowed behind her.
Her radiant platinum hair seemed to shimmer even more today.
The red light casting a healthy flush on her fair skin created an unfamiliar aura.
Kaiden found himself staring at Reina without realizing it.
Puzzled by his gaze, Reina called out softly.
“…Kaiden?”
“…”
“If you’re done, let go.”
“Oh.”
Kaiden let out a belated sound and lowered his gaze.
For a moment, it felt as if time had stopped.
As if entranced, Kaiden’s expression hardened.
“Here are the shoes, Your Grace.”
Just then, Lily approached with indoor slippers.
“…Good work.”
Kaiden replied slowly, handing the slippers to Reina.
Relieved to be free from his grasp, Reina quickly changed into the slippers.
“I’ll head out then. See you later.”
Kaiden stood there, watching Reina leave gracefully with Lily, and muttered under his breath.
“Madness.”
As he hurriedly left, his ears, uncharacteristically, were flushed red.
* * *
The next day, Lady Mary stormed off to find Aiden, fuming.
Reina had instructed her to share duties with Baroness Brington without consultation.
Baroness Brington, of all people!
The blatant intent behind the appointment left Lady Mary anxious.
Meanwhile, Aiden, engrossed in his research, was startled by her sudden intrusion.
Normally, no one was allowed in during his work, but Lady Mary was an exception.
This was to ensure she could immediately report any issues concerning Dahlia.
But as Lady Mary’s voice grew sharp, Aiden’s expression hardened.
“The Duchess assigned my duties to Baroness Brington without a word. Were you aware of this, Young Lord?”
“Well, that’s…”
Another issue involving his sister-in-law.
Feeling deflated by the topic, Aiden trailed off.
Lately, Lady Mary had been relentless in her complaints about Reina.
At first, he wondered if Reina was truly at fault, but now the mere mention of it exhausted him.
With a tired expression, Aiden offered perfunctory consolation.
“Don’t be too upset, Lady Mary. The Duchess likely made this decision with your health in mind.”
But that only stoked Lady Mary’s temper.
Her eyes narrowed as she exclaimed indignantly.
“No! This is clearly an attempt to undermine my position and harm Lady Dahlia!”
Aiden couldn’t fathom how reducing her influence equated to harming Dahlia.
When he didn’t readily agree, Lady Mary pressed on vehemently.
“I didn’t want to say this, but Lady Dahlia has been increasingly defiant lately, causing me no end of trouble.”
“Dahlia, you say?”
As Aiden showed interest in Dahlia’s affairs, Lady Mary continued heatedly.
“Yes. She’s been eating desserts without my permission, requiring her new dress to be altered. And that’s not all—she’s been engaging in unladylike vigorous exercise! I was shocked. This all started after she began spending time with the Duchess.”
Recently, Dahlia had been gallivanting around with Reina under the guise of etiquette lessons.
From horseback riding to shooting, and lately even polo, she had driven Lady Mary to distraction.
A proper lady should pursue refined hobbies like embroidery or beadwork.
Reina was clearly using education as an excuse to ruin Dahlia.
Seeing Aiden’s serious expression, Lady Mary, emboldened, declared forcefully.
“The Duchess is ruining Lady Dahlia.”
“Is that so?”
Contrary to her expectations, Aiden’s response was lukewarm.
He found no real issue with her complaints.
Mistaking his reaction for agreement, Lady Mary raised her voice further.
“Yes. If I may be so bold, it seems the Duchess is trying to drive a wedge between me and Lady Dahlia. Why else would she appoint Baroness Brington?”
Her argument lacked coherence.
For one, Reina had nothing to gain by sidelining her.
If anything, it could be seen as an act to ease Lady Mary’s burden, making it even harder to empathize.
When Aiden didn’t concur, Lady Mary grew uneasy.
His increasingly tepid responses over the past few days only heightened her anxiety.
After a pause, Aiden removed his glasses and said casually.
“But Dahlia has been much brighter lately. She can’t stop praising her sister-in-law every night.”
“What?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Dahlia chatter and laugh like that. I’m actually grateful to her.”
“Young Lord.”
“So there’s no need to worry too much. Isn’t she lightening your burden? I hope you two can get along.”
Lady Mary gritted her teeth at Aiden’s nonchalant response.
She tried to protest further, but Aiden spoke first.
“I’m still in the middle of research. If you’ve said all you need to, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave. I’m expecting a guest soon.”
“…My apologies.”
Unable to gain any ground, Lady Mary was effectively dismissed from the study and clenched her fists.
Even Aiden, whom she trusted, wasn’t taking her side.
If things continued this way, she’d have to play her trump card.
And here we go. Now the idiot is going to make the big mistake of trying to take our girl down, which will end in HER being taken down. Sigh. Will they ever learn?!