TYWML 33

Chapter 33. Lady Donovan (1)
Date: 2024.06.02

Riena gave a bitter smile. It wasn’t just lip service—she truly was fine.

As Lady Donovan had said, with Countess Dyke still around and well, it was a bit much to expect her to worry about Riena too.

Riena was already grateful that she was even concerned.

“But anyway, what brings you to the capital? How did you end up staying at the Winkler ducal residence? Did something happen?”

In her last letter, Riena had only written that she was staying at the Winkler estate and hadn’t gone into detail.

Besides, the servants had been thoroughly warned not to let any talk of Riena or Kassel leak outside the estate, so even if Lady Donovan had tried to find out what happened, she wouldn’t have been able to.

“Well, the thing is…”

Riena slowly began to recount everything that had happened over the past two weeks.

She told her about how Countess Dyke had tried to force her into marriage and how she had fled to escape it.

And then, about how she ended up accepting Kassel’s proposal along the way.

Lady Donovan, who had already been furious about Countess Dyke’s arbitrary behavior, was shocked twice—once at the name Kassel Winkler, and again at the fact that he had proposed.

“Are you saying it’s really the Duke of Winkler?”

“Yes. I even verified the family crest. I’m staying at the Winkler estate myself. And you know impersonating a noble is a serious crime, Aunt. Who would dare to impersonate the head of the Winkler family?”

“I do know that, but still…”

Despite the logical explanation, the Baroness couldn’t easily bring herself to believe it. Riena understood. Even she still found the whole situation surreal.

“I also confirmed it with my father’s letter. And…”

Riena hesitated for a moment before bringing up a story from her childhood.

“Actually, I once spent time with the Duke of Winkler at the Dyke estate when we were children.”

“Really?”

“Yes. My father brought a boy with him once, saying he was the son of a close friend. He cared for him and even taught him swordsmanship. At the time, I didn’t know which family he came from, but it turns out he was from the Winkler dukedom.”

“Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing from your mother that your father and the former Duke of Winkler were quite close. But I didn’t know they took care of a child together.”

“We lived together for about half a year. We even joked about getting married when we grew up.”

Lady Donovan silently watched the bright smile that appeared on Riena’s lips.

“To be honest, when the Duke of Winkler first came and proposed, I was really flustered. But when I found out he was the Cass I knew from childhood, I felt more at ease.”

Even after hearing this, the baroness couldn’t relax. She held Riena’s hand a little tighter and watched her only niece’s expression carefully.

“But… are you okay with this?”

“Sorry?”

“I mean, are you really okay marrying him like this? I worry you might be trying to escape one unwanted marriage by jumping into another. Even if you knew him as a child, that was a long time ago. People change.”

Lady Donovan spoke as if she understood the gap Riena had sensed between the Cass she remembered and the man Kassel had become.

“But at least he’s a man with a verified identity. He’s also the only student Father ever mentored, and… he’s my friend.”

“It doesn’t matter if he was your friend or your father’s student. I’m asking how you feel.”

“Me…?”

“Can you really see yourself spending your whole life with the Duke of Winkler? Marriage is more difficult than you think. Even couples who’ve loved each other for years often discover new things about one another after marrying—things that can cause fights or disappointment.”

“I see… But I’ve already prepared myself for that.”

As Riena’s voice trailed off vaguely, the baroness opened her mouth as if to say something.

“And… I don’t know if I should say this to you, but…”

“…?”

“There are a lot of unpleasant rumors about the Duke of Winkler in the capital.”

“…Unpleasant rumors?”

This was the first Riena had heard of it. No matter how well-known the Winkler family was, news hadn’t spread all the way to the Dyke territory.

The baroness pressed her temple, still looking conflicted.

“You must’ve noticed already, but the Duke’s personality isn’t exactly pleasant. Even as a young noble, he was infamous for being cruel. There’s even a joke in the capital—when children cry, you threaten them by saying the Duke of Winkler will come get them, and they stop crying immediately.”

“What? The Duke? That’s not true! He’s a bit curt, but he’s not that kind of person.”

“There are even some saying that the circumstances surrounding the former Duke’s death are suspicious.”

“Aunt!”

Riena jumped up, shouting without meaning to. Realizing she had gone too far, the baroness quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry. I don’t usually like gossip or believe it, but when I heard you were marrying him, I started worrying.”

“He’s such a good man. That’s nothing but a vicious lie.”

In that moment, one thought popped into Riena’s head:

Does the Duke know about these rumors?
If he did, how would he feel about them?

Why hasn’t he tried to correct them?

Still breathing hard from her sudden outburst, Riena finally calmed down after hearing a few more apologies from Lady Donovan.

As she sat back down, she said, “I’m sorry, Aunt. I got a bit worked up.”

“No, I shouldn’t have brought it up. I was being reckless.”

“No, I understand. You said all that because you care about me. And I do understand how you feel. But he really is a good person.”

Riena thought back to how Kassel had treated her over the past two weeks.

Not as the Cass she had known as a child—but as Kassel Winkler.

Even putting aside the fact that he was once Cass, Kassel’s behavior had been courteous.

He didn’t talk much or show much emotion, but he was never rude or disrespectful toward her.

Nor did he treat others badly.

He spoke sharply to the knight commander of House Dyke or to Baron Rotman, but in those cases, he had his reasons.

Kassel wasn’t someone who mistreated people for no reason. The same went for how he treated his servants.

At least from what Riena had observed with her own eyes so far.

And besides—

“There’s no way Cass could be like that.”

No matter how much he had changed, she couldn’t imagine that gentle boy from her childhood turning out so wrong.

Count Dyke had worked so hard to teach him true knightly virtues.

“So please, try to set those rumors aside. If you met him in person, I don’t think you’d be saying that.”

“Well, if you say so, then I’ll trust your judgment.”

“Yes.”

Riena gave her a soft smile and looked at her aunt. Lady Donovan closely resembled Riena’s mother—the one she’d only seen in portraits.

Compared to the young and beautiful woman in the painting, her aunt had wrinkles and the marks of age, but the love in her eyes was exactly the same.

Blue eyes, just like her mother’s. If her mother had lived, would she have looked at Riena with that same loving expression?

Riena bit her lip, lost in thought.

If her mother had been alive, none of this would’ve happened in the first place.

As Riena fell silent, the baroness gently added, “Still, I hope you think more seriously about marriage. Regardless of who your fiancé is, choosing marriage just to avoid an immediate crisis… I don’t think that’s right.”

“…”

“I’ll help you. Since you haven’t officially announced the engagement yet, it can still be undone. I’ll act as your chaperone. You can make your proper social debut next spring in the capital, and once you find someone you love, then you can marry.”

Riena honestly hadn’t expected Lady Donovan to care this much.

But when she looked up at her in surprise, the baroness looked confused.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t tell me you thought I wouldn’t do even this much for my only niece?”

“No, it’s just…”

Riena couldn’t bring herself to lie and bowed her head.

“To be honest… I did think that. Not because I didn’t trust you, Aunt. I’ve always known you’re a good person. But… well, the situation being what it is…”

Riena fidgeted with her fingers.

“My mother passed away when I was so young, I don’t even remember her. I met my grandparents once, but I barely remember them either. And it’s the same with you, Aunt.”

Lady Donovan smiled warmly and listened closely to her niece.

“And to be reaching out again after all this time, asking for help… It felt shameless.”

“It’s my fault. I should’ve done more for you when you were little, but I was too caught up in my own hardships. But now that we’ve reconnected, let me take care of you. If you’re willing, I’ll prepare a room for you right away. I’ll send a maid to fetch your belongings.”

Riena couldn’t say anything in response to that.