Having moved here less than four months ago, Claisey had almost no social ties with the nobles of the Capital.
The few small parties she had attended were all arranged by Florence, and even then, she had to leave early each time because Merran would interfere.
Yet, here she was, attending a party hosted by a high-ranking noble all by herself, without Florence. Claisey fidgeted with her gloves, feeling both excited and nervous.
To nobles like Claisey, people like the Emperor and Grand Duke Siwil existed in a different world—like figures beyond the clouds.
‘I must not make any mistakes.’
Worry washed over her, and she rubbed her forehead repeatedly.
“We have arrived.”
Perhaps because she was nervous, the travel time felt shorter than usual. As the coachman announced it from outside, Claisey pulled out a hand mirror to check her appearance once more before opening the carriage door.
As soon as she opened the door, Claisey almost let out a small scream. A man in a neat uniform was standing right in front of her.
“Allow me to assist you.”
The man reached out his hand kindly. Seeing other men in similar uniforms attached to other carriages, she realized they must belong to the Grand Duke’s estate.
“Thank you.”
Claisey smiled lightly and accepted his help. In that brief moment, another man approached her coachman to inform him where to park the carriage.
The coachman looked at Claisey with a bit of concern. The man in the uniform thoughtfully spoke up first.
“The Lady will send for you when it is time to return.”
Though it sounded like he was informing the coachman, it was actually a tip for Claisey. Once the coachman moved away, the man asked Claisey, “Do you happen to have a party with you?”
“No. I came alone.”
Claisey handed over the invitation she had brought, answering bashfully. The man scanned the invitation as if checking it, then returned it and asked, “Would you mind if I escorted you to the hall?”
“Thank you.”
Claisey was once again awed by the influence of Grand Duke Siwil’s household.
When other noble families held parties or balls, the attendees had to figure out the rules and etiquette on their own. If one couldn’t adhere to the decorum, they were simply the ones to be embarrassed. Nobles usually ensured their children learned these complex rules from a young age to prepare for such moments.
However, the Grand Duke’s household had dozens of employees tending to every guest, as if it were their duty to ensure not a single person was left behind.
‘They say he holds the most influence among the Emperor’s siblings. Truly impressive. To think they have dozens of such excellent employees.’
The hall doors were wide open. The man who had escorted Claisey pointed to various places in the hall, informing her in a low voice, “You may already know, but there is a lounge for ladies over there. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call for someone.”
The man withdrew. In the meantime, a couple passed by Claisey and entered.
Claisey followed them at a slight distance, but when she saw them approach someone they knew, she turned in a different direction.
Claisey walked along the wall until she reached about the middle of the hall. Fortunately, there were a few long chairs there where she could rest.
Claisey sat on an edge chair, staring blankly at the people.
‘Do they all know each other?’
There didn’t seem to be anyone else who had scrambled to get an invitation like she had. Everyone seemed to recognize each other, greeting familiar faces here and there.
In the harmonious atmosphere, Claisey felt at a loss. If she had known even one person, she could have been introduced to others and expanded her connections. That was how it was usually done.
But how was she supposed to fit into a place full of strangers? Would they dislike it if an outsider suddenly struck up a conversation?
That was when the murmuring in one corner grew louder. In a space where similar levels of noise floated here and there, the sudden rise in volume from one side naturally drew everyone’s gaze.
Curious, Claisey also looked toward the source of the noise.
‘There are so many people gathered over there?’
She soon found the cause of the commotion. There were an unusual number of people there, as if they were surrounding someone.
However, from this far-off chair, she couldn’t see who they were surrounding.
Claisey speculated that the person in the center of the crowd was likely someone from the Grand Duke’s family.
“It seems the Grand Duchess has arrived.”
“We should go and pay our respects.”
“But even if we go now, we won’t be able to speak with the Grand Duchess.”
Listening to the whispers nearby, her guess seemed to be correct. Claisey relaxed the tension she had been holding in her neck from peering over.
‘It’ll be difficult for me to greet the Grand Duchess today. Forget that side. I didn’t come here to get close to the Grand Duchess, anyway.’
Claisey gave up early on the ambition to mingle with the Grand Duke’s family. Instead, she kept to her realistic goal and focused on scanning the young men of her age.
But for some reason, the murmuring seemed to be getting closer to her.
No, that wasn’t it. It wasn’t “seeming” to get closer. It was really getting closer.
‘Is the Grand Duchess coming this way?’
Claisey took her eyes off the group of young men and turned her head. And then, she saw it. The person surrounded by the crowd was a face Claisey recognized.
“Sir Dernic?”
Dernic seemed to have recognized Claisey and walked straight toward her. He didn’t look surprised as he approached, covering his lips with one hand while smiling with his eyes.
“Oh my. Why is Miss Claisey here?”
Dernic was composed, even appearing as if he were teasing Claisey.
On the other hand, Claisey was deeply shocked.
“Sir Dernic is… the Grand Duchess?”
She was so surprised that the words slipped out in a voice heavy with shock. It was a small voice, but some people must have heard it, as they turned their heads like blowfish puffing up with water.
Dernic, who had been grinning, froze in that very expression for some reason. Claisey blinked, looking bewildered.
A moment later, Dernic grabbed his stomach and burst into laughter.
“Good heavens. Miss Claisey!”
As he shouted loudly and laughed, the curious gazes of others instantly converged on Claisey. She still hadn’t grasped the situation.
A lady standing behind Claisey whispered in a very small voice, “That is Sir Dernic, the only son of Grand Duke Siwil.”
‘Good heavens!’
Claisey’s face turned bright red in an instant. Her shame eclipsed her shock at Dernic’s identity. Claisey gasped like a goldfish, then hurriedly turned away.
Without knowing where she was going, Claisey just walked straight ahead. Only when the cold outside air brushed against her and the railing she touched felt icy did she stop.
It was some kind of corridor. Outside, snow like shredded cotton was falling softly. She sighed, then spun around upon noticing a large shadow.
Dernic, standing behind her, was smiling brightly before putting one hand on his stomach and bowing.
“What exactly are you thinking, Miss Arms Dealer?”
No, it was a mockery disguised as a greeting.
If she had a handbag in her hand right now, Claisey might have struck Dernic’s chin from bottom to top. Claisey bristled and protested.
“I had my reasons.”
“What reasons?”
“People near you were saying, ‘The Grand Duchess is coming.’ But the one who appeared was you. I didn’t know who you were. So, I misunderstood.”
Dernic looked down at Claisey’s clenched fist and raised the corners of his mouth.
“Thanks for telling me. Though that wasn’t what I was talking about.”
Claisey quickly unclenched her fist.
“Then what?”
Dernic leaned against the corridor and waved his hand as if to catch the falling snow.
“Miss Arms Dealer, you invited me to your home, didn’t you? Yet, here you are.”
“!”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking. Seeing as you made a slip of the tongue earlier, I wonder if you knew who I was and were playing a trick like this… Miss Claisey, why on earth did you invite me to an empty house?”
Claisey felt a pang of resentment toward herself from two days ago, when she had schemed to use Dernic of all people.
Claisey had suspected that Dernic might be affiliated with the Imperial family, but she never imagined that a man so frivolous and self-indulgent would be the only son of Grand Duke Siwil.
“It’s not an empty house. Merran is here.”
Claisey muttered sulkily before snapping back, “Yes, I’m sorry I invited you to a house where only Merran was present under my name. But are you in any position to be so confident? You ignored my invitation, didn’t you?”
Dernic replied brazenly.
“You rejected my proposal, didn’t you? Do you really think I should have accepted an invitation from the person who dumped me?”
“!”
“I told you. Just like you, I change my mind easily. I don’t dwell on one person.”
As if to ask if that answered her question, Dernic tilted his head and smiled. Claisey bit her lip and acknowledged her mistake.
She had been so focused on the relationship between Merran and Dernic that she had forgotten about that matter. This was clearly Claisey’s fault.
Furthermore, because Claisey had viewed the proposal Dernic claimed to have made as nothing more than a business deal, she hadn’t attached much significance to it.
Dernic added, “At first, I had intended to simply not show up, Miss Arms Dealer. But I changed my mind later and sent someone to properly decline the invitation.”
“!”
“That was about 20 minutes ago. But after I sent the messenger and went downstairs, what do you know? Miss Claisey is right here. Do you have any idea how surprised I was?”
“Fine. This incident is my fault.”
Claisey admitted it readily. Even though she was angry, she couldn’t blame Dernic for this, at any rate.
Claisey bowed her head and turned away. Regardless, things had become complicated. The invitation that Florence had gone to such lengths to obtain had become useless once again. And that was without Merran interfering at all today.
“Miss Claisey. Miss Claisey.”
However, in the blink of an eye, Dernic stepped in front of Claisey and held out a small snowman he had just hastily fashioned, asking, “Now that you know I’m not a suspicious person, may I propose to you again?”