Chapter 3

That night, in her room, Lucrezia finally let out a sigh.

“...How can I make them listen to me?”

Lucrezia was not criticizing her sister's breaches of etiquette out of malice. She was simply worried that if Rosa, who knew nothing of the real court and skipped her ladylike education, were to model her behavior on operas and romance novels, she would surely embarrass herself.

—If I were to let her read, at least let it be a novel written by a noble... No, it would probably be too ‘educational’ and she would dislike it.

It is a common story that novels written by noblewomen, which become topics of conversation because of their authors, are too religious and do not gain much popularity. Romance novels that become the talk of the town must feature nobles as characters while also depicting commoners.

The novels Rosa likes are also commoner-oriented.

If she were to take them seriously and embarrass herself, that would be one thing. But the Marshal is the supreme commander of the national army. His wife, as the face of the country, is required to entertain enemy forces and defend the nation's honor, a role that demands a dual nature.

If the Marshal and his wife were incompetent, it would invite unnecessary conflict and expose the entire country to great danger.

And Falco is hopelessly incompetent.

Even if they wanted Falco to succeed, the Marshal and his wife deemed him unreliable, which is why they chose Lucrezia.

Rosa, who should have been preparing for her future by learning as much as possible, was so careless that she couldn't even speak the court language of her own country, let alone a foreign language.

She was so unreliable that it was impossible to put Falco and Rosa in front of foreign dignitaries in their current state.

—No, not just foreign dignitaries, even in the court of their own country, it was questionable whether they could handle it...

Before she made a fatal mistake, Lucrezia wanted to persuade her, but it would not be easy to make her sister, who was already deeply influenced, listen.

It might be too late to say anything now, but considering that the matter could escalate into a war between nations, she could not give up.

***

Falco was eagerly visiting his ex-fiancée's family home.

Now that he had the Duke of Selavalle's approval, nothing could stop his relationship with Rosa. He planned to enjoy a cozy time with her until his parents returned from their business trip.

“Hey, my friend Filippa and others are coming over next week. Would you like to come, Lord Falco? I want to brag about you!”

“Sure, I want to see you too.”

“Yay! Lord Falco is so cool, everyone is jealous!”

“I’m only interested in you, though.”

At a private tea party, Rosa amusingly made fun of her sister.

“...So, my sister says, ‘Only I, who have been educated to become a Marshal’s wife, am the real deal!’ Isn’t that funny?”

“Ouch, that’s harsh.”

“Is she picking a fight with others?”

“She’s acting like a queen.”

“And she keeps saying mean things to me because she’s jealous that I’m better than her! She’s such a nasty woman, isn’t she, Lord Falco? What do you think?”

“Hmm? Ah...”

Falco tried to recall Lucrezia, but since she was a rather unremarkable girl, there wasn’t much to say.

“She was a bit of a mystery. When we broke off the engagement, she only said ‘yes.’”

“She’s really creepy, isn’t she?”

The atmosphere in the room became lively.

Falco’s slip of the tongue made the party even more exciting, and the tea party ended with everyone gossiping about Lucrezia.

After enjoying himself, Falco suddenly felt uneasy.

—Since I haven’t gotten permission from my parents yet, I shouldn’t spread rumors, but did I say too much?

He pondered for a moment but decided that since it was a private gathering,

—Well, it’s just Rosa’s friends, so it should be fine.

He didn’t know that it would later become a big problem.

***

After lunch, Lucrezia tried to teach Rosa table manners in a separate room, having cleared the area so that even if she spoke loudly, no one would hear.

“You take the chicken bones off so neatly. You must be very dexterous.”

To make it pleasant, she started with a compliment. After praising her, Lucrezia addressed the issue that concerned her.

“But, you know, during meals, you shouldn’t touch your hair or your skin. In the old days, people used their hands to serve themselves from a communal dish. Now we have knives and spoons, but maintaining this old custom is a status symbol that distinguishes true nobility from the nouveau riche.”

As soon as the lecture began, Rosa’s face clearly showed her displeasure.

“Oh, stop it, stop it! You don’t have to say this even when we’re eating at home, right!?”

“You need to be able to do it naturally, even when you’re relaxed. As a future Marshal’s wife, you will need to be familiar with the etiquette of all countries, not just our own.”

Lucrezia tried hard to persuade Rosa, hoping she would understand her concern, but Rosa remained silent, clearly wanting it to end quickly.

—What should I do?

As she was at a loss, the door suddenly opened, and her father, Duke Antonio Selavalle, appeared.

“Dad! Sister is bullying me!”

Rosa ran over and clung to Duke Selavalle. Lucrezia was disheartened by the accusation of bullying, realizing that her message hadn’t gotten through.

“Leave her alone. She’s probably very jealous of being rejected by Falco.”

After unjustly scolding Lucrezia, Duke Selavalle smiled unpleasantly.

“Rejoice, Lucrezia. Your marriage has been arranged.”

The Duke’s face was full of malice.

“Wow, someone is willing to take the wounded sister, huh?”

“Yes, someone who is a real oddball and the worst of the worst.”

Duke Selavalle showed her the newspaper with a cheerful look.

The headline read, “Ugly Duke, Engagement Broken,” and the illustration depicted a bizarre figure with an abnormally long neck, donkey-like ears, a beak-like mouth, and a leg that was twisted backward. His fingers, which held a bow and arrow, were abnormally long.

“The Ugly Duke, Lamirio Pastore! You must have heard his name at least once.”

Rosa burst out laughing, feeling vindicated for her sister’s unbearable educational guidance.

She leaned back in exaggerated laughter.

“The Ugly Duke, who is so ugly that he has had six engagements broken off! Hahaha, he’s perfect for you, sister!”

“It’s not just that. According to the newspaper, there are many cruel and bizarre incidents in the Ugly Duke’s territory, and there are even rumors that he is responsible!”

Duke Selavalle slapped the newspaper against Lucrezia’s cheek.

Lucrezia reflexively caught the newspaper and unfolded it.

The article described the Ugly Duke’s appearance in ten lines of verse.

—A man with insect-like eyes, a tongue split like a snake’s, teeth like a jagged saw, and fur like a fox.

Lucrezia immediately thought, “Hmm?”

—The illustration and the description don’t match.

A beak wouldn’t have teeth, and the tongue wouldn’t be split either.

—It seems to be quite exaggerated. How much of it is true?

Tabloid newspapers often carry unreliable stories. The article about the Ugly Duke probably falls into that category.

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