Chapter 35

"Claude, not now. You have to be patient."

"Yeah, you should be more patient. You're being spoiled too much."

"Claude isn't being spoiled. He's just a little... clingy."

"---Maybe we should have changed your name after all."

Seeing Claude dramatically holding his head and sighing, Opal laughed.

Claude, the dog, had rushed out of the room upon sensing Opal's presence and was now being held back by the butler, Joseph.

Thanks to Joseph, neither Opal, who was dressed up for the ball, nor human Claude had been attacked by the dog Claude.

A footman, who was in charge of taking care of the dog Claude, hurried over, but human Claude simply gave him a warning and led Opal out.

Joseph's clothes were disheveled with dog hair, and Opal apologized before getting into the carriage.

Opal had been busy since returning from the royal castle two days ago and hadn't had time to play with the dog Claude.

She had been relearning the social relationships of the high society from Claude and Joseph, trying to memorize them.

While she understood the factions among the men, the women had their own different factions.

The high society, contrary to its outward glamour, was full of backstabbing, and one wrong step could lead to a quick downfall.

Opal glanced at the baroness, Claude's mother, who was sitting next to her, while Claude sat across from her.

The baroness, who had once led a glamorous social life as the daughter of the Earl of Luciel, had been disowned by her father after eloping with the baron.

Since then, her friends had stopped contacting her, but recently, she had started exchanging letters with some of them again.

Despite not having seen them in decades, the baroness showed no signs of nervousness and was calmly looking at the baron sitting across from her.

(They are still such a loving couple. Despite all the hardships they've been through...)

The barony, which bordered the Earl of Holloway's territory, was small and not particularly wealthy, but they had lived modestly without burdening their people.

Moreover, as far as Opal knew, they had survived two major crop failures.

(They have always been my ideal couple...)

Opal knew that her late mother had loved her father, but he had never been attentive to his family.

Of course, it wasn't that he lacked love, but if it didn't reach them, it was meaningless.

From Hubert's words and actions, Opal had never felt any love, and his proposal had come as a bolt from the blue.

"Ahh..."

"What's wrong, Opal?"

"Huh? Ah, nothing... It's nothing."

Startled by Opal's sudden exclamation, not only Claude but also the baron and baroness looked at her, and Opal blushed as she replied.

The couple returned to their own world, but Claude continued to look at Opal with a puzzled expression.

However, when Opal smiled, he gave up and turned his gaze to the window outside.

They were about to arrive at the royal castle.

Although she hadn't done anything wrong, Opal's heart was racing.

She had completely forgotten about the letter from Hubert.

Lately, she felt her mind was not as sharp as usual.

(Is this what they call being in a daze...?)

For Opal, who had always been on her own, having someone to rely on was very reassuring.

Especially since it was someone she loved, it was hard not to be elated.

However, she wasn't the type to just be dependent.

She wanted to be a support for Claude.

"We've arrived. Opal, Father, Mother, are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"It's been a while, I'm nervous..."

"Oh, it'll be fine."

As Opal and the others answered Claude's question, the carriage stopped, and the door was opened from the outside.

Claude got out first and offered his hand to Opal.

The baron followed, and as the baroness got out, Opal felt many eyes on her but stood tall and composed.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes, thank you."

Taking Claude's offered arm, Opal smiled and walked into the venue.

From then on, everything happened quickly.

As soon as they entered, they were surrounded by many people, introduced, and observed.

But Opal was also subtly observing the people around her.

Tonight, she should focus on understanding the social relationships in this country's high society rather than showing herself.

Of course, she couldn't understand everything in one night, but it was a great opportunity to grasp Claude's exact position and her own situation.

Therefore, Opal mostly let Claude handle the conversations and just smiled silently.

While pretending to listen, she eavesdropped on conversations happening a bit further away.

"I thought there would be many beautiful women, but they're not that impressive."

"But look, all the men have their noses stretched out, don't they?"

"We can't understand it, but they must have some secret to bewitch the men."

"If you could teach us, that would be great. You managed to win the heart of the Earl of Luciel."

"And the Duke of MacLeod from the Kingdom of Sosie."

"Oh, you were probably dumped by the duke, right?"

"But she received a considerable amount of assets as compensation—valuable land, I believe. It was Mantes, wasn't it?"

"Yes! Not just a money tree, but land that makes money. She's now one of the wealthiest women in the world."

"How enviable. If that's the case, other flaws can be overlooked, I suppose."

Opal was genuinely surprised by this conversation.

The investment in Mantes had been made with her own fortune, which was unknown to others.

Probably, the rumor spread because, during the divorce, Hubert had transferred assets as the price of the duchy.

Moreover, it was unusual for a woman to invest on her own.

Women's independence was not easily accepted in this country, and Opal sighed inwardly.

At that moment, the giggling subsided, and a woman's cheerful voice was heard.

"That makes it sound like the Earl of Luciel is after money."

"Well, it might not be entirely wrong. After all, he was the third son of a baron in the Kingdom of Sosie. He took advantage of the country's turmoil, ingratiated himself with the king, and rose to his current position. They say he will be elevated to a duke next..."

As the conversation shifted from Opal to Claude, and just as Opal was getting annoyed, the king's entrance was announced.

Everyone bowed and knelt to welcome King Alessandro.

Then, Alessandro gave a speech to celebrate the opening of the new railway and the engagement of the Earl of Luciel, declaring the ball open.

First, Alessandro led a young woman, probably his niece, the princess, onto the dance floor, and Opal and Claude followed after a while.

Opal's heart leaped as she danced with Claude, something she hadn't done in a long time.

Moreover, it was the first time they were dancing formally in a public setting.

"You seem to be having a lot of fun?"

"Yes, very much."

"You seemed angry a moment ago, though?"

"You noticed?"

"Well, yes. When you're angry, your smile deepens. So, what were you angry about?"

"...The women's gossip. They were saying harsh things about you."

"Oh, that. You shouldn't worry about it."

"Maybe, but..."

While wondering what it meant for her smile to deepen when she was angry, Opal answered, and Claude laughed and shook his head slightly.

It would be nice if she could laugh off things that upset her like Claude, but she knew it was impossible for her.

Seeing Opal's discontented mutter, Claude laughed again.

Knowing Opal's character well, Claude was someone she could trust with her future.

That's why she could calmly watch as Claude left to dance the second dance with the princess.

And now, even as the baroness subtly separated her and she was surrounded by ladies, Opal could still smile.