# 15 -
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Seret, after escaping from Yuan, headed towards the ladies' lounge.
She was planning to hide out there for a while, then use the excuse of feeling ill to leave the party early.
She thought the hall wouldn't be crowded yet, but women's voices were pouring in from the slightly open door.
Siret stopped when she heard those sounds.
“It pains me to think of Lydia and His Highness Duke Frecktwister.”
“They were truly a perfect couple.”
Upon hearing that voice, Seret lowered her hand that was outstretched towards the doorknob.
I remembered now; It was precisely at this party, in her previous life, that she first learned about Yuan and Lidya's relationship.
Seret's lips curled into a sarcastic smile.
Yuan and Lidya had been in love since childhood, and the nobles of the capital believed with certainty that they would marry one day.
“I cannot go against the will of His Majesty the Emperor. He is too much in love with me. He thinks that Yuan’s cold nature will hurt me one day.”
Lydia's bitter tone sounded from within the room.
No, it was Yuan's cold nature that hurt Seret Enohater, not Lydia.
His wife, who bore him a child.
The Emperor's anxiety was meaningless, then.
A slight smile appeared on Siret's lips.
But a moment,
Isn't what Lydia said a lie?
Doesn't she know yet that she can't have children?
Is that why Yuan and the Emperor covered it up for her like that?
Seret tilted her head thoughtfully.
“His Majesty is just very fond of Lydia.”
"His Highness the Duke's face was extremely pale as well. It must be painful, to be engaged to one woman while loving another!"
“But what happened to the Duke’s forehead? There was a scratch.”
“Did his fiancée maybe hit him?”
One of the women burst out laughing.
“Diana, come on, is the Duke the type to get beaten up?”
“Who knows, his fiancée doesn’t seem like an ordinary woman.”
The conversation has now turned to Seret.
She leaned against the wall, following the conversation flowing from the hallway.
In her previous life, people had seen her as a foolish countrywoman, so she was curious to know how they would evaluate her this time.
It seems that they at least avoided the description of a “naive woman,” as they said that she was not ordinary.
“All you have to do is see that country lady from Muselli attending the party wearing that dress to know how extravagant she is.”
“Her dress and necklace look so extravagant.”
“I thought she was poor since she was a regional noble.”
"She may have used Duke Frecktwister's money. She must have badgered him into submission."
“What a cunning woman!”
The sounds emanating were lively, enjoying tearing up the reputation of a woman named Seret Enohater.
“That's not true, it's a misunderstanding. Miss Enohater seemed very nice.”
Lydia spoke as if trying to calm the chatter.
“Wonderful, Lydia…” Seret murmured with faint sarcasm.
Her words were ostensibly in defense of Syrett, but in reality they elevated herself.
The compliments that followed from the rest of the women quickly confirmed Seret's hunch.
“Oh, Lydia!”
“How can you be so noble in dealing with the fiancée of the man you love!”
“Really, Lydia is amazing. I don’t think I can do anything like her.”
While Seret was stunned by their conversation, footsteps approached her.
She turned and saw Reagan walking towards her.
She was about to stand up and salute, but he motioned for her to be silent and extended his hand towards her.
When Seret hesitantly took his hand, Reagan escorted her out of the ballroom.
As they moved away from the hallway, Reagan said:
“You have a strange hobby, Miss Enohater.”
“Weird hobby?”
Seret raised her head to him with questioning eyes.
“A hobby of eavesdropping on people talking bad about you.”
Reagan smiled weakly.
“I hope you don't think I'm accusing you of intentionally eavesdropping. I was just hesitating whether or not I should go in.”
Seret shrugged indifferently.
She didn't care if he thought she was rude, but she didn't want to admit it openly.
“Do you need a place to rest?” He asked her with a smile.
“I need a quiet place.” She replied.
“It's convenient, I need a place like this too.”
Reagan escorted her out of the hall.
He led her to the rose garden.
The pergola deep in the garden was completely empty.
Its distance from the hall meant that they could not hear any laughter or music.
"What is your opinion?"
“It is beautiful, Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
Siret was satisfied with the place.
It was isolated from the noise, no one would suddenly appear, much better than the hallway.
Regan spread his handkerchief on the low railing and motioned for her to sit.
"Thank you."
Syrett sat carefully on the handkerchief, while Reagan leaned against the column, staring into the distant hall, and she looked at the roses that sparkled even in the dark of the night.
Lydia was like those flowers, imposing her presence everywhere.
Seret has always felt small in front of her.
After a long silence, Reagan finally said:
“Don't worry about what I heard in the hallway.”
Seret's gaze moved towards him.
She felt embarrassed by his advice, so she cleared her throat and said:
“The name Freaktwister is a priceless name... Precious enough to endure all these conversations from people who don't know me.”
“Indeed, it is a very extravagant name.” Reagan agreed.
She saw in his words a reflection of her past, that woman who was suffocating under the weight of that name.
All her efforts as Duchess of Freaktwister yielded nothing but ridicule from others.
She smiled bitterly, pitying her former self.
“I think it's too expensive a name for me.”
The words escaped with a sincere sigh.
Reagan looked at her in brief astonishment, and when she realized her slip, she quickly got up.
“I haven't felt well since morning, I think I should leave early, Your Highness.”
“I'll tell Yuan.” He said anxiously.
“No need, I can go alone.”
“But you have to tell Yuan.”
“His Highness the Duke is probably busy, I don’t want to disturb him.”
She said it in a firm tone.
If she told Yuan that she was sick, he would offer to accompany her, not out of concern for her, but out of duty.
But she was leaving to avoid him, so there was no need to tell him.
Perhaps he would be happy not to know.
“How will you come back alone?”
"I'll rent a carriage, and if I can't find one, I'll walk. The Frecktwister family palace is close to the imperial palace."
Returning was not difficult in her view.
But Reagan's face turned pale with shock.
“Really… this is incredible, miss.”
He shook his head in disapproval, then continued seriously:
“For a woman to ride a rental car alone at this time of night? This is absolutely unacceptable.”
“I think it's okay, it's pretty close.”
But Reagan remained determined.
“No. You’re saying that because you don’t know the capital well. I won’t let you go alone.”
“Then I will wait a little while until the Duke returns.”
She took a step back, but was planning to leave quietly after she parted with him.
However, Reigate surprised her with an unexpected proposal.
“Let's do this, I will personally drive you to the Duke's Palace. I am a close friend of Yuan's, so this won't be considered strange.”
His excessive kindness confused her a little.
“I feel embarrassed to disturb you, Your Highness.”
“If I let you go alone, Yuan will not forgive me. So please, agree for my sake.”
She didn't believe Yuan would actually care, but the sincerity of his tone made her nod in agreement.
Thus, she ended up in the Grand Duke's carriage.
He opened the door and extended his hand, saying:
“It is an honor to accompany Miss Enohater.”
“It is an honor for me, Your Highness, to ride in your Highness’s carriage.”
I took his hand and got into the carriage.
As I expected, it was very luxurious, almost as good as the Freaktwister bed carriage.
It moved very smoothly without any vibration.
“I feel a little worried because I left without saying anything to Yuan.”
“It will be fine.” Seret responded indifferently.
Yuan might even feel comfortable about it—he would be free to spend his intimate moments with Lidya without worry.
"You think so? Is he really going to be okay?" Reagan asked, touching his chin.
“I hope you can tell the Duke well later, I will be grateful.” She said with a soft smile.
“Ordering a beautiful lady is a noble duty.”
“I always thought you were quite comfortable with women, Your Highness.”
Siret said smiling, she knew his cheerful nature.
He was popular among women thanks to his informal personality,
However, in her previous life, he was always alone—without a fiancée or a lover.
Now that she remembered it, it seemed really strange to her.
How can a man like him not have a woman by his side?
“I always thought so?” Reagan asked with a surprised look towards Seret.
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