The Reincarnated Noble Lady is the Infamous Viscount's Heir - I've Accepted a Contract Marriage for Estate Management. - Chapter 1.18

“Marrying Lord Rockwell?!”

A few days after the Earl’s proposal, I was invited to a tea party by Ada.

It turned out there wasn’t any particular reason for the invitation—she simply wanted to chat over tea with me, her close friend. When Ada started venting about her parents pressuring her to get married, I mentioned the Earl’s proposal in passing. Her reaction was anything but ladylike as she stared at me, wide-eyed.

“You accepted the proposal, so that means you’re getting married, right?” she asked.

“I accepted the proposal, yes, but I’m not sure if I’ll actually go through with the marriage,” I replied.

“If you’ve accepted, doesn’t that mean the marriage is a done deal?”

“Not necessarily. Even engagements can be broken off if someone realizes their true love lies elsewhere, right?”

Ada shook her head firmly.

“Grace, in your case, that kind of reasoning wouldn’t hold up.”

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Ada leaned in closer and lowered her voice.

“Speaking of broken engagements, there’s quite the scandal going around among the high-ranking nobles. Have you heard about Lady Catherine Brocklebang? There’s a rumor that she’s become close to the First Prince, even though he already has a fiancée. It’s the talk of the season.”

I nodded, mildly intrigued. Gossip like this usually fades with time, but something about the name tugged at my memory.

Catherine… where have I heard that name before? I don’t know any high-ranking nobles personally, but the name feels oddly familiar. It’s common enough, yet—

“Catherine…” I murmured, trying to place it.

Engagement… Catherine…

Ah! Could it be?!

That’s the same name as the young lady who appeared with my former fiancé when he broke off our engagement!

“Lady Catherine Brocklebang. Supposedly, she was adopted by the Duke of Brocklebang as a relative, but now the Prince is completely infatuated with her—even ignoring his fiancée, Lady Andrea of the Stanfield family,” Ada explained.

Ada, despite being a lower-ranking noble, sometimes attended evening parties hosted by high-ranking nobles. It seemed to be a privilege tied to her family’s business dealings, which gave them access to valuable information. Of course, her grandfather and father were likely also trying to use these events to secure a good match for her.

Still… Catherine. It piqued my curiosity.

“Lady Catherine—does she have strawberry-blonde hair and pale green eyes?” I asked tentatively.

“Wait… do you know her?”

Strawberry-blonde hair, pale green eyes… the name Catherine, and a young lady cozying up to a man already engaged. Could it really be the same person?

No. That’s impossible. Just because the name and appearance are similar doesn’t mean it’s her. Back when my former fiancé, Claude, declared our engagement over, his life spiraled into ruin, while the young lady by his side certainly didn’t. On the contrary, if this is the same Catherine, she not only became the adopted daughter of a powerful duke but is now close to the First Prince himself—pushing aside his fiancée? That’s absurd.

She was pretty, though.

But wait… that was three years ago. Wasn’t she underage back then?

“What’s on your mind, Grace?” Ada pressed.

“Well… it’s an old story, but when my engagement was broken off, Claude brought a young lady with him—the one he claimed to be his true love. Her name was Catherine, and she had strawberry-blonde hair and pale green eyes,” I said.

Ada quickly set her teacup down and stared at me intently.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I remember it clearly. But Catherine is a common name, and strawberry-blonde hair and pale green eyes could just be a coincidence…”

“Still, that’s intriguing. I mean, the rumors say she’s around the same age as the Crown Prince and often accompanied him at the academy, even though Lady Andrea, his fiancée, was there. If she’s the same person, wouldn’t she be around your younger sister’s age? Are you telling me that Claude fell in love with an underage girl back then? Where could they have even met? She hadn’t even debuted in society!”

Ada made a good point. When and where could they have met? Claude only ever described her as “adorable,” and honestly, I had little interest in the woman he claimed to love after abruptly ending our engagement.

Still, I can’t help but wonder if they’re the same person.

“I’d like to look into it,” I muttered.

“But is that safe? We’re talking about a duke’s family,” Ada cautioned.

In a previous investigation Ada conducted for me, she uncovered that Catherine had been adopted into a viscount’s family before eventually becoming the Brocklebang Duke’s adopted daughter.

Ada called for her maid to bring a file, and soon the maid returned, handing over a stack of documents. Flipping through the pages, Ada paused.

“There might be something here, but if she’s connected to the Duke, we need to tread carefully. It’s entirely possible that it’s just a coincidence.”

They do say curiosity killed the cat…

“Yeah, you’re right. If only I had a photograph…”

Ada seemed deep in thought before clapping her hands and looking at me.

“Grace, you’re engaged to Lord Rockwell now, right?”

“Well… sort of?”

“Then you’ll probably attend one of the high-ranking nobles’ evening parties this social season. That would be the perfect opportunity to see Lady Catherine yourself!”

Ah, of course…

“High-ranking nobles’ evening parties…”

Now that I think about it, I had completely forgotten that I might attend evening parties as the Earl’s fiancée. It had been on my mind before—to attend such events and gather information about the neighboring lords of Yubashar.

Oh no. What if the neighboring lords of Yubashar are all high-ranking nobles? That’s terrifying.

Will I be okay?