The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 50

Kyle had been visiting the palace more frequently lately. It seemed like he was receiving reports far more often than before.

Since Amel had moved into the Duke’s residence, it seemed like the busiest days were an omen of something big that was about to happen.

This morning, as usual, Kyle got out of bed and briefly kissed the still-sleeping Amel before trying to get up.

Amel, who had just woken up, gently held his hand.

“Sleep a little longer.”

“Hmm… no.”

“Is there something you need to say?”

“I want to see your face, Kyle.”

“……”

As if he had no plans for the day, Kyle lay back down. When his fiancée said she wanted to see his face, what did it matter if it was the emperor or Keltman? Everything else was irrelevant. All he wanted was to bask in Amel’s gaze all day long.

Amel, hearing his insincere words, chuckled softly.

“Kyle. Aren’t you busy today?”

“There’s no urgent schedule.”

“Liar.”

“If you’re going to recognize that it’s a lie, I’d appreciate it if you understood the reason I’m lying as well.”

Amel grinned and started tracing his jawline with her fingers.

“I know you’re busy today, even if I’m holding you back.”

“Do you know my schedule?”

“The major things, yes. Today you’ll have a private meeting with His Majesty the Emperor, right? I’m also going to the tea party hosted by the princesses. If I’m lucky, we might run into each other at the palace.”

Kyle’s mind quickly ran through the tea party schedule. At that moment, it became clear that his ultimate destination for the day wasn’t an audience with the emperor but the tea party.

“Since our timings match, I’ll arrange for us to enter the palace together. We’re departing from the same place and heading to the same destination, so there’s no need for separate carriages.”

“The palace is so large. It would be inconvenient for you. How about we go separately?”

“…I don’t want to.”

Kyle pouted in response. Upon hearing his answer, Amel pretended to be serious.

“Hm. Kyle, I wanted to mention this yesterday, but when you keep speaking casually in bed…”
Chik.

Amel kissed his lips as if stamping them, and continued, “It’s a bit thrilling.”

Kyle stared at her, his face turning bright red as she got up from the bed. The sound of his heart pounding in his ears was deafening.
＊＊＊

The tea party hosted by the royal princesses was the idea of Emperor Verd.

Thanks to his father’s large-scale success before stepping down, Verd had little political base left. He had been pondering how to win over nobles who had distanced themselves from the royal family.

Verd’s answer to this problem was the tea party. Although his sisters were illegitimate, their status as princesses still placed them above most noblewomen.

He thought that if the princesses opened the palace gardens and listened attentively to the noblewomen, they would win their hearts.
Verd’s ultimate goal was to win over the noblewomen and bring their husbands closer to the royal family.

His efforts since the coronation were starting to bear fruit. At first, noblewomen had been dismissive of the illegitimate princesses’ parties, but now they were warming up to their friendly attitude and the lush gardens.

Today, at this party, only one unmarried countess was invited—a fact that caught the attention of the other noblewomen. They wandered the garden, eyes wide with surprise.

A grand carriage, black with gold accents, arrived leisurely, looking difficult to manage. When the coachman took the reins, the glossy white horses matched their steps and came to a stop.

The noblewomen, and even the princesses, knew exactly whose carriage it was.

“Why is Chaield’s carriage here?”

“Surely Lady Claire isn’t here?”

“Could it be… Lady Diane has come?”

Amel had been avoiding social events as much as possible, but just being engaged to Duke Chaield had already made her the center of social circles.

At the harvest banquet, when Kyle introduced Amel as his fiancée, everyone quickly began speculating about their relationship.

The most common theory was that Amel had been sold or that there was no love between them, only a formal contract, but after they had shared a passionate kiss, the rumors were full of questions.

The noblewomen continued to stroll around the garden, pretending to admire it, but their eyes were fixed on Chaield’s carriage.

What’s going on? Isn’t that Duke Chaield’s carriage? Is he bringing her here?

Countless eyes scanned Amel and Kyle, along with their attendants.

The attendants quickly set up stairs from the carriage, and Haild, the butler, was the first to step down and politely open the door. The noblewomen were taken aback by this display.

Haild, known for his background as a former knight captain, would never have shown such courtesy to a lover or a brief fling, but he naturally bowed his head and paid his respects.
The attitude of the attendants and the white horses also showed a deep affection and respect for the woman inside the carriage.
However, there was something else that made the noblewomen uneasy.

‘That man, is he the monster Duke?’

‘Isn’t that Kylean Chaield, who killed all his brothers and rose to the position of Duke?’
‘No way.’

Kyle followed Amel out of the carriage when she descended. As he stood admiring his fiancée, who was framed by the garden in the background, he couldn’t resist and wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

“…I’d like to have some tea too, sister.”
“Unfortunately, today’s tea party is reserved for noblewomen. I don’t know why I was invited either.”

At Amel’s playful remark, Kyle glanced at Haild. The loyal butler quickly began to explain.
“It means the royal family already considers you to be the Duchess of Chaield, just like all the servants in the Chaield estate.”

“If anything unpleasant happens, please let us know. We can leave and handle it.”

The reactions of the noblewomen were mixed when they saw the honeyed look in Kyle’s eyes.

Newlywed women were deeply disheartened, seeing their first love, Kyle, display such affection.
Noblewomen in their thirties had to calm their beating hearts after hearing the term “sister” after so long, while others, whose husbands were not in the right positions, tried to keep their composure and make a good impression on the future Duchess of Chaield.

One thing was certain in their minds. As the rumors had said, Duke Chaield was completely infatuated with his fiancée.

＊＊＊

Contrary to my worries, the atmosphere at the party was gentle. Everyone was kind to me, and there were no bombarding questions. In fact, I could feel that everyone was paying attention to me, which made me feel burdened.

For this occasion, I had received social etiquette lessons from Claire, but I knew that if I engaged in long conversations, it would quickly become apparent that I wasn’t familiar with social events.

So, I chose to answer with appropriate smiles and silence, a strategy that surprisingly worked. People were always more drawn to those who listened to their stories than to those who dominated the conversation.

Of course, there were still sharp, watchful gazes directed at me. When I had mingled with the younger ladies at the harvest banquet, it felt like the first day at university, surrounded by eager freshmen. Now, it felt like I was in the middle of a battle of wits.

No one was rude to me, the countess’s fiancée, at least not until the party neared its end.
As with most tea parties, the noblewomen gradually moved to different tables as time passed. It seemed to be a rule to make the rounds and converse with as many people as possible.

When I finally moved to a new table, I sensed a particularly uncomfortable gaze. A noblewoman in her early forties scrutinized me with a relentless gaze before sneering.
‘So it’s finally here.’

I remembered the method Claire had taught me for dealing with situations like this, but I decided it wasn’t time yet.

Let’s see. This noblewoman must be…

“Lady Burk, do you have something to say to me?”
Yes. It was Lady Burk, the wife of Count Burk, who held significant influence in the political world. She seemed to wield considerable power in society as well, and for some reason, she seemed to despise me.

With a graceful gesture, Lady Burk sipped her tea before looking me straight in the eye and speaking.

“How did you, Lady Diane, manage to attend this gathering while still unmarried?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I understand that Count Diane’s father, Count Persh Diane, has incurred a large debt, making it difficult for you to enter the palace.”

Lady Burk sharply raised a question no one else had asked. While what she said was true, bringing up such matters in front of me was undoubtedly rude.
I stood up and said,
“I’m concerned that this private conversation might make the other noblewomen uncomfortable. Let’s take this discussion to the garden.”
“If you wish, Lady Diane.”
It seemed that Lady Burk had a lot more to say to me. Rising with determination, she dismissed her attendants and walked by my side.

I could feel the eyes of the noblewomen on us, full of curiosity and concern. After walking through the garden for a while, I spoke first.
“Lady Burk, the main reason I’m here today is that I didn’t want to upset Princess Nadia, the sender of the invitation.”

“This is a gathering for noblewomen. You are the daughter of Count Diane. Even if you’re engaged to Duke Chaield, if you are unmarried, you should be mindful of your family’s situation.”

“Lady Burk.”

“If your family, as per your father Count Diane’s wishes, agreed to take responsibility for the debt, shouldn’t you, Lady Diane, behave more like Count Diane’s wife and avoid entering the palace?”

With her poised exterior, sharp eyes, and thorny words, Lady Burk was clearly showing her hostility toward me.

But strangely, I felt sorry for her. I smiled lightly, inhaling the sweet scent of the roses, having realized the true meaning behind her words.