You Are Gentle, But You Don’t Love Me - Chapter 57

The first day of the three-day banquet, the tea party in the rose garden was an event exclusively for women.

While the lazy and indulgent men were still half unconscious from the night before, sipping drinks with their acquaintances until the afternoon, the noblewomen and young ladies, who had risen early, quickly finished getting ready and made their way to the rose garden.

“Lady Tirso! You’re here!”

“Lady Algera! Over here, please! My daughter is eager to meet you…”

“Lady Arborea is here too, still as beautiful as ever.”

The rose garden was even more crowded than Juliet and Rosaline had anticipated, with so many guests that, to put it exaggeratingly, there was hardly any room to stand.

But despite the busy atmosphere, they gathered together, ignoring the commotion, and enjoyed lively conversations.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen the rose garden of Cagliari Castle. It’s still as magnificent and beautiful as ever. I’ve been yearning for these roses.”

“You didn’t even grow those roses yourself, why would you miss them? And it’s not Cagliari anymore, it’s Escalus.”

“Eska, Escalo… sigh. I still can’t get used to the new name.”

Sardinia was both small and large. The noblewomen gathered here knew each other, but they didn’t meet often. Old friends from the past quickly rekindled their bonds.

The young ladies were busy making acquaintances and building relationships with the new people they met. The friendships they formed here would last a lifetime, just as their mothers’ had.

Even before the party officially began, the atmosphere was already that of a lively gathering.

“I wonder when the Duchess will arrive.”

“It’s been so long since we last saw her, hasn’t it? She hasn’t shown her face since the wedding.”

Meanwhile, whispers about the host of the party, who had yet to arrive, subtly began to spread. Some were merely curious, while others were trying to plant seeds of doubt.

“She’s the Duchess, but she rarely makes public appearances.”

“Even when we send an invitation, she never accepts it.”

“She hasn’t been very active since she was young. She rarely lets people get close to her…”

Raised by particularly exclusionary Sardinian aristocratic parents, these women had grown up adopting their parents’ views, and some young ladies who admired the Aragonese mainland but had no real connection to it were no exception.

They often looked down on Juliet for her lack of public activity. Whether it was because they thought she was cutting herself off from Sardinian society or because of other reasons, they seemed to find fault with her.

“After all, she’s from Sardinia.”

“Even though the Duke is the queen’s nephew, he’s still just an illegitimate child, isn’t he?”

“Well, how could the couple get along? They were separated for three years right after their wedding.”

Some of the younger or still naive ladies whispered about it, their words slipping out under their breath.

“Shh, if Lady Arborea hears you, she might have a fit.”

Despite their whispered gossip, the conversation was carefully kept from reaching the ears of Rosaline Arborea, who was sitting nearby. They may not know much about Juliet, but they certainly understood how outspoken Rosaline could be.

“Do you remember Cassandra, the young lady from the Mollet family, talking like that last time? Do you know what happened to her?”

“No, why? What happened to her?”

“She fell into the sea.”

“…What?”

“Be careful, you wouldn’t want to be invited to a boat party and accidentally ‘fall’ into the sea in your dress, would you?”

“Yikes…”

It wasn’t hard to believe. So many incidents had happened.

Meanwhile, Rosaline, the very person they were trying to avoid drawing attention to, seemed oblivious to the whispers around her. She was busy laughing and chatting with Lady Algera, clearly enjoying herself.

“Younger girls shouldn’t be gossiping about people they don’t know. Maybe throwing them all into the Sardinian sea would teach them a lesson.”

“You’ve actually done that before, haven’t you…”

“Lady Algera, you were complicit too. Who was the one who lent me the boat back then?”

Of course, her pretty face lit up as she whispered with enthusiasm, completely unbothered by the conversation.

Anyway, Rosaline was in a good mood, and the young ladies who had been secretly watching her probably felt relieved, thinking they hadn’t been noticed.

“There’s been so much unnecessary talk, hasn’t there? That’s why I’m really looking forward to today’s tea party.”

“Of course! Our Juliet… oh wait, no, I meant to say, you’ll be able to see just how marvelous the Duchess of Escalus truly is with your own eyes.”

“And that sparkling dress too. Oh, I can’t wait to see it again. When we return to Rogudoro, I think I’ll ask for a dress like that, embroidered with that same pattern.”

Regardless of their conversations, their gazes all turned in the same direction—the hallway leading from the main hall to the rose garden. Each of them was waiting for Juliet for their own reasons.

As the glances became more frequent and then eventually constant, the moment finally arrived.

“Over there.”

“Is that the Duchess?”

A small figure walked into the shadow cast by the corridor’s roof.

“But why… is there a man following her?”

A soft murmur spread through the rose garden, which had just fallen into a brief silence. It was only when Juliet’s slow pace caught people’s attention that they noticed the man following her.

He was tall, with a slender build, wearing a dazzling white shirt and a deep blue vest, his red hair tousled.

The Duke of Escalus. The queen’s nephew and the princess’s son. A man who had once been known as a rogue at the Aragonese royal palace and had made a name for himself even in distant Sardinia, but had now become a hero in the Aragonese Navy.

This distinguished man was now following his wife around like a servant.

“Is he attending the tea party with her?”

“Maybe he’s just stopping by to greet her…”

“No, wait.”

As Juliet slowed her steps and stopped in her place, she turned around. In the moment when her light brown hair fluttered and cascaded down, the man’s previously expressionless face crumbled into a warm, wide smile.

“…”

“…”

The midday buzz in the rose garden suddenly fell into complete silence.

The Duke of Escalus was far more handsome than the rumors had suggested. Given the many lavish descriptions that had accompanied his name, this was truly impressive.

And the moment that handsome man saw his wife’s face, he couldn’t help but break into a smile, as if his composure had crumbled in an instant. The sight was quite striking.

“That fool.”

“Lady Arborea…”

Rosaline Arborea muttered softly, and Lady Algera tried to call her back, but aside from that, the rose garden remained completely still.

A voice, carried on the wind, floated down, breaking the silence.

“Really… are you going to do this…?”

“Of course, but…”

The conversation was still distant, and much of it was lost in the breeze. However, it was clear that they were having some sort of private exchange.

“…Let me do this, alright?”

“But…”

The man’s quiet voice was almost pleading with his wife. Even as he spoke, the Duke’s smile curled up in a way that radiated deep affection, unmistakable even from afar.

Juliet’s face, slightly turned away from the onlookers, wasn’t visible, but she too seemed to hesitate. However, it was clear she made a decision as she placed a small hand gently on her waist.

“…That’s enough for now…”

Though the important words were lost, it was clear Juliet had refused her husband’s unspoken request. The Duke of Escalus’s face fell, his smile fading into one of sorrow.

The young ladies watching couldn’t help but sigh with sweet anticipation.

“What did he say to make her refuse after seeing that face?”

“I don’t know, but if it were me, I’d give him my heart and soul without question…”

The young ladies who had earlier whispered about the Duke being an illegitimate child now murmured that they would happily give their hearts to him. Even some older noblewomen seemed to show genuine interest.

The only ones unaffected by the famous Duke of Escalus were Rosaline and Lady Algera.

‘Saying “heart” like that, that man would probably give his liver and intestines to Juliet if he could. What’s the big deal with their hearts anyway?’

‘Ah, I wish the Duchess would hurry up and arrive. I want to see how her dress sparkles in the sunlight. I can’t wait to see it again…’

Rosaline let out a dramatic sigh, secretly scoffing at the daydreaming young ladies, while Lady Algera’s attention was entirely focused on the magnificent gift the Duke had given to his wife, rather than on the Duke himself.

“Well, if that’s what you want…”

“…Then next time, definitely…”

As the Duke and Duchess exchanged a few more words, the Duke, who had looked disappointed, slowly turned his smile back into one of acceptance, as if conceding.

Juliet curtsied to him, and the Duke exaggeratedly bowed in return before turning back into the castle.

Only then did Juliet slowly begin walking again, unaware that Cassio, who had been standing far behind, was secretly watching her every move.

“Oh my, I expected something grand from the gift, but…”

Even Lady Algera, who had been so focused on Juliet’s dress, found herself murmuring as she was mesmerized by the spectacle.

By the end of the tea party, half of the rumors surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Escalus had vanished. New rumors quickly filled the space they left behind.

‘The Duke is utterly captivated by his wife, unable to think straight.’

‘The Duke apparently brought all the treasures from the royal palace as gifts for his wife.’

These were the kinds of rumors that Juliet would have been shocked by, had she known.