"Yes, I’ll be back soon. Take care of things while I’m gone."
Doris’s voice.
Tristan instinctively moved to conceal himself, vaulting onto the estate’s outer wall.
Imdiately, the sharp barking of a dog rang out.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Oh, you clueless mutt! Here, have this!"
Thankfully, a not-so-perceptive maid quickly pulled a strip of jerky from her pocket and ran toward the inner garden. The dog instantly stopped barking and sprinted after her.
That was close… huh?
That was when Tristan noticed sothing odd.
The maid who had run back into the estate showed no signs of returning. anwhile, Doris—who had just stepped outside—closed the back gate behind her and began walking down the alley alone.
She’s going out alone? At this hour?
Commoners could roam freely for several more hours, but a noble lady walking unescorted after sunset was unheard of.
If anyone saw her, pointless rumors would spread like wildfire.
And Doris knew that.
Where is she going?
The first possibility that ca to mind was a gathering with friends.
Right after Arthur Albion had cruelly stepped on Doris’s foot, Tristan had once caught sight of her returning ho drunk late at night.
…But was that really a eting with friends?
Now that he knew Doris Redfield much better than before…
Tristan could say with certainty.
Doris was not the kind of person to attend a late-night social gathering.
A small dayti eting with acquaintances? Maybe. But an evening event bound to turn into a full-fledged party? Not a chance.
Even as he thought, Doris’s steps carried her swiftly away from the estate.
Tristan kept pace along the top of the wall, waiting for the mont she stepped onto the main road under the glow of the streetlamps before he leapt down.
Today is Saturday.
His mind pieced together the information.
The Sacred Salon. Open once a week.
Doris. Are you heading to the sa place where you once made that bet with Rick?
The plan to ask about her feelings took an unexpected backseat.
What kind of wish does Doris intend to make at the Salon—the place said to know everything about high society?
***
The entire way back from the racetrack, Father was in high spirits. Every ti he let out a chuckling breath, the carriage seed to shake with it.
“Ah, Prince Percival is such a delightful man. I don’t know why we wasted so much ti chasing distant stars like Duke Arthur instead of focusing on him.”
Since it was just our family in the carriage, I answered honestly.
“Well, earlier this season, there were plenty of rumors about how Prince Percival ran into an undisclosable issue while handling his prior engagent talks—”
“Ahem! No need to dwell on nonsense. Engagents are always unpredictable. Until a couple is standing at the altar, no one can say for sure how things will turn out!”
“So what you’re saying is… as long as he never actually stood at the altar, whatever happened to Prince Percival doesn’t matter?”
“It’s just a figure of speech. Stop reading too much into things. You must be feeling nervous since your own wedding is approaching.”
“…I don’t have any problems.”
Of course, that was a lie.
For , it wasn’t the wedding that was the problem—it was Tristan.
I have no idea how to deal with him.
Ninety-five percent of the ti, just thinking about his face annoyed .
But then, recalling the way his ears flushed red as he hurried away earlier… well, that was…
I instinctively covered my mouth with my hand.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Father, watching , asked, “Doris? Your cheeks are red. Is sothing—”
“Probably just anger.”
“…Excuse ? Doris, I could have sworn I just heard you say sothing utterly uncivilized.”
“Hmm? Father, do I seem like the kind of person to use crude language?”
“Ah… no, of course not.”
See? Reputation is everything.
I ignored my sister’s incredulous expression. There were more pressing matters to focus on.
So, I brought up the conversation I overheard between the royal family mbers at the racetrack.
“Her Majesty seems to want the wedding to be held by this autumn. Are you alright with that?”
Of course, they wouldn’t be.
Even in the best-case scenario, two months would barely be enough ti to register a marriage.
I fully expected my parents to frown and say they’d negotiate with the royal family to push the date back.
Instead, their response was unexpected.
“We’ll make it work.”
“W-what? You say that like it’s even possible!”
“Well, we have to make it possible. For your sake.”
“…What?”
“Prince Percival shared so good news with Prince Tristan today. It’s sothing worth celebrating, but… it also ans you’ll be leaving early next year, right after your wedding.”
“Oh…”
“How could your brother and sister possibly get married without their one and only sibling there to celebrate with them?”
I blinked.
Why… why hadn’t I thought of that?
If Percival was getting married without Tristan present, then it was the sa as my sister getting married without there.
…Not that I ever planned to let her marry in the first place.
The real issue was that my tiline had just been significantly shortened.
I’ve gathered so evidence already, but I’ll need to move much faster now.
I wasn’t the only one feeling pressed for ti.
After exchanging high praises for their future sons-in-law, my parents, caught up in their happiness, hugged each other tightly and imdiately launched into discussions about the upcoming double weddings.
Marriage was real.
“We need to arrange a family gathering to introduce the grooms as soon as possible. Dear, start writing letters to our relatives.”
“Yes. I’ll also warn my younger siblings not to make any reckless plans for the ti being. And we should notify our business partners in advance about the two weddings…”
“I should start checking autumn flower prices for the decorations. Luckily, I already had so vendors in mind for Doris’s wedding.”
Mother turned to with a warm smile.
She wasn’t a complete stranger, nor could I fully accept her as a mother.
But seeing that bittersweet yet proud expression on her face sent a sharp tremor through my chest.
It felt… strange.
Why do I feel like my eyes are burning?
I bit the inside of my cheek to suppress my emotions.
By the ti we arrived at the estate, my parents’ discussion had shifted to more specific matters.
“How much should we prepare for the dowry?”
“I hear the royal family will notify us about that directly. We haven’t heard anything regarding Prince Tristan’s share either, have we?”
“No. But I have a distant relative who married off a daughter to a duchy. I should ask them for reference.”
“We don’t have a son to inherit our wealth, so we should be generous. If our daughters’ dowries are insultingly small, that would reflect poorly on our family. Don’t worry about a thing, girls!”
Father grinned at us with confidence.
Wow. How touching.
Even in an era where noblen only passed their titles and estates to male heirs, so still ensured their daughters received adequate inheritances.
But these people? They couldn’t even be bothered to consider that far.
My sister and I shared matching smiles.
“Yes, thank you.”
“….”
Maybe our smiles weren’t very convincing, because our parents exchanged a glance before the carriage ca to a stop in front of the estate.
During dinner, they remained in high spirits, emptying two bottles of wine before retreating to bed earlier than usual.
Good.
That ant I could head to the Sacred Salon without issue.
I was just fastening the last of my salon-appropriate dress when soone knocked on my door.
It was my sister.
“Doris. How’s the plan coming along?”
“You an Operation: Wedding Wreckage? Don’t worry! I’m collecting information at a steady pace.”
“Really? You seed a little shaken earlier when you heard my wedding was being pushed forward.”
“…”
“Don’t bother lying to . I can tell right away.”
“…Fine. The schedule is a little tight. Maybe I told you to accept the proposal a bit too soon.”
“Whether I answered now or next month, the wedding date wouldn’t have changed. If anything, waiting longer would’ve just ant more ti for Percival to harass .”
“…”
“I had already resigned myself to marriage, so don’t feel guilty. Worst case scenario? I’ll just ‘accidentally’ push him off a cliff during our honeymoon. You can testify for —‘Oh, my sister wouldn’t even hurt a fly!’”
“Does anyone even need my testimony? Everyone already believes that.”
We burst into laughter at the sa ti. My sister reached out and tugged at my cheek before dropping the conversation.
…Well. She might’ve been joking.
I grabbed my coat and stood up.
“Don’t worry. I won’t put any burdens on you. Just enjoy the parties and step on Prince Percival’s foot whenever you get the chance.”
“Oh? Where are you off to at this hour?”
“To the Salon you hate so much.”
“You really do hate going out, don’t you? Yet sohow, your stamina is endless.”
“I have to go while I still can.”
I had already drained my social energy at the racetrack earlier, but that was fine.
So social energy could be replenished by simply putting on a mask.
And for my sister’s sake, I had to go.
If ti was short, then money would have to do the work instead.
To be precise, the nine coins I planned to win tonight would solve everything.
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