I worried that the situation was starting to heat up dangerously, but then I heard Dorothea's voice.
"You pitiful man. You don't know reality," she said.
"Delusion is also an illness, Lady Dorothea," Claude retaliated, then gave a sly grin. "Are you jealous?"
"…What?" Dorothea blurted.
"Are you jealous of Lady Maristella because she is close to both me and the Crown Prince? As you know, the Crown Prince and I are the most distinguished men in the Yonas Empire, and I know you have feelings for His Highness."
"That's ridiculous!" Dorothea huffed, scowling as if to show how terrible Claude's words were. "How could I be jealous of someone who acts so dishonestly?"
"I'll tell you again, but she is not unvirtuous. Lady Maristella has never done anything wrong between me and the Crown Prince. If you keep spreading false information like this, I will consider consulting with the Crown Prince in order to punish you."
Dorothea blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"
"Because your careless words are disgracing me and the Crown Prince. Do you really have to ask?"
Now it seemed like Claude's patience was starting to stretch thin. It was tiring to have to put up this much against Dorothea.
"I don't want to talk any longer. I think we should part here," Claude said finally.
"You're taking Marie?" Dorothea said accusingly.
"It was you who spoke against Lady Maristella's integrity. You're shameless. You insulted her, and now you want Lady Maristella to stay with you?"
Claude looked down at Dorothea with pitiful eyes and drove in the stake.
"You need to grow a conscience," he declared.
"Wh-what?"
"I'm sorry if no one taught you before. If you would like, I can recommend you a teacher. They are teaching my cousin now. As reference, my cousin is going to attend the Academy next year."
In short, he was comparing Dorothea to a nine-year-old.
Claude flashed a clean smile and made the final shot.
"And my dance partner today is Lady Maristella. So today she is with me." He turned to me and smiled brightly. "Will you come with me, Lady Maristella?"
"Yes, Your Grace. I will do that," I said with a light smile in return. "I shouldn't be next to Lady Dorothea in order to protect her dignity."
***
"Are you alright?"
I looked up from the cocktail I was sipping and saw Claude watching me with a worried expression. I smiled and shook my head. He didn't have to do that for me, but somehow I was so grateful and I gave a quiet smile.
"In truth, I'm kind of bummed out. It's not nice," I said honestly.
"That makes sense. I shouldn't have asked you that question. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong to me. I should be the grateful one. Thank you for your help."
He shook his head. "Don't worry too much, Lady Maristella. It's not worth listening to someone with an inferiority complex."
"…"
An inferiority complex. The words burrowed deep into my brain.
"She feels inferior to me? Her?" I asked wondrously.
"It's possible." Claude gave a dazzling smile that did not suit the mood. "First, Lady Maristella is very beautiful…"
"…"
I remained silent, but he looked at me insistently. "It's true. I thought I was blinded when I first saw you."
"I'm honored that you say that, but it's not to that extent," I said.
"You are very humble," he replied.
I simply chuckled at Claude's words, and he fixed me with his gaze before speaking again a moment later.
"And you captured the hearts of the two finest men in the Empire."
"That's quite a leap in logic," I remarked. I smiled and shook my head. "It's not difficult to make acquaintances."
"Ah, but it is, Lady Maristella. You don't know it, but the Crown Prince and I are not very giving men."
"Haha." I gave a low chuckle. That certainly seemed true. Claude asked me to be his dance partner because he didn't have one. Then, I remembered a question that had been bugging me last time.
'Does he like you, sister?'
Well…
"In any case, there is no reason for you to worry," Claude said reassuringly. "False rumors tend to spread in high society, but if such gossip goes around, the Crown Prince and I will work together to root them out."
"How?" I asked.
"Do you think a charge of profanity against the Imperial Family is enough?" Claude said with a knowing wink.
Oh, I had forgotten, but Duke Escliffe was technically a descendant of the Imperial Family. However, he was from a collateral line, and therefore his blood was mixed and his family had drifted away from the main Imperial bloodline. In any case, Imperial Family was still Imperial Family.
"Haha." An involuntary laugh left my mouth at Claude's answer.
He looked at me curiously. "What is it? Do you think I'm lying?"
"No. I thought you would do it, which is why I laughed. Please forgive me for my rudeness."
"I will." He smiled and shook his head. "It makes me feel good to see you smile in any kind of situation."
I blinked. "…Huh?"
"I like the way you smile." When he said that, the smile on his lips grew deeper, and the sight of it made my heart pound. Did Claude really…
'No.'
I shook my head. Jumping to hasty conclusions was dangerous.
'I shouldn't misunderstand.'
I had to be cautious. Claude was a good friend, and I didn't want to lose him over a misunderstanding. He might be disappointed in me if he knew my thoughts. That was not what I wanted.
"Everyone has a beautiful smile," I said casually.
"Except Lady Dorothea," he joked.
"Haha." I forced myself to laugh while trying to calm my heart down. Let's not jump to conclusions, Oh Mari.
'Don't make assumptions until you have clear evidence.'
I should keep the possibility in mind, but not betray any emotion. That was the perfect response. Satisfied with my conclusion, I relaxed a little.
"What's that?" Claude asked, pointing at the two small glass jars in my arms. Only then did I remember the existence of the jars that I received from Florinda earlier.
"Ah, I forgot about these."
"What are they?"
"It's fruit cheong," I explained.
"Fruit cheong?" he echoed.
"It's fruit preserved with sugar. It's too sweet to just eat by itself, so I usually drink it as tea."
"That looks unusual," he said. His eyebrow arched as he looked at the jars. "Did you make this?"
"Yes, Your Grace." I gave him a bright smile. "I made it myself. The Yonas Empire doesn't have a culture of making fruit cheong. Here you go. It will probably taste exotic to you."
Claude tilted his head and looked at me strangely. "You talk like you're from another country."
Oops. That was an error. I quickly covered up my mistake.
"I saw it in a book. I'm very into reading these days. I heard that some countries in the East make tea like this. It tastes sweeter than herbs, so it's worth trying."
After I spoke, I saw that Claude looked completely moved by my words. Ah, could a person be that impressed by something like this? It was only a small gift.
"It doesn't require that many hands to make," I said, trying to downplay the gift so I wouldn't be embarrassed by his reaction.
"Still. It's a heartfelt gift." Claude accepted the two glass jars from me. "The lemons and oranges are all chopped up. You must have done a lot of cutting to make this."
"It's nothing special."
"I don't know much about food, but anyone can see that a lot of work was put into this gift, Lady Maristella." He smiled. "Thank you very much. This is an unforgettable present."
"It's not very expensive, but I'm happy to the point of being embarrassed."
"Assigning high and low values to things doesn't matter to me. I already have great wealth."
That wasn't the most sensitive thing to say, but he wasn't wrong, so I simply nodded. When hanging out with this man, these kinds of words were natural.
"For me, sincerity is worth more than a million gold coins." He gave a dazzling smile. "I feel like a special person to receive such a gift."
I was embarrassed, but also proud. It was clear that he wasn't used to being treated like this.
'Even in Korea, homemade cheong is seen as a very sincere gift.'
Whether outside or inside a book, sincerity was treated as a virtue.
I scratched the back of my head. "It's a little cumbersome to carry around. I didn't think about that part," I observed.
"Don't worry, Lady Maristella. This is my mansion. I'll tell a servant."
He then called a nearby servant and handed the jars over, and I watched as the servant carried them away.
"If I had known this would happen, I would have sent the gift over tomorrow," I said. "I thought it would be better to give it to you as a gift today, but from now on—"
"Oh no, Lady Maristella," Claude said, cutting me off quickly. "I like it. It's a stronger feeling this way."
"It is?"
"I like that I received the gift directly from you. Usually, gifts arrive to the mansion before or after my birthday. They're rarely exchanged person-to-person on the day itself."
I offered him a sympathetic smile. "I'm glad to have given you a new experience."