"WHAT?!"
Astounded, Sunny and the Countess' out-of-shock question unified.
"Mother?!"
Pepper whose gaze had shifted to the Countess, was even more surprised by her mother's presence.
"What are you doing, mother?"
The Countess ignored Pepper's question. Her reasons had left long ago when she decided to eavesdrop and barged into the parlor room and into the conversation between friends. That didn't matter anyway, because her daughter, Pepper, was more unreasonable in her eyes at the moment.
"T...tell me. Who's the man you want our permission for m... marriage?"
Pepper's face became heavier and muggy as a result of the Countess' pressing question. Her face was red, but not as red as her mother's, who was clearly enraged by what she heard.
"Are you perhaps listening to our private chat, mother?"
Pepper looked at the servant behind the Countess, who kept bowing her head with a frightened face. She was Doey, Pepper's personal attendant, who had left the room door ajar while she went outside to get some refreshments. Pepper pierced Doey with her wide emerald eyes before returning them to the Countess.
"I am not. It's just a coincidence that I happened to hear that you're in love with the Grand Duke and wanted to marry him!"
The Countess was spitting fire. She felt betrayed by Pepper and remembered the time during the blessings when she asked about the Grand Duke. Betrayed, because she thought that she was just being curious, but it turned out that wasn't the case. The Countess was aware that it was the first time Pepper saw the Grand Duke, it was also shown to her curiosity, so why? Her blood was boiling as she questioned herself. Was it just so simple and easy to fall in love to the point that you wanted to get married to the man you only saw once and only for a couple of minutes? And, in the worst case, to a man way older than her?
Sunny and Doey shrieked at the display being shown before their eyes. They wanted to exit the room but were prevented by the mother and daughter's unshakable aura, pinning them to their place. They had no choice but to remain still and hold their breaths while the drama was being unfolded before them.
"Mother, it's just.. "
Everyone panicked when Countess Alegra lost her balance and was about to fall, but the Count, who had just arrived, caught her in the nick of time with a nervously fast-beating heart.
Pepper and the two let out a sigh of relief, as if it were the only time they could release a deep breath in such a tense situation.
"What's happening here?"
Pepper fiddled with her fingers and averted her gaze from the Count's puzzled look. She fixed her gaze on the floor as if it were the most impressive thing in the room. She was as nervous as the count in a different way that sweat had formed on her hands.
Pepper could hear her father sigh as her mother, who was in her father's arms, cried in frustration.
"Please, my lord, knock some sense into your daughter."
Pepper met her father's gaze with hesitancy, and a nervous laugh escaped her mouth before looking away.
"Let's talk to my office, now."