Two days later, a long line of carriages stretched in front of the main gate of the Landrophil Marquisate, all there to attend the party.
Each time a footman opened a carriage door, people dressed flamboyantly for the spring garden party stepped out.
Among them, however, there was a man and a woman who stood out exceptionally.
They were none other than the Duke and Duchess of Seir.
"Oh my, isn't this the first time the Duke and Duchess of Seir have attended such a private gathering together?"
"Indeed. They usually only show up at official imperial events. No wonder the Marquis of Landrophil seemed unusually proud today—there was a reason for it."
Dahlia, who was the focus of everyone's attention while pretending not to notice, sighed inwardly.
'I'm already exhausted, and we haven't even started.'
Straightening her back to maintain her posture, Dahlia stole a glance at Clayton, who was escorting her.
Even though the sun was high in the sky, Clayton seemed to be in unusually good condition, as if their contact was having a noticeable effect on him.
In contrast to Clayton, who seemed perfectly fine, Dahlia had been feeling fatigued since the carriage ride.
'Could he be draining my energy or something?'
Dahlia shot a sharp look at Clayton but quickly averted her gaze.
In truth, she knew that her exhaustion wasn't due to some fantastical reason like having her energy drained.
'Why did the carriage have to break down all of a sudden…!'
She sighed inwardly again as she recalled the incident with the carriage earlier.
The replacement carriage, hastily arranged due to the original one breaking down, had an interior that was far more cramped than it appeared.
It was almost as if it was only meant to hold one person.
So she ended up squeezed into that carriage with Clayton, whose large frame made the already uncomfortable situation suffocatingly awkward.
It was no wonder she felt drained both mentally and physically before even arriving.
Throughout the ride, Dahlia desperately focused her gaze out the window to avoid thinking about him, but she couldn't ignore the occasional brush of his leg against hers.
Of course, given her situation, she should have been making an effort to win him over, but after spending the past few days anxious about him possibly visiting her room again, Dahlia lacked both the energy and the willpower to even try.
'Sigh, I just want to lie down and sleep.'
With a weary heart, she pushed through the crowd's intense gazes for quite some time.
The two eventually reached the Marquis and Marchioness, who were welcoming the guests.
As soon as Marquis Daniel Landrophil spotted Clayton, he approached him with a warm greeting.
"Thank you for coming despite your busy schedule, Your Grace. I never imagined you would attend my garden party. I'll have to boast about this at the club later."
Clayton, flashing a kind smile at the marquis who had just entered his forties, gently placed his arm around Dahlia's shoulder.
"My wife seemed to have enjoyed the picnic last time. When she heard about the garden party, she insisted we attend."
At that, Dahlia, who had been wearing a polite smile, quickly turned to look at Clayton.
'Huh? When did I ever say that?'
Clayton's expression, despite making up something she had never said, didn't look like that of someone lying.
"My goodness, how sweet of you."
But whether they knew Dahlia's true feelings or not, sighs of admiration escaped from the women watching them.
To them, Clayton appeared to be the epitome of a caring husband who adored his wife.
Noticing the shift in the couple's dynamic, the marquis alternated his gaze between them before addressing Dahlia.
"You won't regret attending our garden party. The Landrophil family's gardens are famously beautiful. Besides, my wife was hoping to have a conversation with the Duchess of Seir…"
With that, the marquis introduced the lady standing beside him. The marchioness, her hair styled elegantly, offered Dahlia a gentle smile.
"Thank you for coming. I regret not having the chance to greet you at the picnic last time. I am Michelle Landrophil."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Dahlia Seir."
The marquis, watching the two ladies converse with satisfaction, approached Clayton.
"Your Grace, there are guests from the Principality of Philoze over there. Would you join me to greet them?"
Now that all the important guests had arrived, the marquis gestured toward a group of people conversing in the distance, as if signaling it was time to get down to business.
Clayton, whose attendance also had political motives, nodded in agreement.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing, he guided Dahlia along as he followed the marquis to the designated area.
It was the marquis who seemed taken aback by the duke's actions.
Although a garden party with spouses present appeared to be about enjoying tea in the garden, it often had strong political undertones.
As a result, it was customary for men and women to form separate groups for their conversations.
So naturally, the marquis was flustered to see the duke bringing his wife to what was clearly a political discussion.
Concealing his confusion, the marquis casually addressed Dahlia while signaling to his wife with a glance.
"Duchess, how about joining the other ladies for a stroll in the garden? What do you think?"
"Yes, we have a magnificent pond in our garden. I'd love to show it to you. Would you join me?"
Dahlia looked at the two of them.
She didn't know much about these customs, but even a child could sense that staying with the duke wasn't the best idea in this context.
'I've been stuck to him the entire way here. It should be fine to separate for a little while.'
She hesitated, wondering if it was okay to leave Clayton alone, but since he seemed fine at the moment, she loosened her arm.
"All right. Please lead the way."
As she began to walk away with the marchioness, Clayton suddenly grabbed Dahlia's wrist.
"Your Grace…?"
Dahlia turned to Clayton with a confused look, only for him to place his arm around her shoulder.
"My wife doesn't like being alone in unfamiliar places."
'Me?'
Dahlia, who loved being alone more than anyone else, opened her mouth in disbelief.
"As you know, just a few days ago at the picnic, I left her alone for a moment, and something quite unfortunate happened."
He didn't go into specifics, but everyone present had a sense of what the "unfortunate incident" might have been.
The misdeeds of Baron Molden's daughter and her mother.
Though Dahlia wasn't aware of it, her explosive remarks at the picnic had caused quite a stir in society.
As the saying goes, "a rumor travels a thousand miles." The misconduct of the mother and daughter had already become common knowledge among those in the know.
"So I plan to stay by my wife's side until she feels comfortable here, if that's all right with you."
"Oh my goodness…"
With Clayton's words, murmurs of admiration spread throughout the crowd.
To anyone watching, he appeared to be a deeply caring husband concerned for his wife.
"I never realized the duke was such a thoughtful man."
"Indeed, to think he's such a devoted husband…"
At a time when rumors of discord between the couple had been circulating, Clayton's statement was enough to silence them completely.
Not only that, but it was certain that rumors of their strong marital bond would spread widely from today onward.
"The duchess must feel so fortunate."
Hearing the marchioness's heartfelt remark, Dahlia responded with an awkward smile, silently cursing Clayton in her mind.
'He's the one who doesn't want to be alone, and yet he's using me as an excuse?'
How could he be so shameless?
Clayton's sudden change of attitude and his willingness to use his wife to maintain his image left Dahlia utterly dumbfounded.
But what could someone as powerless as her say in this situation? She could only force an awkward smile and pretend everything was fine.
Just as Dahlia resigned herself, her eyes filled with a sense of defeat, and she continued her soulless act.
A man observing the two muttered as if speaking to himself.
"Seeing such a harmonious couple lifts my spirits."
The man, whose hair was just starting to gray, looked at Clayton with a somewhat arrogant expression.
"So, the Duke of Chainburg is here as well."
Rotail Chainburg.
He was from one of the few ducal families in the empire, alongside the Seir family.
And it was a well-known fact, even among the empire's children, that the Duke of Chainburg and the Duke of Seir didn't get along.
Ignoring Clayton's polite greeting, the man stroked his mustache as he continued to speak.
"But I've heard an odd rumor. They say an unmarked black carriage frequently enters and exits the duke's estate at night…"
Clayton's eyes momentarily turned sharp at the remark, but no one seemed to notice.
'A black carriage? What's that about? It feels like I've heard of it somewhere before…'
However, no matter how much she tried to recall, nothing came to mind. Just as she began to feel frustrated, Clayton smiled and replied.
"…It seems the Duke of Chainburg still has a great deal of interest in my family."
"I was just concerned about you, inheriting the title at such a young age."
As the tension between the two grew, the marquis stepped in to mediate.
"Haha, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but there are guests waiting for you. Please, let's move along."
Thanks to the marquis's loud voice breaking the tension, the awkward atmosphere gradually returned to normal.
Dahlia, too, was swept up in the lively atmosphere and quickly forgot about the black carriage.
Little did she know that she would soon be entangled with the person who rode in that very carriage.