Lady Class - Chapter 35

Rackley took a sip of water and let out a quiet sigh. After hearing Daniel’s confession, she barely remembered how she had managed to make it into the café.

Her legs ached. She hadn’t even realized how much she had pushed herself today, too distracted by the shock of Daniel’s words.

Irina, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke.

“Were you late because you were with Sir Holton?”

Her tone was sharp, and she didn’t seem to be in a good mood, but Rackley didn’t have the energy to pay much attention to Irina’s emotions.

“Oh, I’m sorry for being late. I ran into Daniel by chance. I was stopping by a shop when I nearly got pickpocketed, and he helped me.”

“Hmph, I see.”

Irina’s voice was laced with sarcasm.

“So, in the end, you two are getting married, right?”

Rackley was about to respond when she overheard the voices of young noblewomen seated at a nearby table. At first, other patrons gave them disapproving looks, silently urging them to lower their voices. But as their conversation continued, more people around them began listening in.

“It’s just so romantic. Did you see that article about the Duke personally making a bouquet for Princess Iellia?”

“I did! Oh my, I would love to receive a gift like that. Imagine a bouquet handcrafted just for you by your lover.”

“What could the princess possibly lack? It’s the thoughtfulness that must have touched her heart.”

Rackley unconsciously smiled at their chatter. She had read plenty of scandalous articles about them on her way back to the capital. While she usually didn’t comment on gossip, those two were celebrities.

“The Duke and the Princess’s love story has even reached the South.”

“Oh, don’t even get me started. Every morning, I check the newspaper to see if there are any new developments. It’s all anyone talks about. But you know, there’s another rumor going around.”

Leaning in, Irina lowered her voice so only Rackley could hear.

“Do you think they’re really dating?”

“What do you mean? There have been articles, and Princess Iellia even gave an interview.”

“Exactly. That’s why it’s even stranger. There are articles, but no one’s actually seen them together. And in all the interviews, only the princess is speaking.”

“Wait… are you saying it’s fake? That can’t be. Why would the princess do something like that?”

“I don’t know her intentions, but it’s a reasonable suspicion.”

“That’s….”

“There’s even talk among us that the Duke doesn’t want this engagement, so the princess is staging everything herself.”

Irina spoke as if she were revealing a well-kept secret, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

“But if this love story were fake, wouldn’t the Duke have spoken up to clear the rumors by now? The news has been everywhere.”

“He might not be able to speak up easily because the princess’s honor is at stake.”

“You really think she could get articles this big published on her own, without royal approval?”

Irina’s face stiffened—she clearly hadn’t considered that possibility.

“Well… I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”

Rackley took a sip of tea while observing Irina’s reaction.

She had made a mistake. Irina loved sharing gossip, and she didn’t take it well when her opinions were contradicted.

Sure enough, her mood had soured, and she swiftly changed the subject—to one Rackley would likely dislike.

“I was invited to the banquet introducing the new Countess. I heard she hired Madame Vue?”

“Yes, I’ve heard as well.”

As Rackley had expected, Irina snorted in disdain.

“Is that woman insane? She was a mistress, and yet she has the audacity to hire Madame Vue? Does she not know what Madame Vue specializes in? How embarrassing.”

Rackley could only smile in response.

Madame Vue was typically hired to assist with debutante balls for young noblewomen. With her vast connections, she invited influential guests and introduced marriageable ladies to capable suitors.

In other words, Madame Vue was a matchmaker.

For the new Countess to hire someone like her—it was certainly something to mock.

“My stepmother must have her own reasons. It could even be related to my marriage.”

Of course, Rackley didn’t believe for a second that Rowinda had hired Madame Vue for her sake.

“I’ve decided not to concern myself anymore. She’s the woman my father chose, so I’ll trust that she knows what she’s doing.”

“Are you serious?”

“Once I get married, I’ll belong to another family. I need to start focusing on my own future—like planning a business.”

Even she was surprised by how easily she could talk about it now. What had once weighed on her so heavily now felt like someone else’s problem.

Irina’s eyes widened.

“A business? What do you mean, a business? You want to start one?”

“Yes, I want to try.”

“A business?” Irina looked incredulous. “Rackley, you need to understand—business is all about keeping up with trends. I wasn’t going to say this, but the other ladies gossip about how outdated you are. You’re just… too much of a noblewoman.”

In other words, old-fashioned.

Rackley couldn’t help it. She had spent most of her time around older noblewomen, not young debutantes, and had to cater to their preferences. Count Winner had also been strict about appearances.

“It’ll just be a waste of money and time. You’d be better off spending that time at the dressmaker’s.”

“Still, I want to try. I’ve dealt with merchants while managing the estate, so I understand how sales work. And I can always consult others for what I don’t know.”

“If you fail, the Count will be deeply disappointed. Are you okay with that?”

That statement shook Rackley, even if only for a moment. It was ingrained in her—she had spent her whole life trying to gain Count Winner’s approval, so her body instinctively reacted.

“My father won’t be involved. I plan to start small, using my own money.”

“You have that kind of money?”

Irina’s question made Rackley think of Rowinda. The way she had brought up the dignity maintenance funds before Rackley even asked—the discomfort on her face.

“I’ve decided to collect the unpaid dignity maintenance funds in a lump sum.”

“The Count didn’t give you that money to waste on business. Think carefully—husbands don’t like it when their wives engage in outside affairs like this.”

“I’ll deal with that when I get married.”

Irina watched Rackley’s soft smile with a slightly sour expression.

“You’ve changed, Rackley.”

“A lot has happened.”

Ah, Rackley suddenly remembered the gift she had bought on her way back to the capital. She retrieved it—a perfume infused with the scents of the South.

“This is for you. Thanks to you lending me the villa, I had a good rest.”

Irina examined the perfume with a light touch, but as soon as she saw that it wasn’t from a famous brand, she set it down quickly.

Rackley moistened her lips and cautiously added,

“And… I received your gift as well.”

“…What?”

“The Lady’s Class.”

Just mentioning it made her face flush with embarrassment.

Irina, who had been leaning comfortably against her chair, suddenly straightened up. Her face turned pale with shock.

“…You went to the villa? Our family’s southern villa?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. You lent it to me, didn’t you? The one with the blue roof.”

“Ah… well, yes, but… You took the Lady’s Class?”

Irina stared at Rackley with a troubled expression, as if trying to bore a hole through her.

‘Is there some kind of problem?’

Irina’s gaze, initially sharp and narrow, suddenly gleamed with cunning realization.

“So… you really took it…”

But Rackley, too embarrassed to continue discussing the Lady’s Class, shut her mouth. Meanwhile, Irina fell into deep thought, her expression turning serious, and the conversation faded into silence.

***

Irina slammed the carriage door shut so hard that the entire vehicle shook. She absentmindedly bit her nails, then flinched and clasped her hands together.

Her mother had scolded her countless times for such an unrefined habit, saying it was unbecoming of a noblewoman. But whenever she felt anxious or uneasy, she would unconsciously start biting her nails again.

“What the hell happened? That idiot swore that Rackley wasn’t at the villa.”

Her older brother, Bowil Solomon, had gone to the southern villa only to return the next day in a fury, fuming that Irina had made him waste his time. He had been convinced that Rackley wasn’t there.

And yet, Rackley had said she took the Lady’s Class. Without ever meeting Bowil.

“Who did she spend her time with, then?”

As she pondered, Irina once again found herself biting her nails.

“And why is even Sir Holton… interested in Rackley…?”

Thinking about the way Daniel had looked at Rackley so intensely, confessing to her so bluntly, made Irina burn with frustration.

The truth was—she had feelings for Daniel.

The first time Irina saw Daniel was when he arrived at a banquet as Rackley’s partner. He had been so striking that he captured her interest instantly. He wasn’t overly affectionate, but he was serious and dependable—qualities that Irina found deeply appealing.

She had never expected someone as dull as Rackley to have a cousin like him.

But Irina’s father, Sir Solomon, had plans to marry her into a noble family. Naturally, he would never approve of her wedding a gentry man like Daniel.

That was why she had planned to use Rackley as a pawn—emphasizing that Daniel was the cousin of a count’s daughter to persuade her father. But now, everything had gone wrong. Daniel had proposed to Rackley!

“I’ll never let the two of them get married.”

Irina muttered under her breath, biting her nails.