HBTF 53

Chapter: 53

 Everyone Is Curious About My Marriage

With that question, Classie realized. She wondered why his attitude had suddenly changed. It must have been because Dernick heard the rumors about her in Greengal City and believed them without a doubt.

He seemed to know even more than what people were whispering about.

But how? Even people from her hometown didn’t know anything about the gray-haired or blond man.

“So, you do know something. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

“Whether you know or not, Classie, try not to run into those guys again. If I even find traces of them around you, I might just throw you in jail myself.”

For a long while, Classie glared at Dernick, and Dernick stared right back into her eyes.

“What are you two doing here?”

It was only when they heard Merran’s voice that the tense atmosphere broke.

Merran held the doorknob and looked back and forth between Classie and Dernick.

“No.”

Classie shot Dernick one last sharp glance and then entered the fitting room first.

But despite her harsh, composed exterior, her heart raced more anxiously than ever.

“Classie, how are you feeling? Should I come back later?”

Perhaps sensing her unease, the Marchioness of Gosville stood as Classie approached and asked.

“No, I’m fine.”

Classie replied and quickly sat down beside her.

“How far did you get earlier?”

* * *

A week later, Classie received two letters.

One was news that Philip’s wife was expecting their second child and was already three months along. The other was news that her own wedding date had been set for September 12.

“Two pieces of good news in a row!”

Hearing this, Anna exclaimed joyfully.

This time, Classie truly agreed.

“Indeed.”

If the pregnancy was already three months along, the baby would be born in October or November. By then, Classie would have already been married.

With the inheritance safely secured, Classie could now celebrate the birth of her seventh nephew without any impure worries.

That afternoon, Classie wrote letters to her older sister Lize, her older brother Philip, and her older brother Walter. The letters conveyed the wedding news and date and requested their help.

Since her parents were abroad, the Gosville Marquis family was largely handling the wedding preparations.

But if she completely removed her family from the process, it wouldn’t look good. So Count Kalashi’s family needed at least one person to manage matters on behalf of the bride.

Classie debated whether to send it as a telegram or by mail, and eventually sent them all via the post office.

Telegram was faster but far too expensive. Since she was sending letters to three people and the content was not brief, it was better to take the extra time and send them by post.

And then, fifteen days later, a reply arrived from her older brother Walter.

It said that “Sister Lize cannot come because the baby is still too young, and Brother Philip must stay by his wife in the early stages of her pregnancy, so he cannot come either.”

Walter himself could attend, but he could not come immediately; he wrote that he would only be able to depart about a month later and would arrive in July.

When Merran heard this, she scoffed.

“Aunt Classie helped Uncle Philip, Aunt Lize, and Uncle Walter the hardest during their weddings. And now it was all for nothing.”

On the other hand, Anna defended the siblings as she walked by.

“Well, at that time, Miss Classie was in her hometown and had free time. Naturally, she had to help her younger siblings. But here, the distance from Greengal City is much greater, and the others all have their own families and are busy. Even when Young Master Walter arrives in July, the wedding isn’t until September, so he’d have to stay here for two months. Including travel time, he’d waste at least five months.”

“And what about the other two, aside from Uncle Walter?”

“They probably didn’t expect the wedding to be so far away.”

“After all is said and done, it’s only Aunt Classie who’s being used. Why should the person taking the loss have to collect and understand all the reasons for why the others aren’t inconvenienced? If they were going to calculate things like that and refuse, they shouldn’t have asked Aunt Classie for help in the first place.”

However, Merran always sided with Classie in situations like this.

From Classie’s perspective, it seemed that Merran had a clear set of priorities in her heart and always defended someone according to that order.

Classie had no idea exactly what rank she held in Merran’s priorities, but one thing was certain: her rank was higher than that of her other siblings.

Still, contrary to her words, Merran didn’t help with Classie’s wedding preparations. Lately, she has been busy meeting Dernick almost every day and going out to have fun.

Sometimes she would tell her where she was going, and sometimes she wouldn’t—but wherever it was, it seemed Dernick usually chose the location and took Merran along.

“Look, Auntie! Sir Dernick gave me a gift!”

It turned out that the time Merran had run into Classie at the fitting room was because Dernick had taken her to their favorite tailor to give her a custom outfit as a gift.

Merran proudly laid out ten outfits that had been delivered, and only then did Classie realize the full context of what had happened.

Classie ran her hands over the dresses Merran was showing off and admired them.

“Wow. These are amazing. So soft. You’d look just like a princess in them. The colors suit you perfectly.”

She wasn’t just saying this. The dresses Dernick had gifted to Merran were all made of the finest fabrics, each with a luxurious feel. Even ordinary noble families might only have one outfit like this made per year.

“Right?”

Merran smiled proudly, lifted one of the dresses, and held it up to his neck while grinning.

“Auntie, am I pretty?”

“The prettiest in the world.”

Merran beamed and bragged with a proud voice.

“Sir Dernick must really like me, Auntie.”

“Indeed. Pretty soon, even our baby goat might get married,” Classie teased.

Merran gave her a sharp look but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips.

Though Merran didn’t help with Classie’s wedding preparations, Classie was content with things as they were.

She had never expected Merran to be of real help. As long as she didn’t interfere, that was the best she could hope for, and she was even glad she was happily going out and enjoying herself.

Of course, sometimes when Merran would start boasting at the table with “Our Sir Dernick…,” Classie would recall the cold glare and veiled threats Dernick had shown outside the fitting room, which made her uneasy.

But what could she do? She had no choice but to ignore it.

* * *

The fourth child of the Kalashi Count and Countess, and Classie’s second older brother, Walter, arrived on July 3.

When the main gate opened and several luggage carriages entered in succession, the household staff paled.

Their house wasn’t that large, and only two family members actually lived there, so Classie hadn’t brought many people. Seeing so many carriages arrive, everyone seemed flustered at the thought of having to organize everything.

Walter got out of the last carriage. Having just woken from sleep, his hair was a messy tangle.

“Classie!”

He handed his luggage to the butler who had rushed over to greet him and approached Classie with arms wide open.

“My goodness. When I heard you were getting married, our hometown completely went upside down, didn’t it?”

Walter gave Classie a light hug and patted her back, then noticed Anna and his expression brightened even more.

“Anna! How have you been?”

Anna ran toward him, tears glistening in her eyes.

This was why Classie liked Anna so much but could never voice her complaints about the family—seeing Anna like this, she understood the bonds her siblings shared and kept her thoughts to herself.

Anna had watched all five siblings grow up and had seen four of them get married and have children of their own. Knowing this, Classie couldn’t expect Anna to put her first.

After a lively greeting with Anna, Walter seemed to finally remember Classie and came over, picking up where their interrupted conversation had left off.

“It’s not just your brothers and sisters. Even your eldest brother-in-law keeps asking who you’re marrying.”

Walter, who had been chatting cheerfully, suddenly stepped back a couple of paces as if realizing he was curious too. He looked Classie over from head to toe and asked,

“Classie. How on earth did you win over the Duke?”

Anna proudly exclaimed,

“Well, it’s no wonder the Duke fell for her! Our little one is the finest person in the world.”

Walter didn’t look convinced.

“Anna, you say that to our older sister and to our younger sister too. Your words aren’t exactly reliable.”

Anna feigned anger and tapped Walter on the arm, and Walter pretended to run away.

Meanwhile, the servants and maids Walter had brought were already carrying the luggage, guided by the butler to rooms that had been prepared in advance.

Even so, there weren’t enough hands, so the coachmen and cooks had to be drafted in to help move the luggage.

After finishing a raucous round of fun with Anna, Walter returned and asked again,

“So, Classie. How exactly did you win over the Duke? And this Duke you’re marrying—is he the one who made such a stir a few years ago? The youngest Duke ever to receive a title?”

It seemed Walter’s expression, that “everyone is curious about your marriage,” wasn’t an exaggeration.

Even the servants Walter had brought slowed their steps the moment this topic came up while carrying the luggage.

* * *