Chapter 17 Suspicion Of Secret Communication
After being abruptly rejected by Rhiannon, Werner fell silent for a moment before trembling with anger.
"You—To embarrass me in front of all these people, you've got some nerve!"
"Sir Werner, you've embarrassed yourself."
"Damn it! You loudmouth woman!"
Werner stomped his feet in frustration and shouted.
The nobles, watching from a distance, could only chuckle.
To them, it was clear who was winning this argument—Werner's words and actions were childish, while Rhiannon remained confident in her response.
The nobles in the library, though silent, were clearly on Rhiannon's side.
"Don't make me say it again. Get engaged to me!"
"Please don't make me repeat myself. I refuse."
Despite Werner's persistent demands, Rhiannon's answer remained unchanged.
The conversation was going nowhere.
Finally, Halesia took Rhiannon's arm.
"Lady Rhiannon, this conversation is pointless. Let's leave this man behind."
"That's true. Well then, Your Highness, take care."
Rhiannon nodded at Halesia's suggestion and turned to leave.
But Werner grabbed her arm with a strong grip.
"Ouch!"
"Wait! The conversation isn't over!"
"Please let go of my hand. Continuing this talk will only damage your reputation, Sir Werner."
"Shut up! I get it!! The fact that you're so stubbornly rejecting me means you're definitely having an affair with that butler!"
At the mention of infidelity, Kaine, who had been quietly standing behind, lost his temper.
He swiftly grabbed Werner's wrist.
"That's impossible──"
"Zeke!"
Kaine was taken aback when someone suddenly called out his fake name.
Rhiannon signaled him to back off with just a glance.
It would be trouble if his true identity got exposed here.
After hesitating for a moment, Kaine lowered his gaze and stepped back.
Werner, who had been silent until then, looked surprised for a second at the previously calm man's sudden aggression.
But he quickly replaced his surprise with a sneer.
"What's this? You said your name was Zeke? So you're a follower of Rhiannon too? This shameless woman—she's not just with her butler, but apparently messing around with all sorts of guys. Even tempting that dull man over there, huh? She has no sense of decency."
Halesia's face turned bright red at such a vile comment.
"I—I won't let that slide! Lady Rhiannon isn't that kind of person!"
"Well, who knows? The reason she hardly shows up in high society is probably because she's been having fun with men. What a wicked woman."
The nobles nearby, eavesdropping, couldn't hide their curiosity anymore, whispering, "Looks like an interesting gossip story is starting." Kaine glanced at Rhiannon with concern.
She shrugged slightly.
(Seriously, what a bothersome situation. The reason I hardly show up in high society was to avoid the doom flag...)
She was caught in an unexpected misunderstanding.
Trying to calm the angry Halesia and Kaine, Rhiannon shot a cold glare at Werner.
"You're making a lot of wild assumptions, but where's your proof?"
"I hear your ribbon and the one that ties your butler's hair are the same color."
"Huh? Is that really all you've got?"
Rhiannon was left dumbfounded by Werner's overly confident remark.
In this country, it was customary for couples to wear matching colors, but just having the same color didn't prove an affair.
Holding back her urge to say more, Rhiannon asked again.
"...Even if my ribbon and his are the same color, does that really count as proof of an affair?"
"Wait, you think that's nonsense!? That's more than enough proof, don't you think!?"
With Werner's ridiculous comments, Rhiannon put her hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
She was getting more and more annoyed.
(If I told this clueless prince I work part-time at a bakery to earn some pocket money, would he believe me? But as the only daughter of the prestigious Clahsen family, I want to keep my part-time job a secret... Why do I even have to deal with this nonsense?)
As she kept thinking in circles, Rhiannon finally found it ridiculous to keep responding calmly.
Her composed face remained, but her cheeks were starting to twitch.
She had developed a high tolerance for provocation, but her short temper was still there.
(Ugh, seriously! What the heck is going on!? Sure, it stings to have his letters ignored, but trying to embarrass me out of spite is just plain mean!)
The more she thought about it, the more Werner's accusations seemed completely unfounded.
She had no obligation to get engaged, but since there were people around, she tried to respond—only to hear him say things like, "I'll get engaged to you" and "You're having an affair with your butler," saying whatever he wanted.
"Hey, the reason you've been quiet is that my point hit home, right!? You really were getting it on with that lowly foreign butler!"
Snap.
With that one line, something inside Rhiannon snapped.
"Are you talking about my butler when you say 'lowly butler'?"
"Y-Yeah! Your butler is some mixed-blood foreign guy, right!? How could you have such a man as your butler?"
"Please don't insult my excellent butler!"
Her sharp voice echoed through the library.
The air around Rhiannon, who had been responding calmly, had clearly changed.
She was obviously furious, like a raging fire.
Rhiannon didn't mind people talking about her, but she couldn't stand it when they badmouthed Kaine.
Her angry expression was chilling, sharp like ice, and it had a certain intensity to it.
When Werner met her fierce gaze, he turned pale.
"W-Why are you so mad? It's because what I said hit a nerve, right—"
"Is that all you can do, yapping the same thing over and over? Maybe you should work on expanding your vocabulary a bit?"
"Same thing, huh!? It's your fault for not listening and making me repeat myself—"
"I'm saying you're loud, Your Highness."
Werner was left speechless.
As a prince, the youngest of three brothers, he'd always been spoiled, so it was the first time someone had called him "loud" to his face.
Unaware of his shock, Rhiannon placed her hands on her hips.
"Even if I were dating my butler, what's the problem with that?"
Her words stirred the crowd, but Rhiannon, with her blood boiling, continued.
"Sir Werner is just a stranger, not even my fiancé. You have no right to tell me what to do."
"B-but your butler comes from a lowly background! The one you're supposed to marry should be someone noble like me, who's of high blood—"
"No matter who becomes the head of the Clahsen family, our reputation will never waver!"
Without missing a beat, Rhiannon shot back.
Kaine, standing behind her, shifted in surprise.
Halesia nodded in agreement, backing Rhiannon up.
"That's right! The 13th king of Tortone Kingdom came from a foreign land. Plus, the 4th king's second queen was from a commoner background. Both we royals and the nobles of Tortone Kingdom have a history of marrying across social classes and thriving because of it!"
Werner couldn't come up with a counterargument.
"What the hell, everyone's ganging up on me, making me look like a fool..."
With his head down, Werner muttered in a shaky voice.
The battle was clearly lost.
The surrounding nobles shot cold looks at him, and there was no one to stand by his side.
Halesia, without offering sympathy, called out to Rhiannon, "Let's go." Rhiannon nodded but couldn't leave immediately.
(Sir Werner is like the old me. No one ever treated him as an equal. That's why he doesn't know how to interact with others. He thinks if he gives orders like a big shot, everyone will just follow.)
Rhiannon had Kaine.
When she acted all high and mighty, he would throw sarcasm back at her, and they had their share of arguments, but because of that, she learned how to connect with people.
No one had taught Werner how to relate to others.
Rhiannon paused, wanting to say something comforting.
"Um, Sir Werner..."
"Hey, everyone's here, what's going on?"
Suddenly, a bright voice rang out from behind Rhiannon.
Werner, who had been looking down, quickly lifted his face, sensing he had found an ally, and rushed over.
It was Sarah Belts.
As always, her big eyes and cute face stirred a protective instinct.
Werner confronted Sarah.
"Sarah Belts! Just like you said, but it didn't go well!"
"Wait, seriously!?"
Sarah's cute face twisted into an ugly grimace upon hearing Werner's words.
Rhiannon's eyes widened in surprise.
"Sir Werner, what do you mean by that? It sounds like you're saying Sarah is trying to make me look bad—"
The moment she said that, Rhiannon's expression changed to realization.
She'd never seen the ribbon she sent to Kaine being used.
So how could Werner, an outsider, know that Rhiannon's ribbon and Kaine's ribbon were the same color?
(Kaine said he would treasure that ribbon, but he's never worn it. The only one who knows that my ribbon tie and Kaine's ribbon are the same color is Sarah, who I met at Maysale's boutique...)
In other words, Sarah had fed Werner the idea to undermine Rhiannon.
"Rhiannon and the butler have the same color ribbon. So, they must be dating," she must have said. And the foolish Werner fell for it.
"Oh, I see..."
Rhiannon let out a small sigh.
(I was such a fool to believe she was a good person. Kaine was right after all. Sarah Belts is trying to ruin me.)
Now aware of the mastermind, Rhiannon glared fiercely at Sarah.
Poor Werner got caught up in this, but hopefully, he can make a comeback later.
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