Chapter : 07
What on earth had that been?
Devona stepped aside and clenched her fist over her pounding heart.
‘Could it be… she already knew that I’m the owner of the perfume shop?’
But the shop was managed by an employee, and Devona kept her identity hidden.
She had only heard through the clerk that a lady who appeared to be a high-ranking noble had visited.
‘She couldn’t have known. There’s no way she could.’
Perhaps the feeling that Charlotte had spoken directly to her had simply been Devona’s imagination.
— If only the perfume bottle had been decorated better, it would have had a stronger promotional effect.
Charlotte had said that and then immediately turned her head as if nothing had happened, going right back to showing off her own perfume bottle.
Because of that, Devona could vividly remember how the bottle had been decorated—down to the smallest jewel.
And all the young ladies who had gazed at it with envy!
‘This is a chance to hit the jackpot!’
Even Devona, who didn’t know much about business, had a clear idea this time of what and how she should sell.
‘I clearly remember the perfume formula Charlotte Noha bought.’
She would invest all the remaining business funds without hesitation and create a perfume that Charlotte Noha would like.
Then anyone would want to carry Charlotte’s perfume.
Once she secured that position, everything afterward would be smooth sailing.
A brand that becomes famous once always gains a steady customer base.
Without hesitation, Devona turned around and ran back the way she came, rushing to Jacqueline.
“Unni! Unni! Cancel the marriage proposal!”
“W-what? What are you suddenly—”
“Cancel it! I can make the perfume shop a huge success!!!”
“Hahaha!”
Devona’s cheerful laughter echoed loudly through the second-floor corridor.
* * *
“So you’re saying… you were dumped because of a perfume… business, Your Grace?”
“…Yes.”
At Alfonso’s confirmation, his adjutant Serge’s expression became strange.
He was desperately tightening his facial muscles to suppress his laughter.
In truth, Serge wasn’t the only one—the expressions of everyone who heard the story looked similar.
Eventually, Alfonso let out a sigh.
“Just laugh if you want.”
“N-no, we wouldn’t—pff!”
“Pahahaha!”
“Ugh—hahaha! Getting dumped over a perfume business! Hahaha!”
“I never thought I’d live to see the day Your Grace gets rejected!”
“E-everyone stop—ugh—stop laughing—y-you should think about His Grace’s dignity—ugh—”
“…You’re the most unbearable one here, so leave, Ludvik Barthelemy.”
At Alfonso’s rebuke, the knight called Ludvik made an aggrieved expression, but he still couldn’t stop the grin leaking out.
The problem was that Alfonso couldn’t really scold his retainers.
‘Even I find this situation absurd…’
How could two marriage negotiations fall apart in such ridiculous ways?
Perhaps everyone had the same thought. A curly-haired knight, who had been clutching his stomach from laughing, wiped away tears and spoke.
“Ahh, my stomach hurts. Maybe Your Grace’s marriage luck is cursed.”
“What kind of thing is that to say?”
“No, Serge, think about it. First, the engagement fell apart because a secret meeting was discovered, and the second time you got kicked aside because she wanted to run a perfume business!”
At his words, a knight with long navy hair tied back nodded.
“It is somewhat surprising. The head of the Aubigny family I saw was an excellent negotiator.”
“Right, a capable businesswoman.”
“Then it is even harder to understand why Jacqueline Aubigny would undervalue Edouart’s worth. Yet she chose her younger sister’s perfume business instead.”
“Now that you say it like that, it is strange.”
“Did Your Grace understand Aubigny’s decision?”
When the question turned to him, Alfonso nodded with a reserved expression.
“Even businesspeople sometimes make human choices. Jacqueline Aubigny is also a person. I respect her decision.”
Alfonso suddenly recalled the moment he had faced Jacqueline.
— …So that’s why I think it can’t be helped. It pains me to force my younger sister to do something she doesn’t want. Since her perfume business is doing well anyway, I plan to help her with it.
Jacqueline had worn the face of a thoughtful older sister.
Perhaps it was subjective, but she had also seemed rather happy.
“Anyway, she chose the path she wanted, so that’s a good thing. As a gift, I received that perfume.”
As Alfonso said that, he took a perfume bottle out of his coat and placed it on the table.
The others immediately gathered around it and began commenting.
“Wow, so this is the perfume that made someone dump Your Grace? What an expensive fellow.”
“The scent is softer than I expected.”
“The bottle’s design is impressive. The combination of ruby and emerald draws the eye, and the crystal surrounding it reflects light from multiple angles. It would likely look even more beautiful under the dazzling lighting of a chandelier—”
“Huh? Isn’t this Charlotte Noha’s perfume?”
Everyone suddenly fell silent.
Instead, they all turned to look at the person who had spoken.
“W-what? Why are you all staring at me like that?”
“…Ludvik Barthelemy. You know this perfume?”
At Alfonso’s question, Ludvik looked baffled.
“Of course I do. It’s the most popular perfume in high society right now.”
“Apparently Sir Barthelemy’s title as the third son of a prestigious noble family isn’t just for show.”
“I’ve never thought he looked like a noble, so I assumed he was joking.”
“I thought the same.”
As the knights added their comments one after another, wrinkles formed on Ludvik’s forehead—but he had no chance to protest.
Because Alfonso immediately asked another question.
“Then why is it called Charlotte Noha’s perfume?”
“Well… because Charlotte Noha used it and made it fashionable. Usually when something is named after someone, it’s because they made it popular.”
“What a strange coincidence. Even though she burned the proposal letter right away, Charlotte Noha was someone who proposed marriage to Your Grace, wasn’t she?”
The people who had proposed to Alfonso now being connected like this.
Serge laughed at the strange coincidence, but Alfonso couldn’t laugh.
‘Charlotte Noha again?’
Because he knew that Charlotte Noha had visited the Olivier Count’s residence.
Two engagements that collapsed in absurd ways.
And each time, Charlotte Noha was somehow involved.
‘Can this really be called a coincidence?’
Yet if it were Noha’s doing, it seemed too gentle.
Wasn’t the Noha family famous for solving problems through force and pressure?
That was why everyone had panicked when the proposal letter arrived.
Alfonso picked up a sheet of paper from his desk.
It was a list of families with whom marriage negotiations had taken place for Edouart.
The first two lines—Olivier and Aubigny—were crossed out.
The next name written beneath them was Vivian Mabel of the Marquess Mabel family.
Alfonso’s instincts were shouting that something was wrong.
He simply didn’t know what.
But one thing was certain—if he didn’t find out, this uncomfortable feeling would remain.
“…Serge.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Find out everything you can about the Marquess Mabel family and Vivian Mabel. Whether she has a lover, whether she’s secretly involved in anything—everything.”
Whatever Charlotte Noha was thinking…
‘I have no intention of being played again.’
Alfonso’s blue eyes gleamed coldly.
* * *
“From what I’ve found, Vivian Mabel has neither a lover nor any secret activities.”
“That’s the most troublesome type.”
Charlotte muttered as she draped sable fur over her arms.
The red-haired woman in the mirror—perfectly dressed from head to toe—wore a completely expressionless face.
The reason was simple.
She had encountered an obstacle.
‘Olivier and Aubigny were easy to deal with.’
Laila Olivier had a lover.
Devona Aubigny had ambition.
Especially the latter—after Charlotte broke off the engagement, Devona focused on her perfume business and eventually succeeded in launching a rapidly rising brand the following year.
But Vivian Mabel?
‘No lover. No ambition.’
Even after Charlotte interfered with the engagement, no news came of her.
As if she intended to bury herself in obscurity.
‘In the first place, despite her excellent family background, the reason she’s still unmarried is simply because Vivian herself rarely participates in social activities.’
Because of that, the only information available was that she was an avid reader and had a maid who had been as close to her as a twin since childhood.
After much thought, Charlotte finally made a decision.
She would personally insert herself into this marriage negotiation.
“The Marquess Mabel family’s banquet is tonight, right?”
“Yes. Shall I prepare the carriage?”
“Yes. I’ll have to go.”
Tonight, Alfonso will also attend the Marquess Mabel banquet.
When she recalled that fact, the expression of the woman in the mirror twisted.
As if she might burst into tears at any moment.
