The Chaperone’s Tea Party
Chloe turned her head. The consistently beautiful man sat with his hands resting on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. The Crown Princess of Ivanes had extended a special invitation to Grand Duke Curtis Shan Berk for today's Eleonora Society tea party. Though the invitation was heavily embellished with the word "special," it was, in truth, a calculated summons. No matter how grandly the tea party was hosted or how warmly they welcomed the Grand Duchess, the fact remained that the Grand Duke had officially expressed his displeasure. To the public, the most ideal picture was for both Curtis and Chloe to attend together and greet the high-society ladies.
Of course, since it was a gathering of noblewomen, Curtis would not stay until the very end. He had agreed to donate a massive sum to the Eleonora Society under the pretext of "thanking them for assisting my wife," and he planned to slip away at an appropriate moment after offering light gifts and greetings to the Crown Princess and the members.
Naturally, a grand carriage fully staffed with servants and a coachman had been prepared in the mansion's courtyard. But Curtis, after staring blankly at the carriage for a moment, snapped his fingers and ordered his automobile to be brought around instead. When the driver rushed out in a panic, Curtis waved him off, declaring he would drive himself.
"A Grand Duke driving himself?" everyone had protested, trying to dissuade him. But Curtis had merely glanced at Chloe and smirked. "No one will complain about me chauffeuring my wife."
She really should have said something back then. Strangely, the words had caught in her throat. And that was how they had ended up in this situation. Chloe, visibly restless, finally blurted out.
"I don't understand why Her Highness the Crown Princess insisted I come without a single maid."
The man chuckled at her remark. "Why? Do you hate being alone with me that much?"
There was no need to ask how he knew. Chloe rolled her eyes. "It would look odd to bring a train of maids to a tea party where the Crown Princess herself is mediating. She's hosting it to take care of everything for us, which is why she told me to come alone."
"..."
"If you really don't want to go, we can turn back right now."
The man kept one hand on the steering wheel, resting his chin on his other hand against the window frame. The grand avenue of Ivanneres was wide, and since high nobles wealthy enough to own automobiles were few and far between, nothing blocked their path. Even while driving, he could have easily spared a brief glance her way. Yet, his gaze remained fixed straight ahead, as if he already knew exactly what Chloe was thinking.
Chloe, feeling a sudden surge of annoyance, glared at him before speaking. "If I were going to do that, I wouldn't have accepted the invitation in the first place."
Curtis had told her that just because it was the Crown Princess's mediation, Chloe didn't absolutely have to accept it. In terms of rank, Chloe, as the Grand Duchess, was slightly below her, but in this case, Chloe was clearly the victim. However, as if anticipating this, the Crown Princess had added an offer that Chloe could never refuse: she would arrange a chaperone for Iris.
A chaperone. "Sister, I have no interest in high society." Right after the marriage announcement, it was only natural that attention focused on the Grand Duchess's two younger sisters. Eric was at the military academy, so they could breathe a sigh of relief there, but a flood of invitations had poured in for Leah, who was of marriageable age. However, Leah had quickly drawn the line. "Even if you're the Grand Duchess, our family itself isn't anything grand. I don't have a dowry. Above all, those families probably want to take me in just to build a connection with the Grand Duke, and I don't want that." It was a reason befitting the top student of her class. She had no desire to spend her life as a mere mistress of some household after studying so hard.
However, Iris's case was a bit different. Putting aside her young age of ten, the problem lay in Iris's circumstances. When Chloe was young, her parents, who were conducting research abroad, had taken Iris in out of pity for her helpless situation. They had made up a story to others that she was a child born to them overseas, but looking at her appearance, it was obvious to anyone that she shared no blood with Chloe or Leah.
It was difficult for a child like Iris to live a normal life in Ivanneres. If she stepped even slightly out of Le Martin Street, she was treated as a foreigner, and sometimes even had stones thrown at her. That was why the chaperone arranged by the Crown Princess was highly welcome. Whoever it would be, it wouldn't be a noblewoman from some mediocre family. If so, at least the number of people who openly looked down on Iris would decrease.
Ten-year-old Iris was currently protected under the title of Grand Duke Berk's sister-in-law. But Chloe knew very well that she was a temporary Grand Duchess. No one knew what would happen in a few years. However, the Crown Princess's protection would not disappear. A chaperone relationship was like an eternal friendship or mentorship that lasted forever, unless the young lady herself caused a massive scandal. Perhaps they could even send her back to school.
She didn't know if Iris would grow up wanting to marry a noble or if she would prefer studying like Leah. Still, Chloe wanted to prepare as many paths as possible for Iris. Thus, Iris was scheduled to attend the latter half of today's tea party. The Crown Princess would introduce Iris and choose a chaperone, and then Curtis would personally take her back home. It was a choice made because it would be difficult to keep Iris at the tea party for long.
"What are you thinking about so deeply? Should we cancel after all?" The Grand Duke's voice scattered Chloe's thoughts. Chloe hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I have a question."
"Ask."
"You said you would divorce me at an appropriate time with Your Grace taking the blame, right? May I ask when you consider that 'appropriate time' to be?"
Curtis, who was driving, raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "How should I know?"
"Why wouldn't you know?"
"Chloe." The Grand Duke's tone had been casual, but the moment Chloe asked why he wouldn't know, it turned highly irritable. "When you were commissioned as my aide, did you start working knowing you would marry me? You never know what will happen in life. Don't nag me."
Yet, his posture—resting his chin on his hand by the window and casting a sideways glance at her—was highly contemplative. His posture and tone were in stark contrast. In a way, it almost seemed as though he was trying to keep his distance. Annoyed, Chloe clenched her fists and groaned. "Ugh."
"And just in case," Curtis added, completely ignoring her reaction. "Don't do any nonsense like trying to choose a dating partner for me or lecturing me on what kind of person I am."
This time, Chloe actually snapped back. "Why not?!"
"I don't trust your judgment!"
"Then do you trust Your Grace's judgment? A man with such great judgment chose me as his Grand Duchess..." Chloe, who was about to rant, suddenly faltered. Curtis, immediately realizing why she had stopped, chuckled with his chin still resting on his hand. Chloe glared at him, her face sour.
"Now that I think about it, insulting Your Grace is basically insulting myself, isn't it? This feels really unpleasant."
"Didn't you say recently that as long as we share the same last name, we are one body and soul? Feel free to insult me as much as you want."
"Gag." Chloe made an explicit gagging sound. In the past, she wouldn't have reacted so excessively. Curtis, too, would have immediately been offended and picked on her if she had done this before. But both of them were deliberately pretending not to notice each other's overreactions. Not only that, they were reacting even more excessively at the same time. Because it was awkward. Ever since the morning they woke up hugging each other in the aide's office bed, they had been in this state.
The first to wake up was Chloe. Probably.
"Ah." Thanks to the curtains drawn in the aide's office, the room was dim, but the sunlight slipping through the gaps could not be blocked. Chloe rubbed her eyes and tried to get up, only to realize she couldn't move her body properly.
"What is this..." Something was in her arms. Was it Iris? Her youngest sister had a habit of slipping out of her bed and burrowing into her sisters' arms when she had a nightmare. When Chloe wasn't home, Leah usually took on that role. Chloe chuckled and stroked Iris's head, which was pillowed on her arm, as if hugging her with her other hand.
"Did you have another nightmare..." But she couldn't finish her sentence. Because the head of "Iris" she was cradling was far too large. To be precise, it was the size of an adult man... An adult man... 'Wait, isn't this the aide's office?!'
There is a saying that if you get sleepy while working, you should spill water to wake yourself up. Chloe swore she opened her eyes faster than the day she had actually spilled water on important documents while dozing off. She gasped in horror. Curtis Shan Berk. The culprit behind the countless days Chloe had fallen asleep in the aide's office, and her husband on paper, was sleeping with his face buried in Chloe's embrace.
Did he feel Chloe's shock? Waking up naturally, the man's fine, bright blonde hair spilled and scattered before Chloe's eyes. At the same time, his purple eyes slowly opened...
"Ah!" Chloe's reaction was immediate. She bolted upright and shoved Curtis away. "What on earth—ugh!"
With a loud thud, Curtis Shan Berk, who wasn't even fully awake, rolled off the bed and fell to the floor. Chloe screamed.
"What is this!"
"What!"
As a result, both of them ended up screaming at the same time.