* * *

“You knew? Who I’m dating?”

“…”

At Luna’s question, Rosemary silently nodded.

She never thought she would be discovered so easily. Or rather, it felt more like she had unintentionally let it slip and begged her to know.

“So you approached me because of that? Is that why? Is that right?”

“I was curious about who you were… I couldn’t help my curiosity when I heard you were dating my brother. I just wanted to see who you were…”

As Rosemary spoke, she glanced at Luna, who was staring at her expressionlessly with her arms crossed. Luna’s gaze was cold and devoid of affection.

Tears welled up in Rosemary’s eyes, fearing she might lose Luna like this. Luna urged her to continue when she closed her mouth.

“And then?”

“…But you turned out to be even nicer than I expected, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. I thought if I did, you’d push me away. I want to get along with Lady Luna for a lifetime, but I was afraid that might not happen.”

Exactly like now.

Rosemary bowed her head deeply, feeling guilty. She had indeed deceived Luna.

Would Luna now tell her never to contact her again? It would be difficult to maintain a good relationship with Luna, especially after approaching her with ulterior motives.

“You know, if you say that, how can I get any angrier?”

If Luna doesn’t get mad, would she hit her? Rosemary, blocked in her thoughts, jumped to an extreme conclusion.

Yes. If hitting her would make things right, then let it be. If getting hit could restore their friendship, she would willingly do it.

That’s how much Rosemary didn’t want to lose Luna.

“To someone who hid the truth fearing I’d drift away, how can I say anything? You didn’t try to use me.”

But Luna meant something else. She didn’t want to get angry or hit anyone. She wanted to let it go.

Surprised, Rosemary looked up and met Luna’s gentle smile.

“You’re not saying… you’ll forgive me, are you?”

“Deceiving is vile, but we’ve already become so close, how can I not forgive? Is human relationship that easy?”

Luna pointed to the ribbon in her hair. No matter how ill-intentioned their relationship started, they had already become close enough to wear the same ribbon and gloves.

Luna had never had a friend before. Except for Fersen. He was neither a friend nor an enemy.

So she could easily forgive. Lying was a bit annoying, but it wasn’t a big enough mistake to cut ties.

“Lady Luna…”

An emotional Rosemary stood up abruptly, arms outstretched, ready to hug Luna if allowed.

Luna, not permitting that, slowly shook her head. Then she added a condition.

“Still, you have to take responsibility for saying I have a lover in front of everyone.”

“Responsibility…?”

Rosemary swallowed dryly with a tense look on her face.

“I don’t want to reveal who my lover is. So, I hope you can help me when the time comes.”

It meant that she was in a relationship, but she didn’t want to reveal who it was. It wasn’t surprising as secret romances were common among the nobility.

It was understandable, as it wasn’t a relationship worth celebrating. Rosemary nodded.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. Even if it means risking my life.”

“You don’t have to risk your life. Just let me know if your life is in danger.”

Luna had been the first to openly declare her relationship in front of many people, so she wasn’t in a position to say anything. Fortunately, it wasn’t widely known since she had announced it in front of the tight-lipped Baron family.

But there was no need to advertise it. Her goal was to keep it hidden as long as possible and then part quietly.

Rosemary regained her smile at Luna’s half-joking response. She felt lighter now, having nothing more to hide.

* * *

After their conversation, the two returned to the glass garden. While Luna and Rosemary were away, the young ladies shared previously unknown truths and were clearing up Luna’s misunderstandings.

Suddenly, Karen, who had been uneasy amongst the girls, rushed over upon seeing Luna.

“I’m sorry. I made a big mistake just listening to Lady Flora. I don’t know how to apologize…”

“It’s okay. Just clearing up the misunderstanding is enough.”

Luna was sincere. In fact, she was grateful for this clarification. The thing Rosemary said about her lover seemed trivial now.

“The rumor had spread so widely, it almost solidified as truth. I would’ve misunderstood too.”

“Thank you. And I’m sorry. I’ll meet Lady Flora later and definitely find out the culprit.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to. It’s in the past now.”

“No…! Letting it go like this feels wrong. Please forgive me then, if not now.”

Like Rosemary, Karen begged as if her life depended on it.

Luna wanted to say she disliked getting involved with Seira’s party, but she couldn’t refuse when Karen wanted it so badly. All she could hope for was that things would go smoothly.

“Alright. Then I’ll count on you.”

Luna sat down to start the slightly delayed party and formally introduced herself.

“My name is Luna from the Barony Peils. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to connect with all of you. I hope we have a pleasant gathering.”

Clap, clap, clap.

Luna had anticipated a negative response from her introduction, but thanks to Flory, clearing her name once, everyone welcomed her warmly.

After Luna’s introduction, Rosemary, who organized the event, stood up and made some rules for a smooth party.

“How about everyone introduces themselves and asks Lady Luna any questions they might have?”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

It seemed like a preventive measure so Luna wouldn’t be overwhelmed with questions from everyone at once. Fortunately, everyone agreed.

“So, do I go first? Nice to meet you, Lady Peils. I’m Ailee from the Kellan Viscount family. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Lady Kellan.”

A cute young lady with long brown hair tied in twin tails. Looking even younger than the recently adult Rosemary, she sparkled her yellow eyes and asked Luna:

“It might be sudden, but who is this lover of yours? Do I know them?”

“…”

A direct question from the get-go…

And yet no one tried to stop her. Everyone waited with gleaming eyes for the answer, clearly curious.

“It hasn’t been long since we started dating, so I’m a bit hesitant to reveal. Given the rumors, I’m not sure how you all will react, so I’d like to keep it a secret for a while.”

For a while? Luna had the intention and passion to make sure they never found out. Ailee, understanding Luna’s intention, nodded seriously.

“Oh, I see. Okay, I won’t ask further. And don’t be too scared of the rumors. From today, any misunderstandings about you will be cleared up.”

“That’s right. I’ll also explain actively. I’m sure the bad rumors about you will disappear soon.”

“Me too!”

“Don’t worry too much.”

The young ladies in the glass garden encouraged and supported Luna. It seemed as if the rumors were the reason Luna couldn’t reveal her partner.

‘No, it’s not about me, it’s the rumors about him that’s the problem…’

Of course, Luna was problematic too, but she was nothing compared to him.

Luna had to suppress her true feelings and forced a smile.

“Thank you.”

Yet, this gratitude was genuine. How could she not appreciate someone trying to dispel misunderstandings on her behalf?

As things seemed to settle down, the next lady introduced herself and then immediately started questioning.

“So, what does he look like? Is he handsome? How tall? Does he have a good physique? What’s the color of his hair? The color of his eyes? How old is he? Is he the eldest son or the second? Or perhaps an only child?”

“…”

No, the situation hadn’t settled. If it wasn’t for Rosemary’s friends, who were persistently and passionately probing about Antes’ personal details.

Luna smiled softly at Rosemary as if wondering how they could overcome this situation. It felt as if she was implying, ‘You created this mess; now clean it up.’

Taking this as a significant responsibility, a guilty-looking Rosemary stood up.

“Everyone, how about we wait until Lady Luna personally mentions about him? Some relationships are better left in the dark. After all, some love stories are not accepted by the world.”

“…Yes?”

The statement, ‘some love stories are not accepted by the world,’ shocked everyone, including Luna.

What she meant to be a roundabout way of saying things ended up creating more misunderstandings. Extremely, very intense misunderstandings.

“Oh, I apologize! I mean, there are some people we shouldn’t reveal to the public.”

“…Yes?”

“I mean… It’s just… some relationships might seem awkward to others! Although it’s a beautiful love, there might be criticism from those full of prejudices…!”

“…!”

But the misunderstandings weren’t clarified at all. The more Rosemary tried to explain, the more the Antes’ nature seemed to shift.

Amidst the awkward silence, only Rosemary’s excuses continued. Luna, placing a hand on her head, cleared up the misunderstandings.

“He’s a tall, robust man. His reputation isn’t great, like mine. I’ll tell you about him later. Please keep it a secret for now. Please.”

“Ah! So that’s what you meant.”

“We understand now. We’ll wait then.”

She should’ve said this from the start. Luna heaved a sigh of relief as the misunderstandings finally got cleared.

With a defeated expression, Rosemary sat back down, sending an apologetic glance at Luna.

Luna, accepting the apology with a nod, silently mouthed, ‘I’ll handle it myself.’

After all, it’s always best to handle your issues personally, without relying on others.