IRTHP 06

Chapter 7…

 The Meaning of the White Gloves

“Why are you acting like that?”

At the man’s wary question, Grand Duke Rihast stood silently without responding. It was as if he had discovered something, and Aileen couldn’t even swallow her saliva—she held her breath.

“What’s that smell?”

Aileen’s eyes twitched slightly. Could it be… the smell he mentioned?

‘But I don’t have any scent yet.’

Strictly speaking, the pheromones that Alphas and Omegas possessed weren’t exactly “scents.” However, since they tended to focus on pheromones more than any actual smell, they often referred to them as such.

Aileen was still a Beta, so she didn’t have a distinct pheromone scent. However, she was in a state where her body was on the verge of manifesting as an Omega. Considering he was a dominant Alpha, more sensitive to pheromones than anyone, a wave of anxious thoughts rose within her—what if he had caught a whiff of the pheromones dormant inside her body?

“Do you mean freesia? Well, it is the laundry room, so the fragrance is pretty strong.”

When the man finally replied, Aileen let out a silent sigh of relief—it wasn’t pheromones, just a smell. She didn’t make a sound, and she even covered her mouth to keep the breath from escaping.

“There’s nothing here. Let’s check somewhere else.”

“Have you looked at the conservatory?”

“Not yet. I’ll go there myself.”

The voices gradually grew distant and disappeared. Only then did Aileen shut her trembling eyes tightly and open them again. Her quivering eyelids stilled, and her racing heart slowly returned to its normal rhythm.

She had thought for sure she’d been caught. Now that the danger had passed, it felt like she could finally breathe again. Only after confirming that no other presence lingered did Aileen push off the bedding she had been hiding under and sit up.

“I’m never eavesdropping in hiding again.”

The near–heart-stopping experience had seared the lesson deep into her bones. She knew this was the most efficient way, but she was sure she could never do it again.

When she stepped into the hallway and confirmed that no one else was around, she let out a long sigh.

“Now I should go back and—”

She froze mid-sentence when her eyes met someone else’s. It was like a rabbit looking up from nibbling grass only to meet the gaze of a crouching tiger.

Leaning casually against the wall was Grand Duke Rihast.

‘Why is he here?!’

She had learned that when she was truly shocked, no sound came out. While Aileen stood there speechless, Rihast slowly pushed himself off the wall. He didn’t look surprised to see her—his expression was completely unreadable.

“You smell like freesia.”

He was saying he knew she had been in the laundry room earlier. Aileen darted her gaze around nervously, completely unsure of what to say now that she’d been caught.

“So… uh…”

Her mind was blank, like a stone. She couldn’t think of any excuse. She had to say something—anything.

“Go back to your room.”

At his curt tone, Aileen lowered her head deeply.

It was all over. She’d wandered around the Grand Duke’s mansion without permission and even eavesdropped while hiding. She had no defense if they kicked her out now.

“What are you doing? Hurry up.”

When Rihast’s voice came from ahead, Aileen lifted her head. He raised an eyebrow in irritation and beckoned with a crooked finger.

“I don’t like waiting. If you’re not coming now, I’ll go on ahead.”

“I—I’m coming!”

She didn’t understand why, but realizing he was planning to return to the room with her, she hurried to respond.

When she had left the room earlier, the halls had felt so long as she looked around nervously. But now, the return seemed painfully short. Once inside, Rihast sat down in a chair without even checking whether she’d followed. Aileen simply stared at the chair across from him and didn’t sit. She wanted to somehow tip the balance of power, which was clearly leaning to his side.

Rihast didn’t seem bothered that she remained standing. He got straight to the point.

“Why did you leave?”

“I went to look for you, Your Grace.”

“If you went without permission, it must have been urgent.”

There was a clear hint of mockery in his tone. It was her fault for wandering through someone else’s house without permission. But she had her reasons too.

“I knew you were talking about me, and I couldn’t just sit around and wait. I’m not saying it was right.”

She immediately showed her remorse, because no matter the reason, walking around someone else’s property unannounced was disrespectful.

“I’m sorry.”

“No.”

Rihast cut her off.

“You don’t need to apologize. You did well.”

“…I won’t do it again.”

“You can do it again if you want. Go wherever you like.”

His muttered “That’ll make things interesting” made Aileen snap her mouth shut. It was his own way of threatening her—that if she did it again, he wouldn’t let it slide. She made up her mind right then and there to never repeat it.

When the awkward silence returned, Rihast rose to his feet. The conversation so far made Aileen anxious. He hadn’t said a single word about finalizing their marriage. But he showed no signs of continuing the discussion either. Feeling this wasn’t how things should end, Aileen blurted out:

“Marriage.”

As Rihast turned to look at her, she realized how blunt and awkward that had sounded. Forcing a sweet smile, she rephrased:

“Let’s get married.”

…Was that any better?

In her previous life, Aileen had first set foot in the Grand Duke’s residence on the day of her brother Ethan’s wedding. Having never experienced a wedding herself, she had been half dazed by the grand event and her brother’s figure dressed in pure white.

The next day, before returning home, she had wanted to see Ethan one last time. So she wandered out of her room on her own—and got lost. There was no one around to ask for directions, and she stood helplessly in the hallway when she heard footsteps.

‘Oh?’

For a brief moment, Aileen felt relieved—until she heard Ethan’s name. She instinctively hid behind a pillar.

Why did I hide? she wondered a second later. But hearing someone else mention her brother’s name made her curious… and, admittedly, excited. Maybe they were talking about how dazzling Ethan had looked yesterday?

“Was the one who went into heat yesterday really Sir Ethan?”

“I’m telling you, yes.”

“Well, of course it had to be an Alpha for it to spread through the mansion like that. I thought someone just had amazing pheromones. Oh my! Then the Grand Duke and he must’ve had an amazing night last night?”

As the women’s gossipy chatter continued, Aileen pressed her flushed cheeks with both hands. She had never been married, but she’d read enough books to know what they meant.

You don’t get a baby just by sleeping, the books had said. You have to match lips, legs, and bellies too.

“Not exactly.”

“Huh? But you said it was Sir Ethan. He got married yesterday and went into heat. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Ugh.”

“What’s with that? Tell us.”

When one woman hesitated to explain, Aileen leaned in even more intently.

“How could they have had a passionate night when the Grand Duke wasn’t there?”

“What do you mean? Didn’t the two of them spend the night together?”

“After the ceremony, His Grace led the knights out immediately. He said they had to depart right away—there wasn’t even time.”

“Then what about Sir Ethan? His pheromones seem to have calmed down now. There’s no lingering scent.”

“Well…”

“Hurry up and tell us!”

“It seems he spent it with someone else.”

“What?!”

Aileen felt her vision spin and grabbed onto the pillar for support.

“The Grand Duke wasn’t there, the heat suppressants didn’t work, and his whole body must’ve been burning like embers. You know how reason slips away in those moments. Apparently, he grabbed a passing knight and clung to him.”

“Seriously?”

“It came up at the retainers’ meeting.”

“So the Grand Duke wasn’t the one who—oh my!”

The woman’s words trailed off as she suddenly noticed Aileen.

“Who are you?”

“What… happened to Ethan?”

Aileen, still in shock, forced out the words.

She never saw Ethan that day. Though she met him twice afterward, she could never bring herself to ask about the wedding night. But from his darkened expression and the Grand Duke’s absence on the battlefield, it wasn’t hard to guess what had happened between them.

She held his gaze now, suppressing the surge of emotion.

How could someone leave for the battlefield on their wedding night?

If the Grand Duke had stayed even one night longer, Ethan might not have died the way he did. But she couldn’t condemn him for something that hadn’t happened in this life.

Hold it in. That’s why I came back—to change this.

She couldn’t afford to get carried away now.

Forcing herself, Aileen brought out the words she didn’t want to say but had to:

“Marry me.”

At her sudden proposal, Grand Duke Rihast looked at her face for a moment, then let out a short laugh.

“Is that the face of someone making a proposal?”

Aileen glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

She looked like a child forced to eat something they absolutely hated.

There wasn’t even a shred of the fluttering anticipation one might expect from a proposal.

“You were the same, Your Grace.”

“Me?”

“You had that same grim face when you did it.”

And he’d practically dragged her here, too. Who was he to talk?

At her retort, Rihast brushed the corner of his mouth with his fingers. His lips twitched as if at some amusing thought, and finally, a faint smile emerged.

“I didn’t know a proposal could get my fighting spirit going like this.”

His excited tone left Aileen dumbfounded.

Fighting spirit? Where did that come from?

It’s not like she’d thrown down a white glove to challenge him to a duel—she was just wearing white gloves and proposing marriage!