Garden of May - Chapter 137
“Well, apparently someone on this ship claims they saw the Duke of Battenberg!”
Despite the dramatic claim, Rosalyn’s eyes showed no excitement at all. Her voice sounded almost artificially animated, yet her gaze remained eerily calm.
To an outsider, it would have been impossible to believe she was the same charming young lady who had just been waving her hand, cheeks flushed a rosy red.
That dissonance made Vanessa pause for just a moment.
“They say the person who spread the rumor has seen the Duke up close several times. They’re insisting he boarded wearing a standard naval uniform—just like the regular sailors.”
“A standard uniform? Not even an officer’s attire? Why would a Duke go that far?”
“There are all sorts of theories. Some say it’s for colluding with the Prime Minister, others think it’s purely for business… and then there are those lunatics who—”
“Shh, Rosalyn. People might hear.”
Rosalyn, who had been counting off possibilities on her fingers with rising enthusiasm, burst into a clear, ringing laugh at the interruption.
Looking more closely, her flushed cheeks weren’t from joy or excitement at all, but from agitation and anger.
As if she had just suffered some terrible humiliation.
The way her carefully maintained smile had trembled and nearly collapsed, that image still lingered vividly, even now, a full week later.
“Vanessa. Aren’t you curious what the last reason is?”
Vanessa couldn’t quite remember how she had responded.
At that very moment, the sun had begun to rise over the horizon, and everyone gathered on deck had erupted into collective awe.
Amid that chaos, it was difficult to focus on any conversation, especially one she had no real interest in.
Noticing her indifference, Rosalyn tilted her head and asked, somewhat curiously,
“You don’t seem very interested in the Duke.”
“Of course not… I’ve never even met him. So whatever he’s done—it doesn’t really concern me.”
At that rather blunt reply, Rosalyn had stared at her blankly before letting out a hollow laugh.
The tension in her face slowly melted into relief—like she had completely forgotten the anger and hurt from just moments ago.
“You’re right. There’s no need to care about someone like that.”
At the time, Vanessa had simply found the shift in her friend’s reaction endearing.
She knew Rosalyn wasn’t the type to enjoy spreading uncertain rumors, but Vanessa herself had been too preoccupied to think much deeper about it.
Of course, even if she had noticed something back then, nothing would have changed.
Still… perhaps she could have comforted her friend a little better.
Rosalyn, who had gone somewhere to vent her anger on Vanessa’s behalf—without ever directly showing it on her own face.
[Breaking News! Duke B Invests Heavily in the South—The Price: A Woman?]
Vanessa’s fingers tightened around the cheap one-pence newspaper.
[…it is expected that Duke B will actively participate in establishing what is said to be the largest racecourse in the southern region. This stands in stark contrast to his previous investment tendencies. While it is outwardly framed as an effort to promote balanced regional development, our investigation suggests a secret agreement with Count E. The rumored price is Miss V, the niece of his business partner—a young lady of a prominent family who has recently come of age…]
The article went on at length, but most of it was either exaggerated or outright fabricated.
Still, by disguising names with initials—B, V, and the like—it managed to sound just believable enough. Of course, it wasn’t published in reputable outlets like The Ingrian or The Linden Daily.
And yet, sometimes a single line in these gossip rags—favored by maids—could wield far greater influence.
Just looking at how the household staff had begun treating her differently…
‘They must believe what’s written in that gossip sheet.’
Vanessa folded The Tabloid and placed it atop a growing pile of printed materials.
Women’s weeklies, monthly magazines, gossip papers—fourteen publications in total.
How on earth had things spiraled into this?
- Protected: Garden of May Chapter 152 - Jun 16, 2026
- Protected: Garden of May Chapter 151 - Jun 16, 2026
- Protected: Garden of May Chapter 150 - Jun 16, 2026
nastasya
my girl it’s cause it’s the truth:) and cause that man didn’t bother hiding how down bad he is for ya and everyone saw it hihihi