The other man wore a linen suit and gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined and scholarly. This must be Luna's brother, who'd come specifically to pay for his sister's afternoon of shopping.
Luna's brother was more composed than she was. He nodded with a faint smile in greeting.
Grace gazed at Luna for a moment, then replied coolly: "I'm buying a gift for Miss Rose. She gave me so many gifts yesterday. How could I, as the host, not give something in return?"
Grace deflected with finesse, saying nothing more.
The word "honored guest" could go either way—a status that gave me full face.
Hearing this, the three schoolgirls paled. Luna reluctantly addressed me:
"Miss Rose, we met yesterday."
"Since we've run into each other, let me treat you all to afternoon tea."
Luna's brother smoothly stepped in: "I haven't introduced myself. I'm Claude Chase, Luna's brother."
This introduction was directed at me—probably the only one in the room who didn't know who he was.
I replied evenly: "Hello, I'm Rose. Thank you for the invitation, but we have other plans. I won't impose today."
Grace and I really were about to leave.
Originally because we'd bought enough, and now because the mood was spoiled.
"By the way, why didn't we see Miss Rose at last night's charity gala?"
I'd taken two steps before Luna's provocation caught me from behind.
3.
I'd been ready to move on, but Luna's words reignited my anger.
Victor always kept the important people in safe places.
But from her mouth, it implied Victor didn't want to acknowledge me publicly.
That wasn't even the real issue.
I was certain Victor must have done or said something to give her hope. Otherwise, Luna wouldn't have the nerve to challenge me right under Grace's nose.
Just yesterday on the boat we'd been so intimate. Yet at night, he'd shown favor to another girl.
That made my chest tight.
"Victor said the charity gala was for business. Between the smoking and drinking, the smell would be awful, so he left me and Rose at home to play cards with the ladies."
Grace understood Luna's implied meaning but couldn't directly confront her.
She and Luna were both women of good breeding—their approach was different from my uncultivated directness.
Seeing Luna's victor's pose, I didn't want to keep sparring indirectly. I asked her outright: "I'd already fallen asleep when Victor came back last night, so I didn't ask whether the charity gala was enjoyable. Why don't you tell me, Miss Luna?"
"Nothing special. The Young Marshal just invited me to dance."
She said it lightly, but the look in her eyes held far more.
So Victor had asked her to dance.
It wasn't exactly a big deal, but it stung.
I don't know how I left the department store.
It felt like a boulder had lodged in my chest.
Back at the General's Estate, Grace kept comforting me, explaining that men and women dancing didn't mean anything.
"I'm not worthy of Victor. Maybe when he comes to his senses, he'll like someone like Miss Luna."
I said it calmly, but my heart ached.
If I hadn't appeared, Victor would have accepted her eventually.
If I left, Victor would accept her as planned.
Who would refuse a beautiful, wealthy woman?
"Victor has to deal with Chairman Chase, which means running into Luna. But I asked him—he hasn't paid any attention to Miss Luna."
Grace was Victor's sister. From her perspective, Victor would be better off with a wealthy woman like Luna than with someone of unknown origins like me.
Yet she'd defended me at the department store, and now she was earnestly explaining that Victor didn't like Luna.
I looked into her eyes and sighed: "It's okay. I don't belong here. I can't stay by Victor's side forever. I can't control his life, and my own life shouldn't depend on him."
Grace misunderstood my tone and grew anxious: "You don't know how happy you've made him. He's not good with words, but he does more than he says. He's even having a ring custom—"
She stopped abruptly, as if she'd touched something she shouldn't say. She clenched her jaw: "Rose, I'll call everyone who was at the charity gala last night and question them one by one. Then everything will be clear."
Grace had everyone who'd attended the gala brought over and questioned individually.
That was how we learned how much that single dance between Victor and Luna had earned.
"The Young Marshal was discussing business with several gentlemen. We were guarding the perimeter. Miss Luna shouldn't have come over, but she insisted on speaking with the Young Marshal."
"Miss Luna stayed about five minutes. Chairman Chase scolded her twice—once for being foolish, once telling her to leave."
"Then the Young Marshal stood up and invited her to dance."
"By then, the fundraising was complete. The Chase family had already donated. But after the fundraising ended, Miss Luna personally contributed five million silver dollars to the military."
The Chase family's entire donation was about five million. Since funding came from multiple sources, no one expected Luna alone to donate that much.
Grace murmured: "Five million silver dollars—that's five years of expenses for ten thousand infantry, or ten thousand light machine guns."
Luna was an unmarried woman—wealthy, with generous pocket money, but not enough to produce that kind of sum.
The only explanation was that it was her dowry, originally held in a trust by her parents, which she'd found a way to access early—just waiting for this charity gala to impress Victor.
She was spending her own dowry to fund Victor's military. He'd happily accepted. No wonder Luna was so certain, as if becoming the Vane family's young madam was a done deal.
"After the Young Marshal left, Miss Luna walked them to the door. He didn't even look at her when he got in the car!"
The guards took turns recounting. Even Dan added embellishments, as if hoping to make me feel better.
4.
Grace grumbled about Victor's poor judgment.
I felt sour that I couldn't help him.
Then a call came—Mrs. Lambertu excitedly announced it was the Young Marshal.
Grace gave me an encouraging look: "Rose, ask him what's really going on."
I went to the living room and answered the phone.
"Took you long enough." Victor's voice carried a smile.
"Victor, I heard you danced with Miss Luna last night." I cut to the chase.
Victor laughed: "Jealous?"
"No, I'm just asking." I insisted, unconvincingly.
"Too bad you weren't there. Otherwise I'd have asked you to dance too."
His voice was low. He used the word "too," with a hint of playfulness, as if teasing me on purpose.
But I wasn't in the mood:
"Just tell me—did you accept Luna's five million silver dollars or not?"
"Accepted. Free money for a dance—why wouldn't I?"
He couldn't even lie.
"Did you think about the consequences? You took her dowry money. Doesn't that mean you'll have to..."
He cut me off: "I didn't know it was anyone's dowry. She didn't say so, and I didn't ask. I only know that well-funded military means a safe Sungate. And when Sungate is safe, businesspeople like them can earn even more. I'll make sure they feel it was worth every dollar."
Oliver had purchased a shipment of German military equipment for Victor. Millions of silver dollars sounded staggering, but converted into guns and ammunition, it wasn't that much.
War burned money and lives. Even though the Elder General had built factories—a shipyard, an electric company, a water utility—the money came in far more slowly than opium profits.
And in this era, Victor's opponents all funded themselves through opium dens, even paying soldiers in opium.
Victor refused to grow opium, refused to be a warlord in uniform playing bandit, and refused to levy dozens of times the normal land tax on farmers.
In the filthiest era, he wanted to stay clean and hold his territory and power. He needed strong backing.
Oliver was the eldest son of a tobacco and wine dynasty. By marrying Grace, he provided tens of millions annually for the military. And Victor, ideally, should marry someone like Luna.
The logic was sound. But Victor had casually categorized Luna as "businesspeople like them."