Mr. & Mrs Meropide

Chapter Thirty-One: The Auction - Part 2

The Duke, feeling a bit more confident after Vire's encouragement, decided to put himself out there. He decided to follow his instincts. People often let their guard down while eating, so he grabbed some food and approached two ladies standing nearby. Opting for a direct approach, he flashed a polite smile and asked, "Anything new, ladies?"

The two women turned toward him, giving him a quick scan. "Well, there's always something new," the first lady replied.

"Anything interesting?" he tried again, hoping to gain some useful information.

The second lady, with a knowing smile, gestured for him to join them. "If you need to know, then sit with us."

Surprised by his apparent luck, the Duke sat down with the two women, who seemed to find his presence entirely unremarkable. For them, he appeared perfectly ordinary, just another face in a crowd of like-minded individuals. 

"You can call me T," the first lady introduced herself.

"I am R," the second lady added.

"Call me Eduk," the Duke said quickly, rearranging the letters of "Duke" in his head.

"Well, Eduk," T started, "I'm sure you already know some things, so let's continue the conversation where we left off."

"Please do," the Duke said, pleased.

"Like I was telling T just now," R took the lead in the conversation, "I saw Vire talking an awful lot to Fleur. I tell you, he has the hots for her." T nodded along. "I heard it from 'you know who.'"

Wriothesley raised his eyebrows, doubting everything that was just said. "I hate to burst your bubble, ladies," he said, "but I fear you are completely off. Their relationship is strictly professional."

"So Vire does not have the hots for Fleur?" R said, shocked.

"No, I fear there is nothing there," the Duke said, seeing the disappointment on the women's faces.

"Well, my turn," T said, leaning in conspiratorially. "I heard that Enri cheated on his wife and that he wanted to stay anonymous so she couldn't track him down."

"Is the source better than 'you know who?' Because apparently, I'll have to have a good talking to her if she feeds me misinformation like this," R said.

"Oh, it's actually from the Madam herself," T said, making a dramatic gesture and giving a knowing look.

"Oh snap, then he really did cheat on his wife," R said, her fork hovering mid-air.

"Why is that a reliable source?" the Duke asked, hoping to not step on their toes and inadvertently expose himself.

"The Madam is the only lady who can walk in here with a seven or eight months pregnancy and pull it off," R explained, her voice filled with admiration. "She's the absolutely stunning lady with the feathered headpiece. She knows all the women here, and a lot of women vent to her. She gives the best advice ever." R's voice took on a dreamy tone. "There isn't a single lady in here that doesn't wish she was her."

"Alright, so this idiot cheated on his wife," the Duke said, masking his disappointment completely.

"Yeah, and you've probably never met his wife, but only an idiot cheats on an assassin," T said before bursting out laughing. R joined in, and even the Duke allowed himself a slight chuckle.

The Duke listened patiently as the two women shifted their gossip from people to the auction items, their conversation a mix of random tidbits and heated debates.