CHAPTER 180: RIVAL (3)

"Gideon, are men always so strange? I have been around men all my life, and they never acted so strangely," Rue said, turning to her guard for advice.

"You’re the leader’s daughter. We should all be on our best behaviour when we speak to you," Gideon replied. "It is the men here who are strange."

Gideon would like to know which man had been behaving strangely around Rue. The men here had more than love in their eyes. Rue’s connections could benefit anyone, but Gideon wasn’t fond of what he saw so far.

"You must be careful," Gideon warned Rue.

"I am always careful, Gideon. I am certain I can beat most of them," Rue replied.

"Lady Callahan! Miss Rue!"

Rue stopped to search for the voice calling out to her, and to her dismay, it wasn’t one of her friends, but Selina.

"It is lovely to see you again. I am here with my mother," Selina said, showing Rue her escort.

"I am here with my father and guards," Rue replied.

Selina examined Rue’s clothes. "What an interesting way to dress. Are you going horse riding? It is good weather for it."

"No, this is how I dress to be comfortable. If there is an attack, pants help me to move freely," said Rue.

"I see. You might want to reconsider your attire while you are here. To walk around in pants and they are not the least bit stylish is such a strange sight," Selina said, wishing she could laugh.

Selina regretted being so concerned about Rue and Elijah. Surely, this wouldn’t be a woman Elijah would ever marry.

"I will not change to please anyone’s eyes. I will always be Rue Callahan. I could say a few things about your dress," Rue said, but decided to keep it to herself.

Selina looked down at her dress, which the finest dressmaker in town made. "You are mistaken. This dress is the best of the best. It is admired by many. My mother carefully looked over the details of my dress from the finest material to the finest beads. Since you are not used to such things, it must seem strange."

"Do not be mistaken. I have many dresses which are beautiful, but I don’t feel the need to wear them all day. Just as you can have an opinion about my pants, I can have an opinion about your silly flower dress."

Selina huffed, her cheeks red due to her anger. "I will not have you insult me."

"I didn’t insult you, I said I didn’t like your dress. If that was an insult, then you also insulted me," Rue retorted.

"It is not every day you see a lady casually strolling with such ugly pants," Selina said, letting her anger get the best of her.

"Forgive me for not dressing to look pretty. I was always told my beauty was enough. So, I suppose others who are not born with beauty have to dress themselves up with little shiny things. I am starting to understand this town," said Rue.

"You will never get a man to notice you if you keep this up," said Selina.

"Your first mistake was thinking I wanted a man to notice me, but let us be honest here. You keep approaching me because you think I hold some interest in the duke’s son. If I will not get a man’s attention, why are you so worried?" Rue asked.

"I am not worried about the likes of-"

"Careful. I can slice your head right off your pretty neck if you say one word about where I come from. When you act this way, I am almost tempted to steal the one your heart yearns for. I advise you to see me, but never approach me again," Rue warned Selina.

Rue was done playing nice.

Thanks to her time with Penelope, Rue started to understand Lockwood better. Her past visits were fun when she was younger, but now she was back at a time when all young ladies were competitive as they searched for a husband.

"This talk has been lovely, but I must continue on my way," Rue said, starting to walk around Selina. She ignored the fuming mother.

Rue smiled as she thought about what it would if she had her mother at her side.

"You must be careful, Rue. Despite what you think, I have been kind to you. It will not be good for you if you trouble me," Selina warned Rue.

"Trouble you?" Rue chuckled. "Were you not the one who came to me twice now? Since I have no chance with Elijah, you shouldn’t worry about me. He wouldn’t want a woman like me, right?"

Selina smiled.

"Then again, the same thing was said about my mother, and she ended up with one of the most feared knights in this kingdom. You shouldn’t think you know what kind of lady these men want to marry. They will surprise you," Rue advised Selina.

Rue thought some men were complicated, and Elijah was one of them. She found herself unable to understand Elijah starting from the ball. He was strange. Elijah was the first man to puzzle Rue, which was why she wanted to avoid him until she understood him again.

"I will not be surprised by anything. You must listen to what is said. I am the lady closest to becoming his wife. There isn’t anyone who can rival the relationship I have with the duchess and Elijah," Selina argued.

The corners of Rue’s mouth curled into a smile. "You mean the very duchess that I know quite well? I like you. Your way of thinking is quite amusing."

Selina was at a loss for words. "You-"

"Father!" Rue called, her tone switching to be sweet.

Rue left Selina to go to her father’s side.

Rafael kept an eye on the young lady whom Rue was speaking to. "Was there trouble?"

"No, not at all. I was speaking to a friend," Rue replied, holding her father’s hand.

"Rue," Rafael pressed for an honest answer.

"It is fine, father. She is someone I have seen when I was with Penelope. You worry too much. I can take care of myself," Rue reminded him. "Have you finished your talk with the king?"

"No, they have more important matters to speak of, so we will leave for the day. The king and queen are speaking now," said Rafael.

Hazel didn’t look to be in a good mood when he saw the queen and king together again, so Rafael decided to excuse himself.

"Did you challenge the prince today?" Rafael asked.

"I did, and like the times before, he has lost to me. I considered letting him win once, but that isn’t any gun. I am starting to like it here," Rue said, looking back at Selina. "It’s fun."