“Please stay for dinner. The chef is very skilled. My aunt has put a lot of effort into it.”

“That’s enough, I’ll get up first. I look forward to seeing how well you fare as a debutante. I must be of help.”

“Don’t worry.”

Whitney nodded. Cecilia glanced at the guard knight with a displeased look and rose from her seat.

“Whitney, I’ll see you at the banquet. I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’ll prepare hard so as not to disappoint your expectations, elder sister.”

Melissa turned her head and followed her mother out. Whitney heaved a deep sigh and leaned back in her chair.

‘There will be many more tiring things to come.’

Her mother must be quite on edge, so it remained to be seen how she would act. Judging by Melissa, it didn’t seem like she would come to the banquet unprepared.

Having entrusted a request to an informant, the desired information should be in hand soon.

Whitney ate a light dinner and returned to her room. Her mind was so cluttered that the food barely went down.

With a knock, Sonia entered the room.

“I’ve brought some tea to refresh your palate and some digestive medicine.”

“Ah… thank you.”

“If you need anything else, please let me know.”

Whitney nodded. Sonia was a sensitive person.

She observed people well and promptly provided what was needed, or was quick-witted enough to give the desired answers. It was understandable why her aunt cherished Sonia. Sending such a person to her showed how important this matter was to her aunt.

‘I planted Bellonia in Lady Rubeness’s mansion garden, so I should stop by later when it’s time to harvest.’

But was it really alright?

Whitney waited for Cheston’s reply, but it didn’t seem like it would come. If she ended up asking for his help, he too would have to grant what she wanted. He must know that everything comes with a price.

She hoped it was a desperate matter for him. She wanted to save him, and to do that, she needed to get closer to him.

The method wasn’t easy, but if they exchanged letters frequently, wouldn’t they be able to learn a little about each other?

Of course, that was only if a reply came from him.

Whitney looked at the darkened sky. Nothing would change by waiting for a letter that wouldn’t come. She went to bed, burrowed into the blankets, and closed her eyes.

Cheston fiddled with the letter.

Before replying, he wanted to find out the information she desired first. It seemed that would make the transaction a bit smoother.

“It seems difficult to obtain Bellonia. However, the king has been inseparable from Lady Elenia recently, so it appears she hasn’t been summoned by the queen.”

“…That will only be temporary.”

Aaron did not respond. That silence meant he agreed with his words. No matter how much his father tried to separate his mother from the queen out of favor, the queen would try to torment his mother with even more vicious methods.

Even Cheston himself was not safe.

“I’ll send a reply tomorrow morning. Have you found out about the woman in that flyer?”

“Yes, we’re moving quickly, so we should be able to find out the information by tomorrow.”

“That’s fortunate.”

If so, he too could avoid just asking for help. When he saw Whitney’s eyes, it seemed she had something she wanted from him.

“It’s too dangerous for mother to wait until the debutante ball.”

“Lady Elenia will endure well. I will continue to watch over her.”

“Aaron. We have a visitor.”

“…Your Highness, I will stay with you.”

Cheston shook his head. The queen must have sent them, so if Aaron intervened unnecessarily, he too might be in danger. There needed to be someone to protect his mother if anything happened to him.

Aaron shook his head, refusing to leave, but Cheston looked at him with resolute eyes. Finally, Aaron left Cheston and vacated the place.

He drew his sword and waited for the guests. Soon, sensing multiple presences, he looked towards the window. The door opened and assassins rushed in instantly.

Cheston parried their swords just enough not to die.

“Die! You filthy bloodline!”

He fended off the assassins’ swords as if narrowly escaping death. To him, a sword master, their swords were truly easy. However, judging by the fact that they sent more skilled ones than before, it seems the queen had harbored some poison.

“Did Her Majesty the Queen order you to kill me?”

“Ugh!”

“You know too, don’t you? That you can’t kill me. Stop this and go back.”

The assassin did not stop. With desperate eyes, he swung his sword. As if fearless in the face of death, he charged endlessly.

Cheston moved diligently to drain their strength.

“If we return like this, your mother will be in danger too! You don’t think they only sent assassins here, do you?”

At those words, a killing intent flashed in Cheston’s blue eyes. Eyes filled with madness stared into the assassin’s eyes. Hiding their faces with masks and desperately concealing their fear with other emotions, they looked as if they wouldn’t stop unless they died.

“I was going to let you live. But I guess I can’t do that now.”

Cheston immediately raised his sword and cut off their breath. One, two. The assassins fell to the floor at his sword.

The room was once again filled with the smell of blood. The queen knew too that there was no one who could kill Cheston. However, the reason she kept sending them without giving up was to inflict pain on him.

Cheston looked at his unscathed body and used his sword to inflict wounds. This was necessary to satisfy the queen. He had to show her what she wanted to see for things to be quiet for a while.

He opened the door and walked out into the corridor. The maids in the annex screamed at the sight of blood on his uniform. The knights belatedly rushed over and bowed to Cheston.

“Assassins broke in. Clean up the inside thoroughly. I’ll have to change rooms again, so keep that in mind.”

“We’re sorry. We’ll call for a doctor right away.”

“It’s not serious enough to call a doctor, so don’t make a fuss. Take care of the aftermath.”

“…Yes.”

Cheston passed by the knight and entered another room. There was only one reason the assassins had entered so easily – even the knights guarding the annex were the queen’s pawns.

The king must know this, yet he leaves it be because he knows Cheston won’t die. This was what he had to endure since becoming a sword master.

Nothing would change even if he reported to the king. So the only thing he could do was hope that this was the end of the queen’s tantrum for today and try to sleep.

Two days later, the banquet was held. It was too crowded to call it a small party, with so many people attending.

Most of those who expressed their intention to attend seemed to have come out of curiosity. Choosing Whitney’s invitation over that of the Orleans ducal residence was also to gauge the atmosphere of the ducal house.

They must be curious whether Whitney, who will soon come of age, will inherit the family. No one was unaware of how she had been treated at the ducal residence until now.

She had not shown herself in social circles, and unlike Melissa, she didn’t even have a proper dress. They must have guessed from Whitney’s appearance, who hadn’t even received proper treatment as a duke’s daughter. They would try to grasp the flow seeing the change in her movements, who had been living without proper respect as a lady.

Moreover, they must have heard rumors that Whitney went to the palace and met the queen, so the ladies’ interests were obvious without saying.

“Welcome. Thank you for accepting the invitation.”

Whitney smiled brightly and looked around. The flowers adorning the spacious mansion, delicious refreshments, and Sonia’s piano performance blended to heighten the mood.

“Oh my, but isn’t Lady Melissa coming?”

“I sent an invitation, but she seems to be late. I understand, my elder sister has many places to go.”

When Melissa was not seen, the attendees whispered. As cheerful music played, one by one they began to dance. Then, as if nothing had happened, they focused on dancing.

“Oh yes. Have you heard that news? Perhaps Lady Orleans might already know.”

Lady Liona, sipping champagne, spoke to Whitney as if testing her. It seemed to be news related to the palace, but Whitney hadn’t heard anything.

“What news are you referring to?”

“You haven’t heard yet. I heard it this morning because my father went to the palace in a hurry, but you’re the only lady who knows.”

Liona moved slightly closer to Whitney and whispered softly.

“They say assassins broke into the annex last night. But only into Prince Cheston’s room, can you believe it?”

She continued speaking with a chuckle. Whitney’s face hardened, but it seemed invisible to her.

“They say he survived after cutting the throats of all those assassins. It’s another failure this time. That’s why everyone is holding their breath. That’s also why they responded to your invitation, my lady.”

Liona’s other words didn’t register. Only the words that he survived stuck in her mind.

‘Thank goodness. Really, thank goodness…’

Whitney smoothed her chest. It seemed that besides what she knew, Cheston had continuously overcome near-death experiences.

She couldn’t imagine how many more dangers would push him to the brink of death. She clenched her fist tightly and only smiled awkwardly at people’s words.