Heleny Owen was the daughter of a count, one of the central nobles in the capital. She never missed a banquet and had a good reputation. Though not exceptionally outstanding, marriage proposals kept coming to the Owen family.

This was because Count Owen held a seat in the parliament of the Kingdom of Reowen. Above all, he belonged to a family favored by the king, which made those seeking the queen’s favor try to distance themselves from Count Owen.

Whitney stood in front of the Owen Count’s residence, staring blankly at the entrance.

‘It seems they are indeed favored by the king.’

Even for a count’s family, the Owen family’s prestige was palpable from the mansion. She wondered why they had invited Whitney, who was under the patronage of the Rubeness family.

Even in a capital sensitive to trends, one couldn’t ignore the king’s mood.

Soon after, a servant came out to guide Whitney. Sonia followed behind her without adding any comments. The banquet was large, befitting the size of the mansion.

The ladies who had arrived earlier were eating refreshments and chatting. When Whitney entered, they busied themselves glancing at her dress.

‘Did they not invite Melissa?’

They must have noticed that her relationship with her stepmother had soured since the separate invitation to the banquet. Heleny welcomed her warmly.

“Welcome, Lady Orlean. We’ve been waiting for you. I’m so glad you could come. Would you like to come this way? There are many people I’d like to introduce you to.”

Whitney nodded lightly at Heleny’s words.

As she followed her, people gathered around. They approached, greeting Whitney upon noticing her.

“I was curious about what kind of person the young lady of the Duke of Orlean’s family was, and now I have the chance to talk with you.”

“That’s right. You rarely attend banquets, and from the Orlean Duke’s family, it was always Lady Melissa who came out.”

Whitney smiled, crinkling her eyes at their words.

“I have many shortcomings, so I couldn’t present myself in front of others.”

“Well, even Lady Melissa sometimes acted unbecoming of a duke’s daughter unconsciously. I heard from the etiquette teacher at the Orlean Duke’s residence that only Lady Melissa took lessons…”

Fanning herself, she began gossiping about Melissa as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“That happens to everyone. Isn’t that why the subconscious is so frightening? Since the debutante is still ahead, maybe the lady only taught the elder sister first.”

Heleny cut off the flow of conversation without agreeing. The people looked at Heleny’s expression and seemed disappointed.

In fact, Lady Lindel who just spoke was the daughter of a marquis. So, considering rank, it wasn’t good to say things that tarnished someone’s honor to their face.

“Yes, I also have my aunt. I should be grateful for meeting good people at the Rubeness family. Mother always tells me to emulate my elder sister, so I’m trying.”

“Actually, no one dislikes Lady Melissa. How could anyone hate that beautiful rose-tinted hair and those amethyst-like eyes?”

The smiling eyes flashed dangerously. It seemed there had been some incident between Melissa and the two of them. But Whitney nodded, pretending not to notice.

“When I see my elder sister’s lovely eyes, I can’t help but think that way.”

“The young lady truly has a kind heart. Lady Melissa always emphasized her younger sister’s shortcomings, but perhaps she was just being stricter because you’re family.”

“Well, if the young lady says so, it must be true? This is getting boring, let’s talk about something else.”

Perhaps because they didn’t get the answer they wanted, the topic of conversation soon changed. Whitney listened carefully to people’s conversations while holding back her words.

‘Hmm. Strangely, I don’t feel like they’re being hostile to me.’

But it didn’t seem like they were monitoring her either. Whitney somehow felt naturally accepted as one of them.

“Feel comfortable. This is just a place to chat, after all. We just get what we want from each other, that’s all.”

“Oh right. More importantly, have you heard the rumors about choosing a fiancée for the Second Prince?”

At one lady’s words, Whitney’s eyes shook violently. Choosing a fiancée? Whitney and Cheston had discussed getting engaged.

They even exchanged signed contracts. But now they’re talking about choosing a fiancée?

Whitney’s heart pounded fiercely.

I’d like to meet and talk. If your mind has changed, please tell me.

I’ll be waiting at the information broker’s.]

Cheston raised the corners of his mouth, tapping Whitney’s letter with his finger. However the information had leaked, it seemed she had seriously misunderstood.

As a result, a letter asking to meet first flew in from her.

“She wants to meet right away.”

Cheston tilted his head back as he looked at the letter that had come to him. Aaron wore an expression that said he had expected this, while Cheston looked perplexed.

“Has the situation reversed now? It seems she doesn’t trust me and wants to meet, doesn’t it?”

“Anyone would want to meet immediately if they heard rumors about their promised fiancé looking for another fiancée.”

“I don’t know what Father was thinking, spreading such rumors.”

He clearly said he would bring his side and even got permission. He said he would see and judge, but it seemed too capricious for his mind to change overnight.

‘Was there someone’s intervention?’

Aaron nodded. He seemed to know who Cheston was suspecting.

“It seems the information has leaked. It looks like it flowed from the king’s side, but the fiancée story seems to have been moved by the queen’s side.”

“Father must know that too, but the fact that he didn’t stop it means…”

It would be better for the queen if he didn’t get engaged to the princess of Petontra, so he couldn’t understand why this was happening.

“Whoever it is, they must want you to bring her quickly. Otherwise, the queen might find that woman first.”

Aaron shrugged and stared at Cheston, who was wearing a nonchalant expression. He propped his chin and stared intently at Whitney’s letter.

“Even so, I didn’t expect her to send a letter so quickly. Reacting like this to an engagement that’s just a contract makes me think differently.”

“I think there’s a different intention as well. If it was just to easily obtain the position of head of the family, she could have clung to Prince Karl, couldn’t she?”

Aaron seemed to have thought of a different intention than what he was thinking. But he pretended not to know and nodded in agreement.

“That’s right.”

Then he slightly raised his chin as if telling Aaron to continue what he was saying. Aaron’s eyes sparkled as he smoothly laid out his opinion.

“But if she said it must be you, there must be a reason. Another reason she didn’t mention. It’s unlikely that the young lady has feelings for you.”

“…”

“Perhaps she’s thinking of getting something by making a good impression on His Majesty the King? Since she received support from the Rubeness family, she might be thinking of improving relations this time.”

“So you’re saying she couldn’t possibly have feelings for me.”

“Of course. You even wrote a clean contract to avoid getting tied down, it would be strange if there were emotions involved.”

Aaron continued to chatter. Not noticing Cheston’s hardening face, his mouth refused to close.

“But why did you refuse? If it were me, I would have gotten engaged to the Princess of Petontra as His Majesty the King said.”

“We made a contract, I can’t betray that trust.”

“Is she worth that much? If you marry a foreign princess, your foundation will become solid. Maybe even the queen won’t be able to do as she pleases.”

“Aaron. Do you think I can wield it just because you put a sword in my hand? Even if she can’t touch me, Mother will surely persistently harass her.”

The Princess of Petontra would come here and realize Cheston’s position. That she might have made the wrong choice and life here might not be happy.

If that happens, she might send a letter to Petontra demanding a divorce. It was easy enough to create grounds for fault, and the king, not wanting things to escalate, would accept the divorce.

Even for a favored son, nothing was more important than state affairs.

“But it’s too early to step forward now. For now, I’ll go meet the young lady.”

“…I understand. Just come back quickly.”

Cheston nodded and threw on his cloak. His footsteps quickened bit by bit as he left the room.

Whitney anxiously waited for Cheston. It was the first time she had sent him a letter asking to meet.

‘Will he agree?’

The conditions for breaking the contract were simpler than expected. Paying 10 times the compensation. Then destroying all information and having no further involvement in the relationship. It would be enough to pretend not to know each other even if they ran into each other.

Since helping Cheston was the primary goal, she didn’t even write a clause to get back the Ribenia seeds she had given him.

So in fact, confirming the truth of the rumors was just a procedure to prevent wasting time. There were things to gain from being engaged to him, but if a better position was offered to him, Whitney was willing to give up for his sake.

Whitney drank water, trying to calm her heart. Even if he didn’t come, she had no intention of complaining.

She just wanted him to clearly express his intentions to her.

She was sick of being swayed by others anymore. She vowed not to be betrayed by someone she trusted, nor to be the only one who didn’t know and become a laughingstock.

“I didn’t expect you to ask to meet first.”

Whitney slowly turned her head at the low voice coming from behind her. Somehow, relief washed over her at his impassive expression and unchanging gaze.