Hermil Viscount was as kind and affable as Uncle had described. He never crossed the line with his words and exuded grace in his actions. Hermil Viscount resembled the nobles Ollentia had seen so often.

“You seem to really enjoy tea, don’t you? You drink it at quite a fast pace.”

Upon hearing Hermil Viscount’s gentle voice, Ollentia was momentarily surprised. Her stomach felt full, indicating that she had indeed consumed a lot of tea.

“Why is that? He’s clearly a good person, but it feels so boring. He’s been drinking tea the whole time.”

Ollentia had always enjoyed savoring her tea slowly. But now, she had been drinking it as if it were water. Was it because she felt suffocated being with Hermil Viscount?

“No! I should focus on his good qualities.”

She smiled and looked at Hermil’s handsome face.

“The tea tastes especially good today.”

As she said that, Ollentia spotted Dimidius walking beyond the garden. It seemed like he was heading to the carriage area.

Another outing? Where could he be going this time?

Without realizing it, Ollentia tightly held the teacup and spoke loudly.

“It must be because I’m with Viscount Hermil! Haha!”

Did Dimidius hear her?

Whether he did or didn’t, it didn’t matter!

Ollentia wanted to hide in a mouse hole due to her childish behavior. Her hand holding the teacup trembled. She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t stay composed whenever it came to Dimidius.

As Ollentia’s hand trembled, Hermil Viscount gently covered her hand and asked, “Is something the matter?”

He didn’t seem like the type to initiate physical contact, but he stepped in when needed.

“He’s really a nice guy, just as Uncle said.”

But Ollentia’s face was full of clouds. Even though Hermil Viscount was a good person, she wasn’t attracted to him. It was fatal that she didn’t feel drawn to him as a man, despite Uncle introducing him. It wasn’t supposed to be a contractual marriage; it was supposed to be a real one. Ollentia walked around the garden in frustration, with Hermil Viscount steadfastly following her.

“Is it better if we walk?”

“Yes, it is. The garden is beautiful.”

“Lady, I’m curious about many things. What are your interests? I like chess, but I’m not very good at it.”

Ollentia listened dryly, thinking to herself, “My current interest is sacred power… but I can’t talk about that.” Moreover, she wanted to ask him directly whether he could compete with Duke Luxus, but he seemed to only talk about superficial topics. Hermil Viscount seemed more like a dreamer than a practical person.

Ollentia walked through the garden a few times and then returned to her room. She wasn’t fully recovered, so retreating was easy.

When she returned to her room, Bobby greeted her enthusiastically.

“Kyah! Miss! How do you like Viscount Hermil? Do you like him?”

Bobby seemed to think that Ollentia had to like him no matter what.

Ollentia sighed wearily and lowered her head.

“I don’t know, Bobby. He seems like a good person, but that might be it.”

“Ah! It’s just because it feels ambiguous when you first meet. It’ll be different after you get married.”

“Marriage? With Viscount Hermil?”

As Ollentia raised her voice, Bobby looked bewildered.

“Isn’t that why you’re meeting him?”

“No, I…”

She couldn’t come up with a rebuttal. Despite their meetings being almost like getting married and exploring each other, that wasn’t what she wanted. How did things end up like this?

Ollentia buried her face in her pillow, her mind filled with complex thoughts.

“Is there no other way?”

She desperately wanted to find another way out of this situation.

The sound of crickets crying could be heard on this late night.
Ollentia couldn’t fall asleep and paced by the window. Since she hadn’t drawn the curtains, the lonely moonlight seeped in through the window.

The night was beautiful, but the inability to sleep was truly a problem.

That’s when she spotted Dimidius in the middle of the garden. He was flaunting his well-toned physique, and for a moment, her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t explain why it felt like another fateful moment. Even though she disliked the idea of fate, it was strange that such coincidences kept happening.

Ollentia turned her robe inside out over her negligee and hurried down to the garden.

She had decided to persuade him just once.

“Just once! I won’t do it a second time!”

She descended the stairs and arrived in the garden, but Dimidius was nowhere to be seen. She was perplexed, thinking he might be playing hide and seek. As she scanned around, his voice came from nearby.

“Are you looking for me?”

Startled, Ollentia clutched her chest and exclaimed, “Ah! You surprised me. What are you doing here at this hour?”

Dimidius was dressed in a perfectly neat suit. She wondered what he was doing in the garden, looking unruffled.

“Lady, indeed. You rushed out in a hurry.”

Ollentia couldn’t help but chuckle at Dimidius’ jest.

“When did I do that? Don’t make things up.”