‘The first partner.’

Raoul bit his lip with a gloomy face. Diana’s mood sank as she watched him.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No.”

“Then? Did something happen…?”

“…Diana.”

“Yes?”

She furrowed her brows and looked Raoul over. Her dark eyes were full of affection.

“It’s nothing… Just take a walk with me today.”

How could he tell her he was upset when she had that face?

Raoul was simply angry at the wretched class system. He didn’t want to worry Diana.

The two walked around the annex for an hour.

Diana’s legs were getting sore, but if cute Raoul wanted to take a walk, she could do it any number of times.

‘Even if my legs break, I have to do it…!’

Recently, Raoul had been strangely lonely. He would hover around Diana like a puppy needing to pee, or lean his head against her side.

Seeing him act so young for his age made her think he had finally opened up completely, but it also made her feel sorry for him.

‘How much must he have lacked someone to rely on, to act so childish with me…’

Raoul seemed so young and pitiful at times like this that she felt guilty for thinking she should push him away.

‘Well, as long as there’s no kissing, this much is fine.’

Diana nodded and followed behind Raoul when the lake where they first met came into view in the distance.

‘When did we come this far?’

It was then that Diana was looking around, feeling the deepening green of the forest. Raoul, who had been walking ahead, stopped.

The early summer lake had become home to small water birds, though she didn’t know when the water had risen so high.

The sight of sunlight scattering on the sparkling water was beautiful.

“It’s pretty…”

Diana looked to the side with a flushed face, and Raoul also seemed refreshed by the outside air he hadn’t felt in a long time.

As the sound of trickling water was heard, the air around them grew quiet, and silence fell between the two.

Diana quickly noticed and was about to speak first when suddenly a warm touch brushed her fingertip.

“Diana.”

As Raoul carefully intertwined her index finger, Diana’s body trembled slightly.

Sometimes when Raoul slowly called her name, the atmosphere would flow strangely somehow.

Her mouth stiffened in surprise, and Raoul held her hand and continued speaking.

“The cherry blossoms have all fallen.”

“Yes… that’s right. Spring is over now.”

“Do you like spring?”

“Yes… I suppose so? Flowers bloom, butterflies fly around, and the weather is warm.”

“Then you should live like it’s spring every day.”

“Huh?”

Diana didn’t know what to do with the awkwardness, but finally faced Raoul properly.

“What do you mean?”

“Just that I’ll become your spring.”

Diana tilted her head as she looked at Raoul’s faintly smiling face.

Raoul met Diana’s innocently widened eyes and offered his other hand that wasn’t holding hers.

“So, let’s dance here today.”

“What… dance?”

“Yes.”

Diana rolled her eyes for a moment, then nodded dazedly.

‘Why dance all of a sudden?’

His hand rose above her waist, and their breaths drew closer. As the unripe emotion in his young eyes interlocked with hers, Raoul smiled broadly.

‘I won’t stop you from doing anything.’

Though their young dance steps got tangled several times, Raoul never pointed it out to Diana.

‘You stay there. I’ll become someone worthy of you and come to you.’

At the end of spring that was beginning to scatter, the two were looking towards early summer.

It was the start of a slightly hotter season that Diana hadn’t noticed at all.

After the carriage left the forest and traveled for about an hour, the lively appearance of the capital came into view. It was Soler, a land blessed by the goddess to be warm all year round.

“Young miss, don’t be nervous. You look the most beautiful today.”

Diana entered the ballroom with her father.

Despite Angela’s reassuring words, her blood was rushing quickly through her body and her heart felt shrunken. It was an opportunity she had to seize.

Brilliant diamond chandeliers danced on the ceiling, and noble young ladies in glamorous dresses puffed up their feathers like peacocks in the banquet hall.

“So, how did that mining business from before turn out?”

“Why are you… Hup…”

As soon as Diana appeared in the banquet hall, people began to whisper. Some older ladies covered their mouths with fans and glanced sideways, only putting on fake smiles when the duke passed by.

‘They must be gossiping about me.’

Diana, with her black hair, drew attention wherever she went.

In a country where light hair color like that of the imperial family was the symbol of beauty, Diana was ugliness itself.

They whispered that the black-haired princess had come wearing a tacky dress.

‘Say what you want. I don’t care!’

Anyway, her goal was only one person.

‘Fenice.’

As the two advanced to the center of the hall, the imperial princess gestured happily towards the duke from the platform.

“You’ve arrived now.”

Rare golden bob haircut, blood-red eyes befitting a descendant of the imperial family, distinctive almond-shaped eyes.

She extended her hand to the duke, swirling the skirt of her dazzlingly gorgeous dress.

“I greet Your Highness the Imperial Princess.”

Carlyle kissed the back of her hand with a dry expression, as if accustomed to it.

The princess’s gaze as she looked at Carlyle was beyond sweet, it was sticky.

Averting her eyes from the embarrassing situation, Diana bowed her head in surprise.

“I greet the Light of the Empire.”

“My, if it isn’t Princess Diana? Since your father keeps you locked away like a precious treasure, it’s quite difficult to see your face.”

The princess naturally linked arms with the duke and covered her mouth.

The princess looked Diana up and down, then smiled slyly and immediately spoke words with a sharp edge.

“But your attire is quite eye-catching today.”

While sensuously rubbing the duke’s arm, the princess swallowed her next words and whispered to the duke instead of Diana.

“How great must the absence of a duchess be.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You say that while knowing full well. What else could it mean but that our princess should soon have a mother?”

When the duke slightly furrowed his brow, the princess laughed softly and buried her face in his thick arm.

“Did I perhaps say something uncomfortable? Princess?”

“…Not at all. Haha.”

As Diana laughed awkwardly and denied it, the princess looked down at Diana with her half-exposed face and said:

“In about an hour, we plan to officially announce the opening of the ball. This is your first social debut, isn’t it?”

“Ah, yes…”

“I hope you make only pleasant memories. Well then, shall we be on our way?”

The princess blinked up at the duke.

Carlyle looked down at his young daughter for a moment, but soon left, led by the princess’s hand.

‘Just what kind of person is she…!’

Resentment towards her father welled up for a moment, but today that indifference was rather welcome.

Now free, Diana leisurely looked around.

She had to find Fenice and raise her favorability before becoming an interesting piece of gossip.

‘Where on earth is she?’

She was the next heir of the Hestion family, who had amassed enormous wealth through finance.

‘There’s no way people would leave her alone.’

As she wandered the spacious banquet hall in search of this world’s most popular person, a familiar name was heard from somewhere.

“Anthony! Where did Miss Fenice go, leaving you alone?”

“Gasp, uh, uh, mother… That’s not it… The young lady told me not to follow…”

“What are you saying?”

“She said she felt unwell and went out for some air… She told me not to follow…”

“And you really didn’t go? You should have gone and at least patted her back!”

“I’m, I’m sorry… Sniff…”

The girl with long brown hair like a gentle lamb burst into tears pitifully.

‘Everyone is staring… How pitiful.’

As her mother sighed and tapped her foot, suddenly something bulged from inside the child’s dress.

“My, my goodness! What is that?”

“Ah, ah… Stay still…! It’s nothing!”

The child tried to hide it by pulling down her skirt, but she couldn’t fool her mother’s sharp eyes.

“Nothing indeed, tell me the truth right now!”

“…I found it on the way here, and it looked so pitiful… It seemed to have lost its mother…”

“Oh heavens, I can’t bear this… How could you bring that to the ball!”

Anthony looked miserable, but thanks to this, Diana had obtained some good information.

‘Did she go to the terrace for some air?’

As she nodded and looked around, oh my.

“Just how many terraces are there??”

It was truly a bewildering situation.

‘I heard the scale of the main house was considerable, but how can a banquet hall be this large…?’

With a terrace attached to each pillar, there were dozens of them.

As Diana frantically opened each door one by one, a faint silhouette was seen beyond the third terrace.

‘Fe-Fenice?’

As she held her breath and pulled the edge of the curtain, suddenly a hand shot out from inside the terrace and quickly grabbed her arm.

“Ah… mmph…”

In an instant, the terrace door closed, and Diana was sucked into the white curtain.

‘Wha-what!’

She was so startled she was about to scream, but a hand from behind covered her mouth.

“Be quiet.”

As she held her breath, a familiar woman’s voice was heard from upstairs.

“The effect is certain, right?”

“Of course. You’ve already experienced it, haven’t you?”

“But last time, the timing wasn’t right. You said it would kill in 2 weeks, but it took 3 months.”

“…This time, we’ve greatly increased the dosage period and amount. Please don’t worry too much.”

“Do your job properly.”

As the voices from above grew more intense, the arm around Diana’s chest tightened its grip.

‘Ack, cough. Can’t breathe…’

It was a strong grip to the point of losing consciousness.

‘I’m, I’m dying…!’

“Mmph! Ugh… brbp!”

Diana tried to shake her head to escape, but it was no use.

‘How can a child be this strong…!’

“Are they gone?”

As the voices quieted, the boy muttered to himself, and Diana couldn’t bear it anymore and bit the finger between her lips.

“…Ungh!”

Finally, his arm loosened.

Gasp!

Diana turned around, breathing heavily, to see a boy with a rebellious look standing crookedly and staring at her.

‘I’ve seen that face somewhere before…?’

Golden hair, blood-red eyes, distinctive almond-shaped eyes… Could it be…

“Tr-Trian?”

“Seems you know me?”

He frowned sharply and narrowed his eyes.

Cold-looking but fiery red eyes that seemed to burn with flames.

He was none other than Trian d’Eshtein, the male protagonist of the original novel…!