Bellus, sitting in the carriage, tilted his head slightly and looked out the window.

‘It seems like he’s making a fuss because he wants to see his grandfather.’

While it was well-known that John’s family, the Viscount Powell’s, was in financial trouble, the Forrest family boasted fairly solid capital.

‘Has a problem arisen, or is he just impatient?’

The Marquis of Delta. What a splendid family. Everyone opens their mouths to eat the crumbs falling from this family. They say that’s enough to fill their bellies.

‘But I don’t want to give.’

Bellus was a person born into Delta and enjoying many things, but at the same time, he could never become a ‘Delta’ to the end.

‘Because I’m the second son who won’t inherit Delta’s business.’

That’s also why Eric didn’t explain the situation directly to Bellus and ask for a favor just now. I’m just a rope tied to the Marquis of Delta anyway.

“Haha.”

Bellus laughed out loud while looking out the window, then quickly turned serious.

‘This feels dirty.’

As he was looking out the window so insensitively, somehow the scenery hadn’t changed. Is it a time when the road is blocked? Bellus swallowed his displeasure and carefully examined outside the window. Near the train station. Right, it’s bound to be congested here.

‘Oh.’

At that moment, something caught Bellus’s eye.

‘A car.’

And in front of it, he saw a tall man talking to another man. A coat fitting his broad shoulders, rare perfect blonde hair, elegant eyes and a straight nose, smooth lips on a handsome face.

“No way.”

It seemed too unlikely to just dismiss it as ‘no way’, as there couldn’t possibly be another blonde handsome man in the world who could catch Bellus’s attention at once in front of the crowded central train station.

Bellus hurriedly stopped the carriage and got out. It wasn’t far enough to need to run.

“Mr. Baker?”

At Bellus’s voice, the face that had been slightly turned while talking naturally faced forward. Seeing that beautiful appearance, Bellus was certain.

Ah, this really is that interesting guy.

Sitting in a seat inside the luxurious bar, Bellus said with a slight smile.

“I’m quite grateful that you’ve given me your time despite my sudden approach.”

“How could I not?”

Zen smiled maturely, his eyes crinkling. Bellus quite liked that stiff smile.

“Honestly, I had no idea I’d meet you on the street. I heard from John Powell that you were in Astrian.”

“That’s right. I was in Astrian until recently. By the way, John talked about me?”

“Yes. While introducing me to the social club you belong to, he told me a bit about you, Lord Delta. Since you’re the founder of the Chelsea Club.”

It was as natural as breathing for John to boast about belonging to the Chelsea Club when meeting someone for the first time. Bellus nodded nonchalantly and asked with a beautiful smile.

“Then did you know about me even before hearing that story?”

“Of course. Even as a foreigner, one can’t help but know the status of the Delta Marquis family.”

“Hmm. Come to think of it, you said you’re from Astrian, right?”

“Yes. I’m from the southeast.”

“The southeast! Nice. A place where warm and luscious grapes grow in abundance.”

“Were you in the southeast this time?”

Bellus shook his head and replied.

“No. I was in the northwest. I have a villa there. But I have stayed in the southeast before. If I had stayed until winter, I might have moved to the southeast…”

“I see. I hope I can escort you there sometime.”

“Huh? Is this just a polite gesture?”

“Of course not. It’s a sincere wish.”

Bellus responded with a slight smile. As expected, the name Delta attracts all sorts of bugs. But the bug attracted this time is quite to his liking.

‘He’s unique.’

Although he was serving Bellus respectfully, his attitude wasn’t servile. Also, when asked a question, a plausible answer flowed eloquently, and it was answered in perfect Gracian pronunciation.

“Are you really from Astrian?”

When Bellus asked in Astrian, Zen laughed softly and replied in Astrian.

“I hear that a lot.”

It was a short sentence, but it wasn’t the accent of a foreigner unnecessarily rolling their tongue.

“It seems I’m often misunderstood because my bloodline is Gracian.”

“Hmm? No, I didn’t bring it up because of your appearance…”

Come to think of it, blonde hair is very rare in Astrian. Most people there have brown hair, and a minority have red hair.

‘This clearly blonde hair is rare even in Gracian, but it’s unseen in Astrian.’

Bellus took a sip from his glass and said.

“Anyway, I wanted to meet you. Everyone around me keeps talking about you.”

Zen smiled modestly and thought.

‘Right. They would have.’

Bellus would think he had caught an interesting prey. He’d play with it, and if he got hungry, he’d try to chew it, and if it tasted bad, he’d spit it out. Such foolish thoughts, but this prey was quite satisfying.

‘How it’s exactly as he thought.’

The person Zen was talking to before Bellus approached was Todd. As soon as Bellus revealed his identity, Todd naturally greeted Zen.

“I seem to have taken up a lot of your time. See you next time then.”

Todd, who left like that, arrived at none other than the Baker mansion. Originally, he would have headed to the mansion owned by Baem Company, but today there were many things to handle with Zen.

“Why did you return alone? And even renting a carriage…”

Sedrick, who came out to greet him, asked. Todd bowed his head lightly in greeting and told him what had happened.

“I never thought our master was lucky, but lately, fortune seems to be pouring down.”

Sedrick laughed and led Todd to the room where he occasionally stayed. When they were sure they were alone in the spacious corridor, Sedrick said,

“Countess Blaise has arrived.”

“Did Master Zen call for her?”

“No.”

As Sedrick explained the situation, Todd just nodded without showing any particular reaction.

“Given our master’s personality, he’ll probably give the young lady an earful.”

“That could be. He really dislikes when things don’t go according to his plans.”

“I’d rather not see the young lady get hurt. After all, we’ll be seeing each other for a while.”

Sedrick didn’t hide his concern. Todd recalled Dia’s worried expression in an old mansion that looked like it belonged to a poor farmer. Would she be like that in this Baker mansion too?

‘I’m not sure.’

At that moment, while Todd and Sedrick were walking down the corridor, Deborah was quickly walking down another corridor, pulling a handcart.

‘Do employers know that maids move this busily when they’re not in sight?’

Probably not. They probably never imagined it.

As Dia’s room came into view, Deborah stopped abruptly.

Even if the master wasn’t in sight, not running in front of the master’s room was one of the etiquettes a maid must observe. Of course, if it were Dia, she wouldn’t say anything even if she heard running footsteps.

After tidying her clothes, bangs, and everything once more and catching her breath, Deborah knocked on the door.

“…Who is it?”

Dia answered softly. Somehow her voice sounded like a frightened puppy speaking cautiously, making Deborah feel both pity and fondness for her.

“It’s Deborah. May I come in?”

“Yes.”

Hearing Dia’s response, Deborah carefully opened the door and entered with the handcart.

“How’s the room temperature? Is it not too hot or cold?”

“No. It’s very warm and nice.”

Dia, sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace, hastily answered, flustered. Deborah smiled, her eyes crinkling.

“I brought some warm herbal tea and books I’d like to recommend. If you have trouble sleeping tonight like yesterday, these might help.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

Dia’s cheeks turned red. And her pretty eyes turned not to the ornate teacup filled with greenish tea, but to the simple book covers.

“Feel free to look them over.”

Encouraged by Deborah’s words, a white, slender hand hovered in the air. It looked like she was wondering which one she could take without getting scolded.

‘There’s no need to be so cautious about this.’

Deborah swallowed a bitter smile and explained in a kind voice.

“The red cover is a poetry collection. It’s by a poet popular in the capital lately, full of sweet love poems.”

“I see.”

Dia answered while naturally turning her gaze to the other book.

“The blue cover is a novel. It’s a story so popular that it’s being performed as an opera at the Osel Grand Theater.”

“The Musician of Braum…?”

Dia read the title, her eyes asking if she was reading it correctly. Deborah nodded and spoke.

“The protagonist is a cute music fairy who wanders here and there, amusingly solving big and small problems.”

Interest flickered in Dia’s eyes. Deborah leaned in so that she could be more deeply reflected in those blue eyes of hers, which were like transparent glass, and continued speaking.

“I can’t say more as it might spoil your enjoyment, but it’s very interesting. I’ve read this story more than four times myself. And that’s reading it closely.”

“I see.”

Dia carefully picked up The Musician of Braum. It wasn’t a very thick book, but perhaps because of the nice cover, it felt quite weighty.

“Thank you. I’ll read this.”

“On the contrary, thank you for reading the book I recommended.”

Once again, Deborah’s eyes crinkled. The firelight reflected off Deborah’s full eyelashes. Very beautiful and comforting.