The five days were truly precious time for Jade, who had a mountain of work piled up. There were many ways to spend that time.

Of course, the wisest way was to go to Broen Castle and check if the preparations for the coming-of-age ceremony were going well. Even if she received letters from Bernard each time, it wouldn’t be the same as seeing it with her own eyes.

However, Jade planned to use all her spare time on Axel.

They had spent a long time together in the Atanase Forest and the Subjugation Unit, but in the forest, they were unaware of each other’s feelings, and in the unit, they were ignoring each other’s feelings, so there were many regrets when she thought about it now.

Five days. It would be nice to rent a small villa in the suburbs for a day or two. Of course, we’ll just hold hands with no other thoughts. Very wholesome… Come to think of it, where did I put Atilla? There are so many great places to ride a horse.

Even as she let her imagination run wild, the names kept coming.

“…Lachlan, Nate, Edith, Carolia, and even Zoya. Even if I only roughly recall, it’s this much. I can finish more than ten at once.”

“Wouldn’t it be strange to give out my coming-of-age ceremony invitations at someone else’s party?”

“Lissin doesn’t care about such things. In fact, it’s happened before, and he even shouted in the middle of the party hall to make sure to go to the invited place.”

Even from my perspective, he’s really a strange one. Bellita said, folding her arms.

“But I really have no acquaintance with Moretti at all.”

“I’ve solved that. I really… couldn’t just leave someone like you alone. Someone who can’t even enjoy properly and crawls into the pit of misery on their own… Marriage is a crazy thing.”

“Weren’t you having a happy relationship with Sir Mitchell?”

Bellita’s expression turned serious. Jade quickly shut her mouth.

“Let’s go, Jade! This is my first time at Moretti’s party too. They say there are so many people and everyone has different purposes. Not just to meet men like me and Bellita! It’s a place you can go. Do you know how hard it is to even get invited? This is an opportunity!”

Blake already looked like she wanted to jump out right away, wiggling her bottom.

“Of course. Where did Emil Ross’s literary gathering originate from in the first place? It’s from Lissin Moretti’s party hall. I exaggerated a bit before, but it’s definitely not a strange place, I tell you.”

Ten. At most, fifteen. Even taking the minimum time that could be saved, it was more than four days.

After pondering, Jade asked with a determined face.

“Okay, let’s go. What time, where?”

Originally, the remaining plan for today was to sit at a small dining table with Axel, have dinner, and formally ask him to be her lifelong pair.

If he allowed it – of course, she never even considered being rejected – she also planned to share the future schedule in detail.

But instead of the humble table in a small townhouse, wouldn’t it be better to rent a beautiful mansion in the suburbs and have that conversation in a spacious garden in full bloom?

Just the thought of having a conversation about sharing a lifetime together amidst a scene that was blissful just to gaze upon was wonderful.

If she had to go to Lissin Moretti’s party for that, then she would go!

Her intention in attending the party was solely for Axel’s sake. There was truly no ulterior motive.

However, there was no way to know how the knights, who were listening through the slightly open door, interpreted it.

So Jade had no idea what Jenassen, who had become sullen from the blunt evaluation, was explaining to Axel about Lissin Moretti’s party.

The time Bellita mentioned was eight in the evening. The El Cion Kingdom was a place with a well-developed evening culture, so it was a rather early time for a party.

“Why don’t you go with Sir Jenassen?”

Axel reacted more brightly than expected.

“Huh?”

“It’s good for spreading rumors. That’s what you wanted too. Right?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

It was also a problem if a rumor that seemed like a pipe dream became too certain. It might become difficult to gather stories later when the truth was revealed.

The thought of rumors spreading that she was dating Jenassen and then cheating with a man named Leon Vince and getting married was horrifying.

In the end, she shook her head after thinking.

“No, I’ll go alone. I feel like there will be more work to do if we link arms and greet people together unnecessarily. I just want to quickly deliver the invitation and come back.”

“Then can I go back for today?”

Jenassen asked with a very hopeful face, making her laugh. Smiling, Jade nodded.

“Yes, you can. Good work.”

“Then I’ll get going too.”

It was natural for Axel to move together when Jenassen left. It would be bad to get caught frequently coming and going near the townhouse.

But it was stupidly disappointing that he seemed unfazed by the unexpected early parting.

From the process of realizing my feelings to this very moment, this was the most absurd part. Even though he supports my decision, I’m still dissatisfied with something!

I thought I knew myself, but I don’t.

Jade scratched her cheek.

“Um… You’re still staying at the royal castle, right?”

“Yeah. As a guest.”

“It would be nice if you could stay outside. The royal castle is a place you can’t even climb over the walls at night.”

Axel let out an absurd laugh at her words that implied she could enter other places.

“What are you going to do by coming in?”

“Nothing much. Just hold hands…”

“Come in secretly at night just to hold hands? Then why come in at all? Hold it now.”

His long fingers waved temptingly. Jade snatched them right away like a cat tempted by reeds. His firm thumb gently stroked the back of her hand, then grasped it again with strong force.

With that stable warmth, Jade felt like throwing everything away, party or not.

“Will I live in sorrow without a lover…?”

Please just kick me out… Only after hearing the muttering of the knight beside her did she barely let go of his hand.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Axel gave a curious smile.

“Okay. See you soon.”

It was a very casual greeting.

After the knights left, Jade dressed up properly for the first time in a long while.

Lissin Moretti’s parties were known for having a different vibe than Countess Snowden’s parties, and many people gathered there.

There was no need to be looked down upon, as she rarely attended parties and there were strange rumors about her. She also had to deliver the invitation.

As Betty always said, she chose light colors. The cream-colored dress that went well with her honey-colored hair was not overly fancy or heavy, but with excellent tailoring and the elegance of the fabric itself, it softly enveloped her body and fell cheerfully below the knees.

Instead, since the dress was on the simpler side, she put on all the jewelry. They all shattered light brightly, but the jewel in the center of the short necklace was the same purple as her eyes.

“It suits you well.”

Looking at herself reflected in the mirror, Jade tilted her head.

“I think… the exposure is too much…”

Recently, the places she had been busily going around were mostly dusty places like the Subjugation Unit, so an outer cloak was a must, and she often wore rough leather gloves to protect her skin.

So the design that exposed her neck, shoulders, and entire arms was extremely awkward. No matter how much she looked in the mirror, all the exposed skin just looked too empty.

“Not at all, miss.”

The maid, who laughed brightly, began combing Jade’s hair with a comb.

“These days, it’s trendy for both men and women to wear deeply cut clothes. I even saw a man the other day who had his buttons undone down to his solar plexus.”

Jade, who had no idea about the recent trends, was shocked.

“What? Down to the solar plexus? Why…?”

“I’m not sure. But I thought he might have been trying to show off his physical appeal.”

“Well, that’s definitely not my taste.”

“I thought so too. I much prefer classic shirts! The ones with high collars.”

Leaving only the unusually curly short strands of hair slightly beside her forehead, the rest was braided and neatly tied back.

The maid looked at her work with satisfaction and nodded.

“Tying it up neatly like this makes your forehead look particularly pretty. It also nicely exposes your long neck.”

“Isn’t the neck too bare?”

“Don’t worry. The necklace is thickly attached. I’ll decorate fresh flowers and lace between the strands of your hair. Not too much to match the feel of the dress.”

“I trust your recommendation. Thank you.”

But no matter how she looked at it, her arms seemed cold, so she ended up wearing white gloves that came up above her elbows. The maid who had brought short gloves looked disappointed, but finally nodded.

Jade got up.

“You’ve worked hard. I’ll be back soon.”

“You have to go and show off that beauty to everyone! You must!”

She just nodded dryly at the cheering.

Well, it’s enough to just fix the rumors that my nose is crooked. I have a very pretty nose, I’ll have you know.

Bellita, whom Jade met in front of the Moretti mansion, looked at her with a surprised gaze.

“What’s the occasion? For you to dress up like this.”

As if proving the maid’s words, Bellita was wearing a dress with a deep cut. Jade, who unconsciously looked at her sensual curves, asked seriously,

“Is it true that it’s trendy for men to wear clothes cut down to the solar plexus?”

“It’s true. It’s getting deeper and deeper, and they might end up completely unbuttoning and walking around later.”

Then she found herself carefully observing the outfits of the people crossing the garden.

Indeed, many people wore clothes with some degree of cut. Although it being the hot summer now might also be a factor, there was certainly no one wearing long gloves like this.

“Do I look too stuffy?”

Bellita looked Jade up and down and shook her head.

“No. It’s a classic look. Maybe because of the hair being neatly tied up, or the long gloves, to be honest, it looks good enough to feel threatened. The jewels are appropriately placed, so it doesn’t look outdated either. Don’t even glance at the men I’m trying to seduce.”

“Ah, that’s a relief. I’m really not familiar with the recent trends. I should have asked a bit.”

“Instead, you’ll have to be careful.”

What does that mean? As she tilted her head, Bellita said, lifting the corners of her red lips,

“There are always crazy ones who target people like you who don’t seem used to parties. Anyway, let’s go in first. I’ll explain more once we’re inside.”