A few days ago, at the Count Dmitri’s residence.

Crash! Clang―!

Rough sounds leaked out from the Countess’s reception room one after another.

Of course, it was accompanied by angry screams.

“I can’t stand it, argh!”

For the past week, the servants of Count Dmitri’s household felt like they were walking on thorns.

Whether Camilla had voluntarily given up her position as the Grand Duchess’s lady-in-waiting as she claimed, or whether she had been fired, was unclear.

Since that day, Camilla would suddenly lose control and lash out even when she was calm.

“Who helped me adapt well to the northern social circle, only to discard me like an old shoe now?”

The Twins Grand Ducal family was the house with the closest ties to the imperial family.

In other words, it was the place where one could learn the imperial family’s stance and information about the ‘demonic goods gift exchange market’ the fastest.

Camilla had been secretly obtaining information helpful for investments while frequenting the Twins Grand Ducal family as the Grand Duchess’s lady-in-waiting.

It was all thanks to that that Camilla had made considerable profits by touring gift exchanges in other regions while enjoying a honeymoon with her secret lover Henry.

‘I was planning to increase my wealth in the gift exchange market, divorce my husband, and remarry Henry…’

All those plans had been ruined due to Rebecca’s change of heart.

‘And to add insult to injury, to humiliate me in front of that lowly half-demon!’

With extreme anger rising again, Camilla threw a vase towards the door.

Crash―!

At that moment, when the vase shattered into pieces.

The elderly butler, who was just about to open the door and enter, gasped and stopped in his tracks.

“Ma-Madam…”

“What! What is it?!”

The butler approached Camilla’s side hesitantly as she shouted irritably.

“Well… the final invitations for the party you’re hosting have all been prepared.”

The final invitations referred to those sent a week before the party to remind guests of the schedule.

Camilla glared at the butler with displeasure before snatching the stack of invitations roughly.

Naturally, the invitation at the very front was for Rebecca, the mistress of this Twins Grand Duchy.

“Should we… omit the final invitation going to the Grand Ducal family?”

It was an absurd suggestion to not send an invitation to the Twins family, the rulers of the North.

But the butler was that eager to placate Camilla.

However, the poor old butler couldn’t avoid Camilla’s wrath this time either.

“What nonsense is that! The social circles are already buzzing about me quitting as a lady-in-waiting, do you want to add more fuel to the rumors?!”

Camilla shouted irritably as she threw the stack of invitations on the floor carelessly.

“Send the invitation to the Grand Duchess by any means necessary! I need to get rid of all those damn rumors about me with this opportunity!”

Camilla glared at the butler scrambling to pick up the invitations as if he was pathetic, then sighed deeply and slumped into a chair.

She pressed her throbbing temples for a while as she leaned back in the chair.

As her anger subsided little by little, a plausible thought seemed to cross her mind.

‘Right… It’s nothing for me to make a laughingstock out of one Grand Duchess in high society.’

Moreover, if she used her husband Cedric Twins, who hated Rebecca, things would be even easier.

Camilla’s lips curled up thinly as she came up with a brilliant idea.

“Just you wait, Your Highness… I’ll surely pay back the humiliation I suffered at this party.”

* * *

Camilla’s invitation was enough to surprise me.

To think she would consider inviting me even after suffering such humiliation.

However, I understood to some extent that it was an unavoidable choice for her, given the nature of aristocratic society.

‘If it weren’t for her stupid thoughts of revenge against me, I might even consider playing along a bit.’

And before I knew it, it was the day of the party.

The Mansion of Darkness was busy all day long from the morning.

It was because Bianca had decided to prepare for the party with me at the Mansion of Darkness.

Around early evening, I finished preparing first and was waiting for Bianca in the reception room.

About an hour passed like that.

The dressing room door opened, and little Lady Bianca revealed her cute appearance.

“Your Highness!”

Bianca ran to me with a bright smile and hugged me.

A mint green pannier dress with fluttering lace, and braided hair with a green ribbon.

Bianca looked as adorable as Tinkerbell in that outfit.

“Our Bianca, you’re always pretty, but you look especially beautiful today.”

When I complimented Bianca in my arms, the child squinted her eyes shyly.

“Hehe, but I still can’t compare to Your Highness!”

As I was looking at the cute Bianca with eyes dripping with honey, that’s when.

I noticed that one of Bianca’s hair accessories wasn’t properly secured and was dangling.

“Hm? It seems Lady Bianca’s hairpin isn’t fixed properly.”

At my words, the nanny next to us hurriedly checked Bianca’s hair accessories.

“Oh my! You’re right. My lady, shall we go to the dressing room one more time?”

I watched fondly as Bianca grabbed the nanny’s hand and walked briskly towards the dressing room.

Then Mina, who had been standing a bit far away, approached and said,

“By the way, Your Highness, you look incredibly beautiful today!”

“Huh?”

The surrounding maids nodded as if agreeing.

“That’s right! You look really beautiful today!”

“I think so too, Your Highness!”

I looked at my reflection in the mirror placed on one side of the reception room.

Perhaps because of the lightly applied makeup, my smooth skin texture stood out even more, and my cheeks had a healthy glow.

The Indian pink satin dress looked even more voluminous thanks to the pannier worn underneath.

With my hair puffed up and adorned with flowers and feathers, white gloves, and a fan in hand, I looked every bit the noble lady.

“Haha, is that so?”

A shy laugh escaped between my lips.

Just then, a soft baritone voice was heard from behind.

“Yes. You are truly beautiful, Your Highness.”

I turned my head to see Adrian smiling gently.

He seemed to have just entered the reception room and was standing by the door looking at me.

“Oh? Adrian, today…?”

Surprised by Adrian’s appearance, different from usual, I blinked slowly.

‘Right. Today, Adrian was also invited to the party as a young master of the Monter family.’

A pure white party suit that matched well with his honey blonde hair, and a light purple cravat as a point.

It was a choice that was formal yet exuded an artistic atmosphere at the same time, truly befitting Adrian.

For a while, he stood there looking at me intently with a beautifully painted appearance.

Then he finally walked up to me, knelt on one knee, and looked up at me.

“The star of today’s party… will undoubtedly be Your Highness, no matter what anyone says.”

Adrian pressed his lips to the back of my gloved hand.

At that moment, exclamations flowed from here and there in the reception room.

Looking around, I saw that all the maids, including Mina, were staring at Adrian with dazed eyes as if bewitched.

This time, I fully sympathized with their thoughts.

‘I knew Adrian was handsome, but… was he always this cool?’

As I was staring down at Adrian, who was smiling gently with curved eyes, that’s when it happened.

Knock―. Knock―.

Between Adrian’s and my gazes locked on each other, a knocking sound slowly but heavily wedged in.

Soon, my eyes turned and gradually widened.

A figure leaning against the doorway with arms crossed, staring at Adrian and me.

It was Cedric.

‘How long had he been there?’

Cedric in his black party suit looked even more sophisticated than usual.

A high nose bridge, slightly reddish lips, and a sharp jawline.

And long eyes that gave off a strange sense of pressure.

Everything was the same, but somehow it felt different.

It was clearly different from the usual when warmth had started to creep in little by little.

Hesitating for a moment at that subtle chill, I unconsciously withdrew my hand from Adrian.

Then I slowly approached Cedric.

“Cedric, what brings you here at this time? Are you here to pick up Bianca?”

With about thirty minutes left until the agreed meeting time in front of the mansion.

I asked with a puzzled expression, but Cedric just stared at me intently.

How much time passed like that?

His beautiful lips slowly parted.

“No, I came to pick you up.”

A deep bass voice that overwhelmed the surrounding air.

The moment I slowly raised my head, my eyes met directly with Cedric’s.

There was not even a slight tremor in his straight gaze.

Just as I was feeling a strange sense of pressure, that gaze slowly started to move downward.

The lines of my nose and lips, my small chin and slightly exposed collarbone.

The softly shining dress and below that…

To the back of my gloved hand where Adrian’s lips had rested.

Cedric’s gaze, settled on the back of my hand, didn’t move for a while.

“It seems that taking off those gloves would be better.”

Cedric’s large hand gently grabbed and turned the back of my hand.

A snow-white wrist with blue veins clearly visible.

His deeply sunken gaze lingered there.

“This doesn’t suit you.”

At last, his fingers began to slowly stroke the inside of my wrist.

The mood became strangely excited due to the cool touch lightly brushing.

As I unconsciously swallowed dry saliva at that moment, Cedric’s fingers skillfully removed the glove.

It was just a hand, but as Cedric’s gaze fell on the suddenly exposed bare skin, my heartbeat began to intensify gradually.

‘Why is it suddenly so hot…’

I felt a faint warmth from Cedric’s hand still holding my wrist.

However, it was minimal compared to the heat felt in my breath.

As I let out a small breath of rising air and turned my head for no reason, that’s when it happened.

“Oh? Grand Duke!”

Bianca had just returned.

Bianca ran over as soon as she spotted Cedric, and I hurriedly withdrew my hand and stepped back.

Cedric, who had been staring at me intently, then picked up Bianca lightly.

“Did you come to pick up Her Highness and me?”

“That’s right.”

“How is it? Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yes, you look really pretty today, Bianca.”

Bianca cutely puckered her lower lip and turned her head towards me.

“Aw, not me! Look at Her Highness, Grand Duke! Isn’t she so beautiful?”

“Bianca, y-you don’t have to…”

As I was trying to stop Bianca with an awkward smile, Cedric’s gaze fell on me again.

I turned my gaze elsewhere for no reason and continued speaking gruffly.

“You don’t need to say things you don’t mean just because of Bianca.”

Cedric had been overly devoted to the role of a show-window couple recently.

‘He’s going to make another doting statement again, right? Sigh… I don’t think I’ll be able to hide my embarrassed expression this time.’

However, contrary to my expectations, Cedric just stared at me intently while holding Bianca in his arms.

“…Right, I suppose there’s no need for that.”

At his words, I felt a faint disappointment without realizing it.

Just as Cedric, who had been silent for a while, finally curved his lips attractively.

“It’s a fact that you look the most beautiful I’ve ever seen you today.”