“Lady Jane, let’s go together!”

“The puppet show is about to start! Let’s hurry, Miriam!”

It was when the afternoon sunlight was deepening.

When the window was opened, the lively noise from the street flowed into the bedroom.

It was then that I was leaning against the window with a smile, in an atmosphere completely different from the always quiet North.

“It’s completely different from the atmosphere of Twin Castle in the North, isn’t it?”

Mina said as she poured afternoon tea into the teacup.

“Yes, it’s definitely the capital, so the buildings are densely lined up, and there are many people visible around the city center. It’s very lively.”

Deltine Street, where only the most powerful noble families or outstanding wealthy households in the capital could settle.

The Twin family’s townhouse was right in the center of that street.

Perhaps because it was the week of the Emperor’s birthday celebration, Deltine Street visible through the window was even more lavishly decorated.

‘I didn’t notice yesterday when I arrived at night, but the street is quite pretty. Unlike the North, the weather is also warm.’

Mina approached me as I was savoring the gentle breeze with my eyes closed.

“It’s a shame Lady Bianca couldn’t come with us. She would have known the capital’s geography well, having stayed at the townhouse for a long time.”

“That’s what I regret the most too… but everyone will be here tomorrow anyway, so.”

Last night, I was the only one who arrived at the capital’s townhouse.

Originally, the Twin family was supposed to depart for the capital tomorrow, but I alone advanced my schedule.

It was because I had to stop by the capital’s gift exchange first.

Mina glanced around and whispered to me.

“I received a letter from the Light Mansion’s servant earlier. It was addressed to me.”

“Yes, and?”

“Well, when I read it… it seems His Grace the Duke is still in a bad mood.”

“Ah… is that so?”

I just sipped my tea needlessly.

I felt somewhat guilty for refusing Cedric’s suggestion to wait one more day and leave for the capital together, and coming to the capital alone.

‘Then why don’t you come to the capital with me two days early? Me, Bianca, all of us together.’
‘…Should I?’

It was a joke I made because he seemed so disappointed.

But Cedric seemed ready to throw everything away and leave together.

Until his aide spoke up.

‘Your Grace. Forgive my boldness, but with the Emperor’s birthday celebration week approaching, the accumulated regional work is no small matter. You can see just by looking at the piles of documents here and there…’

Even to my untrained eye, the amount of accumulated paperwork was enormous.

Perhaps that’s why Cedric couldn’t particularly argue with his aide’s words.

He just glared at the aide with fierce eyes.

‘It seems the bad mood from then still hasn’t improved. He really can’t be helped.’

I shook my head and put down my teacup on the table.

Then I picked up the hat and parasol placed next to it.

“Mina, let’s go out now. We should leave now if we want to arrive before the trading floor opens.”

At those words, Mina, who had been uncharacteristically dawdling, curled her eyes with a smile.

“Lady Bi, I don’t think I need to go with you.”

Mina scratched the side of her head with an embarrassed expression.

“Hehe, actually I don’t know the capital’s roads well… So I brought someone to accompany you instead of me.”

“Someone to accompany me instead?”

Mina nodded and her gaze slowly turned to the grandfather clock.

“Yes, they should have arrived at the front gate by now!”

As I stepped out of the townhouse’s main gate, I saw someone waiting as Mina had said.

A man standing at the bottom of the stairs with his back to the gate.

I recognized who he was after just a few steps.

“Adrian!”

“Ah, you’ve come out.”

A welcoming smile spread across Adrian’s face as he turned to see me.

“It’s even more pleasant to see you in the capital, Lady Bi.”

“Of course, it’s the same for me, but…”

My words gradually trailed off as I checked Adrian’s attire.

Unlike his usual butler uniform, he was dressed in sophisticated clothes that anyone would recognize as befitting a young master from a powerful family.

I was lost in admiration of Adrian’s appearance, even more handsome than usual, before belatedly coming to my senses.

“…But what brings Adrian here? Didn’t you say you were on vacation during the Emperor’s birthday week?”

“Yes, I also have to attend the Emperor’s birthday celebration representing our family. So I got permission to come to the capital early.”

Right. Adrian was also a young master from a prominent noble family in the demon realm.

It was certainly a fact I knew, but it felt unfamiliar every time I saw him like this.

Adrian gently took my arm, which I was awkwardly smiling at, and pointed to one side of the street with his other hand.

“Our family’s townhouse is just beyond that block, on 3rd Avenue of Deltine Street.”

Adrian’s hand holding my arm tightened slightly.

“If you ever want to come to the capital even after your divorce, you can stay at our townhouse. Lady Bi is always welcome.”

“Ah…”

I pulled my arm away from him slightly with an awkward smile.

“Then is Vincent also attending this imperial celebration?”

Seeming to appreciate my effort to change the subject, Adrian let out a faint laugh.

“No. Only demon realm nobles who interact with the human realm are invited to the imperial celebration. The Norman family wants to avoid interaction with the human realm as much as possible, so the imperial family respects that wish.”

After saying that, Adrian wrinkled his nose.

“Moreover, Vincent isn’t the type to come even if invited by the human realm’s imperial family.”

“Ah… I suppose so.”

If Vincent, who runs wild like a feral beast, were to appear at an imperial celebration full of nobles pretending to be as refined as possible…

‘That would be a problem in itself. A very big problem.’

Adrian and I nodded our heads a couple times simultaneously.

“Then Adrian will guide me to the capital’s gift exchange, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Adrian nodded.

I held onto the arm he offered and we walked towards the center of the street for a few minutes.

When we reached the end of Deltine 1st Avenue, a large square came into view.

In the center of the square was a huge fountain carved with antique sculptures, and around it were children who looked like they were from noble families at a glance, playing.

‘This street is definitely a wealthy neighborhood.’

It was while I was looking around in admiration.

“Lady Bi, do you have a specific item in mind this time as well?”

Adrian’s voice asking that was much more comfortable than during our first gift exchange outing.

It seemed he was also much more at ease now.

“Of course. ‘That person’ said if I buy only the items he’s marked, it’s guaranteed to be a huge success this time too.”

“That person…?”

Adrian blinked in confusion.

Such a reaction was natural, so I let out a small laugh.

‘The investment genius, Anton Baker.’

I plan to steal that person’s luck today.

‘It feels a bit sorry to say I’m stealing it, but… He’s a genius investor anyway, and he’ll make a big success anytime, not just this time.’

But I wasn’t like that.

The limited information I had was only what was written in the original work, which meant this was my last chance to make a big success.

So I couldn’t miss this opportunity even more.

‘I’m sorry in advance, Anton.’

After apologizing alone out of guilt, I continued walking towards the gift exchange.

Now that I’ve come to the capital as planned, it was time to invest in the item chosen by Anton Baker, who would become the genius investor.

At the same time, inside the study of the Light Mansion.

Click―. Click―.

The sound of slowly opening and closing a ring box echoed inside the quiet study.

Every time that sound was heard, the servants flinched.

It was because of Cedric, who was emitting a sinister aura with his whole body.

He kept opening and closing the ring box with one hand, and occasionally looked up to glare at his aide as if he wanted to kill him.

Every time that happened, the aide wished he could sew his own mouth shut.

‘…If you follow Lady Bi today, all work will be paralyzed during the Emperor’s birthday week. So it would be better not to go.’

Why! Why did he keep spewing such unnecessarily rational nonsense?

If he had known he would regret that moment so much, he would have just let the Duke go to the capital with the Duchess when he said he would.

‘It’s just this mouth, this mouth that spoke out of turn!’

The aide secretly turned his head and slapped his own mouth repeatedly.

Suddenly looking up again, Cedric gnashed his teeth as soon as he saw the aide like that.

It seemed he was still not over his anger.

“Liman, just stay turned around like that. My blood boils every time I see your face.”

“What? Y-Yes… Yes sir!”

The aide hurriedly turned to face the wall.

Cedric glared at the back of his head and then turned his attention back to the ring box.

He was about to go crazy with disgust at that aide who had blurted out unnecessary words in front of Rebecca as she was leaving for the capital.

He was equally resentful towards Rebecca, who had left first as if waiting for that nonsense.

‘That bastard Adrian also arrived in the capital early, didn’t he… Surely he hasn’t gone to see Rebecca already?’

Thick veins bulged on his clenched fist.

Just thinking about Rebecca and Adrian relying on each other in the unfamiliar capital made his blood boil.

‘…I’m really going to go crazy.’

After spending the night with Rebecca, Cedric’s jealousy had become even more intense.

Of course, he had felt similar emotions occasionally even before the imprinting.

But now it was to the point where he couldn’t control himself, so those feelings were incomparable to before.

It had only been a day since Rebecca left for the capital.

During that one day, Cedric had to feel like he was in a living hell hundreds or thousands of times over.

So of course that aide, who kept glancing back, was hatefully annoying.

“I told you to keep facing away.”

“Y-Yes sir!”

Cedric’s eyes, which had been glaring at the aide, once again fell on the ring box.

It was the box he had been repeatedly opening and closing until just now.

Inside was the ring passed down to the Twin family’s duchesses for generations.

An heirloom of the family, and proof of being the mistress of this house.

However, it was a ring that had never once been placed on Rebecca’s finger.

‘I should have given her this ring earlier.’

The habitual regret welled up.

But more important than the unchangeable past was the time they would share together in the future.

He had no desire to waste on regret this time that was barely enough to love her.

Because he had already spent enough time meaninglessly with the lovely Rebecca by his side.

Now, and in the future too. He would shower her with enough affection to make up for the lost 5 years and more.

Cedric made that pledge as he shoved the ring box deep into his jacket’s inner pocket.

Now it was time to properly propose to Rebecca once again.