“Your Highness. May I explain once again how I saved Prince Adrian during the monster subjugation? If I had been a little late, he would have died without even meeting Your Highness.”

“I understand. I wish you would stop talking about it now. How long do you plan to milk that story?”

“I’m curious too. How long do you plan to milk this story?”

“Now I’m curious as well.”

“You can observe that over time. The princess’s carriage may shake a lot.”

“Alright. Please take good care of me until we reach the Isuter Empire, Duke Spencer.”

“Understood.”

Teishar smiled. Then he quickly scanned the armed knights behind the carriage. They all had solemn expressions.

“Everyone depart for the Isuter Empire.”

Teishar swallowed a sigh that was about to escape. Originally, he should have been headed to his duchy by now.

But for the past few days, the appearance of monsters had been increasing abnormally rapidly.

Just like when monsters first started increasing 20 years ago. From April 20 years ago, monster appearances began to increase sharply. Human casualties and property damage became more and more serious as monsters came down to the villages.

The Polroid Empire and Isuter Empire, bordering each other along high mountains, had to organize large-scale armies to block the suddenly appearing monsters.

Due to the emergence of dangerous monsters, the two empires signed an agreement to subjugate monsters.

They created border towns and trade routes on the outskirts of each empire to block monsters. But the monsters did not decrease. Rather, they increased.

Investigation teams were dispatched to find out where the monsters kept appearing from, but the cause has not yet been identified.

There was one thing that bothered Teishar. It was his father’s words.

It’s unimaginable now, but according to his father Magus, there were hardly any monster appearances just 20 years ago. He said it was normal for there to be no monsters back then.

A sharpness settled behind Teishar’s firm gaze. Who could this Goddess Ella be that his father was so frantically obsessed with?

He doesn’t know who this person called the child of Goddess Ella is. But his father keeps looking for them.

He thought it was because he was saddened by the sudden absence of his mother who had passed away.

The seal representing the Spencer family includes a snake. He thought nothing of it when his father mentioned red eyes, since men born into the Spencer family are always born with red eyes.

The family symbol is just a ‘snake’. He couldn’t figure out what that had to do with the child of Goddess Ella. When he said he didn’t understand, his father only repeated that he would have to meet the child of Goddess Ella in person to know.

His mood became strange as his father’s words suddenly came to mind. His heart raced oddly, and he felt excited. Strangely, he couldn’t calm down at all.

Come to think of it, when he inherited the title of Duke Spencer, his father had preciously stored a jewelry box, saying it was something that must be returned when meeting the child of Goddess Ella. When opened, it was full of broken purple amethyst fragment shards.

“Duke Spencer. Why do you look so serious?”

Teishar, who had been lost in various recollections and thoughts, turned his head sideways at the voice addressing him. As soon as he confirmed the knight who had spoken to him, he frowned noticeably.

It was Carlos, the captain of the Imperial Knights. He was the third son of the Roild family, one of the three great ducal families of the Polroid Empire, a wild handsome man with tanned skin and blonde hair. He was cheerful and had a good personality, so there were always many people around him. Of course, he was also popular with women.

People who are popular tend to talk a lot. Carlos was like that. He talked incessantly, saying things both unpleasant and pleasant to hear.

“I have a feeling you’ll find a good match when we get to the Isuter Empire. Don’t you think so, Duke Spencer?”

Teishar did not answer Carlos’s words. But his expression clearly showed that he didn’t want to answer. Seeing this, the smile on Carlos’s lips deepened.

“Duke. If you show your displeasure so openly on your face, I’ll be hurt.”

“We don’t know when monsters might jump out on the way, Captain Carlos.”

As if he didn’t want to hear Carlos’s words, Teishar pulled on his horse’s reins and galloped forward.

Lorencia woke up from her sleep.

“Why are my dreams like this?”

“Why did Duke Spencer appear in my dream?”

Well-groomed black hair and manly features that also gave a boyish impression at times. His pomegranate-red eyes were very soft and warm. His distinct eyebrows were well-groomed. In her dream, Lorencia tilted her head back and looked up at Teishar, who was Duke Spencer.

Isn’t the reason flowers need the sun the same context as why people eat!

It was hard to understand why Teishar was at the Pol Heredian manor in the dream. Lorencia couldn’t find an answer no matter how much she thought about it.

She grasped the amethyst necklace in her hand. Then she shook her head and let it go. Is it because she kept thinking about Teishar to meet him, using the power of the amethyst? Yes. Maybe that’s it.

“That’s nonsense. There’s no way he would come to the manor. It must just be a dream.”

Lorencia thought it was just an insignificant dream, and laid her head on the pillow to go back to sleep. She closed her eyes.

“I’m crazy.”

Lorencia, who had fallen asleep again, woke up startled once more.

“Why is Duke Spencer nuzzling his head against me like Leo, and why am I stroking his hair again!”

-Meow.

Leo, who had woken up at some point, started meowing as if complaining that it was noisy.

“Leo. I’m sorry. I had an absurd dream.”

-Meow!

In the dream, when she stroked Teishar’s hair, his red eyes, filled with emotion, transformed into a man’s in an instant.

Her chin was lifted, and she was laid down with her hair disheveled. She woke from the dream vividly feeling Teishar’s flushed red eyes looking down at her, pulsing like a heart.

Lorencia was dumbfounded. The Teishar she had met was a cool and quiet man.

But he yearned for her. His strange atmosphere, mixed with shame and pleasure, was bizarre.

If she hadn’t woken up from the dream, their lips would have almost met. Lorencia, whose face turned bright red at the thought of a first kiss in a dream, buried her face in the pillow.

“Why am I having this kind of dream?”

Even though it was a dream, her heart started pounding as if she had an arrhythmia. She felt heat rushing to her face.

“The dream is so strange. I can’t go back to sleep.”

Lorencia, who had woken up at dawn and stayed awake until morning, was summoned by Anne in the morning. Due to lack of sleep, her already thin face looked even more gaunt. Anne clicked her tongue as if looking at something pathetic.

“I called you because I have something to say.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve found a young man to escort you and be your dance partner for your debutante.”

In her previous future, it was the second son of a certain viscount family who taught her social dance.

“Yes.”

“It’s Young Master Lorirolls of the Stopu family. Young Master Lorirolls will personally teach you social dance as well. You just need to move exactly as he instructs.”

Anne spoke while looking at Lorencia with an overtly contemptuous gaze. Lorencia quietly bowed.

“I have one thing to ask.”

“Yes.”

“How did you manage to drive Julie away?”

“I never drove her away.”

“According to the maids, you whispered something to Julie and she quit her position as head maid, fleeing pale-faced. What exactly did you say to Julie?”

“I told her I would let her live.”

Anne glared fiercely at Lorencia with a hardened expression. Julie, whom she cared for, had suddenly left while she was away.

“Julie probably left because I’m a monster.”

Lorencia said with a light smile.

“What did you say?”

“Everyone at the Pol Heredian manor calls me a monster, don’t they?”

“So you’re saying Julie ran away scared because you’re a monster?”

“It seems so. Would anyone want to stay here when those serving keep calling me a monster? They should run away before being eaten by the monster.”

Anne burst into laughter that felt forced. After laughing for a while, she stopped, got up from her seat, approached Lorencia sitting on the other side, raised her right hand and struck down hard. With a ‘slap’ sound, Lorencia’s head turned to the side.

“You seem to find joking amusing.”

Anne frowned deeply.

“I don’t know what weakness you held over Julie to drive her out of the manor, but remember that there are many others in the manor who will torment you besides Julie. Young Master Lorirolls will be here soon, so know that if you do anything improper, you’ll go without food for two days.”

“I understand.”

Lorirolls arrived at the Pol Heredian manor. After briefly talking with Anne, Lorirolls was guided by Arden to meet Lorencia.

Arden, who was guiding him to the reception room, walked quickly.

“Head Butler. Could we walk a bit slower?”

“I apologize. Haha.”

Arden laughed awkwardly while suppressing the rising nausea inside. The saying ‘act as you look’ fits Lorirolls perfectly. His protruding belly was bearable, but the smell of alcohol and terrible breath every time he spoke was tormenting.

He only wanted to quickly take him to Lorencia and run away.

“It’s here.”

Arden opened a reception room door and said to Lorirolls.

As soon as Lorirolls entered the reception room, he looked Lorencia up and down as she sat on the sofa.

“Not bad.”

Lorirolls’ eyes widened as soon as he saw Lorencia.

Her skinny body and small stature. The thin neck and ankles that looked like they would break if given even a little force gave a strange feeling. Especially her purple eyes looked mysterious.

“I am Lorirolls of the Stopu family.”

“I am Lorencia of the Pol Heredian family.”

“Have you ever danced before?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“I will guide you well.”

Lorirolls kept swallowing and licking his lips with his tongue. Though illegitimate, his heart raced at the thought of holding a noble lady who wasn’t a courtesan in his arms for the first time in a while. He recalled his conversation with Anne whom he had met as soon as he arrived at the manor.

Anne said, handing over a plump money pouch. Along with the words that he could do as he pleased.

Lorirolls pocketed the money, promising Anne that he would show affection to Lorencia, the hated illegitimate child.

“I shall teach you what is called dance.”

Every time Lorencia looked up at him, the corners of Lorirolls’ mouth lifted higher. Sunken cheeks and a bony body. It was clear she would become a beauty if she gained a little weight. He felt as if he had found an uncut diamond in the mud.

“Then I look forward to your guidance, Young Master Lorirolls.”