Teishar called Lorencia’s nickname and cupped her cheeks with both hands.

“Your face is very hot.”

“Could it be because Duke Teishar’s hands are warm that it feels that way?”

Teishar smiled as he gazed at Lorencia. No matter how he looked at her, the word ‘cute’ was not enough to describe Lorencia. As if bewitched, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. No, he didn’t take them off her. There was no reason to. He had to keep looking at her.

“Loa.”

“Yes.”

“Would you like some chocolate?”

“Chocolate?”

“After doing a lot of thinking, eating chocolate is the best thing to do.”

When Lorencia nodded, a sweet piece of chocolate approached her lips.

“It’s sweet chocolate.”

Lorencia tried to take the chocolate with her hand, but Teishar firmly refused.

“I will feed it to you.”

“No, it’s alright. I’ll eat it myself.”

“I want to feed it to you.”

Teishar smiled prettily and made an adorable eye smile as he held up a grape-sized chocolate.

“It’s very sweet and delicious chocolate.”

When Lorencia reluctantly opened her mouth slightly, the sweet chocolate went right in. As Teishar’s fingers lightly touched the corner of her lips and her lips, her heart began to beat heavily.

Rather than the sweet taste of the chocolate, she was more conscious of his fingers that brushed her lips. Above all, Teishar’s natural demeanor as he sweetly called her nickname made her face feel hot again.

“How does it taste? Loa.”

“It’s very sweet.”

“There’s a bit of chocolate powder on the corner of your lips.”

Teishar took out a handkerchief, gently lifted Lorencia’s chin, and carefully began to wipe the corner of her mouth. Their gazes naturally met. Lorencia looked at her own face reflected in his red eyes. She felt their faces gradually getting closer. She tried to push away his approaching face, but her heart was pounding so fast that the sound made her mind go blank.

“The chocolate powder on your face isn’t coming off.”

“I can also feel the chocolate powder not coming off.”

Teishar’s right hand gently cradled the back of Lorencia’s head. Their noses lightly touched. The fragrant scent of chocolate tickled her nose. The corners of her mouth slightly lifted. Teishar tilted his head slightly and approached so close that she could feel his breath, slowly closing his eyes.

There was a knocking sound and Adrian’s voice came from outside the door. The eyes that had slowly closed snapped open. Both Lorencia’s face and his own felt hot.

Teishar softly pressed his lips to Lorencia’s cheek and pulled away, startling her.

“Only this for now.”

At his smile that seemed to say ‘look forward to next time,’ Lorencia’s face turned red like an apple.

“Is that so? Did the conversation with elder brother Adrian go well?”

“He made the condition of wanting to meet Lady Lorencia. When I told him she would decide whether to become a double agent after seeing her ladyship, he immediately arranged the meeting. I truly think His Highness Adrian is even more short-sighted than I thought.”

“Of course. He only knows how to swing a sword. He’s a fool who doesn’t even properly carry out imperial duties.”

“Yes. The only one suited to become emperor is Prince Ruans.”

As soon as Carlien returned to Ruans, he spilled out everything he had heard from Lorencia. Ruans was outraged.

“I knew it. The way that monster looked at her wasn’t normal.”

From the smile Teishar made while gazing at Lorencia to his fidgety fingertips, Ruans had guessed it was because she was a woman he truly had feelings for, not a pitiful abused woman he was caring for.

“Lady Lorencia asked me to convey that she loves only Prince Ruans.”

“Yes. The one that monster loves is me. But that monster isn’t by my side!”

“She pleaded with tears, asking you to endure it for the sake of the miracle that will happen on the day of the hunting competition. She said she isn’t dating Duke Spencer because she likes him.”

Carlien calmly began to explain to Ruans. But for some reason, Ruans was so displeased that he threw the objects in the room. The room quickly became a mess. Not satisfied with that, Ruans screamed, grabbed his hair, and pulled at it to vent his anger.

“Lorencia loves me. She’s forcibly dating a man she dislikes for my sake. But why am I so annoyed?”

Carlien inwardly laughed at Ruans’ true feelings that he was hearing for the first time. Seeing his current behavior, he thought that perhaps Ruans liked Lorencia. He could sense the jealousy towards Teishar.

What would happen when Ruans, who didn’t properly understand his own heart, realized his feelings for Lorencia?

It would probably be too late by then. He would suffer for a lifetime, thirsting for something he could never obtain.

“I’m so angry.”

“Prince Ruans. Since His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday is still far away, how about just holding a hunting competition?”

“Moving up the plan by creating a hunting competition?”

“Lady Lorencia said it would be nice if the hunting competition was held soon.”

“Is that so?”

“So I asked Lady Lorencia if it was fine as long as the hunting competition was held.”

“What did Lorencia say?”

“She told me to come back in a week for an answer.”

“Damn it!”

Ruans let out a deep sigh and screamed again in frustration. He strongly grasped the fabric near his left heart, feeling suffocated. When he was at the Pol Heredian estate, he could see her every day.

“I’m so frustrated that I can’t see Lorencia.”

But what was even more irritating was hearing that Lorencia had become lovers with Teishar and was going around dating him here and there. It made him feel like he was going crazy.

“I will meet Lady Lorencia in a week.”

“Okay. Make sure to hear everything about the dream.”

“Understood. Prince Ruans.”

And so, a week passed, and late in the evening, Carlien went to Adrian’s office. And right after hearing from Lorencia about how to move up the hunting competition, he immediately went to find Ruans.

“Lady Lorencia said that as long as the hunting competition is held, a miracle will occur. She asked me to convey that the best reason to hold the hunting competition would be to celebrate the engagement of His Highness Adrian and Princess Charlotte.”

Ruans smiled with satisfaction.

“Lady Lorencia said that as long as Duke Spencer participates in the hunting competition, there won’t be any issues.”

“I guess fate doesn’t change.”

“Pardon?”

“It means those destined to die will just die. Sir Carlien.”

If a celebratory hunting competition is held under the pretext of their engagement, Teishar will also attend. That leads to Adrian’s death.

Adrian dies. Just that was enough to excite Ruans.

“We should have a short and simple engagement ceremony and then hold the hunting competition.”

Everything seemed to be going according to Ruans’ will. Hope filled Ruans’ contemplative face.

Lorencia stroked Leo’s back with the back of her hand. Leo let out a long yawn. Since entering the imperial palace, Leo had been growing well. His cuteness was increasing day by day as he grew rapidly. If anything had changed, it was that his eyes had become quite cat-like.

“Our Leo is so dependable.”

-Meow!

“You’re pretty. Leo.”

Lorencia petted Leo and took off the amethyst necklace she was wearing around her neck to look at it.

“I want to see the future I desire.”

-Meow.

At the same time as Leo’s meow, the amethyst necklace began to glow.

“An amethyst bead?”

Seeing the amethyst bead she had seen before right in front of her eyes, Lorencia reached out as if possessed and brought the amethyst bead into her hand. The amethyst bead in her hand emitted a mysterious and beautiful violet light. Lorencia watched the scene reflected in the amethyst bead.

“This is…”

It was the future Lorencia wanted to see. After confirming the future, the light of the amethyst bead faded. And the amethyst bead in her hand disappeared.

Lorencia ran to the mirror and examined her eyes.

“My eyes don’t hurt.”

After seeing the future, she always suffered from extreme pain in her eyes. But now, even though she had just confirmed the future, there was no pain in her eyes at all.

Magus’s words were true.

Lorencia shed tears. Being able to use her power without pain made her so happy that it brought tears to her eyes.

“This is just the beginning.”

Lorencia tightly grasped the necklace and smiled.

The next day.

Lorencia informed Teishar about the future she had seen.

“We were already planning to move up the engagement of His Highness Crown Prince Adrian and Her Highness Princess Charlotte.”

Lorencia couldn’t help but smile when she thought of Ruans moving according to her will.

“We need to be prepared for everything.”

“Understood. I will prepare as instructed. But before that, there is something Lady Lorencia needs to do.”

“Something I need to do?”

Lorencia tilted her head in confusion.

“The debutante ball.”

“I had briefly forgotten about the debutante ball.”

“Princess Charlotte and His Highness Adrian won’t be able to attend the debutante ball due to their engagement preparations.”

“Yes. It’s alright.”

At the mention of the debutante ball, Lorencia suddenly began to feel excited. In the previous future, she had attended the debutante ball wearing a black dress and being ridiculed by Anne and Illina. But now it was different. Teishar, who had become her lover, was personally preparing for her debutante ball, and she would be wearing a beautiful red dress.

It was a bit burdensome that he kept buying her too many dresses and jewelry, but she couldn’t stop Teishar who said that a man’s happiness was spending money on his lover.

A smile naturally formed on her face. It wasn’t because of the gifts he bought her, but because she was grateful that he paid so much attention to her, made her smile, and treated her sincerely.

“I’m very happy to be able to prepare my lover’s debutante ball.”

Lorencia smiled.

“I’m the one who should be thankful for making me a happy man.”

Teishar put his heart and soul into preparing Lorencia’s debutante ball.