Hazel’s eyes briefly widened at the name of Daniel’s former fiancée that came from his mouth.

Unaware of Hazel’s reaction, Daniel was smiling smugly but suddenly frowned. He glared at the letter in his hand.

“…Richard Atson? Who the hell is this?”

For a few seconds, he narrowed his eyes as if trying to remember, then exclaimed, “Ah!”

“I remember now. It’s Count Vanspelt’s secretary.”

“What on earth is this letter about?”

Unable to hold back, Hazel asked, and Daniel first dismissed the servant before slumping down on the sofa he had been occupying until moments ago.

“It seems the proud and foolish young lady of Vanspelt has finally realized her situation.”

He summarized the contents of the letter from Countess Habertz.

“It’s not even funny. She had no problem insulting people without knowing her place, and now she comes looking for me like this.”

Though he said this, a smile of certainty in his victory appeared on Daniel’s lips.

“If only she had come directly to me, sincerely apologized and begged me to take her back, I might have generously given her a chance…”

He tossed the letter from his aunt that had come via the Lowens Viscounty onto the low table.

“Having been raised delicately all her life, I suppose her pride won’t allow that. Does she think I’ll be blinded by jealousy and reach out first if she shows up at the party with another man?”

Though he wasn’t necessarily expecting an answer, Hazel chose her words carefully.

“Well, I don’t really know what kind of person she is.”

“She seems to be using her head a bit these days, but she’s an extremely easy girl to understand. She doesn’t know how to go against her father’s wishes. Queen of the Charmal, what nonsense – she doesn’t even realize she’s dancing to her father’s tune and jumping into the fire pit of her own accord.”

“…So what are you going to do now?”

“I should take her back, if only for old times’ sake. But I won’t forgive her so easily.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“I’ll have to think about that from now on.”

With that, Daniel picked up his outer coat that was strewn messily near the sofa.

“Hazel, I’m sorry for imposing on you without notice.”

“It’s fine. We’re close after all. Are you thinking of going home now?”

“I don’t like the old man’s nagging, but I have no choice. Kisa says she’s bringing another man as her partner to maintain her pride, so I’ll have to find a woman to accompany me to the party too. Having to bring a partner is such a bother.”

Hazel responded a beat late to his grumbling that sounded annoyed.

“Yes, it is.”

“By the way, have there been any suspicious characters lurking around your house like before?”

“Not recently. It’s thanks to you taking care of things in various ways. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. It was because of me that you were put in trouble in the first place, so that much is only natural.”

Daniel stood in place for a moment, exchanging affectionate glances with Hazel, before heading towards the door.

“Let’s resume our gatherings soon. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

“Um, Daniel.”

“What is it?”

Looking at Daniel who had turned back, Hazel’s lips moved. But instead of what she had originally intended to say, she uttered something else.

“It’s nothing. Just take care on your way.”

“Alright, I’ll be off then.”

As Daniel opened the door and left, only Hazel remained alone in the quiet tea house.

“…”

She stared blankly at the sofa her dear friend had occupied, then suddenly came to her senses.

“What am I doing? I should hurry and get ready.”

It was almost time to open the shop.

Inside the swaying carriage.

“Um, are you really alright?”

“I’m fine, I told you. How many times do I have to say it?”

Kisa gave the same answer to Richard’s question from across her. Still, his complexion didn’t look good, as if he was still anxious.

“I apologize. I’ve hardly ever attended such a grand party as a guest, except when accompanying the Count, so I can’t seem to calm down.”

The day of Countess Habertz’s charity party had already arrived, and the two were currently heading to Habertz’s town house, the venue for the party, in Vanspelt’s carriage.

“There’s no need to be scared, Richard. I’ve been a few times, so I know this party is relatively relaxed, with only those who want to dance doing so.”

“I-I see.”

“If you’re that worried, just stick by my side. If anyone tries to talk to you, I’ll respond appropriately. Is that okay?”

“…No, that’s the biggest problem.”

“Why?”

He clutched his stomach as if he had a stomachache.

“An ordinary fellow like me being the partner of someone as beautiful and noble as you, miss – it’s obvious that everyone will be whispering about it. Just imagining it makes me feel uneasy.”

“Oh, you flatter me.”

She said that, but in truth, Kisa could understand Richard’s feelings of being burdened by her to some extent. She had overdone it with her preparations.

She glanced down at the new dress she had acquired for today. The lavender dress, made voluminous with several layers of chiffon, was probably the most expensive among her dresses.

It was a dress from a renowned atelier using high-priced materials. On top of that, due to time constraints, she had even paid extra to have it custom-made.

Thinking that his daughter would soon be married off anyway, Count Vanspelt had spared no expense.

The makeup was just as excessive. The most skilled maid in makeup at the Vanspelt mansion had been practically glued to Kisa all day.

Looking at the finished result, even she had to admit she looked prettier than usual. Thanks to staying cooped up at home for the past few days, resting due to the broken engagement, her skin had become smooth and the makeup adhered well. Kisa’s face truly sparkled with vitality.

However, this splendor seemed to have become rather poisonous for the somewhat timid Richard. Despite being a fairly handsome young man himself and dressed up nicely for the occasion, next to the fully decked-out Kisa, he looked more like an attendant than a partner.

He had been working as the Count’s secretary since he had just come of age, so he and Kisa had known each other for nearly ten years, but this was the first time seeing her like this.

“Try to relax. Nothing bad will happen.”

Richard nodded weakly at Kisa’s reassurance.

“Well, the role the Count expected of me was simply to fill the seat beside you, miss.”

It wasn’t wrong. To be frank, even if they entered the party hall together like this, no one would think of Richard as Kisa’s new match.

Among those who knew the Count, quite a few were aware that Richard was his secretary, and even if they didn’t know, they could tell at a glance that he wasn’t the kind of son-in-law the Count would approve of.

There was no way that Count Vanspelt would give away the daughter he had raised so carefully to a man from a relatively unknown family.

Most likely, everyone would think that Kisa had brought along a suitable partner just to comply with the rules of the party. In fact, Kisa herself had never seen Richard in that light, except perhaps as a cousin-like older brother figure.

“Alright. I’ll focus on fulfilling my duty.”

Knowing this well, Richard finally calmed his anxiety and spoke in a composed voice.

Anyway, it was a relief that he seemed to have settled down. As Kisa was feeling relieved, the carriage arrived at its destination.

“Here, miss.”

“Thank you.”

Richard got out first and offered his hand, and Kisa stepped down from the carriage with his escort.

Looking around, several carriages had already arrived even though there was still quite some time before the party started. Kisa joined the line of guests heading towards the party hall along with Richard.

“Hey, look over there.”

“What is it?”

“Isn’t that the young lady of Vanspelt?”

“What? The one who broke off her engagement recently?”

Although Kisa wanted to enter quietly, her presence caught attention even before entering the party hall.

“Didn’t they say she had suspended her social activities?”

“Looks like she’s resumed them.”

People quickly began to chatter among themselves while glancing at Kisa. They eyed her and Richard beside her with interest-filled gazes.

“Who’s that man?”

“Is it Daniel Lowens?”

“No, it’s someone else.”

Upon realizing that Kisa’s partner wasn’t Daniel, their gazes became even more intrigued.

Yes, it would be interesting. The talk of the town who had been in seclusion for a while bringing a new man to a party where her former fiancé was sure to attend. It was no less than a third-rate romance novel.

Kisa had intended not to mind whatever people said about her, but some comments crossed the line.

“This is too much, no matter how you look at it.”

“Right, it’s disrespectful to Young Master Lowens.”

“And to already have a new man when it hasn’t been long since the engagement was broken off…”

Why should she have to hear such things when that bastard Daniel had been flirting with all sorts of women at various parties from the day after breaking off the engagement?

Overcome by a sense of injustice, her mouth moved before her mind could catch up.

“Gentlemen over there.”

The group that had been criticizing her until just now turned to look at her at Kisa’s call.

“Do you have something you wish to say to me?”

When she asked while looking them straight in the eye, they avoided her gaze, saying it was nothing with embarrassed faces. Some even blushed.

‘They’re good at talking behind people’s backs but can’t even speak properly to their faces.’

As they reached the entrance of the party hall, Countess Habertz, who had come out with her husband to greet the guests, spotted Kisa.

“Miss Kisa?”

She exclaimed, rushing over with small steps.

“Oh my, you look so beautiful. It’s been so long!”

“How have you been?”

Kisa was acquainted with the Countess, Daniel’s aunt, but they weren’t close enough to warrant such a warm welcome.

“Of course I’ve been well. You’ve come all this way with our Daniel.”

Before Kisa could respond to this nonsensical statement, that guy showed up.

“Welcome, Kisa.”

Daniel, standing behind the Countess, smiled at Kisa intently.

“Did you dress up like this to see me?”