Kisa lowered her posture and quietly held her breath, listening intently.

However, the conversation seemed to have ended as no more voices could be heard.

Instead, only the faint sound of rustling footsteps on dry leaves reached her ears.

Had both of them left?

Just in case, Kisa remained crouched for a long while, only rising when her legs began to cramp.

There was no one at the spot where Gabriel had been standing.

Kisa entered the corridor from the terrace with slightly unsteady steps.

“Kisa, you were here.”

She then encountered Seyerd, who was just coming up the stairs.

Taking large strides and skipping several steps at once, he approached Kisa.

“I was looking for you, as I couldn’t find you.”

“Seyerd… Did you go outside?”

“Yes, briefly to the garden. I thought you might be there, but you weren’t. Where were you?”

The garden, of all places. Kisa’s expression darkened.

“I was resting a bit on the terrace in the corner over there. But did you meet anyone in the garden?”

“I did run into a few guests. There were quite a few people taking walks, probably due to the nice weather. Is there someone you’re looking for?”

“No, not particularly.”

Gabriel’s intended recipient of his feelings, and the person who had been in the garden until just now.

Though she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, the figure behind the tree at that time was almost certainly Seyerd.

‘Moreover…’

The words he had spoken a few hours ago resurfaced in Kisa’s mind.

“I’ll tell you what you’re curious about, and you tell me what I’m curious about.”

“For instance, the personal concerns that Gabriel Williams supposedly shared with you?”

Distracted by her desire not to be disliked by Seyerd, she had momentarily forgotten, but he had clearly wanted to know about Gabriel’s worries. Even to the point of offering an exchange.

Moreover, the words she had overheard on the terrace just now.

“I understand. If you insist…”

Judging by those words from Gabriel’s mouth alone, it seemed he had decided to open up after the other party had first demanded it.

In other words, it came down to this:

Seyerd, unable to hear about Gabriel’s concerns from Kisa, had asked him directly.

Gabriel, who had been about to give up and leave, might have half-resigned himself when pressed by the person he adored.

That’s why it appeared he was now trying to reveal the feelings he had been unable to convey until now.

Thinking this, Kisa’s heart grew heavy.

Though she wasn’t sure why Seyerd was so curious about Gabriel’s concerns, she herself was the one who had first mentioned it to him.

“Somehow I came to know about his personal worries. I wanted to ask if he was feeling alright, but since it’s such a private matter, I thought it would be better for the two of them to talk.”

Instead of just making something up, she had foolishly revealed an ambiguous truth, needlessly arousing Seyerd’s suspicions.

Perhaps Seyerd, upon hearing Kisa’s words, had closely observed Gabriel and sensed some emotion directed towards himself in his eyes.

Only he would know the truth, but it seemed Kisa’s influence couldn’t be discounted.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Kisa’s troubled expression, Seyerd looked at his fiancée with concerned eyes.

“Are you still very tired? Well, the guests did give you a hard time. You can leave the reception to me and go rest if you’d like.”

“No, I can’t do that.”

Kisa shook her head.

“I’m your fiancée now. I should fulfill my responsibilities.”

“You don’t need to push yourself.”

Even as he said this, he looked somewhat pleased.

Kisa headed towards the banquet hall with Seyerd, feeling conflicted.

How would he react if he learned of Gabriel’s true feelings?

‘The possibility of him accepting… is as likely as the sky splitting in two.’

Besides the social constraints, Seyerd had already once declared that he had no particular fondness for Gabriel.

If that was the case, he would surely reject him, but the question was how he would do so.

Hopefully, in a way that would be less hurtful to the sensitive Gabriel.

The performance she had heard a few hours ago was certainly more restrained in emotion than before, as he had vowed, but if one listened closely, a faint trace of unrequited love could be felt.

No, perhaps because the sadness was so restrained, it evoked an even more sorrowful and heartbreaking atmosphere.

This wasn’t just Kisa’s impression; after the violin solo ended, several people were noticed with moist eyes.

‘If he’s already in such pain, and if his confession fails miserably…’

Kisa’s face turned pale due to the very ominous imagination that bloomed in her mind.

Seyerd is a good person. But it was hard to guarantee whether he, raised in an extremely conservative monastery, would view Gabriel kindly.

For a moment, Kisa thought about asking Seyerd for something herself, but soon gave up.

She was clearly a third party in their relationship, and part of the reason things had come to this was because Kisa had spoken unnecessarily to Seyerd.

It might be best not to interfere.

As she half-listened to the words of the guests crowding around her, Kisa resolved not to intervene.

May fortune favor the poor musician.

Time flew by quickly, and after dealing with just a few guests, the time Gabriel had mentioned drew near.

‘He said to meet behind the annex, right?’

Kisa had a general idea of what the Hillan mansion’s annex was like from what she had heard.

It was said to be a building used for residential purposes during the period when the Hillan family was crowded with members.

Seyerd’s father, the previous Duke of Hillan, unusually had only two twin sons, but the Hillan family was traditionally known for having many children.

Anyway, Seyerd had lost all his parents and siblings, and he wasn’t on good terms with his relatives, so currently there was no one to use the annex at Hillan.

Although servants regularly maintained the building to prevent it from falling into disrepair and there was security personnel, if one were to pick the least frequented place in this mansion, it would undoubtedly be the annex.

The optimal place for a secret meeting; to arrive there on time, she should leave soon.

Kisa, who had been consciously trying to look at Seyerd, opened her eyes wide.

He was nowhere to be seen, though he had been near the podium talking with guests just moments ago.

‘He’s gone!’

Thinking that the two would meet soon, Kisa’s heart raced.

This wouldn’t do. Thinking she needed to calm down, even if it meant relying on the power of alcohol, she was about to head towards a servant carrying drinks.

“Um, Lady Banspelt.”

Coincidentally, she collided with a guest who was approaching to speak to her.

“Oh my!”

Along with the woman’s scream, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the hall.

The glass the guest had dropped had shattered into pieces upon hitting the floor.

If that were all, it would have been enough to just clean up the fragments and wipe the floor, but there was another problem.

“I’m, I’m so sorry!”

The young woman apologized with a pale face.

“This is Madame Estes’ work, isn’t it? I’ve ruined such a precious thing…”

She fidgeted, touching Kisa’s apricot-colored dress that had been stained red.

Dresses from Madame Estes’ atelier were something even most nobles would line up to obtain, but most ended up not even getting a chance to see them. It was no ordinary value.

Moreover, thinking she had offended the future Duchess of Hillan, the woman seemed terribly frightened.

Kisa reassured her.

“It’s alright. It was an accidental mistake.”

“But…”

“Anyone can make mistakes.”

Of course, it was a precious dress that she liked and an important gift from Seyerd, but it wasn’t worth making the woman, who looked even younger than Kisa, continue to tremble.

While she felt sorry for Seyerd who had given her the gift, if she explained the situation well, he would understand.

“Well then, I’ll have to go change clothes.”

She couldn’t face the guests in this state.

As Kisa was about to head towards the door, Gilliam, who had noticed the incident, approached.

“Is something the matter, My Lady?”

“Ah, you’ve come at a good time. Something came up and I need to change clothes. Could you please take care of the reception hall?”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

With that, Kisa left the reception hall alone.

As she pondered whether to call Lily to help her change, a sudden thought crossed her mind.

‘Should I go to the annex?’

It was just before the promised time. If she left now, she might be able to arrive before Seyerd and Gabriel left.

But did she have the right to peek at the two’s private moment?

Kisa struggled intensely for a moment, but it didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

She bore a large responsibility for Gabriel ending up confessing to Seyerd, contrary to his original plan.

Nevertheless, it didn’t feel right to just stand by and do nothing.

‘I’ll do what I can within reason.’

Consoling Gabriel if he’s rejected should be fine, right?

With that mindset, Kisa changed her course from her room and dashed towards the annex.

Miraculously, she didn’t encounter anyone on her way to the annex.

The annex was already a place rarely visited by people, and most of the servants were gathered in the reception hall and kitchen due to the reception.

Arriving at the annex out of breath, Kisa muffled her footsteps as much as possible and headed towards the back.

As she reached the corner, she heard heated voices as if they were arguing.

One was Gabriel, and the other was…

‘Huh?’

At the sound of a voice that shouldn’t be heard here, Kisa unconsciously poked her head around the corner.

“Please, can’t you just let me go? I can’t breathe when I’m near you.”

“Shut up! You think you can leave me?”

The person roughly kissing Gabriel, grabbing him by the collar as he pleaded, was Princess Arta.