Elise thought that Treetrisians were no different from Bedrocanians, but Karan had a different perspective.

Other Bedrocanians were correct.

Treetrisians are barbaric and violent.

They lead with fists rather than words, taking what they want by force if necessary, and ruthlessly punishing anyone coveting their possessions.

This was a norm in Treetris.

Elise, being a Bedrocan and a noble, could never understand these ingrained traits and traditions.

And especially for Karan, there was an unspeakable secret.

Therefore, Karan had to suppress his instincts in her presence.

He didn’t want to disappoint her by revealing his true nature.

‘Elise, Elise, Elise.’

Karan repeated her name endlessly.

She was his sedative, and her name was a magical spell that calmed him.

Sometimes it had the opposite effect, though.

Karan, having regained his composure, sat in front of Elise.

Elise, who was beautiful even with her hair down, looked equally stunning with it up.

“Thank you, Karan. I’ll ask for your help often in the future.”

“Again?”

Elise nodded with a smile, causing Karan’s heart to flutter.

Her bright smile was dazzling, making him excited about the next time.

“I’ll do better next time.”

“It couldn’t be better than this.”

Elise gave Karan a compliment that seemed unbelievable to him.

Yet, her words appeared genuine, so Karan didn’t question her and instead picked up his teacup.

Elise smiled broadly as she gently held her teacup.

She remembered the sighs that escaped when Karan distanced himself.

She could guess what the women had been fantasizing about Karan.

‘The plan is a great success.’

Elise knew herself well.

In reality, she had no value as a model.

‘Maybe Iris, but not me.’

Yet ironically, she could model because of the scandal with Karan.

‘I’ve become a celebrity. Everyone is paying attention to me.’

Elise was confident that shops selling hairpins would be bustling with women the next day, thanks to Jasmine’s hairpin.

Despite being embroiled in a scandal, Elise was confident that Jasmine’s hairpin was pretty enough to not be problematic.

Halfway through her tea and having eaten half of her dessert, Elise called Karan.

“I have something to say. I’m thinking of following you to Treetris when you return.”

“That’s not possible.”

As Elise expected, Karan immediately objected.

“It’s dangerous, Elise. Not just the hazardous journey, but especially the area around Gate 1 is particularly perilous. I’ll go, sort things out, meet the emperor to get approval for our marriage, and then come back for you.”

Elise shook her head.

“I will go myself to get the marriage approval.”

“Elise. Treetris is harsher and more desolate than you can imagine. Its people’s hearts aren’t easily swayed. Let me persuade the emperor.”

“Your Majesty.”

Elise grabbed Karan’s hand on the table, abruptly stopping his continued speech.

“I’ve decided to follow you. Just like I decided to marry you. Do you know what that means? It means I’m determined to succeed. So let’s not have a futile argument. Please let me follow you. That’s what I want.”

Karan’s face showed disapproval.

Elise gripped his hand tighter, as if pleading for trust.

“I’m not a weak person. I’ll prove it. Please give me a chance.”

Elise was desperate.

Whether she came to him or now as she spoke of following him, she acted as if it was her last chance in life.

“Will you trust me?”

Deep wrinkles formed on Karan’s forehead.

That day, after parting with Karan, Elise wandered around the square a bit more before returning home.

Several days passed, and events unfolded just as Elise had anticipated.

The news of Karan fixing her hair had spread widely.

Everyone was in a frenzy to get their hands on hairpins.

However, they were not easily available, which only increased people’s eagerness.

People began sending letters to Elise, first one or two, but soon the quantity grew significantly.

An unprecedented amount of attention was directed towards Elise, who was embroiled in a scandal.

Elise replied to each letter.

She had to spend half of her day responding to them.

She wrote that the hairpin was a gift from Jasmine.

From now on, any inquiries should be directed not to the Worthington household but to the Orleans household.

“Phew, finally done.”

Elise stretched after putting down her pen. The tray piled with responses was quite full.

Even if each of these people bought just one hairpin, Jasmine would be incredibly busy for a while.

“Before it gets even busier, I need to finalize my discussion with Jasmine.”

Elise, whose fingers ached from writing so much, picked up another sheet of paper.

Last time she was able to go out because Fraser wasn’t around, but staying home made it harder to leave.

She wondered why she was confined.

Occasionally, only Iris went out, but today, even she stayed in, making it difficult for Elise to move freely within the mansion.

Eventually, Elise decided to invite Jasmine to her home.

She wrote the invitation very politely and called Regina.