Edmond raised one eyebrow and looked at me as if to say, “What are you talking about?”

“No… Does it seem that way?”

“You mean me? How so?”

Edmond coldly rebutted, furrowing his face. Well, that’s true. Being dragged here to watch an opera probably isn’t very pleasant.

Edmond gently pushed the opera glasses towards the stage. His head naturally turned.

“It’s about to start. Feel free to ogle your favorite handsome man to your heart’s content.”

“When you say it like that, it sounds like I’m terribly fond of good-looking men.”

“Are you saying you’re not?”

“I meant that I was planning to take this secret to my grave, so please keep it.”

Ha, Edmond’s lips parted like a slash.

Soon the theater darkened further and the sound announcing the opening of the opera was heard. We calmly watched the opera.

The actor famous for being an exceptional beauty wasn’t as handsome as the rumors said. Just a decent-looking man, perhaps?

‘No, is it because of this person?’

I glanced at Edmond, relying on the dim stage lights. He was sitting with his legs crossed, resting his hand on his temple, watching apathetically.

He maintained his selfish outline, not moving for ten minutes in the same position.

Certainly, if I had seen this opera before meeting this person, I would have rewatched it countless times just to feast my eyes.

In the end, being conscious of Edmond and glancing at him, I only started to focus a little on the opera in the second part.

After the viewing ended, we exited through the back door of the building instead of the crowded hall.

I saw the splendid carriage of the Mifidian Duke’s residence, already waiting.

Come to think of it, since Edmond’s title has changed, I should correct my form of address.

As I took Edmond’s outstretched hand and descended, I said,

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Edmond’s hand twitched. At the same time, I met his sharp eyes that seemed displeased.

“What? Your Grace?”

Edmond frowned deeply, clearly disgusted.

“It’s awkward, so address me as you have been.”

“I can’t call you Count anymore. Should I call you Your Excellency?”

“That’s enough.”

Well, he dislikes it all. Is he saying not to call him anything?

Meanwhile, having descended the steps with Edmond’s escort, I tapped my chin with the tip of my fan.

Hmm, then what would be good? I rolled my eyes around and then opened my mouth.

“Lord Edmond?”

“…”

“…How about that?”

Edmond, who had dismissed the coachman with a glance and was opening the carriage door himself, paused. His pupils trembled slightly.

Slightly parting his lips, Edmond turned his head sharply to the opposite side.

“That’s also a bit… awkward.”

I could see the tip of Edmond’s ear tinged pink. Still so shy. Well, can’t be helped then.

“How about Lilien’s younger brother? Or just younger brother for short?”

It might sound improper and somewhat undignified to others, but this was our own agreement. Of course, we’d have to be careful in front of others.

Hmm, Edmond turned back to me and nodded his head clearly.

Phew. Finally, the approval process was over. Feeling refreshed as if I’d finished a backlog of work, I lightly patted his chest and smiled brightly.

“Alright, younger brother.”

Then Edmond looked at me with a very contemptuous gaze. As if we’d suddenly time-traveled to winter, the air around him turned chilly.

“Where… are you touching?”

Oops. This person doesn’t like even this kind of common skinship.

I hastily withdrew my hand.

“I’m sorry, you probably don’t like this sort of thing.”

“Don’t speak as if I’m inflexible. This is all because you fo-”

“Fo…?”

Edmond pressed his lips shut and turned his head to the opposite side again.

“…It’s nothing.”

‘Fo… fo… fo…’

No way. My eyes widened at the word that suddenly crossed my mind.

“Please get in.”

I looked up at Edmond, who was urging me to board, with a dumbfounded expression.

“Hey, did you just say that I fondled your chest, younger brother?”

I was so taken aback that my words came out in bursts of laughter.

“What…!”

Edmond, who was about to burst into anger, rubbed his reddened face as our gazes met. He buried his face in his large hands and sighed deeply, his back swelling.

“Were you about to say that I just fondled your chest, younger brother?”

“Enough. Let’s stop this meaningless argument.”

He seemed to have calmed down and turned to look at me more composedly.

I narrowed my eyes into triangles. No, this isn’t right. To falsely accuse an innocent person of being a pervert and then say let’s stop.

“I’m the one who’s embarrassed about being misunderstood.”

“Are you as embarrassed as I am?”

“Let me be clear, I didn’t fondle. I don’t even massage my own chest.”

“Who said they wanted to know such a thing?”

Edmond’s straight face cracked again. He knew I was subtly teasing him.

I opened my fan to hide my twitching lips.

Actually, I had known it was a misunderstanding from about halfway through the conversation, but his reactions were so cute that I wanted to tease him a bit.

“Ha… Let’s stop.”

Edmond sighed deeply as if suppressing his anger, then held out his hand to me.

I should stop here before he gets angrier. The misunderstanding has been cleared up.

I was very curious about what came after ‘fo-‘, but I decided to drop it, worried about provoking Edmond’s anger.

I expressed my gratitude with a glance and took Edmond’s hand to board the carriage.

Soon, the carriage with us sitting face to face departed. As we circled around heading to the mansion, I took in the varied daily lives of others – children running in front of shops, lovers whispering sweet nothings on benches, middle-aged gentlemen coming out of flower shops with bouquets.

I was smiling languidly at the peaceful everyday scenes when Edmond picked up a newspaper he had placed in the carriage, skimmed it lightly, and handed it to me.

“It’s all about you. Are you aware?”

Of course. Today, after the party, all the imperial daily newspapers were full of stories about me. That’s why we moved through the back door instead of the hall to avoid people’s eyes.

I took the newspaper and skimmed through it.

[Countess Vuel, who had been hiding for 4 years, heartbroken by her husband’s infidelity, made her first public appearance since the scandal. With the conflict with Viscountess Dien proven true, she evoked sympathy as she stood in a corner of the hall. As she declared divorce, public opinion questioning the will and inheritance is igniting, with big repercussions expected… Meanwhile, as tax evasion allegations against Count Vuel spread, on the nth day, the imperial investigator…]

I folded the newspaper in half, pushed it away, and laughed while running my hand through my hair.

‘Ah- Finally.’

I felt a weight lift off my chest. Once the will comes out, I can blackmail Devon into agreeing to a divorce, and it will really be over.

Because of the incident at the party, not only Viscountess Dien but her entire family won’t be able to show their faces in high society.

Berita, who used to follow Antra around, must have become like a dog chasing chickens. I wish I could have seen that desperate face in person, it’s quite regrettable.

It’s a shame that all of the Vuel family’s assets will be tied up by the imperial family, but it can be resolved after paying the penalty and getting them back.

Although there were concerns about public opinion on guilt by association regarding tax evasion, if we publicize the will forgery, Devon will face criticism while I receive sympathy, which could lead to a definite image improvement.

I smiled contentedly, crossed my arms, and hummed.

“It seems the divorce is proceeding as planned.”

“Of course. It’s all thanks to you, younger brother. I’m truly grateful.”

“Think of it as a reward for my sister enjoying the party.”

I felt a bit sorry. Far from enjoying the party, Lilien had chatted with me on the terrace and only returned to the party hall when the crowd had thinned out.

Edmond probably didn’t notice, being surrounded by high-ranking officials and noble-born knights who admired him.

When I evaded answering with an ambiguous smile, Edmond spoke with his eyes lowered.

“What I wanted was for my sister to be happy.”

Indeed, connections and status were just secondary factors. It would be meaningless if Lilien wasn’t happy.

“My sister’s personal maid said she looked happier than ever before.”

Edmond slowly raised his eyelids. His clear, distinct golden eyes gazed at me directly.

“I’m grateful to you.”

His serious expression and calm voice without a trace of sharpness. A smile naturally spread across my face at his sincere thanks.

He would still distrust and be wary of me, but for the first time, I felt reassured that he wouldn’t harm me.

‘This means we’ve become quite close, right?’

With a warmed heart, I smiled softly and opened my mouth.

“If you’re grateful, please tell me what comes after ‘fo-‘ that you mentioned earlier.”

“It seems you want to walk to the mansion.”

Edmond’s face quickly sharpened, and I had to suppress my laughter once again.

[This is the timeline separator]

Hehehe. Hehehe.

As I laughed like a villain from a typical hero movie, the Magic Tower official looked me up and down as if I were crazy.

It didn’t matter. In my hands was the certificate verifying the authenticity of the will.

“Well then, take care.”

I smiled brightly and as soon as I left the Magic Tower, I put the paper certificate into the document storage artifact.

The document storage artifact was purchased with the money left over from selling my belongings, after deducting the fee I paid to Rain Burton.

It was as sturdy as reinforced glass, unbreakable, and could be tracked, so it wasn’t easily lost. Moreover, only the person named on the certificate could view or document it.

‘It was worth the big expense.’

I’ll rest well today, and tomorrow afternoon I’ll go see Devon to put psychological pressure on him and get his signature on the divorce agreement.

I smiled brightly as I boarded the carriage following the coachman’s guidance.

Then the coachman approached hesitantly and asked. Rail was a new coachman who had joined a few days ago, but I was told to relax as his background check was completed.

“Countess, shall we use the Mifidian Ducal family’s portal?”