“I think we were a pretty good match, don’t you think? Can we do this again next time?”

Elodie whispered as if it were a secret promise, something special.

Her flushed cheeks and momentarily innocent face were undoubtedly lovely, but the technique was familiar.

Creating something special out of a trivial conversation was a tactic Louis himself often used when dealing with the opposite sex.

‘It’s blatant.’

Louis responded with a smooth smile.

“Of course. It would be an honor if we get the chance to do this together again.”

Sometimes one knowingly falls for a ploy, but this was not one of those times.

It was not Elodie’s problem but rather that his heart was already elsewhere.

He had not taken his eyes off Odette all the time they were dancing.

And he realized a beat late.

The reason he was so agitated by Walter’s words was not the curse.

‘It’s because she was the 4th princess.’

Unknowingly, Louis had been on edge, reacting to every word and deed of Odette.

When he saw her, the emptiness that he felt as if swayed by hallucinations subsided.

Somehow the raw nerves calmed down, and instead, an unnamed emotion towards Odette remained, making his heart race.

‘Was I tamed by the hallucinations of the 4th princess?’

Is it because he saw her too often, or because the hallucination of being married to her was too vivid that he was swayed like this?

He could not know the reason.

He just realized how foolish it was to have avoided Odette once his head cooled down.

He was struck by how pure Odette’s attitude was compared to the blatant affection from Elodie.

Odette did not even initiate the conversation when she was going to meet Regis for help.

It meant that the line between them, as strangers, was clearly drawn.

‘If she really wanted something by cursing me, she wouldn’t have acted like this.’

At least if she tried to shake him even a little using the hallucinations, it would have been another story.

As for the origin of the curse, Odette seemed to know nothing at all.

‘I can’t completely ignore Duke Ertman’s words either…’

First, he had to keep his distance from Odette and find out more about the curse from Walter.

His head was already aching from having to find a suitable marriage partner within this month, let alone worrying about the curse.

‘For now, I have agreed to help the 4th princess today, so I must keep my promise.’

With those thoughts organized, Louis approached Odette.

Odette seemed a little confused, but she deftly composed her expression as Louis approached.

“Did you see Elodie off properly?”

“Yes. Thanks to your consideration.”

“……I see.”
Odette hesitated a little after speaking, then cautiously opened her mouth again.

“Perhaps I’m intruding—.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Louis!”

And then, a voice intervened in the conversation.

When he turned his head, he could see a few young men approaching with smiling faces.

Louis almost frowned.

‘Why here of all places?’

These young men were scoundrels with whom Louis had mingled for business purposes.

They were also those who had no reason to be friendly to him now, because Louis had consistently ignored them when they visited the Clovis mansion.

Louis briefly excused himself from Odette and kept his distance.

“I was worried because I heard you weren’t feeling well, but seeing you in perfect health puts my mind at ease.”

“You don’t even have time to contact us, but you can make it to a party? It’s good that we ran into each other. Isn’t that so?”

They chattered among themselves, looking quite pleased, and reached out to Louis.

“I had something to talk to you about concerning an investment. Let’s go have a drink for a bit, Louis.”

“Ha ha… I can’t today, I have a partner with me.”

“What kind of manners is it to not leave your seat because you have a partner? Your partner will understand.”

“No. I have no intention of going—.”

The moment Louis tried to brush off the young man who was clinging to him.

A hand grabbed Louis’s nape. And a low whisper was heard.

“Go when you’re told nicely, Louis. You’re not in a position to mingle with the Princess, are you?”

“…What? What are you talking about?”

“What am I talking about? One of the places you’re investing in isn’t above board.”

“Ha ha, what’s wrong with your mind?”

Louis laughed coldly and shook off the hand holding his nape.

“Am I not allowed to spend my money? There’s no illegal business where I’ve invested. Have you drunk so much that your memory’s become strange?”

“Ah, yes, that’s true. But we have something lined up while you were gone. Liquor is being sold secretly at a high price because of the prohibition.”

He subtly changed the subject, but the meaning was the same.

“…You’ve got involved in bootlegging?”

“Yeah. And we put your name down too. People know that we’ve been investing together, so they naturally wrote down your name?”

At those words, Louis’s face stiffened.

“You… put my name down for bootlegging without my consent? Are you sane?”

“Oh, calm down. We haven’t really invested yet, so it’s not hard to take your name off. But it would be nice if you could come with us now. Everyone’s worried about how much you’ve been ignoring us, whether our relationship has become strained, you know? Right?”

In short, he was asking him to spend enough time to mend their relationship.

Right now.

Louis’s gaze reflexively searched for someone at the blatant demand.

Odette, who was waiting a few steps behind.