The gift was a ‘sleeping pill’.

The lord was furious when he heard from butler Renode that the young master had sent it out of concern for his inability to sleep properly.

In high society, giving sleeping pills as a gift was commonly understood to mean “may you sleep forever”.

It was clearly a warning filled with mockery.

Who was it that brought those women into his house?

And now to have to be careful about embracing a commoner woman, damn it.

After that, the lord stopped going near Yuriel and her mother.

The unpleasant memory left a sense of humiliation.

If it weren’t for that wet-behind-the-ears heir, he would be warming that mother’s body himself, tsk.

The lord consoled himself by looking forward to after Cassian’s death.

For a moment, the image of Yuriel wandering around with a ghostly pale face caught the lord’s eye.

She looked just like her mother Jane, quite a high-quality item, but that’s a value assigned when taking a mistress.

To bring such a woman to a party with carefully gathered guests.

That young master was clearly desperate to embarrass him.

Was it wrong from the start to take in a commoner girl as an attendant in haste, or was it wrong to serve that damned young master as the Alphonse?

Things had certainly gone awry.

The lord chewed on curses inwardly while his gaze kept following Cassian.

His gaze remained fixed on something for a long time.

What filled those distinctive red eyes was entirely the red-haired girl.

The Blanchet young master and a commoner girl.

He had guessed from the beginning, but seeing it in person was even more of a spectacle.

Yuriel’s face, which had been stiff from the start, became even more rigid.

It was because Cassian was striding towards her through the crowd.

The golden hair shattered by the lighting and ruby-like sparkling red eyes stood out even in this lavish banquet hall.

It was a perfect appearance that would not be out of place among sculpted statues.

The young master, who had approached before her eyes like that, held out one arm to her.

“How long are you going to stand there? My partner.”

Partner, she says. She thought she’d have to follow him when she saw this dress, but…

At just the word “partner”, Yuriel’s body stiffened.

In reality, the word “partner” is a romantic and beautiful word.

But even such a good word seems to turn black when it’s in this young master’s mouth.

Whether he was trying to torment her terribly or had other intentions, this young master with a face that was utterly unpredictable did not withdraw the arm he had extended to her.

Around them, the crowd that the young master had just pushed through was all whispering while looking at her.

She could guess what they were saying, but she had no choice but to take the outstretched arm.

When Yuriel forced herself to take his arm, Cassian narrowed the distance.

His cool scent, similar to him, brushed past her nose.

It felt like time was flowing slowly as her senses blurred.

As if to awaken her to reality as she stood dazed, the young master immediately pulled on the arm she had lightly grasped.

Her body, which had suddenly been pressed right up against his chest, was steadily fixed.

Separately from that, her heart was beating frantically.

Like someone who had just finished a sprint.

Yet his expression was insensitive, as if she were merely an accessory attached to his body, while only she…

Even as she was steeped in a sense of humiliation that never became familiar no matter how often she experienced it, her feet moved to follow him.

He nonchalantly roamed here and there, taking her with him.

Each time, Yuriel repeatedly greeted people like an expressionless doll.

All the while forcing a practiced smile onto her lips, Yuriel felt suffocated.

The nobles seemed desperate to find out which family’s young lady she was.

Of course, they couldn’t ask such a thing in front of the Blanchet heir, so they all kept their mouths shut.

Then, when they reached one young lady and heard the introduction, Yuriel’s breath stopped.

“This is my daughter.”

It was the words of a middle-aged man who introduced himself as Viscount Bilrod, pointing to the frail girl beside him.

There was an air of dignity in her manner as she greeted them formally according to her father’s words.

Her clear face showed not a trace of being tanned by the sun like herself.

Isn’t that the very image of nobility?

Yuriel’s eyes sank as she looked at the young lady introducing herself as Rika.

She had never imagined meeting the real owner of that fake identity she had impersonated until just recently like this.

Of course, only the young master knows that fact, and it’s already been discovered so there shouldn’t be any problem.

Nevertheless, her legs trembled.

Yuriel struggled to clear her darkening vision and put strength into her legs.

Her feet, squeezed into high-heeled shoes, hurt, but it wasn’t difficult to endure.

Suppressing the pain, Yuriel smiled back and tried to turn away from Bilrod’s young lady after finishing the greetings appropriately.

No matter how unproblematic it might be, she couldn’t ignore her pricking conscience.

Standing in front of her made her heart beat strangely, as if she had become a criminal.

As she turned her body as if to flee, Cassian held her back.

So that she couldn’t even run away.

Yuriel opened her mouth to say something but only bit her lip tightly.

It’s not like he would listen to her request to let her go anyway.

As she bowed her head in resignation, their conversation, which had nothing to do with her, brushed past her ears.

Starting with boring greetings and formalities, praise for Blanchet’s reputation was extended.

The main content was the history and traditions of Blanchet, which she had copied and memorized countless times, and the scholarship foundation and donation details they operated.

The young master, who must have heard such things countless times, listened to the embarrassing praise without changing his expression at all.

Still keeping her on his arm.

Whether he knew or not that the nobles’ faces were becoming more and more curious about her relationship with the young master, he showed not the slightest wavering.

Ah, he must know.

This arrogant young master is always the type to know such things and enjoy them.

When she lifted her head slightly, there he was with a smile on his lips.

The malicious expression that was clearly enjoying this situation slowly turned back to her.

Just before meeting those red eyes, Yuriel turned her head away.

She didn’t want to show that she was trembling at all. Especially not to this young master in front of her.

Nevertheless, the trembling of her heart could not be hidden.

He must feel even that tremor through the connected arm. Her sense of shame grew until it turned into heat.

Of course, the young master, who didn’t care about such things, dragged out the time for a long while after that.

It felt like he lingered especially long in front of the real Bilrod young lady.

As if telling her to thoroughly repent for those lies she had told.

Unable to bear looking at his face that seemed to be enjoying her increasingly pale appearance, Yuriel only clenched her fist in vain.

By the time several musical pieces had changed, the lord approached.

She had encountered the lord, who was said to be like the sky, several times since entering this mansion.

Each time, he had been watching her mother with a sinister gaze from behind.

He, who could wield all power within the mansion, had passed by without incident until now.

There’s only one reason a person in power can’t wield their power.

When there’s an even bigger predator above them.

The gaze that had looked her up and down like merchandise when she entered this banquet hall now couldn’t even look at her.

Only one thing had changed – the presence of the Blanchet heir beside her.

The lord bowed deeply before the young master, not even daring to raise his head. It was exactly as she had heard.

He was certainly an unpleasant person, but there was nothing good about letting such emotions show.

As always, hiding her emotions, Yuriel was about to bow her head out of habit as she watched this scene.

It was Cassian who stopped her.

Strong force was applied to the hand holding her arm.

The lord’s face turned red as he glanced at Yuriel, who was forced to stand with her head held high.

‘To have to bow my head even before this kind of wench.’

However, he couldn’t say anything to Yuriel, who clearly looked like a partner at a glance.

At least not now, in front of Cassian.

Even if he wasn’t directly in front of them, it would be the same as long as he stayed in Alphonse.

The lord struggled to suppress his rising anger and forced a smile.

Yuriel became gradually accustomed to the unfamiliar sight after fidgeting uncomfortably.

The young master holding her felt like a thick shield.

She could feel, after just a few greetings, that the sharp spear that always stabbed at her could be such a good shield when dealing with others.

For a long time after that, the lord babbled exaggerated praise for Blanchet, trying to erase his unnecessary awkwardness.

Some of the things they had heard from the nobles earlier were repeated, and some things were added to them.

However, since it was mostly all known content, it was indeed boring.

Until he blurted out something incomprehensible.

“Ah yes, young master, it’s truly considerate of you to even care about Bilrod family’s marriage talks.”

The reason why the lord, who had been repeating such words over and over, brought up this story again in front of everyone, including Viscount Bilrod, was obvious.

Cassian answered while nonchalantly tilting his glass, ignoring the lord who was trying pitifully hard to look good to him.

“It is the duty of a master for people of the Blanchet Foundation to take responsibility to the end.”

The curious one was elsewhere.

What expression would his red-haired beauty of a partner make when she found out who the Bilrod young lady would be having marriage talks with?

It was quite an enjoyable thing just to imagine.

His partner, who still knew nothing, was blankly listening to the marriage talk story as if it were someone else’s business.

Yes. Just keep treating it like someone else’s business.

If she could just stay exactly like that, it might be quite pleasing.

At the moment when the nobles’ chatter was ringing vaguely.

A new face entered from the far entrance.

It wasn’t strange as invited guests were arriving in turn.

Cassian’s head turned slowly and Yuriel’s face followed.

The guest’s face grew closer and larger, gradually revealing itself in the light.

The moment she saw him, Yuriel’s breath caught.

‘Hael, why are you here…’