Lily followed along because Frederick asked her to come with him, and she thought it would be good to hear what conversation Count Stacy and Frederick would have. But she regretted it before even 10 minutes had passed after meeting the Count.

It was because she could hardly understand the conversation between Frederick and Count Stacy. Occasionally there were words she knew, but it was difficult to connect them with the words that followed.

She thought she had read a lot of books and knew a lot, but she was completely ignorant when it came to business.

The person who saved Lily, who was sitting still like a sack of barley, was none other than Countess Stacy.

“Why don’t you stop listening to this boring business talk and come with me to see the garden? The spring flowers are blooming beautifully.”

Is it better to pretend to be close with the Countess and tour the garden than to listen to incomprehensible business talk?

“That sounds good, Lily. Don’t worry, I’ll call you right away when the conversation is over, so go ahead.”

As if sensing Lily’s hesitation, Count Stacy spoke. Frederick also encouraged her to go, so Lily pondered a bit more before nodding and standing up.

“Please call me as soon as the conversation is over.”

After Lily left with the Countess, a moment of silence fell in the study. Count Stacy lifted his teacup as if to wet his dry throat, and Frederick, who had been staring at him, spoke as soon as the Count put down his cup.

“Now tell me.”

A sharp light glimmered in his eyes behind the clean-wiped glass.

“You have something you couldn’t say because your lady was here, don’t you?”

Clank, Count Stacy deliberately put down his teacup noisily and asked Frederick.

“Why do you think that?”

“It’s intuition. An old intuition honed by business.”

Pleased with Frederick’s answer, the corners of Count Stacy’s lips loosened slightly.

“As you say, there is something I couldn’t say because that child was here, but that doesn’t mean I’ve decided to tell you. I’m still thinking about it.”

“You mean you haven’t decided yet whether I’m trustworthy or not.”

“Precisely.”

Count Stacy buried himself deep in the sofa’s backrest and placed his interlocked hands on his lower abdomen.

“Then will you help me make that judgment?”

“If you wish.”

When he readily agreed, a look of puzzlement crossed Count Stacy’s face. Frederick looked at the Count with meaningful eyes and handed him the contract he had brought.

“I haven’t said I’m contracting with you yet.”

“Please read it first.”

At the confident response, Count Stacy somewhat dazedly read the contract. It took only a moment for his eyes, filled with questions, to change to shock. Frederick asked with a calm face, as if he had expected this reaction.

“Now can you trust me?”

“……”

Count Stacy put down the contract and pressed firmly on his closed eyelids. Sensing that he needed time to think, Frederick didn’t rush him and quietly drank his tea.

By the time Frederick had taken about two sips of tea, the Count opened his mouth.

“I still thought you loved that child.”

“I do love her.”

Frederick answered in a plain tone.

“There’s a lot to gain by having Liliana Benjamin as a wife. So how could I not love her?”

In other words, it meant he loved her conditions, not Liliana Benjamin herself.

That is, if a better condition appeared, he could switch at any time.

Count Stacy laughed dryly and pointed to the contract he had given.

“So that’s why you did this. Because she shouldn’t leave before you switch.”

Frederick answered with a laugh and asked.

“Now can you trust me?”

Count Stacy also answered with a smile and stood up. He approached the desk, took something out of a locked drawer, and handed it to Frederick. It was an invitation. Frederick took it casually and widened his eyes when he saw the imperial emblem stamped on the golden wax seal.

“This is……”

“It’s an invitation to a party held four days from now. A party celebrating Herald Maximilian’s conferment of title.”

Count Stacy picked up his teacup and continued.

“You’ll be told what you need to do next when you attend the party.”

“……”

“By the way, you need to bring a partner, so come with that child.”

Frederick looked at Count Stacy leisurely drinking his tea for a moment, then looked down at the invitation again. The golden imperial seal glittered under the light.

It was strange that he wouldn’t tell him right now but would tell him at an imperial-hosted party, and Count Stacy had used an honorific saying “You’ll be told”.

In other words, it meant that the person who would tell Frederick something was of higher status than the Count.

And considering that he would specifically tell him at an imperial-hosted banquet, the other party was clearly deeply connected to the imperial family.

‘Come to think of it, the Stacy Count family was aligned with the Second Prince faction.’

Frederick’s lips curved up pleasantly as his thoughts reached that point. He was already getting bored of being called a baron, and a good opportunity had come.

And thinking that it was an opportunity created by Lily made him laugh. That woman would never know. That she had dug her own grave and her mother’s with her own hands.

“You’ll attend, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

Frederick answered steadfastly, wiping the smile off his face.

“I will certainly attend.”

Lily had been worried about what to talk about with Countess Stacy while touring the garden, but her worry was resolved ridiculously easily when the Countess excused herself for household matters.

Left alone, Lily leisurely toured the garden. As the Countess had said, spring flowers were blooming beautifully. There were flowers she knew the names of, but there were more she didn’t know.

“Ah, it’s the flower I saw at the lake.”

Lily’s face darkened as she naturally recalled going to the lakeside with Herald. She was happy just thinking about that, but when she associated it with what happened afterwards, she became unhappy. She felt confused, feeling both a sense of betrayal and self-loathing at the same time.

“Haa.”

Letting out a deep sigh, Lily crouched down and fiddled with the flower petals. As her thoughts deepened, her hand strengthened and she accidentally plucked a petal.

“……”

She didn’t feel guilty about plucking the petal. It would be more accurate to say that she had no room to think of anything else because that man occupied not only her mind but also her heart. Rather, she had the ridiculous thought that it would be nice if she could detach her thoughts like this flower petal.

As Lily was rolling the plucked petal in her hand like a toy, she turned her head at the presence she felt behind her. She thought it would be Countess Stacy, but it was a maid.

I guess the business talk is over. I thought it would take quite some time, but it was faster than expected. As Lily straightened her bent knees and turned around, the maid held out an envelope.

“What’s this?”

“The young master asked me to give this to the Baroness.”

“What?”

As far as Lily knew, there was no one in the Stacy Count’s family who could be called young master. Count Stacy was an only child, and Kennedy Stacy was also alone.

So Count Stacy often jokingly said that he would pass on the title of count directly to his son when Kennedy Stacy got married and had a son.

But when she said young master, Lily received the letter with puzzlement, then hesitated when she saw the name written at the bottom of the envelope.

It’s that man. Her lips, which had parted in joy just at seeing his name, closed again because a question arose.

How did he know I was here?

Lily suddenly recalled the image of Kennedy Stacy arm in arm with that man. It looked too affectionate to be just an escort. To the point where she suspected Kennedy’s fiancé had changed.

Did Kennedy Stacy tell that man I was here?

If that man is really Kennedy Stacy’s fiancé… am I the other woman?

Lily laughed hollowly at the sudden doubt. The real cheater wasn’t that man, but her. Yet she felt pathetic for trying to ease her guilty conscience even a little by putting such a facade on that man.

While Lily was lost in thought, the maid who had delivered the letter quietly disappeared.

Unaware of this fact and still staring at the letter, Lily raised her head again at the sound of someone calling “Baroness!” Not far away, she saw another maid walking towards her.

“The master asked me to bring you, my lady.”

“Alright.”

Quickly putting the letter in her pocket before the maid arrived, Lily answered nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.

Lily, who had returned to the study, soon left the Count’s mansion with Frederick. In her hand was a contract she had signed agreeing to help Count Stacy.

Lily carefully read through the contract clauses again, which she had already read several times. When reading the compensation part, she thought about what she would do with the money.

First, I should buy lots of painting supplies that Mother likes.

While she was thinking about what else to do, Frederick, who was sitting across from her looking out the window, suddenly asked.

“Are you close with Count Stacy?”

“……”

At the question with unclear intentions, Lily looked at him instead of answering. Frederick also looked at Lily and asked again.

“I asked if you’re close with Count Stacy.”

“……If you’re asking if I have a close relationship with him, no. As I said before, it was my late father who was close to Count Stacy.”

“So you have no personal relationship with Count Stacy at all?”

“Before I answer, I’d like to know why you’re asking.”

When Lily responded in a sharp voice, Frederick silently looked at her. As they stared at each other as if having a staring contest, it was Frederick who turned his head away first.

Frederick took out an invitation from his bag and showed it to Lily.

“This is an invitation to an imperial-hosted party four days from now. Count Stacy said to attend with you, so get ready to go.”