The party Liliana and Fredrick were invited to was to celebrate Herald Maximilian receiving his title of Count.

Since they weren’t invited to the title conferment ceremony held earlier, they only needed to go to the Imperial banquet hall by 7 PM when the celebration party started. But Liliana wondered why she had to get up and prepare from dawn, and soon realized the reason.

It took nearly an hour just to bathe with the maids’ assistance, and then she had to receive a special massage for over two hours to make her skin as white and clean as white jade.

In addition, applying fragrant oil to make her hair look good, neatly trimming her fingernails and toenails, and other grooming took up most of the morning. In the afternoon, she had to spend busy time tightening her waist with a corset, putting on a dress, and getting makeup done.

As much time as was invested, her outward appearance became more and more gorgeous and beautiful, but Liliana was not happy at all. She was just tired and everything felt bothersome. She didn’t understand why she had to dress up like this to attend a party she didn’t want to go to.

If she had to find a reason, was it to look prettier than the ladies who had slept with Fredrick?

At the thought that suddenly occurred to her, Liliana laughed bitterly. It was because her situation of having to dress up prettily to not lose to the women her husband had affairs with felt pathetic and pitiful. Her desire not to go to the party grew a little stronger.

“Now we just need to apply lipstick.”

However, preparations for attending the party were almost complete regardless of her wishes. Liliana looked at her reflection in the mirror. The maids kept praising her as pretty, but she didn’t think so. It felt awkward, like wearing clothes that didn’t suit her.

As she was applying red lipstick and checking for any strange parts one last time, there was a knock.

“Young mistress, the master says he will depart in 20 minutes, so please come down alone by then.”

At the butler’s report, Liliana checked the time. Current time 4:20 PM. Although the party started at 7 PM, considering the time to get to the Imperial banquet hall and other factors, they had to leave by 5 PM at the latest. As there wasn’t much time left, the maids’ hands sped up to make the final touches.

“Is there anything you’re not satisfied with?”

Liliana wanted to answer ‘Everything’, but knowing it would be meaningless, she silently shook her head. The maids smiled proudly as if they had expected that.

She draped a shawl with fluffy white fur over her exposed shoulders and put on lace gloves.

“Would you like to take a handkerchief too?”

At the maid’s question, Liliana remembered the handkerchief Herald had given her. That day, even while gasping in great shock from her husband’s terrible actions and words, Liliana had washed the handkerchief Herald gave her herself.

The handkerchief she had washed clean without leaving a single tear stain and dried well in the sunlight looked like new, but that was the problem. She couldn’t smell Herald’s scent at all anymore.

It was very regrettable that his scent, which had been so strong even when soaked with tears, had disappeared without a trace, but feeling ashamed of having such emotions, she hid the handkerchief deep in an invisible drawer of her vanity.

She thought she would forget if she didn’t see it, but that wasn’t the case. The handkerchief came to mind several times a day. Even though it had lost its owner’s scent, it occupied a prominent place in her mind just because it belonged to that man. Even now, with only that handkerchief coming to mind, Liliana looked at the vanity drawer.

“Do you need something, my lady?”

“…No.”

There was no need to bring a handkerchief to the party, and even if she needed one, she couldn’t use his. Of course, since nobles from various regions would be attending the party, she did consider that he might attend too and thought about returning the handkerchief then…

But she concluded not to do so because she wouldn’t be able to act like she knew that man at the party where many eyes would be watching. Moreover, she hadn’t decided yet how to handle her relationship with that man.

“If you want, I’ll gladly become your mistress.”

As his voice echoed in her ears like an echo, Liliana squeezed her eyes shut. The thought that accepting that man’s proposal was nonsensical and the selfish feeling that there was no problem if they liked each other kept clashing and tormenting her. It was the reason she hadn’t been able to make up her mind until now.

If she ends up rejecting his proposal, should she ask him to remain as a friend then?

That kind of friend she could comfortably rely on when things were difficult and painful.

“…What a ridiculous thought.”

“Pardon? What did you just say, my lady?”

When the maid arranging the dress skirt asked curiously, Liliana opened her eyes and shook her head.

“It’s nothing.”

As she had answered, it was a selfish thought not even worth considering, so she immediately erased the assumption of becoming friends with that man from her mind.

“I don’t need a handkerchief.”

Instead, she grabbed a fan that was popular among noble ladies these days and left the bedroom. As she passed through the long corridor and descended the central staircase, she saw Fredrick talking with the aide in the hall.

Seeing that sight reminded her of the suspicious conversation Fredrick had with the aide last time. Along with the strange note she had found in Fredrick’s coat pocket yesterday, her suspicions deepened.

Could the “that woman” Fredrick mentioned then be Mother?

“Wife.”

Fredrick, belatedly realizing Liliana had arrived, smiled gently and said.

“I thought it would suit you well, but I didn’t know it would be to this extent. Green really suits you, wife.”

It was clearly a compliment, but the reason it didn’t sound like one was probably because it was coming from Fredrick. Still, in the past she would have at least thanked him even if it was just lip service, but remembering the atrocities Fredrick had committed last night, she couldn’t do so.

“……”

Not wanting to thank him, even falsely, for forcibly kissing her when she said no and declaring he would have a child, Liliana silently turned her head away. Fredrick’s expression distorting at the obvious snub was the natural course.

“Are you going to act like this at the party too?”

Fredrick asked somewhat irritably.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to publicly reveal to others that the Viscount and Viscountess Benjamin’s relationship isn’t good?”

Is that not allowed?

Liliana was about to ask that but held back. It was because she knew well that there was no way she could win an argument with him. He held too many of her weaknesses, so it was a relationship where she couldn’t fight from the start. But not wanting to give in either, she maintained her silence to the end.

“Haa, really.”

At this, Fredrick sighed deeply as if frustrated, rubbing his forehead. Even then, he stared intently at her, but Liliana did not look back at Fredrick until the end.

Although the celebration party was set to start at 7 o’clock, the doors to the banquet hall were already wide open. Entering the hall escorted by Fredrick, Liliana froze at the splendid sight before her eyes.

The Benjamin viscounty was an insignificant, humble family except for the fact that Liliana’s father, the former Viscount Benjamin, had been the Imperial archivist. Moreover, since Liliana was not of age when her father was alive, she had never attended such a grand party before.

The largest party she had attended was Kennedy Stacy’s coming-of-age ceremony hosted by Count Stacy.

She thought it would naturally be more magnificent than Kennedy’s coming-of-age party since it was hosted by the Imperial family, but she didn’t expect it to be to this extent.

Intimidated by the party that was not just splendid but grand, Liliana swallowed dryly. Her anxiously trembling green eyes looked around as if searching for a place to hide, but there was no place for her to hide in this dazzling space.

“There’s Count Stacy. Let’s go over there.”

What made it even more burdensome for Liliana, who was already overwhelmed, was Fredrick’s behavior. Following her husband’s lead in a daze, Liliana flinched and stopped when she saw the people with Count Stacy.

“……”

They were people her father had been close to when he was alive. They were also the ones who had coldly rejected Liliana when she asked for help just once after losing everything, including her father, in a fire two years ago.

They also seemed surprised to see Liliana and paused for a moment, but soon greeted her with a smile as if nothing had happened.

“It’s been a long time, Liliana. Have you been well?”

“You used to look quite girlish before, but now you really have the air of a lady.”

“Oh my, why are you all like this.”

Count Stacy smiled kindly and put his hand on Liliana’s shoulder. Even though she was wearing a thick shawl, Liliana shrugged her shoulders, getting goosebumps.

“We should call her Viscountess Benjamin now, not Liliana.”

“Ah, that’s right, she got married. Then the person next to her is…?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Fredrick Benjamin.”

Fredrick blended into the group naturally as if he had known them from the beginning.

On the other hand, Liliana stood there like a sack of borrowed barley, staring at them. Seeing the people she disliked gathered cozily talking made her stomach churn. Nausea rose in her churning stomach even though she hadn’t eaten anything all day. Liliana tried her best to endure, but it was too much.

“I’ll go get something to drink for a moment.”

Feeling like she might make an irreversible mistake if she stayed, she made an excuse to leave, but the attendant guarding the entrance to the banquet hall shouted loudly.

“Here comes the protagonist of today, Count Herald Breyden!”

Why did he have to come now of all times? Frowning deeply at the terrible timing, Liliana turned her head and widened her eyes as she saw the man entering the banquet hall majestically.

“Dillon…?”