Boloniko, who had entrusted the servants with removing his protective gear, immediately sent a letter to the Peliesse Count’s residence.

The recipient was Regina Peliesse.

She was the cousin of the former Crown Princess.

Meeting with Crown Prince Boloniko was always thrilling.

First in line for the throne succession and a beautiful unmarried prince, Boloniko was the empire’s most eligible bachelor.

If such a Boloniko regularly inquired after one’s well-being and attended unofficial events together, what would people whisper?

“The Peliesse Count’s daughter and the First Prince seem to be especially close lately.”

“It’s safe to say that Peliesse has now fully entered Crown Prince Boloniko’s faction.”

“It’s difficult to maintain neutrality in these times.”

“Another marriage alliance? I heard that the previous Peliesse Count’s daughter also married into the imperial family, though to the deposed Crown Prince.”

“They might become completely loyal supporters of the Emperor’s faction now.”

“Will Grand Duke Drieter stand for this? With Grand Duchess Ariesta right there, why would Crown Prince Boloniko…”

“He called her a close friend, so we’ll have to wait and see for now.”

“Still, it can’t hurt to get closer in advance, just in case.”

Countless gazes were directed at Regina as she ascended to the second floor, holding Boloniko’s arm.

Beside Boloniko, who was lightly waving his hand like an actor, Regina pondered what story she should use to capture his attention today.

The plays Boloniko invited people to were special.

First of all, those invited were unconditionally the closest noble supporters of Boloniko as the next emperor and their vassals.

The secret opera theater was filled with not only famous actors but also fascinating spectacles, including lions, bears, and sometimes even young giraffes brought in through the ceiling to participate in the plays.

The number of people invited to the box seats for these plays was very limited.

It was well known that only the closest confidants, like Margrave Kompani, regularly attended plays with Boloniko.

Recently, the one occupying that seat was Regina Peliesse.

“There’s still time before the play starts, so I’ll briefly visit the ladies’ lounge.”

Regina headed towards the lounge, enjoying the whispering gazes of the people as she walked down the corridor.

Boloniko was a curious man, so the more gossip she gathered and brought to him, the more interest he showed.

The ladies’ lounge was the ideal place to pick up on the nobles’ intimate and private secrets.

Moreover, the attitude of the noble ladies who had previously treated Regina as invisible had subtly changed, showing signs of welcoming her, making it a much more appealing place to enter than before.

“So what if her mother is a merchant’s daughter?”

“Just think about the previous Peliesse Count and Countess. And the generation before that. Looking at how unlike she is to the current Peliesse Count, it seems they’ve all married outside the nobility. That vulgar red hair. That light gait. From behind, she’s no different from a commoner.”

“But she is a striking beauty, isn’t she?”

“Have you seen Grand Duchess Ariesta? Now she’s truly a peerless beauty. Regina Peliesse? I’d never even heard that name before.”

“Have you heard the news that Peliesse is now overflowing with gold thanks to the new deposed Crown Princess?”

“Ah. Those who should know, know. The Lev Marquis family paid the groom’s dowry for the first time, didn’t they? Are you envious?”

Raucous laughter leaked from behind the door.

It was the laughter of elderly ladies, noble ladies seasoned in high society, and the young ladies they had brought along.

“What a joke. Envious? That’s being sold off. Compared to wasting one’s life living with such a monster, it’s a very small amount.”

“Still, it’s better than Regina Peliesse. How long will the First Prince stay with Regina Peliesse? In the end, he’ll have no choice but to marry Grand Duchess Ariesta. If she only ends up with scandals with the Prince and no marriage, Lady Regina’s reputation will only plummet from now on.”

“If that happens, who would want to marry the Peliesse Count’s daughter who doesn’t even bring a fief? Her value will hit rock bottom, and she probably won’t even dream of getting a dowry like the one the deposed Crown Princess received.”

“Oh my. What will happen then? I feel so sorry for the Peliesse Count’s family—”

Regina stood frozen, absorbing the mockery and gossip seeping through the door crack.

Just because tea party invitations were overflowing didn’t mean everyone viewed Regina’s future through rose-colored glasses.

‘It’s because of Boloniko.’

Ten years ago, there were strange rumors about Boloniko and Grand Duchess Ariesta, who was the deposed Crown Prince’s fiancée.

Just like Regina now, he had taken her everywhere as a decoration.

They say he didn’t even bat an eye when rumors spread about discord with the deposed Crown Prince, keeping the Grand Duchess, considered a once-in-a-century beauty, by his side.

Consequently, when the engagement with the deposed Crown Prince was broken off, all the bad rumors were directed at Grand Duchess Ariesta.

That she had abandoned the deposed Crown Prince and chosen Boloniko out of ambition to become the future Empress.

If the conclusion of this strange combination had finally been the Grand Duchess becoming the Crown Princess, the rumors might have been dispelled…

‘But Boloniko didn’t do that.’

Regrettably, Boloniko had no fiancée despite not being of a young age.

There was nowhere Ariesta could marry with the rumors of her involvement with Boloniko, the son of the Emperor’s closest confidant, Grand Duke Drieter.

Thus, unlike her peers who usually started looking for fiancés or betrothed from the age of 20, Ariesta existed like a flower on a cliff, secluded in her territory.

‘I won’t end up like that.’

Ariesta, the Grand Duchess raised like a hothouse flower, probably couldn’t satisfy the curious Boloniko. But not me.

Regina bit the inside of her mouth and finally returned to her seat from the lounge entrance.

Lounging lazily in his seat, First Prince Boloniko smiled warmly at her appearance while stroking a parrot beside him.

“Have you rested enough, Lady Regina?”

As soon as she sat down, Regina began to share interesting stories she had heard at the tea parties she had been invited to.

Boloniko listened to her stories quietly, responding lightly.

“Yawn—”

“!”

Regina froze stiffly the moment Boloniko, who had never shown boredom at her stories before, openly yawned.

The gesture of wiping away non-existent tears seemed unlike the gentleman who had always treated her politely and flawlessly.

“Your Highness?”

Boloniko smiled faintly at the woman’s eyes filled with anxiety.

Enjoying her gaze that alternated between relief and anxiety, he whispered.

“Boloniko is not interested in the people around him, Lady Regina. Boloniko is interested in you.”

Color rapidly returned to Regina’s cheeks, which had been turning pale.

She didn’t even realize that Boloniko, who had been polite, was naturally starting to speak informally to her.

And those eyes that Boloniko had liked. Those eyes that coveted what belonged to others flashed at him unfiltered for just a moment.

Regina Peliesse was filled with pride in her position as a ‘Count’s’ daughter rather than pride in Peliesse itself.

A court noble without a single fief. Despite having a father who couldn’t even properly participate in politics.

A hint of mischief began to gather at the corners of Boloniko’s lips as they curved upwards smoothly.

“That’s enough about other people. Now, I think we need more time to get to know each other. What do you think, Lady Regina?”

It was only natural that Regina became more expectant and impatient at Boloniko’s tongue, which slid like a snake’s.

“Boloniko wants to know more about you and your family, Lady Regina.”

The beautiful prince’s impeccably elegant and long fingers touched the back of Regina’s hand, which had been gripping the box seat bar tightly.

As she straightened her back and tensed, a smooth voice wrapped around Regina’s eardrum like a snake.

“Do you know what this means?”

Every family always had legendary stories passed down through generations.

After that day, Boloniko openly showed respect and curiosity about Peliesse’s legends and special qualities.

While Regina felt hope at Boloniko’s behavior, she had to constantly realize that she knew too little about Peliesse herself.

Regina somehow nagged her father, mother, useless Frederick, and even the aging butler to scrape together whatever information she could find, even if it was useless.

“Everyone knows that much, Lady Regina.”

“But the fact that the painkillers our family makes are particularly more effective is something ordinary people take for granted, Your Highness. The reason lies in the special experiments I mentioned earlier.”

Having run out of topics, Regina even talked about the laboratory that experimented on stray dogs, street cats, sheep or goats separated from their herds, but it was too much.

Compared to the rare animals in Boloniko’s palace and the strange training imposed on them, it was merely ticklish.

In return for bringing even such small pieces of information, Regina visited Boloniko’s palace and saw a yellow elephant writing numbers with its trunk for the first time in her life, painfully realizing how insignificant the information she brought was.

In other words, Boloniko wanted very stimulating stories that others couldn’t even think of.

When Boloniko’s blue eyes became dull or tinged with boredom, Regina couldn’t bear the anxiety.

It felt like she was receiving less attention than the parrot that always hovered around him or perched on his shoulder.

But whenever she became gloomy, Boloniko would uncannily feed her sweet words.

“Although our family has a high reputation as medical scholars, how many such outlandish things that interest Your Highness could we have?”

“Don’t underestimate Peliesse too much, Lady Regina.”

White gloves elaborately embroidered with gold thread. Boloniko, hiding his elegant hand inside, willingly caressed Regina’s beautiful face and whispered.

“It’s special, isn’t it? A working nobility. Where else could you find such noble aristocrats?”

It was exactly what she wanted to hear.

Especially for Regina, who was already looked down upon by some nobles for being a ‘working nobility’, and had the label of being half-merchant blood because of her mother Priscilla.

“Aren’t Peliesse, who research for the sick and contribute to medicine, the greatest contributors, rather than incompetent nobles who whine about not having enough while failing to collect taxes properly?”

That was exactly what Regina wanted to say to the noble ladies who looked down on her!

But there was another reason why Regina was concerned about Boloniko’s interest.

“But even if Your Highness is curious about that… what difference would it make?”

Would there really be a place for her beside this beautiful prince?

The secrets or legends of Peliesse. What difference would it make if she scraped together whatever she could find and reported it, and Boloniko knew about it?

Boloniko, as if he hadn’t expected Regina to ask such a question, looked at her for a moment before responding with his usual slippery smile.

“In Yufris, overflowing with sick people everywhere. It’s only natural for Boloniko, a member of the imperial family, to be curious about the noble Peliesse.”

Boloniko whispered softly.

“And a lady of the truly meritorious Peliesse Count’s family… is more than qualified to be the protagonist at the upcoming Imperial Palace debutante ball. Don’t you think so?”

The Imperial Palace debutante ball.

An official occasion where all eyes would be focused.

“Aren’t you tired of just watching plays and attending salons? Don’t you want to let everyone know how close we are in front of so many people, Lady Regina?”

Regina’s green eyes began to shake violently.