“You’ve come just in time, Lorisha! Write me a speech for the party. I’m the host of this party.”

“Misha has grown up so much.”

The Countess clapped her hands as if moved.

“……”

I was so taken aback that I didn’t even want to move my lips.

She ran up to me, cuddled my arm, and acted cute.

“Who knows better than me that you’re good at this? Right?”

Her words hinted at that love letter story. I stared at her in disbelief, and the Count’s angry voice was heard.

“Misha!”

We all looked at the Count in surprise.

Misha, not knowing why, was shocked that her father was angry at her and her eyes welled with tears. The Countess glared at me.

I spoke quickly before the Count continued.

“Can you wait? I think I need to think about it.”

“Sure! I’ll wait as long as it takes!”

With eyes about to cry, Misha happily responded.

I shook off Misha’s arm and left. It was fortunate that I cut her off in time so that the Count didn’t get angrier.

To be honest, I wasn’t even angry then.

Misha was Misha, and I was myself.

A spoilt child who didn’t hesitate to get what she wanted, and a foundling who had to chew and roll something in my mouth for years before I could utter it.

Just a trivial difference by nature.

My daily life had rolled along in such differences, and today was just another day.

To ascribe meaning to various things and stir up emotions is to wear oneself out.

Instead of going to my room, I headed to the Count’s library.

Looking closely at the shelves, a book caught my eye.

『Great Speeches of the Empire』

I took out the book and returned to my room.

I never said I was contemplating writing a speech. My only concern was which book to plagiarize from.

As I flipped through the pages, one caught my eye.

‘We are now living in a great era…….’

A little later, when I handed over the paper with the speech written on it, Misha added a spoonful more, asking me to watch her practice.

While frowning, she said she hadn’t yet decided which champagne to drink while reading this.

“Bengarou is pretty in color, and Curiang has beautiful bubbles…….”

I asked her very calmly.

“Misha, isn’t today my birthday?”

“Yes. I know. I already gave you a gift. ‘We are now living in a great era’…….”

Misha answered dryly and then began to read the speech in an exaggerated voice.

I watched her, imagining burning that measly velvet dress in front of Misha.

But what’s the point of getting angry at a child like this?
At that time, a servant came and relayed the groom’s words. The horses had been harnessed to the carriage for quite some time, and they couldn’t wait any longer. If they weren’t going to depart now, the horses needed to be sent back to the stable to rest.

Misha, seemingly unbothered by the servant while reading a letter, said:

“Where were you planning to go? It’s a good thing, anyway. …Lorisha. Lorisha? Where are you going?”

I immediately got up and hid where Misha would never find me. To the Earl’s library.

I fell asleep there while reading a new herbalism book.

(This is a time separator.)

I thought I had only laid down on the desk for a moment, but outside it was pitch black. From afar, a beautiful melody reached my ears.

The party had already begun.

“Damn it….”

I quietly muttered and looked outside.

Right now, all the servants would be preoccupied with tending to the guests’ carriages, so there would be no time to get mine ready.

I walked slowly back to my room.

Looking at the luggage that had been on the bed since morning, I began to wonder why I couldn’t go meet my mother alone.

I picked up my luggage and went out to the balcony and put it on the railing. After throwing the bag down, I sat on the railing, about to jump down myself, when I heard a ‘Ha!’ and a laugh of utter disbelief.

And then I locked eyes with him. He was sitting in a tree across from my balcony in the darkness, glaring at me.

“Eh? Eeh……!”

I was so surprised that I fumbled my movements and lost my balance, falling from the railing.