Not wanting to disappoint the Duchess, I had to wear this dress and go out, and everyone who looked at me that day had eyes like flatfish.

It wasn’t because of my stunning beauty but because of my dress, which reflected the chandelier light like a disco ball.

“Today, I definitely want a simple dress.”

I sighed again, taking up a rag, and diligently polished the bracelet I was going to wear today.

“Shall I find a dress that matches that bracelet?”

“Yes. The dress can be ordinary as long as this bracelet stands out.”

The bracelet was a splendid cuff style that came up just below the elbow, woven with silver and diamonds.

I didn’t intend to create another flatfisheye disaster by matching a more gorgeous dress with this already opulent jewelry.

But Eliza sighed as if she were disappointed.

“Sigh, still, today is the engagement ceremony of Countess Lamira. On a day like this, you, the princess, should shine the most, so as to punch the old lady’s nose”

Eliza punched the air a few times.

That’s right. Today was the engagement day of the young lady who tried to push me at the founding festival years ago. Unfortunately, that bad relationship continued to this day.

Eliza pounded her chest a few times.

“Thinking of what that young lady did to you makes me so angry.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing! I’ve heard all the rumors too. She criticizes your outfit at every gathering and then comes to the next one dressed exactly the same.”

I shrugged, and Eliza sighed again, starting to rummage through the dress room.

Eventually, I chose a transparent skyblue dress studded with small jewels.

In truth, I wanted to wear a dress without any jewels, but sadly, there was no such dress.

So I made all the preparations and arrived at Countess Lamira’s engagement ceremony with the Duke’s family. As soon as we arrived, all the eyes in the hall were focused on us.

The Duke, Duchess, and even Kirian seemed not to care about the familiar stares, but no matter how many times I experienced it, I could never get used to it.

“I’m going to say hello to Countess Lamira.”

As I spoke, the Duchess clenched her fist.

“Yes, go and give her a good scolding if you can.”

“Haha. I won’t scold her or anything.”

I smiled awkwardly. At first, I didn’t want to inform the Duchess that I was going through this ordeal. But the rumor spread quickly, and it didn’t take long to reach the Duchess’s ears.

Thanks to that, I had some trouble stopping her from going to Count Ramira’s house to argue right away.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to make a big deal or that I was afraid of the Count’s retribution.

Even though I was well past twenty, my pride wouldn’t allow me to pass everything on to the Duchess.

“I’ll be back.”

As I locked eyes with Kirian, he gave me a faint smile. Now fourteen, he had grown much taller than me.

The chubby cuteness was gone, but with his perfectly arranged features, he stood out as a strikingly handsome young man wherever he was.

“Come back, sister. I’ll be waiting.”

Kirian, who used to follow me around unconditionally, had suddenly become much more mature. He always maintained a polite attitude and tried to be considerate of me even in small matters.

Surely his maturing was a good thing, but sometimes, I found myself missing the pouty and tonguetied chubby boy.

Just then, Count Ramira’s young lord was exchanging greetings with other young lords. Esmeralda was among them.

“Congratulations on your engagement, Count Ramira.”

At Esmeralda’s warm words, Count Ramira’s young lord nodded slightly.

I also took the opportunity to approach, smiling.

“I congratulate you too.”

Other young lords joined in, noticing my cue.

“You’ll soon be Lady Steden.”

Count Ramira’s young lord’s face twisted slightly.

The widely known fact that the bankrupt count, due to successive business failures, was hastily promoting a marriage with a baron’s house that, although of lower status, was wealthy, was evident.

I sighed lightly. Sometimes young lords, like this, would look only at my background and try to win my favor with desperate actions. The problem was that Count Ramira’s young lord firmly believed I was behind it all.

“Thank you for congratulating me. No good news from you yet, Your Highness? It’s getting late, and I’m worried.”

The painful remark from Count Ramira’s young lord.

“I’m taking my time to think.”

“Oh dear, take your time, and you’ll miss the chance. Is there any young lady our age who’s not engaged? Or… can’t you do it?”

Count Ramira’s young lord’s close friends fanned themselves and laughed softly.

“I haven’t done it yet either?”

Esmeralda tried to intervene, but she grimaced and held her ear, as if hearing a name.

“His Grace cares for me so much that I haven’t been able to do it yet.”

When the attack didn’t work, Count Ramira’s young lord frowned again.

“But that bracelet is too much for my engagement ceremony, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It’s polite to let the star of the engagement stand out, but it’s too flashy.”

“You always like flashy things, Your Highness, but maybe you should restrain yourself today?”

Count Ramira led the way, and her close friends followed with their remarks.

Count Ramira’s young lord, as expected, did not deviate an inch from expectation.

I suppressed a rising smirk and obediently took off the bracelet.

“Then, will you keep it for me during the engagement ceremony?”