Instead of answering Idel, Roselin turned to Uncle and suggested as if pleading.

“Uncle! How about doing it like this?”

“…What are you talking about?”

When Uncle, who had been silently observing the situation, asked, Roselin answered with shining eyes.

“Unni will go to the Fairy Forest and bring Uncle’s birthday gift from there.”

“Fairy Forest…?”

At the mention of the ‘Fairy Forest’ by Roselin, the family members were astonished and greatly stirred.

“If Unni brings a series of blossoms, symbolizing Uncle’s birth, as a gift from the Fairy Forest… Please recognize Unni as a family member.”

“Fairy Forest…?”

Uncle, rubbing his chin, fell into thought for a moment.

“It could indeed be a way to prove the Fleur blood. If she goes to the Fairy Forest.”

With the elder of the family asserting, the onlookers, who had held their breath, stirred again.

“However… Where is this Fairy Forest, and what does it mean to prove the Fleur blood?”

To grasp the situation, Idel asked Uncle.

‘Indeed, they don’t know about the Fairy Forest or its significance.’

‘No wonder… How can they call me Fleur like this?’

The family members murmured and exchanged glances, mocking gazes filled with increased disdain toward the unfamiliar Grand Duchess. Idel closed and opened her eyes in response.

‘It’s okay. Don’t waver.’

As if to remind herself of the familiar sense of alienation, Idel inwardly collected her thoughts.

“Please tell me about the Fairy Forest and proving the Fleur lineage.”

With an unwavering gaze, Idel once again asked Uncle.

Observing her for a moment, he turned his head toward the dense forest where the scent of the lush woods settled.

“The Fairy Forest refers to the forest surrounding the Marquisate. It is the sacred land where the ancestors of the Fleur family first laid the foundation.”

Listening to the story, the picturesque view of the lush forest, which had felt mysterious since arriving at the Marquisate, now seemed even more special.

“Proving Fleur is simple. Just enter that Fairy Forest alone and come back.”

“Is it dangerous inside the Fairy Forest?”

“Not at all. It’s a place where flowers and trees spread like paradise. If you just walk straight to the center of the forest, you can return within two hours at the latest.”

“That’s right. Unni! It’s an ‘easy’ proof that anyone who is Fleur can do. Unni can definitely do it.”

Unnoticed, Roselin, who had risen from her seat and approached Idel, interrupted Uncle’s words.
“Visiting the Fairy Forest has another meaning. For the Fleur family, it is a mandatory coming-of-age ceremony.”

“A coming-of-age ceremony…?”

“Fleur individuals who turn twenty conduct a coming-of-age ceremony as proof that they have truly become adults. They enter the Fairy Forest to bring back the blossoms that symbolize their own birth.”

“Unni turned twenty this year, so it worked out well!”

“In that case, the timing is appropriate. However, if there are no birth blossoms… If you wish to undergo this coming-of-age ceremony, you can bring a Hanryeon flower instead, as Roselin suggested.”

“…”

“Of course, it’s not a coercion. If Fleur’s proof or the family’s recognition is not important to you.”

Uncle’s nonchalant remark, as if there was no need to feel burdened, unexpectedly felt like an inexplicable pressure to her.

While Idel decided not to be swayed by Roselin’s provocations anymore…

At the mention of proving her existence within the family in a way other than the fragrance, Idel strangely felt her heart pounding.

Despite knowing that this was undoubtedly a trap, the complex emotions of anticipation and anxiety mixed when seeing Roselin’s encouraging attitude.

Watching Idel, who seemed lost in thought without speaking, Roselin bent down and whispered into her ear.

“Seize this opportunity to undergo the coming-of-age ceremony and gain the family’s recognition. Then, no one will deny your existence.”

With a secretive tone, Roselin conveyed her words.

“Moreover, if you gain recognition within the family, wouldn’t it be helpful for the Grand Duchy?”

“The Grand Duchy…?”

“If, by any chance, the rejection of the foreign noble family becomes known to the noble delegates who came as envoys… His Grace would also be embarrassed.”

“…!”

Staring into Roselin’s cunning eyes, Idel was taken aback. Although it sounded like advice for her benefit, in reality, it was a threat.

‘This whole affair will become known to the envoys.’

Roselin was certainly capable of making that happen.

Even if she refused the coming-of-age ceremony or failed to pass it… If this fact became known, it would ultimately prove that the Grand Duchess couldn’t truly belong to the Fleur family.

‘But if I pass the coming-of-age ceremony…’

Even with Roselin exploiting her weakness of lacking fragrance, both she and the family members who denied her existence would no longer be able to do so.

Furthermore, as her presence, without the fragrance, would no longer hinder her family’s proper recognition, there would be no future obstacles with the Grand Duchy and Kaeron.

‘This is not a crisis but an opportunity.’

While Roselin orchestrated this play to entrap her, Idel decided to turn this crisis into an opportunity.

‘In the family’s eyes, I may have been considered a seed of denial, burdened with the stigma my mother received…’

Idel believed in her mother, even though she was born without fragrance. Although she had no memories of her mother from her infancy, she once found her mother’s old diary in her father’s study.

The diary contained daily entries filled with affection for her father, the Count Fleur, and expectations for the soon-to-be-born Idel.

‘My mother, who held such feelings, would never have embraced denial.’

Idel was convinced of her mother’s heart, having experienced affection herself.

‘Perhaps her grief was as great as her love.’

Her mother, burdened by the family’s blame, suffering silently before departing… Overwhelmed by sorrow, Idel released a slow and deep breath.

‘Take off the unfounded stigma attached by the family and prove it. Prove that Fleur’s blood flows within me.’

The steady beat of her heart became clearer. What flowed through her veins at this moment was nothing but a firm determination.
“I will undergo the coming-of-age ceremony. I will go and bring back the Hanryeon flower as a gift for Uncle.”

“…!”

Idel declared towards the family members with a gaze stronger than ever before.