‘Suddenly making her attend the engagement party as the lady of the Crystallos family from being a maid? Even though they tried to kill her by imprisoning her in the Red Forest?’

Unless someone else had suddenly possessed Serina’s body, such a thing couldn’t be possible.

‘Something’s strange…….’

Letia stood in front of the mirror at the end of inexplicable preparations, not letting her guard down for a single moment.

Her reflection in the mirror looked extremely unfamiliar.

Her short gray hair was trimmed as neatly as possible, adorned with all sorts of mismatched decorations, and she was wearing a dress with an absurd amount of luxurious lace hanging from it, with the brooch given by Empress Terisia pinned like a nail in the center of her chest.

Her expression involuntarily twisted as her breath gradually rose to the tip of her chin.

‘What are they trying to do again…….’

Letia gripped the brooch tightly, but unable to tear it off, she gasped for breath.

“I don’t want this. I really don’t want this anymore……”

She turned her back on the mirror and opened the door to escape even now, but Serina was standing there with a bright smile.

“Oh my! Elder sister, you look so beautiful. How lovely you look all dressed up like this!”

“……Serina?”

Serina’s eyes narrowed deeply as she looked Letia up and down, finally noticing the brooch.

She grabbed Letia’s hand and pulled.

“Come on, let’s hurry. We’ll be late at this rate.”

As Letia was dragged along by Serina, her voice kept faltering at this nonsensical situation.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Why are you suddenly speaking so formally? Ah! Are you still hung up on what I said last time? Come on, it was just a joke. Why are you being so awkward?”

‘Just a joke…….’

“It’s fine, so relax. And what do you mean, what am I doing? It’s my younger sister’s engagement party, we have to dress up at least this much. You’re my only elder sister, after all.”

“What?”

“Come on, come on. I said we need to hurry, didn’t I?”

Letia’s mind kept going blank at the too-casual attitude and too-casual words, one after another.

‘Really. Is that all you have to say?’

Since when were we ever the only elder sister and younger sister in the first place?

With that same hand now holding hers affectionately, she would have gestured, and with that same voice now whispering intimately, she would have ordered.

‘To imprison me in the Red Forest and kill me.’

But as if she had completely forgotten that fact, as if it had never happened, she doesn’t even mention it.

Rather, she’s just smiling so indifferently like that.

So brazenly.

‘I really almost died there. That person also almost died getting involved. So was that just a joke too?’

Letia’s throat choked up again and her insides twisted.

‘Am I… am I really not even human? Can I really not even run away?’

Suddenly, Kallion’s voice telling her to try running away if she wanted hooked into her like a fishhook, and her gaze sank gloomily.

***

Gaudium was the holy site of joy, where the first emperor of the Elmorte Empire built the first temple when founding Elmorte.

Ahead of the historic engagement ceremony between the imperial family and Gemma, the grand temple was already filled with nobles who had arrived.

Everyone seemed to be laughing merrily, but behind the subtly divided factional boundaries, they were clearly observing each other and tension was evident.

It couldn’t be helped.

Not all of them were the same nobles, not on the same side.

The imperial faction and the anti-imperial faction, plus the Gemma clan on one side.

As they rarely gathered in one place, it was like treading on thin ice for them.

The main focus of interest for this engagement ceremony was the attendance of Duke Kallion Luka Harencloud and Duke Panel Crosente.

Especially since Duke Crosente, who had been living in seclusion on his estate after completely disappearing from social circles, was said to be attending, there were sharp gazes watching how the political world would unfold.

But behind this complex political world, the noble ladies’ interest was focused on only one thing.

“Is the Crown Prince’s former fiancée also coming to this engagement ceremony?”

“Oh my, that stone? Surely she wouldn’t come?”

“I heard rumors that she came.”

“Really? If she comes, it would be interesting. Ah! Of course, it’s very unfortunate and pitiful.”

While pretending not to be interested, they all slightly revealed their expectations for this interesting gossip topic.

“Lady Serina Crystallos has arrived!”

Finally, all eyes focused on the entrance of the future Crown Princess.

Led by Serina, Letia eventually entered the grand temple of Gaudium.

The noble ladies had wanted to see this situation, so all their gazes were fixed on Letia rather than Serina.

Letia couldn’t help but stiffen at the gazes and voices of the social world she encountered for the first time since the broken engagement.

It was an inevitable fear that her body remembered.

Then, as if they had been waiting, the noble ladies began to open their mouths one by one and murmur.

“Oh my. She really came here?”

“Still, it’s her younger sister’s engagement ceremony after all.”

“Of course, but her situation is a bit pitiful, isn’t it?”

Letia wanted to escape from all this attention, so she tried to quickly slip away, but Serina held her hand and wouldn’t let go.

Letia swallowed a cold breath as she saw Serina smiling while observing this situation.

‘Why is she doing this, I wondered.’

Serina finally looked at Letia and deliberately raised her voice.

“Elder sister! It looks like everyone remembers you. How is it? Isn’t it nice to come like this and see familiar faces? It’s your younger sister’s engagement ceremony after all, you had to attend. I was so sorry and sad when you said you wouldn’t come. Maybe, just maybe.”

Serina faced Letia, holding both her hands tightly, and whispered plaintively with tearful eyes.

“It would never happen, but I thought you might hate me. Everyone could easily misunderstand that, but it’s definitely not like that. Right?”

From her imperial entrance to the broken engagement.

For Letia, who had suffered endless rumors, she could imagine how much more the rumors stemming from Serina’s words would tear at her.

At first, it’s close to hypocritical sympathy.

“It is pitiful. She was the future Crown Princess for over 10 years, but she was driven out.”

“I’m about to cry because it’s so pitiful, you know?”

“But it doesn’t seem like she came because she wanted to, does it?”

“It was taken by none other than her younger sister. She could feel resentful and wronged.”

It will just become gossip driven by interest.

“Actually, it can’t be seen as being taken away. Who would have known that the child of a concubine would inherit the jewel?”

“Have you heard that rumor? That it wasn’t originally a concubine, but the current Marchioness returning to her rightful place.”

“I heard it too. The rumor that the former Marchioness had a man.”

“Maybe she really did something behind the scenes and gave birth to that stone. Otherwise, why would she be a stone?”

As giggles of laughter followed, Letia clenched her trembling fingertips.

She could endure and bear all other words, but her reason kept crumbling at the words slandering her mother.

‘Because of me, mother is receiving such insults. Mother’s death was also because of me……’

Rimia couldn’t bear the shock of giving birth to Nebula and recklessly used magic, ending her life in a frenzy.

So Letia always felt guilty about her mother.

Serina barely suppressed her laughter as she saw Letia’s pale complexion.

‘The finger-pointing you received, it was originally meant for me.’

Saying she was the child of a concubine.

Saying she inherited vulgar blood.

Serina always had to live under Letia’s shadow, holding her breath.

But God did not abandon her.

‘Every time, I was the supporting character in your life. But now you’re my supporting character forever.’

“Elder sister, you must sincerely congratulate me by my side until the end.”

Serina said this while gradually loosening her grip on Letia’s hand.

If Letia shook off Serina and left now, she would become an even more ridiculous figure according to Serina’s intentions.

‘But……’

For a moment, Letia’s eyes wavered as she turned her head.

Asiz was there.

Asiz, who had quietly stepped into the grand temple on Empress Terisia’s orders without the nobles knowing, was about to approach Letia immediately upon seeing her become a laughingstock to the nobles.

But Moila stopped him.

“How dare you grab me.”

Although Asiz’s voice was cold, Moila’s expression didn’t change.

“Her Majesty the Empress has instructed. You must protect your current fiancée.”

“That’s why I’m trying to protect her. Letia, she is my fiancée. The person I love, who will be with me!”

As Asiz tried to shake off Moila’s hand, she calmly continued speaking to the end.

“If you step in here, it will add fuel to that gossip. Can you handle it? If you’re confident, you can go as the Crown Prince without hiding.”

At the words not to hide, Asiz stopped in his tracks.

‘This is a warning from Mother.’

She knew that I met Letia separately in Selene Palace.

‘But it doesn’t matter. No matter what Mother says now, I won’t leave Letia like before!’

That’s what he thought, but his steps didn’t come as easily as before.

While Asiz hesitated, Letia took her gaze off him.

‘There are no allies for me here. No, I never had any allies.’

Just as she was about to shake off Serina’s hand according to her intentions, suddenly the musicians began to play a tune.

“What’s going on?”

At that moment, a name that created dissonance with the music was heard.

“Du-Duke Harencloud?”

Letia raised her head, feeling an strange chill.

The murmuring people collectively held their breath and their gazes froze.

From the moment he appeared, he dominated the air and drew everyone’s attention, but Kallion walked straight towards Letia with an indifferent expression.

At that sight, Serina flinched and stepped back.

Finally standing in front of Letia, Kallion gently bowed and politely extended his hand.

“Lady Letia, would you dance one song with me?”

Everyone was shocked by his actions.

Letia, who received the dance invitation, was slightly taken aback before quietly opening her mouth.

“It seems you’re trying to help me, but you could get into trouble because of me, Your Grace.”

Who one dances with first at a social party was important enough to determine one’s reputation.

Yet for the Harencloud Duke to request the first dance from a worthless stone, of all people.

“Who exactly is troubling me?”

But an arrogant smile spread across Kallion’s lips.

“If I say I’m going to dance with you, then we’re just going to dance.”