Philip is waiting for me.

“Oh, there were many things today… and tomorrow’s schedule doesn’t seem easy either…”

Feeling my face getting warm, I gestured to Domingo to step aside.

“I have a separate appointment with Philip tomorrow. We can talk then.”

Domingo, who grinned, politely nodded his head.

“Understood. Then, have a comfortable night.”

Finally, the surroundings became quiet. I quickly finished preparing and lay down on the bed.

In the dark room, as I quietly stared at the ceiling, Philip waiting for me and his words from earlier came to mind. His eyes, solely fixed on me, and the sensation of his magical kiss seemed to revive. Following that, his confessions began to wander through my mind.

“Philip loved me…”

Carefully uttering the conclusion aloud, I was startled and quickly swallowed my words. I couldn’t finish speaking.

It was an unbelievable reality, and my heart began to beat frantically.

‘I thought I would toss and turn and wake up late…’

As morning approached, my eyes sparkled open. I felt extremely refreshed. Perhaps the fatigue recovery medicine I took yesterday was indeed effective.

On the other hand, Mildred seemed disheveled. Although he seemed to have taken a sleep aid, his complexion improved significantly, relieving my concern.

I started to contemplate which dress to wear slowly.

Originally, I planned to wear a separate red dress that I had prepared. However, perhaps due to hearing Philip’s confession of love, my attention kept drifting towards the gifts that the maids had carefully prepared on Philip’s behalf.

In the end, I wore a dress in the shade of aristocratic blue, let my hair down, and elegantly combed it.

The naturally wavy hair flowed abundantly with every brush.

Hair accessories were attached only to the back, so they wouldn’t be visible from the front. Although the necklace ‘Tears of the Goddess’ was a replica, it was splendid, making this side more elegant and beautiful.

After spending a long time preparing, I picked up a fan and walked outside the building.

Women attending the party were all on their way to the party hall, accompanied by the escort of male nobility.

I didn’t have much thought about going alone, but as glances and whispers lightly touched me, I felt a bit awkward.

‘Even if it’s awkward, what can you do? I’m going because the king summoned me today.’

As I stepped forward, ignoring the gazes of the people, a moment came.

“Oh? Ellen? Why are you in the southern zone?”

It was Alexander who looked at me with puzzled eyes. He was escorting an unfamiliar lady.

“Where is Mildred?”

“You wouldn’t know.”

With a gesture that seemed to deter excessive interest, I answered vaguely.
However, Alexander blushed as if finding it adorable.

“No way… You don’t have an escort?”

“Didn’t you understand? I told you that you wouldn’t know.”

Even though I lowered my voice, the surroundings buzzed.

“Oh my.”

“That lady is His Highness, the Prince of Bourbon Kingdom.”

“I knew she was a commoner, but this is remarkable.”

“That’s because she’s divorced.”

All the whispered words reached my ears. Alexander, being a prince, seemed displeased with my impolite attitude as a divorcee.

However, there was no hint of such feelings on Alexander’s face.

He released the hand of the young lady he was escorting and whispered something in her ear. I didn’t know her name, but her face turned red as she glared at me. Then, she swallowed her tears and ran away alone.

‘What did he say to make her cry like that?’

“It’s because of you.”

Alexander casually spoke, as if he could read my thoughts.

“If you had told me in advance that you didn’t have an escort, that young lady wouldn’t have cried.”

Then, he extended his hand to me. I was bewildered.

“Why blame me when you made her cry?”

“Why didn’t you tell me in advance that there was no escort? I was just curious.”

People stopped on their way to the party hall, increasing in number.

“What’s going on? Why are so many people gathering like this?”

“It’s about that.”

Whispers intensified, making the atmosphere more agitated. Due to this, nobles couldn’t just pass by without looking at me and Alexander.

Talks about a divorced woman, a prince, a Viscount Onderra, and blah blah blah…

‘I can hear it…’

Even though they themselves were making a commotion, they seemed oblivious to the fact that their voices were loud.

Then the story about Viscount Onderra became more prevalent.

I hadn’t committed any wrongdoing, but hearing a crowd openly gossiping about one person was quite stressful.

While contemplating how to get out of this situation, I soon changed my mind.

I decided to use the current situation to spread a more provocative story.

“If you’re wondering why there’s no escort…”

Considering there were many ears around, and since Philip had already captured all the culprits, it was time to create some rumors.

“Yesterday, there was an attack by assailants.”