As soon as I entered the hall, the outright stares were uncomfortable.

Just that? The murmuring voices were heard here and there.

I was accustomed to such a boisterous atmosphere.

It was the reaction that always followed whenever I revealed myself in front of people.

One of the four great families, Ferdia. The Duke of Ferdia who led the great family, the continent’s leading poisoner, the Duchess, and even the two sons who strongly inherited the family’s power.

Moreover, Yansi and Carlott boasted appearances that seemed to have been carved out of their parents’ strengths. Anyone could see that they were directly related to Ferdia.

Everyone anticipated a connection with Ferdia, and they envied them.

Truly, they were a perfect family.

On the other hand, I, for instance, was such an existence.

Foreign substance, flaw, defect, ugly duckling…….

These were all words I’ve actually heard, but they no longer wounded me.

Wondering when he had been looking at me, I raised my head and caught eyes with Reian.

“……Is something bothering you?”

“No, I just hate crowded places.”

Perhaps the louder murmuring today was because of Reian’s appearance.

Just by entering as partners, it was enough to have revealed the alliance between the Falcon mercenaries of the sky and the Ferdia family.

From now on, what I had to do was decided.

‘I have to stick to the wall. Like an interior decoration.’

Just as I had always done.

Not only when I entered alone but even when I attended with Prince Adenmir, I was always alone because he disappeared quickly to converse with other people.

Standing where people’s eyes wouldn’t reach, I often waited for time to pass, but occasionally, there would be rude drunkards.

A few times, I endured; a few times, I spoke up, but they never listened, so every time I threw an insult, I grabbed their hair and tore at it, and afterward, they didn’t approach.

‘Thanks to that, I even earned the nickname, the Ferdia’s delinquent.’

It was a nickname that looked strong, so I quite liked it.

Of course, today was going to be spent boringly sipping drinks, but an unexpected variable occurred.

At least with Reian by my side, it seemed less boring.

I looked closely at Reian, who was escorting me.

Dressed in dark formal wear, perhaps prepared for today’s banquet, Reian looked more handsome thanks to the chandelier’s reflecting light.

Feeling my gaze, Reian hesitated and asked,

“……Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you’re handsome.”

“…….”

“I’m serious.”

“Don’t people usually say it’s a joke?”

“But you are handsome.”

His appearance was close to my taste. Especially those red eyes that looked like they had a story.

Prince Adenmir was handsome too, but their handsomeness had different atmospheres, each with its own charm.

Of course, Adenmir’s face was the only good thing.

I don’t even think about coveting someone else’s man.

Anyway, since I showed my face, I have done all the courtesy for the Empresshosted banquet, so it was time to slowly head to the corner.

Carlott, who had been lurking around me since earlier, glared at Reian and extended his hand.

“Sister. Leave this child and dance with me.”

“Carl, didn’t I tell you I hate dancing?”

“When did I say that? I totally love dancing?”

I’ve never seen him dance before, but he’s lying.

There’s also the reason I declined Yansi’s dance request earlier, and above all, I didn’t want to dance.

‘If he wants to dance so much, I should let him dance, right?’

“That’s what you said, Lady Homelton.”

I smiled slyly at one of the ladies who had been waiting for an opportunity to speak to Carlott.

Carlott, who realized my intention, openly scowled.

“Sister……!”

Waving my hand at the seemingly upset Carlott, I said,

“Go on, Carl.”

“……Alright.”

With a face that looked like he had a lot to say, Carlott went down to the dance floor.

I wonder how long he intends to play the role of an obedient younger brother. I became curious about when Carlott’s patience would run out.

Despite Carlott’s displeased attitude, Lady Homelton followed him to the dance floor with a bright smile and a trotting walk, matching Carlott’s quick steps.
Together, the mere fact of dancing made for happy faces.

Unbelievably, Duke Ferdia’s two sons, Yansi and Carlrot, enjoyed the highest popularity in high society.

Everyone looked on with envy at Lady Homelton, causing a stir.

I took advantage of the shift in attention towards Carlrot and pulled Rayan’s arm.

“Rayan. Let’s go where there are no people.”

“Yes?”

Not knowing what I was thinking, I quickly pulled a confused Rayan to a spot behind a pillar where we were relatively out of people’s sight.

There were still some people sneaking glances at us, but it was better than when we were in the center.

Rayan received a drink from a servant and handed it to me, asking,

“Do you not need to greet other people?”

“It’s okay. I have no friends.”

“I see.”

I liked Rayan’s simple attitude, neither scoffing nor looking down on me, just calmly listening to my words.