“Did you say Orphe?”

“Yes! And a direct descendant at that!”

Even though she knew there was no one around, Roma lowered her voice as if sharing a secret.

“The Duke’s son, they say.”

Ansi drew in a small breath. Her whole body tingled as if she had jumped into fire. Her heart began to race.

The Duke’s son. It couldn’t be Kardian de Orphe. That man was already married. Then… his younger brother? She had heard he was discharged from the military a few months ago and was in the capital.

“So, are you interested?”

Roma, who had keenly noticed the change in Ansi’s reaction, asked again. Ansi swallowed dryly and moved her lips.

“…I’ll do it.”

“Really? You’ve made a good decision!”

Why did her mind change so suddenly? Roma decided to put aside the rising question for now.

This girl was terrifyingly aware of her place, after all. Whatever the reason, she wouldn’t recklessly approach the young master of Orphe and ruin things for the sake of social climbing.

Rather, the young master might want this child… but that would be interesting in its own way.

“Today, you’re Lady Larwill. Now, change your clothes.”

For now, resolving this matter came first. Roma handed Ansi a light sky-blue silk dress.

Having finished her deliberation, Ansi changed clothes with efficient movements. Roma began to apply makeup to Ansi’s face with skilled hands. As light colors were added, her fair skin glowed even more radiantly.

“See, didn’t I tell you? You look noble.”

Roma smiled with satisfaction. Ansi, catching sight of herself in the mirror, purposely lifted the corners of her mouth to hide her nervousness.

With that, she headed to the meeting place.

The location was an upscale restaurant situated in the central square. Arriving on time, Ansi sat at the reserved terrace seat.

Although the space between tables was ample, it wasn’t completely empty of people. Most were upper-class individuals. Ansi unconsciously tilted her head slightly to avoid her face being clearly visible from inside.

“Would you like me to prepare the food when your companion arrives?”

“Yes.”

Sitting alone, Ansi gazed at the square, calming her nerves. Mackenda Larwill. Repeating the name of the woman who had given her this opportunity helped.

She realized only after quite some time had passed that there was no need to rush in easing her tension.

Ansi checked the time again. It was already 1:40 PM. Forty minutes past the appointment time. Still, only a water glass and empty tableware sat on the table.

Though they didn’t say anything to her, the hall staff’s expressions seemed somewhat anxious, likely conscious of the passing time without an order being placed.

And Ansi, too, was gradually filling with unease.

‘Is he not coming?’

Come to think of it, if it was a sudden meeting that the woman’s side wanted to avoid, there was no guarantee that the man’s side would come willingly either.

Ansi gave a bitter smile. Why did God repeatedly give her false hope only to take it away?

It seemed meaningless to sit any longer. To say she would be leaving, Ansi called for a staff member.

“I’m sorry. You don’t need to prepare any food…”

“Please prepare it.”

Just then, a man’s voice was heard. Ansi turned her head towards the voice. She saw a figure approaching the terrace, guided by the waiter. A man in a well-fitted suit was drawing near.

“…!”

Ansi’s gaze wavered.

The man’s gait was leisurely. However, perhaps due to his long legs, his absolute speed was fast.

Neatly swept golden hair, purple eyes with unreadable emotions, slightly upturned corners of his mouth.

He resembled a certain strange man she had seen recently.

That is, the man from that starry night.

“Your mother has arranged an appointment for you. You must attend without fail.”

It was Duke Orphe who had ordered him to go on this arranged meeting. He spoke as if he had set up a good opportunity for his son, but his true intentions were obvious.

The daughter of the Larwill family, gentry who had amassed great wealth early on through fabric manufacturing using looms.

If they married, the ducal family could tap into that wealth, but she was a woman who couldn’t assert herself among the haughty and proud people.

He had heard that the Duchess had recently taken up the hobby of manipulating the gentry… To think she would use him as a tool for that.

This sudden arrangement was probably the result of the charity party he attended last week. Damion found it all amusing as he imagined the Duchess casually offering him up to Mrs. Larwill, who acted like putty in her hands.

He would go through the motions to some extent, but he had no intention of moving as they wished.

She would be a naive daughter, so if he acted suitably unpleasant, she would likely give up on her own.

Should he start by being late for the appointment?

Just to the limit of her patience.

About 40 minutes past the appointed time, Damion entered the restaurant with leisurely steps. If the woman got angry, it would be half a success; if she didn’t, he planned to show other rudeness next.

But what kind of development was this?

Damion’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the woman seated on the terrace.

“I’m sorry. You don’t need to prepare any food…”

Hearing the small but clear voice, he let out a chuckle.

The dress the woman wore resembled today’s sky. A spring blue, lighter and softer than winter. Unlike that night, the woman adorned was every inch a noble lady.

“Please prepare it.”

Damion sat down at the table.

It seemed this meeting would be more interesting than expected.

That man is Orphe?

Damion de Orphe. The brother of Kardian Orphe, whom she hated with all her being. A man with the filthy blood of Orphe flowing thickly in his veins.

And… the person she had met at the Ziden barony under the name of Rain.

How would the servant who was at the southern barony feel about sitting here now?

Her mouth went dry.

Her whole body stiffened as she stared at the man with a hardened expression. Her hand under the table tightly gripped the hem of her skirt.

Meanwhile, the man sat down across from Ansi.

“I’m sorry for being late, Lady Mackenda.”

There wasn’t a hint of doubt in the name he called so naturally.

But Ansi felt like she was being strangled.

Was he pretending not to know, or did he really not know?

Could he have known? That she had tried to kill Kardian that day. Was that why he watched her in the deserted garden that night? And here too…

“…I thought you weren’t coming.”

Ansi opened her mouth to stop her thoughts from running wild. As her voice escaped, her head became relatively calmer.

“How could that be?”

The man was staring at her nonchalantly.

He even started eating calmly when the food arrived.

‘Right, this man couldn’t know.’

The horrible thing his brother did. That Ansi had tried to kill him. Even that they had met on that starry night.

It must have been nothing special to that man.

Hadn’t he even been late to this appointment without much concern? How kind and warm the world must have been to this precious and noble young master of Orphe. She felt she could see his past without even looking.

Yes… What’s in front of her eyes now is a person of Orphe. She has met the brother of her enemy.

In place of the erased anxiety, pure hatred and a bit of exhilaration coiled up.

The fork and knife in her hands felt like weapons. If she stabbed this man with them. Surely her enemy would be sad? Would he suffer? Such thoughts spread like ink on paper.

“Is the food not to your liking?”

The man, who had been enjoying the food with perfect etiquette, opened his mouth.

“…No, it’s fine.”

“I understand if it’s burdensome. This must be a sudden meeting for you.”

“It’s not like that.”

The man smiled slightly. Ansi looked at him with her lips tightly pressed. He raised an eyebrow once and said,

“You’re not good at lying.”

“I don’t think so.”

“That dress suits you well.”

“…”

Ansi couldn’t react to the sudden compliment. Should she deny it, or should she thank him? As she remained frozen with her mouth slightly open like a broken machine, Damion spoke again.

“Shall we take a walk? It’s a nice day.”

The skirt that flowed down to her ankles swayed lightly with her steps.

Unknown wildflowers and white flowering trees were in full bloom along the riverside. The sunlight reflected on the water was dazzling. It was a peaceful scene, but the calm-looking water was surely deep and cold beneath the surface.

What if she pushed this man into the water?

Madam Roma had told her to ruin the meeting anyway. Would murder be included in the scope of ruining?

As she was thinking this, a gentle breeze blew. Amidst the falling flower petals, the man reached out his hand. As if he had caught something, he clenched his fist and brought it in front of Ansi, then opened it.

It was a white flower petal.

“They say the person you’re with when you catch this is your destined partner.”

Speaking of this meaningless superstition, the man smiled beautifully. It was quite amusing to see him whisper such sweet and ticklish words. In reality, he didn’t even know the name of the woman standing before him.

“I’m not sure. The Larwill family prefers practical benefits over destiny.”

“That’s a pity. Then…”

The man lifted the corners of his mouth.

“What about you, Ansi?”

Ansi stopped in her tracks.

It felt like her heart had dropped.

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.