After the welcoming party for Count Laurel held at Laurel Castle, Ibi Ariate, the promising holy maiden candidate, was at the center of attention for days.

She insulted Count Laurel, a great nobleman and Guardian of the Border, in front of everyone.

The enraged count officially opposed Ibi Ariate’s selection as holy maiden.

In response, Ariate went to the border of Vis to apologize to the count.

It all seemed like a prelude to downfall, and the nobles’ view of Ibi was at its worst.

But this incident caused another commotion in Tienda, reversing the evaluation of Ibi Ariate.

Ibi smiled like a satisfied cat as she examined the notes in the study.

“I feel like having a toast.”

“No alcohol. Please make do with cake.”

Though Ibi was in a rare good mood and hoped for a drink, her strict butler did not allow it.

In the end, cherry cake was placed in front of her instead of champagne, but Ibi was still satisfied.

“Such an exquisite sweetness.”

Ibi murmured happily, biting into a cherry.

Last new moon, Ibi sang in Vis, breaking the rules. Opinions were divided among the nobles about this.

– “Purifying the poison spread in the village and saving hundreds of people, this will go down in history!” The Arco young noble’s fashion sense remains incomprehensible as he shouts.

– “I’m moved. She must have known she’d be punished, Miss Ariate is truly a good person,” many agreeing opinions.

Young nobles who love romance praised Ibi’s actions as sacrificial, noble, and in short, saintly.

– Some nobles feigning neutrality opined, “Saving the village was good, but breaking rules is a problem. The dragon’s blessing shouldn’t be used privately.”

– Rebuttals rained down: “Does rules take precedence over life? She saved the pitiful people of Vis. It can’t be called private use when two villages were involved.”

Most nobles judged that Ibi’s rescue was right, one way or another.

– A few nobles spouted nonsense: “This act disregarded Lady Bayen’s army, it will negatively impact future governance of Vis.”

Some nobles criticized Ibi, but even then, few spoke loudly.

It was because the Tower’s punishment was suspended.

Just as everyone held their tongue watching the duke when Ibi insulted the count, this time too the nobles refrained from strong criticism, watching the Tower.

Thus, Ibi’s reputation rose pleasantly.

But what really made Ibi happy was something else.

“The count’s thwarting of the Tower’s punishment seems to have shocked the nobles.”

Ibi said, savoring the softness of the cake.

In fact, the person causing the most buzz in Tienda right now was not Ibi, but the count.

– Many voices were dumbfounded: “Was the Amanester piece so cheap as to be exchanged for a purifier’s punishment?”

– Many voices expressed doubt: “I don’t understand why the count shielded Ibi Ariate. Wasn’t he outraged at being insulted?”

– A minority but steady voices secretly complained: “I don’t know which tune to dance to.”

The nobles endlessly gossiped about the count’s eccentricity while still watching Laurel.

Of course, Laurel wouldn’t be shaken by this much, but the real problem was another rumor that started from here.

“There are some who find this very interesting.”

Dies said, pouring red tea into his favorite teacup.

As he said, some nobles were not just interested, but enthusiastic about this.

– A certain noblewoman subtly added fuel: “Pushing her into a corner one moment, saving her from crisis the next. Is it ‘I’ll break you only by my own hand’? What a twisted obsession…”

– A young lady quickly fanned the flames: “Come to think of it, the count only looked at Ariate at the party. As if he fell for her at first sight…”

– A young noble began deducing: “They seem to have been deeply entangled from before. Otherwise, Ibi Ariate wouldn’t have rejected the count so vehemently at the party.”

– A gentleman dangerously concluded: “So the declaration that he wouldn’t stand for her becoming holy maiden was actually revenge from a rejected man…!”

“Pfft!”

Ibi burst out laughing as she read the note again.

In the nobles’ imagination, Count Laurel was becoming an increasingly strange figure.

So his declaration that had completely blocked Ibi’s path was also having its true intentions doubted.

This alone was very satisfying, but Ibi also had an unexpected ally.

– Duke Bayen settled the rumors, saying in a very loud voice: “Surely Count Laurel wouldn’t try to intimidate a woman he likes by mentioning Amanester? Surely Count Laurel isn’t such a lowlife who harasses maidens in such a vulgar way? I absolutely refuse to believe Count Laurel is such a lecher and ruffian who can’t distinguish between public and private matters.” Duke Bayen, I appoint you the greatest honor killer.

The already eager Duke Bayen was going around saying this in a very loud voice.

Thanks to this, the story that the count was pestering Ibi with all sorts of things became almost an established fact.

“Heh, hehe… Hehehe…”

“Please don’t laugh so creepily…”

As Ibi couldn’t contain her joy and snickered with cake in her mouth, Dies, unable to stand it, chided her.

Of course, Dies also thought it was marvelous.

After the count’s declaration, there seemed to be no way forward at all, but to grab this opportunity and turn the tables like this. It was truly an impressive bit of cunning.

“It’s fortunate the count moved as predicted, but what were you planning if he hadn’t stepped in?”

“I was prepared to accept ruin and destruction.”

Ibi lightly answered Dies’ question.

At that pure sincerity, Dies looked at her with a chilled expression, and Ibi waved her hands and added:

“I was certain. That person, he seemed desperate.”

Desperate, for an emperor.

It’s an ill-fitting description, but even so, Ibi was sure.

In Tienda, the count had leisurely and arrogantly announced his business.

But when they met in Vis, and when Ibi spoke about “the preciousness of daily life,” he laughed. Saying, are you threatening me?

And the next morning, he sprang up at just the mention of holy maiden and issued a fierce warning.

To Ibi’s eyes, this looked like a beast hiding its wounds.

“Besides, the way he treated the child was really like a teacher.”

Though his nasty temperament remained the same.

So Ibi was certain, and also cheered.

Ah, Sion Laurel, you arrogant count.

If you have a weakness, you should hide it well, act like it doesn’t exist.

But perhaps because he’d never had a weakness before, he instead kindly warned that this is my weakness, so there’ll be big trouble if you touch it.

Ibi was simply grateful.

When you give such blatant clues, we can only make good use of them.

So Ibi deliberately tried to get punished by sprinkling Manya’s salt. After that, she planned to reveal to the count about the curse and move him to change the nobles’ perspective.

The poison spreading in the village and her singing wasn’t in the plan, but even this was beautifully incorporated into Ibi’s scheme.

This is the result.

“I really should have a toast!”

Unable to contain her joy, Ibi exclaimed again.

And a few hours later, even happier news reached Ibi.

Perhaps feeling Count Laurel’s reputation plummeting, Duke Laurel stepped in.

He announced the withdrawal of the count’s previous declaration, and promised that the Amanester border duty would continue perfectly as it is now.

The duke made no separate mention of Ibi.

But all the nobles understood it this way:

Ah, that misguided love has been settled at the family level.

At the time Ibi was substituting cake for a toast, Sion was suffering from the unfamiliar emotions of humiliation and defeat.

“Sion, this incident… Never mind.”

His half-brother was about to say something but turned away with a considerate face.

“Your Excellency, it’s extremely presumptuous of me, but may I briefly report on the procedure for sending flowers and letters to women… No, I apologize.”

The vice commander was about to explain something with truly regretful eyes, but when Sion glared at him, he hastily retreated.

So Sion was half out of his mind.

Ibi Ariate had manipulated him with a single word.

Sion knew it was Ibi’s intention, but he had no choice but to move accordingly.

After that, everything continued exquisitely like an elaborate prank.

Ibi used Sion to avoid punishment.

As a result, Sion’s declaration against Ibi lost its power.

Moreover, Sion Laurel fell to become a very strange person who was obsessed with women and indulged in whims and eccentricities.

Until now, Sion hadn’t cared how the people of Tienda thought of him. But this incident made him want to explain himself to those Tienda bastards for the first time in his life.

It was all Ibi Ariate’s doing.

Sitting alone in the study, Sion finally buried his head on the desk.

It’s an action the usual Commander-in-Chief would never do, but now he couldn’t help it.

He felt deceived by the whole world.

‘…Was she originally this kind of person?’

Sion groaned at Ibi’s true nature he had finally realized.

Until now, he thought Ibi’s eyes were simply pitiful.

But recalling them now, what filled those eyes wasn’t pity but determination.

A determination to find a way out and make a path, no matter if the sky fell or the ground crumbled.

But seeing only her gentle face, he assumed what was inside must naturally be soft too.

Furthermore, he concluded that Ibi, cursed as she was, was simply a fool.

These two things were Sion’s fatal mistakes.

But realizing it now was far too late.

Sion’s declaration, withdrawn on his behalf by Duke Laurel, was his strongest means of blocking Ibi’s appointment as holy maiden.

With that gone, he had no better option left.

‘Damn it…’

Sion groaned with his head on the desk.

Coming to Tienda, he thought settling the debt wouldn’t be difficult.

Considering the power difference between himself, a great noble, and the commoner Ibi Ariate, he believed taking the holy maiden position from her would be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Of course, it would be just as vile too.

But far from having her candy taken, Ibi stabbed his eyes with the candy stick and called people over to bury him, saying look at this scoundrel.

Sion let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded by what had happened to him.

But that laughter didn’t last long and stopped abruptly.

This is no laughing matter.

With this, the surest way to protect Ibi had flown away.

At this rate, it was obvious that the not-so-docile Ibi Ariate would become holy maiden as she wished.

Feeling his head cool down again, Sion raised his body.

Then he recalled what that man, Ibi’s astrologer, had said.

– “Ibi is strong. She’s strong, and clever, and bold, and perceptive, and resourceful, and eloquent, and moreover, she works incredibly hard…”

– “And she’s a wonderful person who never gives up until the end. Really.”

Until recently, he had thought, what’s so wonderful about her, isn’t it all distortion of memory?

But after being played like this, he had to admit it.

He could understand, just a little, why that man had loved and respected Ibi Ariate so much.

If he had known that a little earlier, things wouldn’t have come to this.

As if chiding Sion for his belated regret, the astrologer’s final request came to mind.

– “So this time, please protect her until the very end.”

Sion, of course, intended to do so.