On a late summer day when sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, it was just past noon.

The servants of the duke’s residence were bustling about, preparing to welcome distinguished guests.

The duke, who had instructed that even the high-hanging chandeliers be wiped spotless, seemed to have finally completed all preparations.

After making such a fuss, the duke noticed his son and chided Gaizen, who was sitting sullenly on the sofa.

“You rascal, you should at least show some effort.”

“Consider yourself lucky that I’m sitting here nicely.”

After giving this curt reply to his father’s reproach, he let out a deep sigh.

Gaizen seemed displeased with everything happening now and about to happen.

This was likely because the Dantero family, with whom he was to discuss marriage, was scheduled to visit the duke’s residence in person today.

Biare, who had been quietly observing the two, gently grasped Gaizen’s shoulder as he leaned back on the sofa.

“Gaizen, stand up. We must show the dignity of the Ruschef family.”

No matter how unwanted this occasion might be, as a member of the ducal family, he had to properly prepare to greet the guests.

As Gaizen reluctantly stood up and trailed behind his sister, the duke let out a hollow laugh, as if dumbfounded.

“Hah— that boy, he’d die for his sister’s words.”

The maids who were helping with Gaizen’s attire in his room quickly closed the door at Biare’s nod and left.

With the custom-tailored clothes and neatly styled hair, Gaizen looked quite dashing.

However, when he immediately loosened his cravat out of discomfort and caught Biare’s eye, he smiled sheepishly.

“Haha, this is why habits are frightening.”

“Come here. I’ll do it for you.”

Gaizen, who had been smiling awkwardly, approached her and slightly bent his knees.

Biare, who had been silent all along, neatly adjusted his cravat and spoke with satisfaction.

“Not because you’re my brother, but you look really handsome today.”

Whether embarrassed by the sudden compliment, Gaizen avoided eye contact and feigned indifference.

“Your brother is always handsome and good-looking.”

Biare, chuckling softly, looked at her brother once more and called his name in a low voice.

“Gaizen.”

“What is it, elder sister?”

“If you don’t want to do it, just say so.”

“……”

“I’ll help you.”

Her words carried a double meaning.

One referred to the marriage talks, and the other to what he was planning.

Her clever brother would surely have understood the meaning properly.

However, Gaizen shook his head dismissively and replied.

“……It’s fine. I’ll handle that much on my own.”

“Alright, I understand.”

As the two siblings were descending the stairs side by side, Henderson, the head butler, announced the arrival of the Dantero family.

The duke and his children went out to the main entrance to greet the guests, and soon after, the marquis’s family alighted from their carriage.

“You must be tired from the long journey.”

“It is our honor to meet Duke Ruschef and his children.”

Biare and Gaizen, having received the Dantero family’s greeting, finally paid their respects to them.

“It is our pleasure to meet the Dantero family.”

Except for the marchioness, the other three all had the same color of hair and eyes.

The red hair reminiscent of hibiscus and their bright golden eyes were also symbols of the Dantero bloodline.

While the adults were engaged in their own conversation, Biare casually observed the Dantero siblings.

The young lady, who avoided eye contact and kept her gaze fixed on the floor, seemed as reluctant to be here as Gaizen.

Rosalyn Dantero, she was Gaizen’s fiancée before the regression.

As the illegitimate daughter of the Dantero marquis family, she became engaged to Gaizen solely due to their family’s long-standing lineage.

Among the daughters of high-ranking nobles in the Martha Empire, there were three marquis’s daughters, excluding Biare, who held the highest status.

One of these young ladies had already completed her engagement, and the family of another young lady was busy disparaging the Ruschef family.

The remaining young lady was Rosalyn Dantero, who, despite being illegitimate, was officially known as a legitimate daughter.

Such Rosalyn, with her witty conversation skills and outstanding beauty, was able to quickly dominate social circles after her debutante.

Of course, this was something that would happen a year later, so her position was by no means secure at present.

Biare could count on one hand the number of proper conversations she had with Rosalyn, Gaizen’s fiancée in the past.

Nevertheless, she particularly remembered a conversation with Rosalyn at a past party where she confessed a secret related to her birth status.

Born as an illegitimate daughter of the Dantero family and subjected to all sorts of disregard and contempt, she said she only wanted to escape from the marquis’s residence.

It was only later that she learned that the duke and Gaizen already knew about her hidden status.

When asked why she was telling this to someone she barely knew, Rosalyn’s answer was unexpected.

After parting ways with Dension and not leaving the mansion since then, that conversation ended up being the last with her.

Until then, Biare hadn’t been very interested in politics or social activities, so she didn’t have close relationships with influential figures.

She constantly regretted this while trying to uncover the truth about Dension’s death. If she had used those connections, there might have been more ways to approach it.

If she could utilize Rosalyn’s social skills, it would be easier to approach them.

Biare didn’t want to miss the opportunity before her eyes, so she had to build a friendship with Rosalyn no matter what.

At the duke’s suggestion to have dinner first, the Dantero family followed him to the dining room.

Pre-prepared cutlery and plates were placed on the marble table.

Normally, the duke would have continued the tradition by offering a pre-meal prayer, but today he boldly skipped that process.

This was because the Dantero family did not worship the monotheistic Ecarto and never appeared at temple events.

‘It doesn’t hurt to be careful with each other.’

Gaizen, with a stern expression, didn’t touch the food and only fiddled with the water glass in front of him.

The duke had tried hard to bring his son and the Dantero family’s daughter together, but the two just sat quietly like mutes who had eaten honey.

Watching this scene with displeasure, the Dantero viscount reluctantly opened his mouth, showing his discomfort.

“It seems the young duke is naturally a man of few words.”

No matter how much he disregarded his half-sister, he didn’t like the attitude that seemed to ignore the family.

Gaizen, furrowing his brow as if he had heard nonsense, was about to say something when Biare quickly tapped his foot twice.

‘Stay still, Gaizen.’

As if understanding the signal, Gaizen clicked his tongue briefly, and then spoke in a calmer voice.

“Ah— It’s because I tend to be taciturn.”

Judging that the relationship between the two was not ordinary, the duke opened his mouth to dispel the subtle tension.

“He’s my son, but he really is the quiet type.”

The duke, who had been calmly looking at Gaizen beside him, then looked at the viscount sitting opposite and asked.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you get engaged this year?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“You should cut down on drinking while you’re at it.”

“What do you mean by that……”

“You’re shaking even now. If you don’t fix it early, it’ll be difficult later.”

At the dinner table, only Biare and the Dantero viscount would have fully understood the meaning of those words.

Despite his seemingly upright appearance, he, who was well past the age of majority, enjoyed drinking and gambling, a fact that became known when he accumulated a large amount of debt.

Biare was somewhat puzzled as to how her father knew about something that wouldn’t be revealed for another three years.

The conversation she couldn’t even remember from the past felt different now, probably because she had returned with memories of the past three years.

The viscount, who had turned pale, sneered coolly at his face, then looked at his son again triumphantly.

In the end, the viscount stood up first, making an excuse about having business to attend to without even finishing his meal, and the remaining two families headed to the terrace adorned with greenery.

The marchioness, admiring the garden of the Ruschef duke’s residence, couldn’t help but express her admiration for the landscaping.

“Oh my, there are so many flowers I’ve never seen before.”

“Yes, my mother loved flowers.”

“Then who takes care of this garden now?”

“I manage it whenever I have time.”

“You have a wonderful hobby, my lady.”

“You flatter me, madam.”

“Rosalyn, come and see these flowers.”

Biare almost burst into laughter at the sight of the marchioness suddenly taking care of Rosalyn with such an affectionate attitude.

The marquis’s daughter, who had been stiffly frozen, quickly relaxed her expression at the marchioness’s call and approached.

If everything up to now had been the same as in the past, it was time for Biare to unfold her own plans.

“Madam, if it’s alright, may I personally guide the young lady through the garden?”

“……Of course. Rosalyn, enjoy the tour.”

The marchioness, who had given an insincere greeting, showed a kind, benevolent smile and left first.

As they strolled from the terrace to the far rear garden, it was none other than Rosalyn who spoke first.

“Thank you for your consideration, my lady.”

Biare glanced at the Dantero marquis’s daughter, who had been walking silently beside her.

She knew that Rosalyn was quite perceptive, but she hadn’t expected her to notice her consideration, especially since this was their first meeting.

Deliberately putting on a puzzled expression, as if not understanding what she meant, Biare looked at her.

“What do you mean?”

At this, Rosalyn stopped walking, blinked her bright golden eyes, and said to Biare.

“Thanks to you two, I felt quite triumphant today.”