Ever since she sat down beside him, the Grand Duke had seemed to be in a terrible mood.

In fact, it almost felt as though her presence irritated him.

Perhaps it was because she was doing such a poor job of attending to him.

Lianna was trying her best, but she could still tell that she was hopelessly inexperienced when it came to pleasing a man.

What hurt most was that Calix hadn’t looked at her once.

After hesitating for a while, Lianna cautiously studied his expression before quietly asking,

“Your Grace, have I somehow displeased you?”

Only then did the woman seated beside him enter his awareness; his thoughts had been consumed entirely by the descendants of the fairy race and the damned curse.

“……”

When he finally looked properly at her face, a sharp light flashed through his eyes, which had previously appeared languid.

Silver hair.

Violet eyes.

And a beauty so breathtaking that it almost felt unreal.

The woman’s features resembled those of the girl in his memories far too closely.

For a moment, Calix almost believed that the child had returned from the dead.

But she was a girl who had died long ago.

So why…?

Why was there now a woman standing before him who looked exactly like her?

This could not be a hallucination brought on by the curse.

Unable to hide the confusion in his gaze, Calix slowly parted his lips.

“You…”

He hesitated briefly before speaking again.

“Have you… ever seen me somewhere before?”

“…Pardon?”

At his question, the woman’s large eyes shifted in confusion.

Without taking his eyes off her, Calix pressed further.

“I asked whether you have seen me before.”

The woman looked bewildered, unable to understand the meaning behind such a sudden question.

But soon, she lowered her gaze politely and answered in a respectful tone.

“My apologies, Your Grace, but this is the first time I have ever met you.”

“If that answer is a lie…”

Calix’s voice dropped coldly.

“Then you will pay the price for it.”

“I swear… I’m not lying.”

The woman looked frightened, but her expression showed no hint of deceit.

Calix stared at her in silence.

Then, suddenly, he was overcome with a sense of emptiness.

This woman merely resembled her.

If she were truly that girl, she would have recognized him immediately, rather than looking at him with such wary unfamiliarity.

More than anything, that child could not possibly still be alive.

Calix lifted a hand and slowly dragged it across his face.

Meanwhile, Lianna carefully watched his expression from the corner of her eye.

“Have you seen me somewhere before?”

Why had the Grand Duke suddenly asked her that question?

Was there someone who resembled her among his acquaintances?

Whatever the truth, there was something far more important right now.

He looked deeply displeased.

Count Chester had ordered her to win Calix’s favor by any means necessary.

And eventually, to enter his bedchamber.

Lianna lowered her head and clasped her trembling hands together tightly.

“That isn’t what you told me before. You clearly said I only had to pour drinks.”

“Pouring drinks or entering his bedchamber… there isn’t much difference between the two, is there? I never expected you to be naïve enough not to understand that.”

The Count had twisted his own words shamelessly, ultimately mocking her innocence.

In truth, though, Lianna was in no position to be choosy when it came to saving Joel.

If doing so could cure him, she should have been willing to sacrifice her own body without hesitation.

The fact that she still could not bring herself to do it made her despise herself even more.

Slowly, Lianna lifted her gaze towards the man before her.

The hero who had defeated the barbarians that had once terrorized the kingdom.

The man the people revered almost like a god of war.

Yet to Lianna, he was simply terrifying — impossibly distant and difficult to approach.

Still, she felt she had to do something.

Gathering every ounce of courage she had, she softly called out to him.

“Your Grace.”

Calix looked at her.

“I won’t bother you with conversation, so… please at least allow me to attend to you.”

“There’s no need. You’re annoying.”

The response came in a flat, emotionless tone.

Those cold, golden eyes revealed not the slightest trace of goodwill towards her.

He disliked her pouring him a drink so much that she could never hope to enter the Grand Duke’s bedchamber.

A small sigh escaped Lianna’s lips.

The gaze pressing against her skin felt painfully sharp.

Without turning around, she could feel the count watching this exchange with intense scrutiny.

If she failed at something as simple as pouring drinks properly, the Count would certainly not let her off lightly.

After granting her what he called a ‘valuable opportunity’, he would undoubtedly be furious if she wasted it.

Suppressing the tremor threatening to creep into her voice, Lianna spoke carefully.

“But… Count Chester ordered me to attend to Your Grace’s drinks. Since I’m someone employed by him, I can’t simply stand here doing nothing.”

A slight crease formed between Calix’s brows.

A quiet laugh escaped his lips.

The woman’s violet eyes trembled.

Despite her fragility, she still managed to say everything she wanted to.

‘Is she fearless… or simply foolish?’

Calix studied Lianna in silence, as though she were a strange creature.

Her golden eyes, reminiscent of a predator’s, fixed themselves sharply on her.

Feeling her throat drying up with tension, Lianna finally spoke.

“Your glass is empty. I’ll pour you another drink.”

***

The story of Grand Duke Einbert driving the barbarians out of the Thierry Valley was famous throughout the kingdom.

Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Grand Duke’s brilliant strategy resulted in the enemy being completely annihilated, with not a single survivor left behind, securing an overwhelming victory.

Even now, conversations about those glorious achievements filled the banquet hall with excitement.

At the long banquet tables, knights and soldiers eagerly shared tales from the battlefield, captivating the women with their heroic exploits.

The men laughed louder and poured more wine as they were hailed as the bravest knights in the kingdom.

Whenever men spoke of their victories in war, they inevitably became spirited and excited.

In that regard, men were remarkably simple creatures.

This was precisely why Count Chester had thoroughly prepared Lianna before sending her into the banquet hall.

He had carefully told her about the Grand Duke’s most famous battles.

He had also explained in detail the strategies Calix had used to lead the kingdom to victory, ensuring that she would at least be capable of holding a conversation with him.

‘And despite all that, she still acts this awkwardly.’

Count Chester bit his lip anxiously.

Not only had Lianna failed to seduce the Grand Duke and gain access to his bedchamber, she hadn’t even managed to please him.

The Count pressed a hand firmly against his throbbing temple.

Shouldn’t she have smiled more sweetly and tried to cheer him up?

Even if she lacked charm in conversation, that shouldn’t have mattered, as long as the Grand Duke was captivated by her beauty.

After all, what man could resist a beautiful woman?

Indeed, even the Grand Duke’s subordinates were stealing glances at Lianna, clearly interested.

Despite having women attending to them, their eyes repeatedly drifted back to her.

She was simply that striking.

This was precisely why Count Chester had gambled everything on positioning Lianna beside the Grand Duke in the first place.

But at this rate, the banquet would end without producing a single result.

Count Chester bit down on his lip once more, unable to hide his growing anxiety.

“Rebecca. Go over there and do something about this.”

The woman pouring drinks beside the Count tilted her head slightly.

“You mean you want me to seduce the Grand Duke instead?”

“That’s not it. Make the Grand Duke take interest in Lianna.”

“Oh my, so that’s what you meant? What a shame.”

“If this works out properly, I’ll pay you double. Hmm?”

Rebecca considered it briefly before smiling.

“That’s a promise, then?”

Rebecca was overjoyed when she first heard that the Grand Duke of Einbert was going to stay in Chester for a while.

If she could catch his attention, her future would be secured beyond her wildest dreams.

She had often heard that powerful noblemen like the Grand Duke kept mistresses.

There was no reason why she could not become one of them.

When it came to beauty and the ability to please men, she had always believed that no other woman could surpass her.

She naturally assumed that the seat beside the Grand Duke would be hers.

Of course, she should have been given the chance to seduce him first.

Though, admittedly, her thoughts had changed somewhat now.

Rebecca turned her gaze towards Lianna.

She was so beautiful that she looked as though she had stepped straight out of a painting.

‘Honestly. Looking at someone that pretty makes me lose the will to compete at all.’

It was no exaggeration.

Lianna was so beautiful that she could destroy a person’s fighting spirit completely.

But what use is beauty if you don’t know how to use it?

From Rebecca’s perspective, Lianna had no idea how to seduce a man whatsoever.

‘What a waste of such a pretty face.’

Rebecca crossed the noisy banquet hall.

Truth be told, she would benefit far more if Lianna failed to attract the Grand Duke’s attention at all.

Nevertheless, any task given by Count Chester had to be carried out properly.

However, if she wanted to catch the eye of that cold, expressionless Grand Duke…

Then perhaps a slightly more drastic method would be necessary.

With this in mind, Rebecca casually picked up a wine glass from the table.

She slowly approached Lianna.

Pretending her grip had slipped, she deliberately dropped the glass.

The overturned goblet spilled its contents in the next instant, crimson wine splashing everywhere.

***

“……!”

Lianna was unable to scream properly when something cold suddenly poured over her from head to toe.

The sudden drenching took her breath away.

Red liquid dripped down her face in heavy drops.

“Oh no, what should we do? Are you alright?”

A heavily made-up young woman hurried toward Lianna, her voice overflowing with concern.

The woman fidgeted anxiously as though flustered beyond measure.

“I’m so sorry. My hand slipped at the worst possible moment…!”

“I-It’s alright.”

Lianna could barely force the words past her lips.

She responded in that manner because the woman in front of her seemed genuinely apologetic. But, in truth she was not all right.

The wine-soaked fabric clung tightly to her skin, making the already revealing dress appear even more indecent.

To make matters worse, the thin material outlined the curves of her body with humiliating clarity.

One of the nearby knights quickly averted his gaze and coughed awkwardly.

Compared to the others, that reaction was almost gentlemanly.

Some stared her up and down shamelessly, while others stole glances whenever they thought she would not notice.

Lianna felt the heat of humiliation rush to her face.

Then, suddenly, her eyes met Calix’s.

While the other men looked at her so blatantly, Calix alone remained cold and detached.

If anything, the only emotion flickering in his eyes was faint irritation.

“My apologies, Your Grace. I’ll go change my clothes and return shortly.”

Lianna bit down hard on her lip as she slowly stood up.

The Grand Duke seemed completely uninterested in her appearance.

The whole commotion seemed to irritate him.

Even if she disappeared and never returned, he probably wouldn’t care.

At that moment, everything suddenly felt unbearably pathetic to Lianna.

It was a path she had chosen for Joel’s sake.

Yet, despite discarding what little pride she had left, she lacked the courage to throw herself wholeheartedly at the Grand Duke.

Perhaps entering this situation with such half-hearted resolve had been her mistake from the beginning.

‘…Pathetic.’

Gripping the edge of her skirt tightly, Lianna turned and walked away.

“Ah…!”

It happened at that exact moment.

Lianna suddenly lost her balance and stumbled forwards. A faint groan escaped her lips as she collapsed to the floor.

Murmurs instantly spread throughout the banquet hall.

Everyone turned to look at her.

The female attendants looked down at her pitiful state, whispering quietly among themselves.

“Oh my.”

“What an embarrassing spectacle in front of His Grace.”

Some even laughed openly.

Humiliation burned all the way to the tips of Lianna’s ears.

“Ugh…”

She tried to stand, but to make matters worse, it seemed she had twisted her ankle.

Unused to wearing high heels, her ankle had bent awkwardly the moment she lost her footing.

A sharp pain shot through her.

“How unsightly.”

It was then that she heard the sound of someone clicking their tongue lightly.