Suddenly losing confidence at the thought that occurred to me, I changed the subject.

“…Besides, I don’t just meet with Richard.”

“Lady Yuno, Lady Elkanto, people from the temple. Who else is there?”

When put that way, I hardly meet anyone outside the house.

Considering I was completely alone in my previous life, my current relationships are quite abundant.

“Mikhail, there’s you. And Ella and the other servants. I think that’s plenty, don’t you?”

When I replied nonchalantly, Mikhail’s expression became peculiar.

Oh ho. Not missing the chance to tease him, I asked innocently.

“Could it be you’re touched right now?”

“I’m just dumbfounded. What kind of noble includes servants in their social circle?”

“Well, I do. What are you going to do about it?”

When I acted so shamelessly and childishly, Mikhail gave me a look of disbelief.

Regardless, I put the invitation down on the side table and dove back into bed.

“I don’t want to go. Home is nice. Bed is the best.”

As I hugged the fluffy pillow and threw a tantrum, Mikhail became cold again.

He mercilessly took the pillow from my arms, placed it back at the head of the bed, and said in a strict voice.

“The estate management rights will soon be transferred to you. Although I’ll handle the practical matters, you should at least roughly understand what the reports you’ll be signing mean. Take this opportunity to learn how other lords manage their territories.”

Since the person who actually does the work said this, I had no grounds to object. My conscience would hurt if I stubbornly refused.

When I closed my mouth, unable to come up with a good answer, Mikhail continued in a slightly softer voice.

“Since neither Lady Maribel nor Lady Yuno will be attending this party, it’s actually a good opportunity for you to form new connections.”

“Sorry, but hearing that makes me feel even more pressured.”

A party full of strangers? Just hearing about it drains an introvert’s energy.

Imagining myself awkwardly enduring alone for hours in the party hall… how dreadful.

I squeezed my eyes shut and attempted to escape reality.

Let’s see, the north has the Celestial Temple…

“Maybe I should just head west…”

“That would be the Schwerin Duchy’s main base. Have you developed a desire to reconcile with your former fiancé?”

“Am I crazy? …Then the east?”

“As far as I know, the eastern territories are where most of your former fiancés reside.”

Damn it. Callia’s karma is catching up with me.

As expected of a notorious villainess, her misdeeds were nationwide.

Mikhail, who had blocked all my escape routes, gazed at me intently.

Then, as if certain of victory, he smirked and briefed me about the key figures attending the ship party and the host, Manehil Shipping Company.

But I hadn’t given up yet.

While letting the unfamiliar information Mikhail was listing flow in one ear and out the other, I racked my brain and finally had a brilliant idea.

“Fine, Mikhail. I’ll go.”

“You’ve made a wise decision.”

“But I have a condition.”

“…What is it?”

Mikhail asked with wary eyes. In response, I smiled broadly and said.

“Come with me.”

As expected. Mikhail became serious as soon as he heard my words. At his reaction, I inwardly congratulated myself.

‘Yes, Mikhail is quite the introvert, too. What a shrewd idea, me.’

This is what I call the drowning ghost—no, the empathy strategy.

“Why would I attend a nobles’ party?”

“What are you saying? Mikhail, you’re a junior baron, aren’t you? You’re clearly a noble.”

“That’s merely a title the Duke gave me to better serve you.”

“Right, so come to the party with me and serve me well!”

When I chuckled and exclaimed that, Mikhail glared at me and said coldly.

“If you, who are in a relationship with Admiral Aquilus, attend with me as your partner, it could cause gossip.”

“I’ll explain to Richard beforehand. That should be fine, right?”

Mikhail remained silent at my question.

Before he could find another solution, I quickly chattered on.

“Wow, we could go to the tailor shop and spend all day fitting you for a new tailcoat. And we could have lively conversations with everyone at the party all night long. That would be so~ much fun.”

What a genuinely disgusted expression.

‘How about that? Now you understand how I feel, right?’

I grinned and proposed a peace treaty.

“Well… if Mikhail doesn’t feel like it, I suppose I’ll have to write a rejection…”

“……”

“Let’s see, maybe I should study estate management in the study during the party time? Suddenly, I’m overflowing with motivation to study.”

This way, the conscience issue is also resolved.

I sat down at the desk with a triumphant smile.

And just as I dipped the pen nib into the inkwell.

“…Let’s reply that we’ll attend.”

“…Oh, so I should write that Mikhail Hasloff is my partner?”

Crackle.

I could almost see sparks flying as our gazes clashed in mid-air.

With a smile full of stubbornness, Mikhail slowly said.

“Yes. To be able to attend the party as Lady Callia’s partner is… an honor beyond compare.”

…And so the ship party invitation turned into a pointless battle of pride.

I continued trying to somehow cancel our attendance at the party.

I especially considered the tailor shop event, perfect for depleting physical and mental energy, as a golden opportunity, but…

“I’ll take this and this. No decorations or embroidery necessary.”

Mikhail quickly selected only the most basic items and requested them from the tailor before I could intervene.

“Wait, Mikhail. What about the sleeve details? The lapels? The cuffs?”

“…Let’s go with these.”

Mikhail, who chose only the most conventional options—either the first or second choices—looked at me with indifferent eyes, showing an almost unbelievable lack of interest in his own clothes.

“I’ve selected everything for my outfit, so let’s choose your dress now.”

“No, wait… I’ll be paying for everything, so please use the finest fabrics. Mikhail, choose some accessories too!”

I tried to push him into selection hell, but after glancing at the catalog, Mikhail simply pointed to a boutonniere with peridot and ended the order.

***

In the end, Mikhail wore a tailcoat similar to his usual formal attire, except for one or two details.

In the evening, as the sky and sea were dyed in shades of indigo and gold.

Arriving near the passenger ship, which was as large as a decent two-story mansion, I murmured seriously.

“So the face really is the finishing touch to fashion…?”

The gentlemen entering the ship were all adorned with flashy formal wear and brilliant accessories, perfect for radiating presence even in the darkness.

The ladies also wore bright colors, and perhaps because it was midsummer, many came in dresses with cool, low necklines.

But objectively speaking, Mikhail’s face shone brighter.

“Let’s get off.”

Mikhail, who got off the carriage first, opened the door on my side. Then, with his transparent silver-gray eyes fixed on me, he extended his hand.

His jet-black hair, slicked back with pomade, made his marble-like features even more distinct.

The simple formal wear actually accentuated Mikhail’s uniquely cold and proud beauty.

“Mikhail, everyone today will just be talking about how handsome you are, won’t they? I’m looking forward to it.”

Though I said it teasingly, I meant it. If I had come alone, I would have arrived with a sense of dread, awkwardly passed the time, and gone home exhausted.

The thought of watching people be surprised by Mikhail’s beauty made me excited.

But the butler in the black tailcoat, who shone nobly even among the peacock-like nobles, exhaled a faint sigh with a resigned face.

“…Let’s go. After experiencing this firsthand, you won’t ever suggest making me your partner again.”

And he dryly added.

“Take this opportunity to see reality clearly. I came along because I think you need that perspective.”

“Why? Have confidence. You’re really handsome.”

“Ah, yes. You too.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me I’m dazzlingly beautiful this time?”

When I playfully poked his side while saying that, Mikhail raised one corner of his mouth crookedly and retorted.

“I won’t say such foolish things again.”

“What? That’s too harsh.”

I shook my head, then tapped Mikhail’s arm to make him look at me and grinned.

“I’ll say it anyway. You look dazzlingly handsome today.”

After handing the invitation card to the servant at reception, Mikhail matched his pace with mine as we entered the main hall and quietly replied.

“Don’t say such things carelessly.”

Unlike the imperial ball, there was no formal announcement of guests upon entry—perhaps because we were in the south—so the hall didn’t fall silent when we entered.

Instead, the pupils of several people who spotted Mikhail dilated, and some were seen gaping.

I giggled and scanned the luxurious main hall with my eyes.

The high-quality wooden floor, engraved with elegant golden patterns, was so glossy that it perfectly reflected the light from the chandeliers.

The long, dark brown pillars were quite majestic, and uniquely, each pillar had delicate flower-shaped white porcelain lamps that emitted a soft glow.

“It seems they’ve decorated the hall with the Sea God Festival as a motif.”

The response to Mikhail’s observation came not from me but from a dignified voice.

“I was thinking the same thing. Especially seeing that the lamps are shaped like ancora flowers.”