He sneered, thinking even her anger was different, then cut a piece of dessert, put it in his mouth, and swallowed without any change in expression.

The sweetness that made his tongue tingle was not to his taste, as expected.

He found this dessert as disagreeable as the people of this count’s family who had likely never experienced hardship.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Lavian, who had left while deliberately ignoring Klen’s voice, entered the bathroom and released the breath she had been holding.

“So this is what the great count’s family is like. It was worth my expectations.”

As her constrained breath burst out, his words, clearly ironic, kept echoing in her ears. The more Lavian thought about it, the more nauseous she felt.

Not wanting to vomit what she had eaten, she took a labored deep breath and leaned against the sink.

“Miss, are you all right?”

There was nothing wrong. She had spilled the wine deliberately.

Thanks to that, she could escape from that stifling place, if only briefly.

‘But why do I feel so uncomfortable?’

Though Lavian was fine, she responded slowly as if she weren’t.

“……Yes.”

“I’ll have them prepare new clothes for you.”

“No. It’s fine, just go. I want to be alone.”

“But Melang told me to stay close to you so there’s no neglect.”

Lavian closed her mouth and stared at the maid.

‘Not protection, but surveillance.’

Melang, originally a housemaid of the Elder family, had been promoted to a lady’s maid a few years ago and became both Lavian’s personal maid and her monitor.

Fearing any misstep in the marriage arrangement with a prestigious family, Lavian’s every move was watched under the pretext of shielding her from outside influences.

Because of this, despite attending the academy for two years, Lavian had no friends and participated in no after-school activities.

“Ah, Miss?”

The young maid stammered and lowered her gaze, feeling uncomfortable under Lavian’s stare. She had never seen such a frightening look in her mistress’s eyes before. Her heart pounded nervously.

“You have not neglected me. So please leave.”

“……Yes.”

Lavian instructed firmly with a stern gaze.

The maid, clearly understanding her mistress’s resolute intention, couldn’t persist and quietly withdrew.

“I can’t breathe.”

Only after confirming she was alone did Lavian turn the faucet.

Clean cold water gushed out refreshingly.

She finally appreciated today why her father had gone into debt to create this. Not that she approved of incurring debt for something so beyond their means.

She still believed that if they hadn’t engaged in such useless extravagances, the once-prestigious Elder name wouldn’t have been tarnished.

Lavian washed her hands with a cold expression and used a dampened towel from the rack to clean the wine stain on her dress.

“Sister.”

“……”

A prim voice called from behind Lavian. She raised her head and looked at her sister reflected in the mirror.

Lavian stared at her sister, with whom she shared not even the slightest resemblance, then turned around.

“Why did you come out? You’ll just be criticized for your poor manners again. You shouldn’t do anything more to damage our reputation.”

Though she didn’t show it, Lavian was bothered by Klen’s comments about home education, so she delivered a lecture she wouldn’t normally give.

Lena burst into laughter and spoke mockingly.

“How amusing. What reputation does the Elder family have left for me to damage? I’m different from you, sister.”

Though Lena’s sarcastic attitude might have angered her, Lavian immediately closed her mouth at a sudden thought.

Among the three sisters, only Lavian had been bound by family discipline and demanded perfection, while Lena and Seian had been raised freely. But this wasn’t parental favoritism.

The distinction existed because Lena and Seian weren’t recognized as official children of the Elder family.

Though they gained freedom, they were denied any rights.

For this reason, Lavian couldn’t continue the conversation.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been like this lately.”

“Don’t be so sensitive. That personality will ruin you, sister. Anyway, don’t worry. The baron has temporarily left due to an urgent message.”

“You’re speaking without knowing the facts.”

“Why nitpick that? It’s trivial, just let it go. You have such an exhausting personality. Anyway, what do you think of him?”

“……”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Lavian sorted through her complicated thoughts for an appropriate answer. Meanwhile, Lena continued chattering.

“I’ve seen that man on the street before. I was curious about who he was, so I looked into him. To think today’s visitor was Baron von Leschel. Isn’t he gorgeously handsome? And rich too.”

“……”

“Sister, I think I fell in love with him at first sight. Father said he was looking for a suitable marriage partner, so the purpose of today’s meeting is obvious. So I was thinking……”

As soon as Lena finished speaking, Lavian clearly understood the source of her earlier discomfort.

‘So it was deliberate after all.’

Since childhood, Lena had always found ways to get what she wanted. It seemed she intended to make herself look better by making Lavian look bad to Klen. And her father had apparently anticipated what Lena would do.

Lavian felt even more uncomfortable.

“I want to marry that man.”

Lena declared her intention without any hesitation, wearing an excited expression. She seemed to be already imagining her future with him.

Seeing her innocent sister, Lavian unconsciously stiffened her shoulders and reflexively responded.

“The age difference between you two……”

Belatedly realizing what she had blurted out, Lavian was flustered and couldn’t finish her sentence. Reproaching herself for digging her own grave, she clamped her mouth shut and twisted the towel in her hand.

“The baron is twenty-five, right? I’m eighteen, so there’s not much difference. Compared to you and Marquis Batl, it’s hardly a gap at all.”

“……”

Lavian became speechless. Indeed, compared to her previous situation, the age difference between the baron and Lena was negligible.

“I’m going to ask Father to let me marry him. Help me, sister. A lowborn like me……”

“Lena.”

Her tightly closed lips finally opened. Lavian’s gaze briefly turned stern.

“What? No one’s listening. Wouldn’t it be a blessing for an illegitimate child like me to marry a baron? Whether he was a nobleman’s servant or a whipping boy, the past is the past. He’s a nobleman now.”

“……”

Lena retorted boldly, her eyes shining with confidence.

Lavian was thinking, ‘Ah, I knew something was strange, so that’s why he’d be with someone like me…’ but when her eyes met Lena’s, she suddenly felt her breath catch and her chest tighten.

‘Why am I feeling this way?’

Feeling as if a stone had been placed on her, Lavian couldn’t agree with Lena at all.

“You have everything going for you, so another opportunity will come. So help me. I want that man.”

“……All right.”

Only after a long while could Lavian manage this brief response.

Even after answering, her chest still felt tight.

“Yes! Then take your time and come out. I’ll go back first!”

Lena left the bathroom, humming happily.

As her sister’s footsteps faded, Lavian’s lips trembled.

She struggled to maintain her composure as she began scrubbing again at the wine stain that would never come out.

“Right. I can just find another family. This time, what kind of……”

She bit her luscious red lips in the middle of her muttering.

Why did her insides burn so much when nothing would change regardless of who her partner was?

Lavian eventually placed the towel on the sink almost like throwing it and closed her eyes.

“How long would the marquis live anyway? With no heir, all his wealth would become yours. If you bear a son, that would be even better. That child could connect the marquis’s family and the count’s family.”

Count Elder’s voice buzzed in her ears. Her gently closed eyes tightened, and deep wrinkles formed between her brows.

Judging by her father’s actions so far, a normal marriage was impossible.

‘Why am I distressed when I was raised for this purpose? Didn’t Mother say so?’

Lavian quietly repeated the words she had heard since childhood until they were hammered into her.

“Hide your emotions. Conceal your true feelings. Make falsehoods seem like truth. That’s how you avoid showing weaknesses.”

This was followed by her mother’s teachings: stay composed even when happy, smile brightly even when sad, pretend not to be in pain, show anger rather than tears, act nonchalant when upset—never show your true feelings in any situation.

“Haah.”

Lavian took a slow deep breath and looked in the mirror.

The platinum-blonde, blue-eyed beauty, rumored to be the most beautiful in the Empire, smiled. Lavian took in her own reflection filling the mirror, then reached out her hand. She wiped away the trembling forced smile on her lips.

An unsightly white handprint appeared on the mirror.

“Mother, I don’t think I can be like you. I don’t seem to have the capacity.”

Her awkward smiling face finally contorted. She turned her back to the mirror. Thinking no one was watching, she finally released her suppressed emotions, believing this much would be forgiven.

Even then, it was just displaying her hidden expression and breathing heavily, but for her, this was a tremendous expression.

‘Phew, that’s enough. I can’t just run away from a guest without any decorum. Let’s go back now.’

After a while, Lavian composed her rough breathing and decided to return to the dining room.

Though she desperately wanted to run away, Lavian wasn’t that kind of person.

“Baron?”

It was just as Lavian reached the point where the dining room door was visible.

Klen was coming out with his face—where elegance and sensitivity coexisted—terrifyingly hardened.

“Baron! Baron von Leschel!!”

Lena’s loud voice followed from behind him, and soon her urgent figure appeared.

“What happened……”

Lavian cautiously parted her lips at the ominous atmosphere.

But Klen merely gave her a cold once-over with his icy eyes and passed by coldly.

“Master?”

Amelia, who was just entering, called out to Klen with a slightly confused expression.

“We’re leaving now.”

“Are we leaving already?”

While asking the question, Amelia noticed his mood had severely soured. Touching a nerve at times like this could be half fatal.

Feeling a chill run down her spine, Amelia resolved, ‘I absolutely must not upset him today, no matter what.’

“Trying to lure me with their finest bait. I have no reason to make a losing deal.”

Though Klen responded to Amelia, his gaze was elsewhere. On his way out, he turned his head and stared at Lavian as if finding her ridiculous.

Her doll-like face showed a slightly bewildered expression.

Klen snorted and immediately went outside.