‘Calliope…?’

Selina had read and memorized the “List of People Worth Remembering” that Lady Lily had given her, over and over again. But the name Calliope had never appeared on it.

So who was this woman standing before her—the one who, unlike everyone else, called the man others addressed as Your Grace simply by his name, Calix?

“If you’re done here, I’d appreciate it if you left.”

Calix’s displeasure showed plainly on his face.

But the woman seemed entirely unfazed by his cold tone, still smiling as brightly as before.

“I thought you wouldn’t bother to notice me until the party was over. What’s gotten into you?”

“I’d say that expression suits you better than me.”

“Really? Then I suggest you prepare yourself. I find your wife quite to my liking.”

With a cheerful smile, the woman called Calliope reached out both hands toward Selina’s cheeks. Cupping them naturally, she pressed her lips to Selina’s forehead.

Caught off guard, Selina failed to avoid the sudden touch and, startled, clutched at her forehead.

“See you again.”

Calliope gave a faint, amused laugh at her reaction, then spoke to her.

‘Who in the world is she?’

Like the wind, the woman had come and gone, leaving Selina flustered and red-faced. Even if it had only been her forehead, it was impossible to remain composed after being kissed by a stranger.

“Excuse me.”

While Selina’s surprise was plain, Calix seemed utterly unaffected, his face calm. Taking hold of her hands, which still covered her forehead, he lowered them and furrowed his brow.

“She made a point of marking you.”

Marking her? What did that mean?

Selina wanted to ask, but Calix’s movements were quicker than her words.

Scowling, he rubbed her forehead with his thumb.

“She’s rude, but not a bad person. Still, if she pulls something like that again, tell me.”

“Ah, all right.”

Selina answered with her eyes lowered, though a quiet curiosity continued to grow inside her.

‘Are the two of them close? But… they didn’t seem to get along that well.’

What’s more, Calliope had said unpleasant things about Calix—like how he’d wrapped his bandage just to be seen by others.

‘Could she have been an uninvited guest at this party?’

Selina’s curiosity spread through her mind like drifting clouds when—

“If you’re curious, just ask.”

Calix, still rubbing her forehead, spoke abruptly.

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“It’s written all over your face. You look like you’re dying to know who you were just talking to.”

“Ah…”

Selina’s cheeks flushed instantly.

It had been something she meant to wonder about quietly on her own, and yet he’d read her thoughts at once. If there were a mirror, she almost wanted to check whether it really was written there.

“No, it’s just… I didn’t see that name on the list Lady Lily gave me.”

“Right. That list would only have names you actually need to remember. Calliope isn’t one you need to bother remembering. We’re not on good terms.”

“I see…”

When Selina hesitated, unable to think of a reply, he gave a faint, amused smile.

“That’s how siblings are, isn’t it? I think you’d understand that yourself. Or am I wrong?”

“…Siblings?”

The unexpected revelation made Selina blink. Calix only pressed his lips together and gave a small nod.

“Oh—come to think of it…!”

Calix. Calliope.

Their names were similar! Not all siblings had matching names, so she had assumed they were unrelated. But now that she thought about it, the resemblance was obvious to anyone.

That golden hair—bright as sunlight—was rare even in the Empire, and not another soul in the ballroom possessed it.

‘How could I not realize it just by looking at their hair?’

Upon learning Calliope’s true identity, Selina felt a wave of confusion.

So that was why she had spoken so freely about Calix—because they were family. But not knowing this, Selina had jumped to defend him, thinking Calliope was simply speaking ill of him.

‘I can’t believe it…’

She quickly glanced back over her shoulder. She ought to find Calliope and apologize, but the woman was nowhere to be seen.

“Selina.”

At that moment, Calix caught her cheek in his hand and turned her back toward him.

Under the moonlight cast by the moonstones, his red eyes rested steadily on her. His gaze was calm, yet there was a trace of curious interest flickering within.

“Do you do it on purpose?”

“…Pardon?”

When she tilted her head at the baffling question, Calix smoothed his hand over her forehead and added,

“Since you arrived in Thalia, everything that’s happened must have been irritating for you. And yet, you’ve never said a single word about it…”

His fingers moved slowly, as if trying to read her thoughts, brushing the same spot over and over again. The repeated touch against her skin sent an odd sensation through her, and Selina instinctively stepped back to escape it before replying.

“Unlike Your Grace, I’ve never once acted with some calculation in mind.”

“….”

“What I mean is…”

The word calculation had slipped out before she could stop herself, carrying with it an undertone that sounded almost like an accusation of Calix’s way of doing things.

She tried to correct herself, but—

“Fine. I’ll believe you… for now.”

Calix cut her off, as though he had no need to hear more.

‘That doesn’t look like the face of someone who means to believe me at all.’

And she was right.

“You didn’t calculate coming here, at least. Unlike someone else.”

The faintly mocking note in his voice made it clear he hadn’t liked her choice of words one bit.

“Your Grace, what I meant to say was—”

“Your Grace! And our lady!”

Just then, Rocheste appeared with his easy smile. Beside him stood Zenfri and several people Selina had never met before.

“My lady, you’re even more radiant than usual today. You’re so dazzling I almost didn’t recognize you!”

At his playful remark, Selina couldn’t help but smile.

“Rocheste. What a pleasant surprise to see you here.”

“The honor is mine, to behold such a beautiful lady.”

He reached out his hand toward her. Realizing it was to kiss the back of her hand, Selina hesitated for a moment before offering it to him.

She had just been having a small quarrel with Calix, and without thinking, she glanced his way—only to meet his unwavering gaze. Startled, she quickly looked away. That faintly subdued look in his eyes lingered in her thoughts, but—

“With our lady this beautiful, even the famed splendor of the Moonlight Palace seems to lose its luster.”

As Rocheste kissed the back of her hand and continued his flattery, her unease faded.

“Enough with the nonsense, man. Can’t you see you’re making her uncomfortable?”

Zenfri, looking embarrassed, clapped a hand over Rocheste’s mouth and introduced the others.

“We came to pay our respects to my lady. These are the commanders of the Grand Duke’s knight order.”

The two men beside Zenfri bowed to her.

“Alter.”

“Viktor.”

The round-faced man with brown hair was Alter, and the tall, broad-shouldered man with dark gray hair was Viktor.

“There’s usually one more, but he’s so popular we can’t seem to find him anywhere.”

Selina, however, was simply pleased to finally meet the people whose names had appeared on the list Lady Lily had given her.

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Selina… Silas.”

For a split second, she nearly introduced herself as Selina Ilios Axell, but quickly corrected it.

She remembered being told that after marriage, she was to take her husband’s surname.

She was already likely to have made herself unpopular with the people of Thalia—if she slipped and gave the marquis’s name instead, how much worse would it be? Correcting herself had been the obvious choice.

“Oh.”

“Ohh…”

The knights reacted with a kind of surprise, as if they had just heard something completely unexpected.

Selina wondered if she had made some mistake and instinctively glanced toward Calix for his reaction—when, all at once—

“So here you all are.”

Someone approached and slipped an arm through Calix’s.

“You must be worn out from your trip to the Empire. I heard you took quite a beating? That’s why I told you from the start you should have taken me along.”

Startled by the casual tone and familiar gesture, Selina turned her head—only to meet the gaze of a woman with shoulder-length hair that swayed as she moved, her smile fresh and radiant like ripe fruit.

“Oh! It’s a pleasure, my lady. This is our first time meeting.”

She bowed cheerfully to Selina.

Even without being told her name, Selina knew immediately who she was.

Karen Rymont.