#2.

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The baron and Baroness of Nilson could not hide their joy as they held the invitation from the duke in both hands.

“Honey, it seems our family is finally getting the recognition it deserves.”

“I never thought the duke would extend his consideration to us. We should be grateful.”

“If your business goes well now, we’ll be able to live in the capital without feeling inferior. Our Janice has already married into an excellent family, now if only Ellin……”

Rosana, who had been firing words like a machine gun in her excitement, suddenly made a face like she’d bitten into something rotten.

‘If only that sly Ellin would marry the viscount, everything would work out perfectly.’

Who would have thought such an obedient child would cause so much trouble?

“I think we need to invite Viscount Mackenzie to our home once more.”

She firmly resolved to make Ellin accept the proposal this time, even if she had to lock her up.

“Well. I don’t think that will be necessary.”

Rosana glared at her husband in response.

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t it be necessary?”

Instead of answering, the baron handed her the invitation he was holding.

Rosana read the invitation carefully.

“It says both daughters of the baron’s family must attend together. Is it common to write such specific instructions in an invitation?”

Though this was her first time seeing such an invitation, the baron reacted nonchalantly.

“Let’s not overthink it. The viscount will also attend, so Ellin will naturally have another opportunity to meet him. This is actually fortunate.”

“Well, that’s true, but……”

“Janice will be pleased too. Having received the duke’s invitation, it would look good if Janice and her husband attend together.”

Rosana found her husband’s words quite reasonable.

If the viscount proposed officially in front of everyone, Ellin wouldn’t be able to refuse.

Moreover, it would be an opportunity to elevate the family’s status by showing off her proud daughter Janice and handsome son-in-law Royce as a happy couple.

Just imagining that day filled her with satisfaction.

“I should go up to see Ellin. She may be rebellious now, but it won’t last long. We’ll need to coax her gently until the wedding.”

A gentle smile formed on the baron’s lips at her words.

“I don’t know how fortunate I am to have you. She’ll come to appreciate you too.”

* * *

Ellin sat by the window and carefully opened a metal box.

It contained things she treasured.

A finger puppet made by a childhood friend, a photo locket left by her mother before she passed away, a cherished hairpin, and a man’s scarf shaped like a long sash.

She gently caressed the soft silk fabric that wrapped around her fingers at the slightest touch.

‘He didn’t seem to remember me at all.’

She wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or hurt. Her feelings were in turmoil.

‘If the duke hadn’t been drunk that night, would he have recognized me in the greenhouse?’

The memory of that secret encounter from a few years ago in Castia brought only a bitter smile to her lips.

What difference would it make if he had recognized her?

Just then, she heard movement in the hallway.

She could tell who it was just by the sound of the footsteps.

She had lived with all her senses heightened to watch for her stepmother’s moods ever since she arrived.

Ellin quickly closed the lid of the metal box and pushed it deep under her bed.

Soon after, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Before she finished speaking, Rosana entered confidently with a smile spread across her face.

“What is it?”

Ellin pretended to organize the table, trying to avoid eye contact.

“Are you still upset? Why do you need to be so prickly?”

“I’m tired after visiting the hospital this afternoon. If you have something to say, please say it quickly.”

Rosana grew increasingly annoyed watching Ellin refuse to look at her.

The thought she had while climbing the stairs—that she should try to persuade Ellin gently—disappeared in an instant.

‘Fine. Let’s see how you respond!’

Rosana crossed her arms and said to Ellin,

“I wasn’t going to say this, but do you even know who’s responsible for Edward being in the convent hospital at all?”

Only then did Ellin turn to look at her stepmother with hateful eyes.

How could she use the sick Edward in marriage negotiations? How could she do this, even for a stepmother?

“Do you know how many years patients wait to get one of those beds?”

Ellin knew very well that it was her stepmother who had struggled to secure that hard-to-get hospital bed.

Of course, not for Edward’s sake, but for herself and her own child.

Her stepmother had been eager to have Edward hospitalized, like removing someone she couldn’t stand to see.

“How very grateful I am.”

Ellin smiled mockingly.

“We’re doing what we can for Edward too. If we lose that ability, he might have to leave the hospital.”

Ellin glared at her stepmother in disbelief.

“What did you say?”

After arbitrarily putting him in the hospital, now she was threatening to arbitrarily discharge him.

Now she worried more about Eddie returning to this damned house.

It would be much better for Eddie if these people, who called themselves family, left him in the hospital and ignored him like a stranger.

Who knew what they might do to the sick Eddie while she wasn’t around?

“Have you come to your senses now?”

Rosana smiled with snake-like cunning.

“So obey your parents. Everything we do is for you and your brother.”

Pretending to be a loving mother, she spoke again.

“You’ll attend the party in a few days. It’s hosted by Duke Linderto. So be careful not to disgrace our family.”

Ellin’s eyes darkened with shock upon hearing her stepmother’s words.

“Duke……Linderto?”

* * *

The white horse galloping through the forest stopped at a hill overlooking a lake.

“What are you thinking? You, hosting a party?”

Jonathan asked Dominic.

Dominic leaned back comfortably against a large tree trunk.

He looked relaxed with his long, firm legs loosely crossed at the ankles and his hands supporting the back of his head.

“Your Highness should prepare to keep your promise.”

Jonathan, who had approached and sat on the tree trunk, asked with an incredulous expression.

“……Are you serious? You mean what I proposed then?”

Dominic just grinned.

Understanding the meaning of that smile, Jonathan laughed loudly in disbelief.

“You truly are a real friend. My benefactor, my cousin, my friend Dominic.”

When Jonathan tried to embrace Dominic, he dodged to the side with a serious expression.

Still, Jonathan couldn’t hide his joy.

Then he suddenly asked curiously.

“But who’s your partner? Are you planning to choose among the ladies invited to the party? Is that why you’re hosting it?”

Jonathan became curious about why Dominic, who had initially refused vehemently, suddenly decided to accept his proposal.

“Could it be you’ve had someone in mind all along? Is that it?”

“That’s my business. Just don’t forget you agreed to transfer the mining rights.”

“Of course. I swear on my honor.”

Jonathan answered magnanimously, but Dominic wanted one more confirmation.

“Whether Silvia accepts or rejects Your Highness’s proposal doesn’t matter. I made this promise based on my marriage.”

Jonathan chuckled and placed his hand on Dominic’s shoulder.

“I know.”

Only then did Dominic lie down with a satisfied expression, looking at the sky as though the deal was concluded.

“But is it okay to decide so hastily? After all, it’s your marriage.”

Jonathan looked somewhat dissatisfied and suspicious despite being the one who made the proposal first.

“Your mother isn’t even in the capital now. Are you planning to marry without your mother’s permission? What are you thinking?”

It was something anyone would question.

Dominic wasn’t just a commoner but the proper Duke of the Linderto family, practically royal.

Such a nobleman’s marriage should rightfully cause a stir throughout the Kingdom.

“That’s why I’m hosting a party. To lessen the shock for my mother.”

Even after hearing Dominic’s explanation, Jonathan still didn’t fully understand.

But would his mother be the only one shocked?

Silvia naturally came to Jonathan’s mind.

How would she react to this news?

He could only imagine her being shocked and collapsing.

He had impulsively proposed this to the duke out of spite after Silvia rejected his proposal as crown prince, but he never expected his friend to actually accept.

Jonathan, who had been excited until just now, looked down at Dominic with a heavier gaze.

Dominic, the person most concerned, appeared surprisingly calm.

* * *

Ellin paced anxiously in the garden, biting her nails.

‘What should I do if we meet at the party?’

She couldn’t sleep properly as the date approached, growing more nervous.

Seeing that nothing had happened so far, she thought he didn’t remember what happened that night.

Duke Linderto had clearly been drunk that night.

‘Since almost all nobles in the capital will attend, we might not even meet. Someone as important as the duke wouldn’t pay attention to our family. He probably won’t even notice I’m there.’

She couldn’t understand why he had sent an invitation to the humble Nilson family. Nor did she understand why her stepmother was trying to drag her to the party.

‘If she thinks I’m shameful, why bother taking me? She always only took Janice.’

Of course, the previous party where she met the duke was an exception.

Because they needed to show her to Viscount Mackenzie to sell her off.

‘That viscount will surely attend too. That’s why they’re forcing me to go.’

When she said she wanted to return to Castia where her great-aunt lived because she didn’t want to attend the party, her stepmother’s eyes had bulged in anger.

“Just try it! Your brother Eddie will be thrown out of the hospital that very day! If Edward’s health worsens, it will be all your fault!”

With her brother being held hostage, she couldn’t refuse to attend.

‘What should I do? This is terrible.’

If she hadn’t attended that day, she wouldn’t have had that unfortunate incident(?) with the duke.

Desperate sighs kept escaping her lips.

“Ugh.”

Ellin held her head with both hands, her mind aching.

* * *