Chapter 3.6

Luette had finished preparing long ago and was seated in the drawing room. One leg crossed over the other, he held a glass of light-colored brandy.  

“They must be reconstructing her entire appearance.” 

He muttered, glancing upstairs, where there was no sign of Solnia descending.  

Philip, his aide who had been roped into waiting alongside him, asked with a concerned expression, 

“Wouldn’t it be better to refrain from drinking?”  

“I’m about to step into the middle of a battlefield. This hardly counts as drinking.”  

“How does the Dowager’s party equate to a battlefield?”  

Luette gave Philip a half-smile, as if to say, ‘You wouldn’t understand,’and took another sip from his glass.  

Much time had passed like this.  

His glass was empty, and as he reached to pour himself another, he finally lost patience.  

“Go upstairs and ask if she plans to attend tomorrow instead.”  

“Young Madam is coming down!”  

Almost as if in response to his words, a maid’s loud declaration rang out. The maids, sent by his mother as if bestowing a royal gift, were all spirited.  

The maids, who had spent years tending to the Duchess, seemed overly excited about their new charge.  

Luette thought to himself, ‘Perhaps the poor, delicate wife has been tormented to the point of exhaustion and will appear pale and frail.’ 

Since the maids were sent by the Duchess, he couldn’t reprimand them as usual, and he imagined Solnia’s already pale complexion would look even more washed out.  

But the figure descending the staircase completely defied his expectations.  

A dazzling dress he had never seen before was coming down the central staircase. Despite two maids assisting her, the wide hem of the dress flowed like midnight waves cascading down the stairs.  

His gaze slowly traveled upward.  

White hands tightly clutching the front of the dress, long slender arms, and round shoulders left boldly exposed—those he could accept. After all, it was a special day, and she must have decided to be daring.  

But that overwhelming bust…  

Suddenly, the sensation of the lips he had touched earlier returned to his fingertips.  

When she had asked him to treat her as if she were the most cherished thing in the world, claiming it wouldn’t be difficult for him, he had, out of spite, touched her lips. He hadn’t expected them to be so soft, and the memory unsettled him.  

The softness of her lips, so at odds with her cold, unyielding demeanor, lingered in his mind.  

“Have you been waiting long?”  

“……”  

Luette, momentarily dazed, finally saw Solnia’s face as she approached.  

Far from the frail image he had imagined, Solnia Heston—no, Solnia Trovill—looked as though she had been meticulously painted layer by layer.  

The shock of seeing her like this lasted only a moment.  

“Have you been drinking?”  

“Is that the only dress you have?”  

Solnia’s question crossed the air and met Luette’s, their words colliding in the silence. Solnia smiled her way, and Luette smiled his, but both smiles carried a sharp edge.

“I only satisfied my hunger. By the way, is that the outfit mother prepared for you?”  

“She prepared two more dresses for me.”  

“And the other two are… huh…”  

He almost asked if the other two were scraps, which led her to wear such a revealing dress.  

No matter how he looked at her, her slender frame didn’t seem capable of producing such an overwhelming sight.  

“Huh, what?”  

“……”  

The dress looked like something a desperate mother would force on her daughter to get her married.  

At that moment, one of the maids standing behind Solnia approached Luette and whispered cautiously, ‘The dress wasn’t originally like this, but the young madam…’  

As the whisper continued, Luette frowned, as though he had heard something he shouldn’t have. In any case, the dress wasn’t designed to look like this—it was simply how she wore it.  

Finally, he understood the absurdity of her attire. It was an unintended disaster, nothing more.  

“You look lovely, Madame.”  

“……”  

“Let’s depart before it’s too late.”  

He smiled faintly and began walking.  

He could swear on his life that his wife would soon captivate every man’s gaze at the Dowager’s party—for better or worse.  

And his prediction was spot on.  

***

As they approached the mansion, more and more luxurious carriages came into view. Finally, when they reached the main gate, they saw a line of carriages waiting to enter.  

“What a spectacle.”  

Luette remarked indifferently, while Solnia struggled to calm her pounding heart.  

The Oberon Mansion, with its imposing grandeur characteristic of old estates, looked especially foreboding tonight.  

Perhaps it was because she knew this place was a trap that would decide her future.  

In contrast, Luette Trovill appeared completely at ease, as if he were visiting his own home. His calm demeanor only made her feel more unfairly burdened by her own anxiety.  

Meanwhile, the line of carriages grew shorter. The nobles stepping out of their carriages were all dressed as though attending a royal ball.  

Yet none could compare to her deep navy-blue dress.  

Perhaps the red dress would have been better. Or maybe the lemon-yellow one. Even if it looked childish and silly, it would have been preferable to this solemn navy-blue…  

Her mind was busy with irreversible regrets when the carriage door opened with a light knock, and the mansion’s butler greeted them.  

“Welcome, Earl Melfir and Countess Melfir.”  

For a moment, the butler’s eyes widened in surprise at Solnia’s appearance, but he quickly composed himself and smirked condescendingly.  

The two stepped out of the carriage and entered the mansion side by side.  

The mansion, opened fully for the occasion, exuded a lively atmosphere unlike its usual solemnity.  

The sound of music from the distant ballroom, voices exchanging pleasantries, and the slightly excited laughter of ladies masked her dreadful memories.  

“Oh, look over there…!”  

The couple quickly passed through the crowd without a word. Someone recognized them and tried to strike up a conversation, but they disappeared like the wind, leaving no chance to be stopped.  

Finally, they arrived at the ballroom entrance.  

Solnia paused before a space she had never entered before, even while living here.  

With her fake husband.  

Just as the attendant was about to open the doors, Solnia stopped him.  

“Wait.”  

She turned to Luette.  

“What is it, Madame?”  

He asked with a kind smile, and Solnia brushed off his jacket as she whispered, ‘You said you were confident in acting like a husband blinded by his wife.’  

Luette let out a short laugh at her whisper.  

“And you said you were confident as well.”  

“Of course. As much as you’d like.”  

“Then why don’t you start by correcting how you address me?”  

“……”  

After a brief hesitation, Solnia boldly linked her arm with his.  

“That’s something you should work on too, ‘dear.’”  

Luette chuckled derisively and faced forward.  

“Let’s go.”  

The attendant bowed and pushed open the ballroom doors with both hands. The soft music that had been playing quietly suddenly swelled, filling the air, and the warm heat of the room rushed over them.  

“Earl Melfir and Countess Melfir have arrived!”  

The loud announcement drew everyone’s attention.  

***

Dowager Heston’s birthday party, which marked the opening of the social season each year, was always grand, but this year was exceptional.  

Not only was the entire mansion, with over a century of history, opened, but the guest list was also extensive. Even the Queen, the Crown Prince, prominent figures, and high-ranking noble families were in attendance.  

The ballroom, where the party and ball took place, was decorated in pristine cream tones. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, and candles placed throughout added warmth to the atmosphere.  

The crowning glory, however, was the guests’ attire.  

As expected of the Kingdom’s elite, their outfits were extraordinary. The ladies, dressed in soft yet elegant hues, filled the ballroom with vibrant colors.  

It was as if someone had scattered an array of jewels across the ballroom, leaving every new arrival in awe.  

“This year’s event feels unusually solemn, doesn’t it?”  

“Well, it is the seventieth party. They must have put extra effort into it.”  

A noblewoman gracefully shook her head and added, 

“No, it’s because a special guest is attending this year.”  

“A special guest? Oh…”  

The noblewomen exchanged knowing glances.  

Solnia Rose Heston.  

No, Solnia Rose Trovill.  

This year’s party would feature the attendance of the Countess of Melfir, the Dowager’s most beloved granddaughter.  

The Dowager cherished her so much that she had never let her step outside the mansion.  

And last year, she had suddenly married and left for Melfir. In a way, this party was akin to her debutante ball.  

“I’m curious to see what she looks like.”  

The noblewoman’s comment elicited subtle smiles among the group.  

The news of Dowager Heston’s granddaughter attending was enough to create a buzz, but what truly piqued their interest was the rumored discord between the Earl and Countess of Melfir.  

Childhood friends who had shared a quiet bond—albeit one-sided—and eventually married.  

The romantic story, straight out of a novel, might have been a complete fabrication. It was a topic too enticing to ignore.  

“Could it all have been a lie from the beginning? Even that beautiful love story?”  

“At least that part was probably true. I remember hearing about their engagement when I was young.”  

“Now one of them has likely grown distant. That’s how it usually goes, isn’t it? Living in some dull countryside, everything becomes boring. Even a beautiful wife.”  

Regardless of the truth, one thing was certain: someone’s misfortune was another’s delight.  

Especially when it came to Solnia Heston, who had everything—the Dowager’s favor, her parents’ stunning looks, and even the heir to a ducal household—all without ever experiencing a proper social season.  

After all, the downfall of someone who has everything is the most entertaining spectacle.