When Delia turned her head, she immediately met eyes with Kaiel who had been staring this way.

Eventually, Delia lifted her chin slightly and made a light nod. A silent signal for him to come closer.

There would never be another chance to treat Kaiel like this if not now.

Feeling as if she was having a private tutoring session with him, Delia giggled inwardly.

However, such playful thoughts soon disappeared.

It was because Kaiel approached with proper steps, bent slightly at the waist, and spoke near her ear.

“Miss.”

That single word, low and polite, and therefore more intense, reached her.

Delia felt as if her heart stopped for a moment before beating again. She hadn’t expected Kaiel to play along with her act in this way.

She was already grateful that he came when called, but to present such a surprise…

“Y-yes.”

Delia struggled to speak and hurriedly turned her gaze away. She felt she couldn’t say anything if she met his eyes. With her back to him, Delia spoke.

“Relax your expression. It would be even better if you smiled.”

Hearing her words, Kaiel slowly straightened his bent posture. Though he wouldn’t smile, regardless of that, the other young ladies’ eyes sparkled at the handsome face that contrasted with his cold impression when this attendant approached.

“The Averbit household must only employ people of outstanding appearance?”

“Hahaha……”

Delia was so focused on Kaiel standing behind her that she didn’t notice Mary Evans examining the two of them with interested eyes.

Mary Evans opened her mouth.

“Speaking of which, I heard His Grace the Grand Duke is also visiting the imperial palace, I wonder if he’ll make an appearance at this reception.”

At her words, the flow of conversation instantly shifted to Grand Duke Tranade.

“I’ve heard he looks frightening, but it seems almost no one has actually seen him. Is he really that fierce-looking?”

“A distant relative of mine once worked with His Grace, and said contrary to rumors, he’s very handsome.”

As various speculations went back and forth, Delia joined in.

“I can tell you about that. I’ve actually seen His Grace the Grand Duke in person.”

All eyes around the table turned to Delia.

“Where?”

“I don’t remember exactly. I just passed by him. But I clearly remember that he was very tall, exceptionally handsome, and had a nice voice. The rumors going around must be nonsense spread by people who know nothing.”

One should clean up rumors they started themselves, right.

Delia secretly winked at Kaiel and quickly sent him back to his original spot.

With this new information, each young lady added another candidate to their list of potential husbands in their hearts.

Afterwards, various conversations about the Grand Duke, Crown Prince, imperial palace, and social circles continued for quite a while.

But who could have known that trouble would strike as the conversation was heading towards its end.

[Penalty occurring due to decreased plausibility score.]

As always, Delia’s penalty started small but caused great damage.

Delia had merely lifted a teacup to her lips. Who could have known there would be a tiny crack in that teacup.

The teacup containing hot tea split with a crack, centered where the fissure had been.

In an instant, the hot tea and half of the teacup spilled onto her lap, while the other half made a sharp sound hitting the table. This startled the young lady next to her, who screamed, making the situation worse.

“Are you alright? Why did the cup suddenly……”

As uncomfortable attention focused on her, Delia hurriedly stood up.

“I’m fine, I’m fine! I just spilled a little tea.”

But as she stood, the chair she pushed back hit a servant passing behind carrying tea, causing the tray in the servant’s hands to wobble precariously before finally tipping over.

The porcelain teapot crashed to the floor, and the servant who tried to prevent this lost balance and fell, pushing Delia in the process.

“Ah, Miss! Watch out……!”

“Kyaaah!”

An unidentifiable scream disrupted the table, and Mary Evans also stood up, flustered by the sudden situation.

“Miss Averbit, are you alright? Oh my……”

Though Delia felt teapot fragments stabbing into her back, right now her resentment towards the penalty and frustration at ruining this gathering were greater than the pain.

“I-I’m fine.”

It was truly a cursed penalty. Why did it have to appear like this at every important moment.

No matter how much she resolved to be careful, she couldn’t prevent penalties that manifested in such unpredictable ways.

“Ugh….. It was my mistake, I’m sorry.”

Just as Delia, rubbing her back, stood up and extended her hand to the servant sitting beside her.

Kaiel, who had somehow approached, instead reached out his hand and quickly helped the servant up, then grabbed Delia’s outstretched hand. Then he pulled her away from the group.

“You hurt your back.”

“What are you doing! Everyone is still watching……”

Delia, who had been speaking, suddenly grimaced at the pain in her back. Kaiel’s eyes grew fierce.

“You……!”

“I’m fine, so for now just—”

Suddenly she felt a touch on her back, followed by a stinging pain that came and went.

“What did you do?”

“Does it hurt?”

“No, it feels fine now…… Ah!”

“Stay still.”

Though the pain was sharp, somehow it felt alright when Kaiel’s hand touched her.

“Are you done?”

“Yes.”

Delia sighed and noticed the young ladies in the distance watching them and murmuring. They seemed to want to approach and assess the situation but were hesitating. And beside them, she saw Lady Evans quietly observing the two.

“Oh no.”

Delia immediately increased her distance from Kaiel.

“How could you just pull me away like this! You’re an attendant! Everyone will think strangely of us.”

Though it wouldn’t be a problem for Kaiel since he was hiding his identity, showing such intimacy with a male attendant was something to apologize to Lady Evans for.

Kaiel shifted his gaze to the group following Delia’s look, then looked back at her. Him lifting her up and throwing her over his shoulder happened in an instant.

“Oh my!”

Exclamations of surprise could be heard from the young ladies in the distance.

“What are you doing! Kaiel! Put…… put me down!”

But he showed no signs of stopping. Carrying her just like that, Kaiel approached the group and stopped right in front of Mary Evans.

The speechless young ladies began letting their imaginations run wild at the scene before their eyes.

Even so, they couldn’t imagine beyond the mischievous rebellion of an attendant. They couldn’t even think of the possibility that this attendant was hiding his identity. Much less the possibility that he was the Grand Duke from the rumors.

However, Mary Evans was slightly different.

Though she also seemed quite surprised, somehow she also showed signs of interest.

“What are you doing?”

Delia fluttered at Mary Evans’s question.

Though she seemed to want to get down, Kaiel easily subdued this and continued silently staring at Mary Evans.

It wasn’t long before Mary Evans’s eyes gradually grew larger. His identity slipped out between her trembling lips.

“Your Grace…… the Grand Duke?”

In that moment, all sounds of breathing from Delia and the young ladies became deathly quiet.

What? Wasn’t he an attendant?

Didn’t we just gossip about His Grace the Grand Duke earlier?

The confused faces of the young ladies clearly revealed their thoughts without needing words.

Mary Evans stared at Kaiel’s face a bit longer before stepping back and giving a greeting.

“Your Grace. I…… I didn’t know you would come here like this. It’s an honor to meet you. I am Mary Evans.”

Mary Evans was well-connected in social circles.

In other words, she knew all the decent titled men of marriageable age.

As Kaiel held the position of Grand Duke, he couldn’t have been excluded from that list.

At the very least, Mary Evans had seen his portrait before. Even if it was just in passing, she had definitely seen it.

Wouldn’t it be harder not to remember such outstanding features?

“Put me down……”

A tiny voice made its presence known from behind Kaiel’s back.

“No.”

At their exchange, Mary Evans shook her head and smiled.

Already, this young lady seemed to have captured someone’s heart. If that someone was the Emperor’s second son and the Grand Duke of Tranade.

Nothing could be better.

‘You’ve given me a very nice gift for my reputation, Miss Averbit.’

As Kaiel turned to leave, Mary Evans finally decided to ask on behalf of the curious young ladies behind her.

“Your Grace.”

When he stopped his steps, Mary Evans continued.

“If you were going to reveal yourself like this, why did you hide your identity in the first place?”

After a moment, as he resumed walking, Kaiel answered indifferently.

“Because it’s fun.”

* * *

“Go back.”

“What? Why? Why!”

“Pay more attention to your attitude and bearing before returning.”

“Please go back.”

“Failed!”

From daytime, the plaza near the imperial palace was packed with countless young ladies.