Yvette quietly took Noel’s arm.

As the distance between them closed, Noel flashed a smile at her.

“Let’s first go greet the Marchioness.”

Yvette obediently followed Noel’s lead.

Where their steps led, an elegant middle-aged lady was standing.

“Duke Averon!”

The lady, spotting Noel, greeted the two with delight.

“Thank you for coming again this time. I heard that because of the rumor of your attendance, twice as many invitations were sent out.”

“Is that so.”

Noel just nodded expressionlessly.

At this somewhat stiff response, Yvette’s eyes widened.

‘Was Noel always like this?’

Unlike the surprised Yvette, Marchioness Theron seemed accustomed to Noel’s response.

She burst into laughter and covered her mouth with her fan.

“Is the young lady beside you the fiancée you’ve been praising so much?”

As the Marchioness showed interest in Yvette, Noel reluctantly nodded.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then you should introduce her to me quickly! Really, what are you doing just standing there?”

Urged by the Marchioness, Noel had no choice but to introduce them to each other.

As it was her first time being formally introduced to someone, Yvette couldn’t help but feel awkward.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I’m Yvette Blanche.”

As Yvette carefully greeted her, the Marchioness examined her with sharp eyes.

“It’s nice to meet you, Count Blanche. I’ve heard much about your reputation, but this is the first time seeing you in person.”

“Reputation?”

Yvette asked in confusion.

‘Besides being Noel’s fiancée, what else could I be known for?’

As if to resolve Yvette’s doubts, the Marchioness slowly continued.

“My daughter is currently attending the Academy. It seems your name comes up often there.”

At this unexpected information, Yvette’s eyes widened.

‘The Academy, could she mean Ruhen Academy?’

There were several academies in the Aiden Empire, but among them, Ruhen was known as the most prestigious.

It was a place where entrance exams were based solely on talent regardless of social status, so it was fair to say that all of the Empire’s talents came from Ruhen.

‘And it’s also where the protagonists first meet in the original story.’

As her thoughts reached this point, Yvette furrowed her brow.

The original story had suddenly come to mind.

‘Come to think of it, I had completely forgotten about the female lead.’

The point at which she had been transmigrated was still before the original story began.

The original story starts not long from now, on the day of the 100th alumni reunion at Ruhen Academy.

‘How could I forget about that? It’s not just where the female lead appears, but also where the villain first shows up!’

Like waves crashing in, the forgotten settings of the original story came flooding back.

It wasn’t just Noel and the female lead who appeared at the Ruhen Academy reunion.

Kervel Petoras, the villain of the original story, also made his first appearance there.

“Yvette.”

When she didn’t respond for a while, Noel, unable to wait any longer, spoke up.

Only then did Yvette snap back to reality and turn to him.

“…Yes? Did you call me?”

“The Marchioness is asking if you plan to attend the upcoming reunion.”

At those words, Yvette hesitated for a moment.

“Re-reunion? Which reunion are you referring to…?”

“Why, of course, I’m talking about the Ruhen Academy reunion happening in a month.”

Marchioness Theron quickly folded her fan, as if to say ‘what are you talking about?’

“The invitations should have already been sent out. Don’t tell me you didn’t know about it until now?”

At the Marchioness’s question, Yvette gave an awkward smile.

‘Of course, I didn’t know! How was I supposed to know that an extra who doesn’t even appear in the original story attended Ruhen Academy!’

Barely suppressing the urge to tear at her hair, Yvette forced a smile.

“Ah, haha. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately, so I must have momentarily forgotten.”

“You’re still young, it’s too early to be so forgetful.”

The Marchioness clicked her tongue softly and persistently continued her questioning.

“So, does Count Blanche plan to attend?”

“Ah, yes, I think I will attend.”

Yvette reluctantly nodded, unable to withstand the Marchioness’s pressure.

If she said she wouldn’t attend here, the atmosphere would become very awkward.

Satisfied with her answer, the Marchioness’s lips curved into a smile.

“Well then, please take care of my daughter when you’re there. It seems she greatly admires you, Count Blanche.”

With those final words, the Marchioness excused herself to attend to other guests.

As soon as the Marchioness disappeared, Yvette let out a deep sigh.

It was just a conversation, but she felt completely drained.

“You look exhausted.”

Noel, who had been by her side the whole time, murmured softly.

Yvette shot him a resentful glance.

“You said this would be less troublesome. Is this what you call less troublesome?”

“This is just the beginning, you shouldn’t be tired already.”

Noel smiled crookedly and gestured with his eyes over his shoulder.

She could see other nobles cautiously approaching now that the Marchioness had left.

Yvette forced a smile while trying to suppress an oncoming headache.

This was just the start of the supposedly ‘less troublesome’ party.

***

‘…If this is a less troublesome party, just how troublesome are the regular ones?’

Seeing the nobles approaching almost in a line, Yvette wore an exasperated expression.

The nobles who were acquainted with Noel were busy greeting him, even while being mindful of his reactions.

Noel maintained a brusque attitude towards them, just as he had with the Marchioness.

The only one he showed a kind demeanor to was Yvette alone.

Even while dealing with the nobles, Noel would occasionally turn to look at Yvette.

He would gently tuck a stray lock of her hair, or meet her eyes with a faint smile.

Every time he showed such affectionate behavior, gasps of admiration could be heard from those around.

At the same time, Yvette could hear the nobles whispering.

“It seems Duke Averon really loves that woman. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this before.”

“I wonder what he saw in her? Besides a somewhat pretty face, she doesn’t seem to have any particular merits.”

“I’ve heard of the Blanche family, but… Wasn’t that estate managed by the Larishi barony until recently?”

“Now that you mention it, I think I heard about that too. After the previous Count Blanche passed away in an accident, his daughter was raised by Baron Larishi…”

The conversation that started with Noel gradually shifted towards discussing Yvette’s family circumstances.

Yvette unconsciously furrowed her brow at the stories that kept reaching her ears, even though she didn’t want to hear them.

‘Do I have to listen to talk about those people even here?’

As she discreetly let out a sigh, Noel asked from beside her.

“Is there a problem?”

Ignoring whatever the noble who had just approached was saying, Noel focused his attention solely on Yvette.

His calm silver-blue eyes were gentle.

Yvette shook her head as if nothing was wrong and smiled brightly.

“I’m just a bit thirsty, so I’ll go get something to drink for a moment.”

“Shall I go with you?”

“I’m not a child, you know. I can manage this much on my own.”

“If there’s any problem, call me. I’ll come right away.”

“Alright. I’ll be back soon.”

With those words, Yvette moved away from Noel.