*** 

Inside the carriage heading to Wheatley.

Yvette stared out the window with her fists clenched.

Her mind was cluttered with the new facts she had learned today.

‘I was a more remarkable person than I thought.’

Until now, she had lived without paying much attention to her past.

It was because not knowing her past didn’t particularly hinder her daily life.

But now it seemed she couldn’t be so carefree anymore.

‘I almost asked if that was true earlier.’

The moment she had asked such a question, everyone around would have found it strange. It doesn’t make sense for someone not to remember their own past.

‘Fortunately, no one noticed.’

Following Shapel’s sudden outburst, the female students quietly dispersed.

Most of them seemed more put off by Shapel’s fervent fandom than interested in Yvette’s past.

Thanks to this, Yvette was able to return to the party venue with Noel without any further commotion.

‘…Come to think of it, I was so shocked that I forgot to ask about the department.’

Shapel had only said that Yvette was a legend in ‘her department’, without specifying the exact name.

Because of this, Yvette still didn’t know which department she had graduated from.

‘It’s probably not the magic department… So it’s either swordsmanship or general studies.’

If she had been in the swordsmanship department, she should have had much more developed muscles than she does now.

‘That means there’s a high possibility it was the general studies department.’

The academy had a total of three departments.

The magic department and swordsmanship department, which focused on practical skills. And the general studies department, which focused on theory.

The general studies department had the highest proportion of nobles. This is because it taught most of the virtues that nobles should know, such as management, economics, politics, and history.

‘…Not only did I rank first for three consecutive years in that environment, but I also graduated as the youngest?’

Yvette sighed deeply as if the ground might cave in.

‘The current me would be doing well just to avoid being last, let alone ranking first.’

It was fine when she didn’t know, but now that she did, it was distressing.

Just like Shapel, it seemed other people might have expectations of her too.

‘I wonder if Noel knew about this as well?’

Noel was also a graduate of Ruhen Academy.

Even if they didn’t attend the academy together, there’s a high chance he heard rumors about her.

‘Should I start studying secretly now?’

Until now, she had been so focused on the future that there was no time to look back on the past.

However, to continue living safely as Yvette Blanche, it seemed she needed to know about her past somehow.

‘…Should I take this opportunity to visit the territory?’

There might be records about the past Yvette remaining in the Blanche territory.

Since she had to go down there at some point anyway, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to investigate while she’s at it.

‘While I’m there, I should also check out the atmosphere of the territory.’

Since becoming ‘Yvette Blanche’, she had never visited the territory.

This was because the late Count’s assistant was performing the duties of acting lord in her place while she stayed in the capital.

‘As soon as I get home, I should write a letter to Lord Rabat first.’

Yvette thought this as she stared blankly at her hands.

Today, those hands felt strangely unfamiliar, as if they belonged to someone else.

“…Yvette.”

It was then.

Noel, who had been silent since their departure, called out to Yvette.

“…Yes?”

As Yvette startled and raised her head, Noel continued in a low voice.

“You don’t look well. Is something troubling you?”

At his question, Yvette bit her tongue discreetly and then released it.

‘As always, his intuition is uncannily sharp.’

Or maybe I’m just bad at hiding my expressions.

She suppressed a sigh and forced a smile.

“I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

“If you’re tired, take a short nap. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

“It’s a bit uncomfortable to sleep here. I can still manage, so it’s fine.”

Yvette shook her head, telling him not to worry.

Noel quietly observed her for a moment before standing up.

“Then, how about this?”

With a ‘thud’, Noel moved to sit beside Yvette.

It happened so quickly that there was no time to stop him.

“…What are you doing?”

A surprised Yvette looked up at Noel.

Seeing her wide-open eyes, Noel smiled slightly.

“I thought I’d lend my shoulder to my tired fiancée.”

Saying this, Noel gently pressed Yvette’s head to rest on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to go this far…”

Although hesitant, Yvette followed Noel’s lead.

Now that she was leaning on him, she really did feel the fatigue washing over her.

“It’s not particularly difficult for me.”

Noel answered lightly, covering Yvette’s eyes with his hand.

“So don’t worry about it, just sleep comfortably.”

Yvette pondered what to do for a moment before finally closing her eyes.

As if he really intended to let her sleep, Noel remained quiet afterward.

Only the rattling sound of wheels filled the carriage.

‘…How am I supposed to sleep like this?’

Yvette let out a small groan with her eyes closed.

Leaning on his shoulder made Noel feel too close.

Because of this, Yvette became conscious even of her breathing.

‘Is he doing this on purpose? Or is it just natural for him?’

No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make sense that Noel was an innocent who had never even held a woman’s hand.

Making people’s hearts flutter as easily as breathing, there’s no way this was all his first time.

‘It’s troublesome if he keeps acting like this.’

Even though they had a contract, she was still human.

How could she not be swayed when he kept making her heart flutter with that face?

But the more these situations repeated, the more troublesome it became for her alone.

‘I don’t want things to become awkward with Noel.’

Until the curse was broken, she had no choice but to rely on him.

But what if she were to fall for Noel?

Could she maintain the same relationship as now even then?

If it were anyone else, maybe, but Yvette didn’t have that confidence.

‘…I should probably keep a proper distance from now on.’

After all, this contract engagement would end in a year.

All she had to do was somehow break the curse in the meantime.

‘Let’s focus only on the curse for now, not on other thoughts.’

Although she unfortunately didn’t meet Liliana again today, that didn’t mean the opportunity was gone.

Since Liliana had first expressed her interest, there were plenty of ways to approach her.

‘As for the modeling… I’ll have to think about it a bit more…’

As Yvette was making various plans in her head, she dozed off at some point.

It seemed the fatigue had accumulated from being on edge all day.

“…She’s finally asleep.”

Noel smiled softly as he watched Yvette breathing regularly.

He carefully turned his gaze towards the window, trying not to wake Yvette.

It was the first time the weight on his shoulder felt welcome.

***

A few days later.

A letter from Liliana arrived at Wheatley.

It was a reply to the invitation Yvette had sent recently.

[To the beautiful Count Blanche,

Thank you for contacting me first.

I’ve been waiting for the day to meet you again, so this is perfect.

I have classes on weekdays, so if possible, I’d like to visit on the weekend. Would that be alright?

You can set the time as you wish. I’m happy just to be able to meet you.

Oh, by the way!

I don’t mean to pressure you, but have you thought about my offer to model?

If you feel inclined to do it, please let me know anytime.

Then, I’ll be waiting for your reply.

• Your fervent fan, Liliana.]

‘…A fervent fan, she says.’

Yvette, who had been reading the letter slowly, made an embarrassed expression.

It seems Liliana’s words about Yvette being her ideal type weren’t just a joke after all.

“I should set a date quickly.”

Yvette took out a piece of stationery and quickly wrote a reply.

To summarize, the content was that any weekend was fine, so Liliana could visit whenever it was convenient for her.

‘As for modeling, I’ll need to think about it a bit more.’

Maybe it’s because she had never done such a thing before.

She hesitated to readily accept Liliana’s offer.

After finishing with the final signature, Yvette entrusted the letter to Herbert.

Shortly after, Liliana sent another reply.

The content was that if it was alright with Yvette, she would visit next weekend.