In the end, that day’s tasting party ended rather inconclusively.

Because the Duke, Sebastian, and Mina all looked exhausted as if they had aged 10 years suddenly.

‘What was that really?’

I spent another whole day wondering what I did wrong because it bothered me, but eventually gave up.

I don’t know. If I really made a mistake, they’d tell me if only to receive an apology, right?

So I erased the strangeness of the tasting party from my mind. Actually, just coordinating the business of applying irite dye to the cake we tasted at the party was more than enough to fill my head.

Even with help from adults like the Duke and ghosts like Selena, business was still not easy. Would it be different when I grow up and gain more experience?

…No, I think it’ll still be just as headache-inducing then. Rather, I’ll probably have twice the headache since I’ll have to personally look after even the parts I’m not aware of now. Ugh!

‘I like work but I hate it…’

After several days passed in such intense internal conflict, the awaited news arrived.

「…Young Miss. An invitation has arrived from Count Carpendier.」

“Oh!”

I was worried they might not send one, but they did! I brightened at Mina’s words and jumped off the sofa to run over.

Grip.

“Huh?”

When I reached out to take the letter from Mina’s hand, it didn’t budge at all.

My eyes widened in surprise. When I reflexively looked up, I saw Mina’s hand firmly gripping the letter. And above that was Mina’s face wearing an extremely complicated expression.

I blinked several times and tried to gently pull the letter again, but it didn’t move an inch.

Has, has Mina always been this strong?

Fortunately, or unfortunately, when I started sweating nervously, Mina finally loosened her grip. She let out a deep sigh and wrote in her notebook with a gloomy face.

「Young Miss…」

“Yes?”

「You don’t know about love until you lie in the same coffin. Understood?」

Wh-where did that come from?

I wanted to ask that, but Mina’s eyes were strangely blazing. Pressed by her intensity, I found myself nodding vigorously.

“Uh, yeah. Sure, I know.”

「As expected of our brilliant Young Miss. Would you like a glass of honey milk?」

“Gasp. Really? Yes!”

「Please wait a moment.」

Perhaps thanks to my agreeing, Mina left the room with a much lighter expression. As I waved my hand at her retreating figure, a thought suddenly struck me and I smirked.

‘I probably know that saying better than anyone, Mina.’

After all, I lived under the same roof with a very vivid example – the Oblene Viscount.

But at the festival, he, I mean Damian, was strangely trustworthy. Like he would never betray me…

‘Gasp, is this what Tommy meant by love goggles?’

Since acknowledging him as my first love, it seems I’ve become more uninhibited about having embarrassing thoughts. This is why they say self-awareness is scary…

I shook my head side to side and opened Damian’s invitation. An exclamation of admiration escaped immediately.

“Wow.”

<…What is it, Terry?>

“Look at this. The handwriting is so… consistent.”

I tilted the letter towards Rick in response to his question.

Damian’s handwriting was, how should I put it? It looked like it was printed uniformly using some magical tool.

It’s amazing that someone could write such regular letters by hand. He must have practiced a lot?

「To Lady Teresia Everdeen.

This is Damian Carpendier. I apologize for the late reply as I was convincing my father to renovate the mansion for receiving guests.

If it’s alright with you, would you visit the Count Carpendier residence?」

That was the gist of the letter’s contents. Since I was the one who asked for an invitation in the first place, I wrote back agreeing without much hesitation.

As I pressed the Everdeen family symbol, the white branch tree seal, to close the envelope, a thought occurred to me and I muttered.

“Since he even renovated the mansion because of me, it would be polite to bring a gift, right?”

<…A gift, you say.>

“Yeah. What should I give…”

While pondering, a good idea came to mind.

‘Ah, right. If I give him a mask as a gift, I can naturally check his face with the mask on too?’

Though Damian acted exactly like the ‘boy’, there were still many things I hadn’t confirmed. Like his face with the mask on, or whether he remembers exactly what happened with me at the festival.

I feel like I can only comfortably like him after confirming such things.

‘Honestly, I’m being silly continuing to check when he looks so similar and even acts the same way.’

Perhaps because that night felt so surreal, my heart can’t accept that the boy suddenly became real and appeared before my eyes.

As I casually brushed off such thoughts and asked Mina to call Beth to prepare the gift, Rick silently stayed by my side.

Though it was a sight I’d been seeing often lately, that day his sitting there quietly like a real doll without saying a word particularly caught my attention.

* * *

Fortunately, I was able to complete the gift in time for the visit.

I nicely wrapped the completed mask in a box and boarded the carriage heading to Count Carpendier’s residence with it.

While the carriage bumped along, I looked out the window. Though it was still in the east, perhaps because we had left Everdeen territory, the atmosphere was very different.

“Hmm, it’s quite remote.”

…Actually, to put it nicely it was remote, but the scenery outside the window was closer to desolate.

Over the past few days, I had also completed my investigation of the Carpendier Count family, which had been unexpectedly interrupted by that strange tasting party or whatever it was.

Though Carpendier was a count family, their influence was only at the level of a viscount family, and after several years of poor harvests, they had completely fallen to the level of a baron family.

‘Well, the east is harder to be wealthy than other regions due to the cold in the first place…’

Knowing that, my conscience pricked a little, wondering if the count’s family had gone overboard because of my visit.

If I had known this, should I have prepared separate gifts for the count and his eldest son too? But the carriage has already departed… I’m sorry.

While mentally offering a light apology, the Carpendier Count’s residence drew closer.

「I’ll take care of this, Young Miss.」

When the carriage stopped in front of the main gate, Mina moved to take the box, so I tried to get out first. But just as I was about to step out of the carriage, a hand suddenly appeared before me.

“My lady.”

A sweet voice penetrated my ears. When I reflexively looked up at that voice, I saw Damian’s smiling face.

He slightly waved his gloved hand while maintaining a polite smile.

“Take my hand.”

“Ah, um. Yes.”

I answered somewhat stiffly due to awkwardness and got out of the carriage while holding his hand.

“…The wrist…”

‘Huh?’

I thought I heard a chilly murmur and turned around, but Mina was just standing there with her mouth closed, wearing a benevolent smile. …Did I hear wrong?

“Welcome, my lady. These are my father and brother.”

Just then, Damian’s voice drew my attention again.

Looking in the direction he led me, there stood one adult who seemed somewhat tense, and one young man who appeared slightly older than Damian. They were the count and his eldest son.

“It’s an honor to meet you, my lady.”

“You’ve graced our humble place with your precious presence. We will serve you with all our sincerity.”

“Oh, no. Rather, I should be thankful that you accepted my sudden request to visit so readily.”

I waved my hands in embarrassment at their excessively formal attitude. Hearing my words, the two smiled faintly, saying I was kind.

This isn’t really kindness, I’m just awkward because they’re treating me like I’m the Emperor or something.

While I was scratching my cheek sheepishly, Damian smiled brightly as he looked back and forth between the count and his eldest son.

“Now that introductions are done, shall we go to the dining room? All the food the chef prepared will get cold at this rate.”

“Ah, y-yes… let’s do that.”

“Th-this way.”

The count and his eldest son answered with a start at Damian’s words. The atmosphere was a bit strange, making me tilt my head.

‘Hmm…?’

Something… they don’t seem like a very close family. Damian acts natural, but the count and his eldest son seem uncomfortable around him?

‘Nah, must be my imagination.’

That’s what I thought at first, but the doubt I had momentarily set aside gradually swelled during the subsequent meal.

‘…Is there any reason to be this uncomfortable around your own son?’

The count and his eldest son were uncomfortable around Damian. This wasn’t speculation but fact.

Throughout the meal, they kept glancing at Damian as if checking his reactions, and whenever Damian smiled and spoke to them, their shoulders briefly stiffened. It hardly looked like a ‘family’ meal.

‘Damian doesn’t look like those two.’

Count Carpendier and his eldest son had appearances that could be described as plain. In contrast, Damian had a face that suited words like gorgeous and pretty.

But I heard Count Carpendier never kept a mistress like Viscount Oblene.

They’re not half-siblings like Lawrence and me, and though they look somewhat different, he’s definitely their real son and brother.

Is there any reason to be that awkward?

‘Something seems off…’