‘The irite dye has finally arrived in the Empire? Then of course I have to go see it.’

Damian Carpendier, no.

Damian Lambard had initially planned to just see the talked-about ‘Wish Tree’ and return when he first arrived in Everdeen territory.

After all, he was in the position of having run away from Duke Lambard’s watchful eyes.

‘Father, could I visit Everdeen territory to see this Wish Tree or whatever…’

‘You must know well yourself that’s nonsense, Damian.’

The day he came across the advertisement for the ‘Wish Tree.’ When he fought sleep to wait for his father’s late return and finally managed to face him to ask.

Duke Lambard answered in his usual completely emotionless voice, as if Damian wasn’t even worth dealing with. Then he walked right past his only son.

Damian was left standing there alone, not receiving even a glance.

The Duke didn’t click his tongue or show any sign of displeasure. But Damian thought it might have been less miserable if he had shown at least some displeasure.

Damian bit his lip thinking this. Though it happened all the time, that day the stinging in his eyes was particularly bothersome.

‘…If I say I want to see it, what are you going to do about it?’

In the end, overcome with emotion, he ran away taking just one guard with him.

At first it was just mild interest, but now it was closer to rebellion against his father.

Though running away was impulsive, Damian was often praised by his tutors for his exceptional intelligence.

As soon as he ran away, he remembered the Carpendier Count’s family who were on a sinking ship and persuaded them.

‘If you hide me just during Everdeen’s Snow Festival, I’ll speak well to Father about taking in the Carpendier Count’s family as vassals. I’ll just do some sightseeing and return, so you won’t face any punishment.’

Damian knew from the start that the Carpendier Count’s family couldn’t possibly refuse his offer.

His high status, exceptional intelligence, and beautiful appearance always drew people in. And for Damian, who had grown up with such attention since birth, manipulating people’s hearts was child’s play.

As Damian predicted, after some hesitation the Count Carpendier created a second son out of thin air.

Having smoothly become the Carpendier’s second son, Damian leisurely went to see the Wish Tree.

The ‘irite dye’ he saw in person was incomparably more beautiful than any written description. So much that someone tried to steal it even with knights guarding it.

Of course, since it wasn’t his concern, Damian kept staring at the Wish Tree even during the commotion.

Then suddenly something flew over his head and Damian reflexively caught it. Frowning a beat later, he looked down at what he had caught.

‘…What’s this, a teddy bear?’

It was a teddy bear. Damian felt quite displeased at the thought of holding something that could have been touched by who knows who.

‘Tch.’

Just as he clicked his tongue and was about to drop the teddy bear, a small voice pierced his ear.

‘Um…’

Damian instinctively flinched and turned his head. Then he saw a girl with unique turquoise eyes, a mix of green and blue, staring intently at him.

Who is she? As this question arose, his mind quickly turned.

Though her appearance seemed shabby, she was clean. Probably a noble’s child who came to see the Wish Tree.

It would be troublesome if he caught anyone’s attention. Coming to this conclusion immediately, Damian painted a smile on his face. Half of it was from his ingrained education.

‘…Ah. Could this teddy bear be yours?’

Damian intended to hand over the teddy bear and disappear before anyone recognized him. However, the girl who owned the teddy bear annoyingly grabbed his sleeve as he was turning to leave.

‘Hey!’

‘Haven’t we met somewhere before?’

Then she asked such an unexpected question. Damian was momentarily puzzled by her voice that seemed almost desperate.

She’s acting like we’ve met somewhere, but I don’t remember. Looking at her expression… Ah. She must be just another one of those common girls who fell for my face.

That made it even more troublesome. Damian didn’t want to get caught by the knights Duke Lambard had sent while dealing with her, so he quickly ran away pretending not to hear her words.

He thought they would never meet again after that. But surprisingly, Damian met the girl again at a tea party he attended wondering if there might be a way to get some irite dye.

Moreover…

‘Welcome, My Lady.’

That girl was surprisingly Teresia Everdeen. Upon realizing this, Damian immediately changed his attitude.

‘I apologize for not recognizing you last time.’

‘Ah… Could it be that you’ve already forgotten about that day? I still remember…’

‘Last time,’ when they met in front of the Wish Tree, Teresia certainly seemed to have fallen for Damian himself.

So he decided to sweet-talk Teresia into taking away the exclusive distribution rights for irite dye. Wouldn’t it be better for the Ice Whale clan too if he had the distribution rights rather than this girl who seemed not just innocent but foolish?

‘Is this a mask?’

‘Yes. Since you’ve fully returned to the east now, I thought you might attend masquerade balls and such.’

Later when they met again at the Carpendier Count’s residence and he received the mask as a gift, Damian saw the mix of doubt and expectation in Teresia’s eyes and realized.

Teresia hadn’t fallen for him, but probably liked someone who ‘resembled’ him.

But judging by that half-doubting expression, she must not have met them for a long time, or the other person had disappeared unilaterally.

Given that she gave him a ‘mask’ of the type used at ‘festivals’ as a gift while wanting to confirm something, it must be someone she met wearing a mask at a festival, right?

This was when Damian’s exceptional intelligence shone.

Based on what he figured out from Teresia’s eyes and actions, he subtly pretended to be the person she liked. It would be easier to take the irite dye if he became the person she had opened her heart to first.

Fortunately, Teresia seemed to have fallen completely for the deception. At this rate, it seemed possible to take away the irite dye distribution rights at the next ball.

“This is way too easy anyway.”

Damian curled his lips into a sneer and kicked the mask rolling on the floor. The mask, now ugly with all the irite crystals removed, flew off.

“<The Tale of the Invisible Gentleman> and everything else, they say she’s famous but it’s all an exaggeration. Actually it was the Duke’s work that he handed over to secure his heir’s position. She’s just a stupid girl?”

Still, I shouldn’t let my guard down.

He would have to act even sweeter than usual on the day of the ball. That way he would make Teresia hand over the irite dye distribution rights with her own hands.

What would Teresia’s face look like when she finally realized she had been deceived?

Damian hummed while wiggling his toes. He most enjoyed playing with the hearts of girls who fell for his face, then watching them despair and cry in the end because of him alone.

His evil hobby was already widely rumored in the capital Wieden. Sadly, not here in the east yet.

“…Come to think of it.”

Suddenly an unpleasant thought crossed his mind. Damian frowned while tightly clenching his fist.

The irite crystals in his hand clinked together making a sound like screaming.

“Just who did she mistake me for?”

Damian knew objectively that his beauty was exceptionally outstanding. Isn’t it obvious when even in Wieden, despite the rumors about his evil hobby, at least one person each year still falls for him?

Even with a mask on, for someone to be confused with him to that extent, just what did the person Teresia saw look like?

“The only one I’ve ever heard say we look alike is the Clarsen Young Marquis… But he’s been in a coma for years so he can’t be walking around, is it a commoner?”

His good mood from thinking about taking the irite dye distribution rights plummeted endlessly. Damian ground his teeth with blazing eyes.

“How presumptuous. If I ever run into them even by chance, I’ll have to leave some scars on their face. How dare they look like me?”

Perhaps he unconsciously added more strength to his grip as the irite crystals clinked again.

Brought back to his senses by the sound, Damian raised his hand. Seeing the crystals in his hand sparkle in the moonlight somewhat calmed his mind.

Leaning back leisurely against the windowsill, Damian clicked his tongue.

“…If only Airic Clarsen wasn’t from an allied family, I would have taught him a lesson too. Tch.”

Well, they say he hasn’t regained consciousness for years now, so he might as well not exist.

Humming sounds emerged from Damian’s nose again. He laughed merrily, throwing and catching the irite crystals until the moon reached its peak in the sky.