Chapter 4.1

It was only natural, since the person who came out after Feroza was Rozelia.

“Rozelia…….”

Ellie’s voice trembled.

Why is Rozelia here?

When did the two of them meet?

She bit her lip hard and looked at Feroza and Rozelia.

Rozelia, smiling brightly, was beautiful.

Even from a distance, the two of them looked like a perfectly matched pair.

Ellie couldn’t bring herself to get closer and simply watched the two from afar.

Perhaps she stared too intently, because Feroza lifted his head and looked in her direction.

Reflexively, she glanced around, but there was nowhere to hide or run anyway.

When Feroza looked her way, Rozelia naturally met Ellie’s eyes as well.

Noticing Ellie, Rozelia widened her eyes in surprise, then soon smiled sweetly.

Ellie awkwardly lifted the corners of her lips and managed to return the smile.

Soon Rozelia, escorted by Feroza, climbed into the carriage.

After Rozelia left, Feroza approached Ellie.

“Ellie, what brings you here? I was surprised when you said you’d come suddenly.”

“……What is Lady Azenne doing here?”

“You know each other?”

“Just… I’ve seen her a few times at tea parties.”

Ellie turned her head and met Feroza’s gaze.

She didn’t know what kind of expression she was making, but Feroza flinched.

“Ellie.”

“……Yes?”

“There’s nothing between us.”

Feroza quickly added,

“I made a good deal with Count Azenne, so Lady Azenne just came to visit with a thank-you gift.”

“Not the Count himself, but Lady Azenne?”

“Of course… I can guess the Count’s intentions, but you know, Ellie.”

He took her hand, lifted it, and pressed a kiss to the back of it, then grinned.

“You know you’re the only one for me.”

“……Really?”

“Of course.”

Feroza nodded confidently.

But Ellie couldn’t be as happy as a child.

‘Up until right before I came here, I was going to ask him to marry me…….’

But seeing Feroza and Rozelia together, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

Her confidence seemed to vanish instantly.

“But what brings you all the way here? Did you come to see me?”

“Yes.”

Since it was true, she nodded without lying.

Feroza stared blankly for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.

“What should I do, Ellie? My heart is racing after hearing that.”

“What? Don’t lie.”

Ellie narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and Feroza took her hand and placed it over his heart.

“See, Ellie.”

With a doubtful face, she focused on his heartbeat.

She could feel his heart pounding hard and fast under her palm.

She hadn’t expected it to be real, so she looked at Feroza with wide eyes.

“Is it really?”

“……It is.”

She replied in a dazed voice, and he smiled gently.

“Let’s go inside for now.”

“Oh, uh, yes.”

Caught off guard, Ellie took Feroza’s hand and entered the mansion.

Following behind him, she spoke up.

“By the way, what did Lady Azenne bring as a gift?”

“Oh, a peridot mine.”

“……A mine?”

Her mother had also mentioned something about a diamond mine as a wedding gift before; it seemed mines were common gifts here.

“I usually don’t accept things like this, but I accepted it because it’s a peridot mine.”

“Why?”

“The color is similar to your eyes, Ellie. I heard the peridot from that mine is of very high quality.”

“Ah…….”

Ellie blinked.

‘This person… is filled with thoughts of me.’

She felt sorry for even briefly suspecting that Feroza might have feelings for Rozelia.

The anxiety she’d felt earlier upon seeing Rozelia slowly faded away.

“Feroza.”

“Yes.”

“Will you marry me?”

“……What?”

Feroza stopped in his tracks.

Ellie, who had been watching him, naturally stopped as well.

He slowly turned around and looked at her.

“What did you just say?”

“I asked if you’d marry me.”

Ellie blinked and tried to speak as calmly as possible.

Honestly, her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of her chest at any moment.

He stared at her, then suddenly raised his hand and slapped his own cheek.

Smack—!

“Feroza!”

Ellie cried out in shock.

He’d hit himself so hard that in just a few seconds, his cheek turned red.

“What are you doing! Are you okay? Why would you suddenly hit yourself like that!”

“I thought I might be dreaming.”

Feroza still wore a dazed expression.

Ellie sighed and pulled his face down with her hands.

“Goodness…… No matter what, who hits themselves like that?”

“…….”

“How hard did you hit yourself for it to turn this red? It won’t bruise, will it?”

Even if he’d still look handsome with a bruise, she didn’t want her beloved’s face to be hurt.

“Ellie.”

“Yes.”

She answered absentmindedly as she checked his face.

Then, suddenly, he grabbed her hand and spoke.

“You mean it?”

“Huh?”

“That you’ll marry me.”

“Uh… yes, I mean it.”

She nodded a couple of times.

Feroza immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Eek!”

“I’m so happy. What do I do!”

Then he lifted her by the waist and spun her around.

“Wait, Feroza!”

Where did he get such strength?

Ellie patted his shoulder, then burst out laughing.

Fortunately, Feroza put her down again before long.

“Um, shall we take a walk?”

“I’d love to.”

Ellie smiled brightly and linked her arm with Feroza’s.

Suddenly, he stiffened.

“Feroza?”

When he didn’t move, frozen like a statue, Ellie tilted her head.

He stammered,

“L-linking arms like that…….”

“What’s wrong with just linking arms? Feroza, what’s the matter?”

Ellie looked at him closely.

Through his hair, she could see his ears had turned bright red.

‘No way…….’

That couldn’t be it.

“Feroza, are you embarrassed?”

He didn’t answer, just flinched.

Ellie covered her open mouth with her hand.

“We’ve already done everything else… and now you’re embarrassed just from linking arms?”

“Just linking arms? Ellie, it’s the first time you’ve linked arms with me.”

“Oh, um…….”

Had she? Maybe she had.

“So, are you going to be embarrassed every time we link arms?”

“If we do it a lot, I’ll get used to it.”

Feroza subtly requested to link arms every time they met.

Ellie let out a small laugh and spoke.

“Then we’ll have to do it a lot. Let’s go, quickly!”

She stuck close to his side and smiled brightly.

* * *

The wedding preparations proceeded at lightning speed.

The happiest person about Ellie marrying Feroza was, without a doubt, her mother.

“Hoho, Ellie! After worrying your mother so much, now you’re finally being a good daughter.”

Ellie raised her eyebrows at that.

There was another reason her mother was in such a good mood.

It was because Feroza had given her a diamond mine as a wedding gift.

“Haa…….”

Ellie sighed deeply.

She’d told her mother over and over not to expect or accept anything, but when Feroza offered a diamond mine, her mother accepted it right away.

And because her mother was so well-connected, news of the wedding spread throughout society in less than a day.

Thanks to that, the small, quiet wedding Ellie had hoped for was out of the question.

There were simply too many people to invite.

“Oh dear…….”

She sighed again.

Her mother slapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey! Why do you keep sighing?”

“Fe— I mean, His Grace, even if he offers a mine, how could you just accept it?”

“Oh my! If someone gives you a wedding present, how can you refuse? It’s a great discourtesy to reject a gift someone has prepared with care.”

Her mother spoke firmly.

Ellie almost sighed again, but held it back.

“Then promise you won’t ask for anything more.”

“What?”

“A mine is enough.”

Ellie glared.

Her mother, meeting her eyes, pouted and replied in a coy voice,

“Fine, well… I understand, for now.”

“We made a promise, remember?”

“Alright!”

Ellie could hear her mother grumbling, but she pretended not to notice.

And then, there was another problem—the flood of invitations arriving every day.

Now that the news of her wedding had spread everywhere, everyone was desperate to see her.

Even sorting through which parties were worth attending and which weren’t became a task.

At that moment, one invitation especially caught her eye.

“A masquerade ball……?”

It was an intriguing invitation.

After hesitating for a moment, she opened it.

The content of the invitation wasn’t long.

The masquerade ball would be held in two weeks, and they said there was no need to prepare a mask in advance.

“They even give you a magic potion to change your eye and hair color?”

Since everyone’s faces would be covered, unless someone took off their mask, no one would know who anyone was.

Reading this, Ellie’s curiosity was piqued.

It wasn’t illegal, and she thought it would be fun to try at least once.

She replied that she would attend the masquerade ball and two tea parties.

Just thinking about it made her excited already.

She immediately told Feroza about it.

“Ellie, you’re going to the masquerade ball?”

“Yes! Doesn’t it sound fun? They say you can even change your hair and eye color.”

Feroza looked displeased.

Ellie quietly watched him.

“……If you don’t like it, I won’t go.”

She was disappointed, but if Feroza didn’t like it, she didn’t want to insist.

Still, she couldn’t hide her disappointment.

Then Feroza said,

“Ellie, you can go.”

“Huh?”

“You can go, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

He smiled softly.

Just a moment ago, he’d looked so uneasy, but now he didn’t.

Ellie stared at Feroza with a puzzled expression.

“You really don’t mind me going?”

“It’s fine. Nothing’s going to happen anyway.”

“Right. I just… wanted to see what kind of party it is.”

She didn’t have any ulterior motive, just pure curiosity, so she didn’t feel guilty.

He reached out and brushed her hair back.

“That’s enough then. When is it?”

“In two weeks. It’s at Countess Maritaine’s private villa.”

Feroza stroked his chin with his finger.

“Countess Maritaine is famous for holding parties with unusual themes.”

“Really?”

“Yes. She sometimes gathers unmarried men and women for parties.”

“Oh, like a Cupid of love?”

“That’s right.”

Feroza nodded.

“There’s never been a problem at those parties before, so it should be fine.”

“If anything seems strange, I’ll leave right away!”

“Do that.”