Louelle also agreed to go to that villa. But then Fazel glanced back. It was in the direction of the carriage Latelas was riding in.

“But something bothers me.”

“What?”

At Louelle’s question, Fazel shrugged.

“I guess I just have a bad feeling.”

“Mm, really?”

“Let’s be careful.”

At Fazel’s words, Louelle nodded.

‘Oh ho.’

The Marquis’s intentions were obvious, but these two didn’t know yet. But Fazel was instinctively sensing that something bad would happen to him.

“Fazel, do you have good instincts?”

Esran asked curiously.

“Mm, I think I have some. When the Duke’s wife came and told me to go to the Duke’s household, I felt a chill too.”

He said with a smile.

Right, he said he was abused at the Duke’s household.

He must have sensed it in advance.

“I see.”

Esran deliberately didn’t tell them that troublesome things might happen if they went there.

Louelle would understand later when she found out, but she’d definitely be angry about the part he didn’t tell her in advance.

But he wanted to let them face this situation without mentioning it first. That way, when similar situations arose in the future, they’d handle them naturally.

It might also be an opportunity to show Fazel directly what kind of person his daughter was.

He smiled quietly.

The place they arrived at after warping was about a day away from the capital. Since it normally took a full day to get here, the small city had several small villas belonging to noble families traveling to and from the capital.

The Marquis Eutrien family’s villa was located in the city’s downtown area. Fazel and I got out of the carriage as soon as we arrived and sighed. We wanted to quickly go to our rooms and rest.

“Miss, just a moment.”

Marlene came over and applied oil to my hair. Then my dry hair became glossy again.

“You don’t really need to apply it.”

“That’s absolutely not acceptable.”

Marlene said firmly and examined my outfit. Despite riding in the carriage for a long time, nothing was disheveled.

“Miss, you’re really so dignified.”

Well, the original me was an adult.

It’s not easy for a student entering middle school to sit properly in a carriage all day.

On the other hand, Fazel had unbuttoned a few buttons. He’d loosened his shirt in the carriage, complaining it was stuffy, so his neckline showed.

‘My eyes keep wandering.’

I kept looking.

But I had absolutely no intention of stopping him.

“Please come this way.”

Latelas led Fazel, Father, and me to show us the rooms. Since he gave us three guest rooms, we could each have our own.

“I wanted to stay in the same room as Father.”

Then Father shook his head.

“You need to sleep alone now too.”

“Okay.”

I was 14 years old, not a small child anymore, so I obediently entered my room, listening to Father. Marlene came in with me and organized my luggage. Of course, they also assigned a separate servant to organize things for Fazel.

I washed up briefly and changed into comfortable clothes. We’d be having dinner soon, so I had to go downstairs.

Should I go with Fazel?

After washing up, I went to Fazel’s room and knocked on the door.

“Fazel, let’s go down together.”

“Ah, okay!”

I heard a sound from inside, then Fazel opened the door and poked his head out.

He’d changed into the casual clothes I gave him. He looked very much like a young noble, so I smiled contentedly.

“The clothes fit well.”

“The things you bought me fit perfectly. They suit me well too.”

“You’re glad you became my fiancé, right?”

I said without thinking. Then Fazel looked at me with serious eyes and smiled cheerfully.

“More than things like this, I’m glad I have a friend who fights alongside me.”

He seemed to be talking about the incident when the assassins attacked.

It was the decisive incident that brought us a little closer.

“I see.”

He sometimes struck like this out of nowhere.

When Fazel came at me like this, my heart absolutely wouldn’t stop.

“Let’s hold hands and go.”

Fazel nodded, recalling the engagement contract he’d made with me. But it didn’t seem to be just out of obligation like before.

Because his hand was more natural than before.

“By the way.”

Fazel asked curiously.

“We’re learning swordsmanship together and everything, so why are your hands so soft?”

“Because Marlene takes care of them.”

“I guess noble hands should be soft?”

“Not necessarily.”

I shook my head.

“If your hands are rough, it’s proof you’ve worked that much. It’s a proud symbol.”

Fazel laughed, his shoulders shaking.

“That’s right.”

We held hands amicably and went downstairs.

When we went downstairs, Fazel’s and my seats were placed right next to each other. As I sat down, Jinmen walked over to the seat next to me. Instead of sitting with Latelas, he sat right next to me.

‘What’s this?’

It was strange.

I started eating while talking with Fazel. While eating, waffles that I liked came out.

“Those waffles, Louelle, you like those.”

Fazel tried to pull them toward me. But Jinmen was faster.

“Let me give them to you.”

He placed the food in front of me.

‘What’s this?’

The feeling was subtle.

I looked at Jinmen. Then he smiled kindly and gazed at me.

“I have something to talk about after we finish.”

I tilted my head.

“Can’t you say it here?”

Jinmen shook his head.

“I need to say it when we’re alone.”

It wasn’t my imagination that I could guess what this was about. I nodded with a serious expression.

I didn’t remember how I ate after that. Fazel also seemed to guess Jinmen’s intention and was silent.

After the meal ended, I tried to follow Jinmen. Then Fazel grabbed me.

“Fazel?”

I wondered why he was doing this. He turned his head slightly, then spoke without looking at me.

“Be careful and come back.”

“Yeah.”

When he turned his gaze back, he seemed to want to say something to me.

‘Mm.’

Since he had eyes like an anxious child, I stroked his head.

Jinmen didn’t take me to a secluded place, but to a garden where people were gathered closely together.

There was one large tree in the garden. Round accessories made with magic were shining light there. I looked at them with curious eyes.

“Do you like it?”

“A little.”

“I brought you here because I thought this would be the best place to talk.”

Jinmen said in an affectionate voice. His sweet voice seemed to be trying to seduce me. If I didn’t like Fazel, it would have been a voice I’d have found appealing.

“Lady Asnel. I’m speaking seriously.”

“About what?”

“Please get engaged to me.”

To think he’d come at me this directly.

Since it was what I’d guessed, I was actually relieved. If he’d said something else, my head might have gone blank and stopped working.

“Why?”

I asked him directly. Since he came at me like this, I was taking this honest attitude too.

“Don’t I have better conditions than that boy Fazel? That boy doesn’t seem to have much.”

He tilted his head and asked me.

“The title he’s receiving is also Count, and even if he gets territory, it’s under the Duke’s household’s influence. It’s not completely his territory, is it?”

It wasn’t wrong. If judged by conditions alone, Jinmen was much better than Fazel.

But I wasn’t interested.

This man doesn’t know why I chose Fazel.

How he treats people.

He doesn’t know he’s a boy who knows how to love with a passionate heart.

Since no one knew that yet, since it was a future only I had seen, I didn’t say anything either.

“Is that all?”

I asked him with my arms crossed.

“The conditions you can offer don’t particularly have merit for me either.”

I said coldly.

“If I’d wanted to have a man who would become a Marquis in the future as my fiancé, I would have gotten engaged to the Young Duke Zieten.”

“I have a good personality.”

Ah, that might be true.

I smiled slightly at his words.

The social world knows that Nertian has a terrible personality. There’s a reason no women approach him despite his excellent background.

I nodded and told Jinmen.

“I did it because I like Fazel. It’s also an investment in the future.”

I held out my hand to him.

“I’m sorry, but let’s pretend I didn’t hear this conversation.”

“Lady Asnel.”

When his conditions didn’t work, Jinmen shook his head like he had no choice.

“Why would someone like you choose that boy Fazel?”

“I told you. It’s an investment for the future.”

Besides, if my husband’s conditions were too good, would the Emperor stay still?

I shook my head firmly and told him decisively.

“My only fiancé is Fazel.”

Our engagement won’t end as just a contractual relationship. I’ll make it that way.

* * *

Fazel drank tea in his room like his heart was burning. The tea in the Marquis’s mansion tasted worse than the tea in Asnel Castle.

“Phew.”

He couldn’t hide his anxious feelings.

Louelle had stroked his head with her small hand at the end. Fazel raised his hand and touched that spot.

“Anyway.”

Strangely, when he touched that place, his mind calmed down. He sat at the table, drank tea alone, and waited for Louelle to return. He planned to go out when he heard the sound of her entering her room.

But even after quite some time passed, Louelle didn’t return. Anxious, Fazel’s heart pounded.

Of course, even if Louelle broke off the engagement, the support would continue. He just needed to work without pay in the territory for that long.

If that happened, Louelle would provide support while reducing the period of unpaid work. It was obvious she’d do that.

But why was his heart so anxious?

Could there be another reason?

Fazel tilted his head and stared at his teacup. The liquid in the teacup rippled and his face distorted.

“Really disgusting to look at.”

Getting anxious over just this.

Why was he feeling this emotion?

He’d considered Louelle a friend. And maybe he’d been reassured knowing she cared for him.

Maybe he’d been thinking to himself that our engagement would never be broken.

When there’s no such thing as certainty in the world.

Something might happen and the contract might break.

At first, he thought that wouldn’t happen as long as he didn’t break off the engagement first. But if a man with high status and good conditions like Jinmen approached, Louelle might waver too.

“Louelle could break it off.”

She could choose to break the engagement.

Actually, Louelle didn’t need to be with him. She just needed to choose a man with appropriate status, get engaged, and show it to the imperial family. What noble would refuse her—a Count, royalty, and with wealthy territory?

‘Louelle is also a good person.’

The most important condition.

More than any other condition, Louelle’s character shines.

There wouldn’t be any man who wouldn’t like that.

Thinking this, he suddenly became curious.

Why did it have to be him for Louelle?

Why did she choose him out of all those people?

His thoughts reached this point.

Fazel sat lost in thought with his chin propped up. But no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t understand Louelle’s intentions.

“This is hard.”