“And even if I love someone new, I won’t be able to love them more than Roselia.”

Father made a wistful expression, seemingly reminiscing about the past.

He looked lonely.

But he always finished with a smile. He made such a happy face when thinking about Mother.

It felt like he was finding happiness in memories.

“If there’s such a thing as fate, I might love someone again. But I don’t plan to actively look.”

I nodded.

When Father and I arrived at the wedding hall, we greeted Trean. Master Trean, who wore a fine suit today and had makeup covering his scar, looked great.

“Congratulations on your wedding.”

Master Trean quickly grasped my hand firmly.

“Louelle, I’m getting married thanks to you.”

Master knew the value of what I’d done for him.

“Not at all.”

But at times like this, saying things like this was proper.

Trean beamed.

“But did you see her?”

Trean nodded.

“She’s so beautiful!”

In the groom’s eyes, the bride would be dazzling. Especially if she was someone he’d had a one-sided crush on for so long!

I greeted Master Trean and went to the bridal waiting room with Father.

Suran was sitting in the bridal waiting room. The dress she wore was a wedding dress with a slightly low-cut chest and back. She was so beautiful that I stared blankly.

“Count, Louelle, you came.”

Fazel saw Father and me and approached.

“Count! Louelle!”

Suran tried to stand up, but Father quickly raised his hand to stop her.

“The bride just needs to sit.”

Father said that and looked at Suran.

“You’re beautiful. As expected, the bride is the most beautiful at a wedding.”

Father took out an envelope he’d prepared.

“Live well. Please take good care of my daughter’s studies too.”

Fazel received what Father gave him and trembled slightly. He sensed that a large sum had gone into the envelope.

“Fazel, see you later.”

I wanted to stay with Fazel, but since it was a wedding hall, I held back firmly. Fazel also smiled and waved.

Quite a few guests came to the wedding hall.

“Most of the invited guests are Sir Arnold’s friends.”

“Really?”

“Suran said she deliberately cut ties with those she was close to after graduating from the Academy. She was afraid they might suffer harm because she was the duke’s mistress.”

Who knew what Duke Zieten might do.

And the perception of mistresses wasn’t good either. Especially mistresses of married men were despised.

“Those invited this time are people who know Suran’s circumstances. Trean handled it that way.”

I nodded.

Suran was also an amazing person. She escaped being a mistress after returning the money the duke had repaid. She raised Fazel alone.

“I hope they live happily together.”

Looking at reality that had changed from the original story, I prayed.

Please let the number of people precious to Fazel increase from now on.

* * *

At the wedding hall, Suran and Trean exchanged rings. When the two kissed, fireworks went off.

Having become husband and wife, they waved to the guests together with Fazel.

Fazel looked for Louelle among the people. Louelle, who was with Count Asnel, was beautiful today too.

He quickly approached Louelle.

“Louelle, we’re going to paint a portrait soon.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Want to come with me?”

He’d refused when Louelle suggested painting a portrait before.

But now.

“You’re my fiancée, so let’s go together.”

They were engaged, even if only formally. They were practically family.

At his words, Louelle’s eyes widened.

Could she dislike it?

Fazel tensed up. If Louelle didn’t want to, he had no intention of painting.

“I’ll go!”

Louelle was extremely pleased.

“Louelle, go ahead.”

Esran sent Louelle off with a smile. Then he gave Fazel a meaningful look.

It seemed to mean “hang in there.”

Does the Count know?

The feelings he’d hidden so carefully.

Well, he hadn’t completely hidden them. His feelings probably leaked out enough for someone to notice.

But Louelle didn’t know.

She still shouldn’t know.

He walked with Louelle to where they would paint the portrait.

“Right now, I’m precious family to Fazel, right?”

Louelle adding the word “precious” was cute, so Fazel smiled without realizing it.

“That’s right.”

He hoped Louelle would become precious family. Fazel smiled while organizing the thoughts that arose on their own.

If Louelle found someone she loved, he’d have to quietly bury this wish.

But right now, she didn’t have someone she loved.

Fazel opened the door to the portrait room. Inside, Suran and Trean were waiting for the two of them.

Trean and Suran sat on the sofa while Louelle and Fazel stood behind them.

The painter sketched them as they posed. The rough framework of the painting quickly emerged.

“When the painting comes out, I’ll give you one too.”

Fazel promised Louelle. Louelle was very happy about Fazel’s promise.

* * *

After the wedding ended, Fazel decided to stay in the castle while they went on their honeymoon. The night before leaving for the honeymoon, after Fazel and Louelle had gone to sleep, Trean, Suran, and Esran gathered to drink.

“A contract engagement?”

Suran said it seemed time to tell Trean too, so Esran opened up to him about the engagement between Fazel and Louelle.

“Ah, really.”

Trean thought about the contract engagement. Then he frowned while thinking about the events that had unfolded.

“Is it really a contract engagement? Looking at what Louelle does, it’s absolutely not. Rather, she goes around revealing what should be hidden.”

Trean, who had been saying such things, paused for a moment. After thinking briefly, he looked at Esran.

“Be honest. The contract engagement wasn’t just done casually, was it?”

“She said it was to avoid Nertian.”

Esran recalled what Louelle had said last year.

From the beginning, his daughter had been targeting Fazel.

“Louelle likes Fazel.”

“I thought so.”

Trean nodded.

“That fox-like young lady wouldn’t do a contract engagement without any reason.”

She was a young lady who had reasons for everything, even showing him Fazel. Trean picked up his glass, took a drink, and chuckled.

“Wow, Fazel doesn’t have the slightest idea of Louelle’s real intentions.”

Saying that, Trean rubbed his chin with his hand.

“Honey, don’t Fazel and Louelle seem to suit each other well?”

Trean really liked the term “honey.” Since he’d finally made Suran his wife, he used the term “honey” freely.

“They suit each other well.”

“But Fazel’s recent behavior isn’t ordinary.”

Esran thought of Fazel and smiled gently.

“He treats Louelle affectionately, and he even had her paint the portrait together.”

Suran agreed with Esran’s words.

“Strangely, he stares blankly while looking at Louelle too.”

Suran knew her son’s behavior had changed. Trean also pondered, then mentioned something that came to mind.

“After the students came, Louelle and Fazel got closer. Fazel takes care of Louelle more than before, and when she falls on purpose, he even holds her hand.”

Trean frowned.

“That’s what I did when I was interested in Suran.”

The adults talked about Fazel’s changed behavior like this and knew his heart had changed.

“Let’s just watch for now. So they can discover each other’s feelings.”

Outsiders shouldn’t interfere carelessly in such things.

They noticed the children’s feelings but decided to step back and watch so they could create their own connection.

* * *

A year passed and spring came again. When the sunlight grew warm, Fazel and Louelle took the Academy entrance exam.

Today was the day the test results came out.

Louelle was pacing in her room. She, who would turn 16 this summer, had grown considerably taller than before. When she went outside, people sometimes mistook her for being past the age of adulthood.

Finally, the letter containing today’s test results was scheduled to arrive. If she failed this exam, she’d have to study hard to take the test again next year. She was nervous until the results came out.

“I wonder if Fazel is okay.”

He was probably waiting for the letter with a trembling heart similar to hers.

Today, even documents didn’t catch her eye, so she was resting from work.

But then she heard a knock. When she opened the door, Fazel was holding a wooden sword.

“We have to do sword training.”

“I’m not in the right state of mind to train.”

“Why? It’s not like the test results will change.”

He spoke confidently. Then Louelle grumbled a bit.

“That’s true, but I might have made mistakes.”

“No way.”

Fazel thought that wouldn’t happen. Wasn’t Louelle more thorough than anyone?

“Don’t worry and just do sword training.”

“Okay.”

Louelle grabbed her wooden sword.

The sunlight was warm.

Louelle sparred with Fazel using wooden swords. Though she couldn’t match Fazel’s skill, Louelle also handled the sword fairly well.

She even helped the new students.

After the sparring ended, Louelle plopped down on the ground.

“Sparring is nice. It’s good because I don’t have stray thoughts.”

Louelle said with a smile. Then Fazel came and sat next to her.

“Right?”

“Yeah. But Fazel, are you really not nervous at all?”

Fazel pondered, then shrugged once.

“I’m not nervous because I knew all the problems.”

“I have a few that confused me.”

“Even if you get those wrong, you’ll pass.”

Fazel spoke like she shouldn’t worry. Louelle looked at his confident self and nodded.

He was also 16 now.

His height matched an adult man’s and his features had become stronger. Though a youthful feeling still remained, it would soon disappear.

His voice had also deepened and become wonderful due to puberty.

Watching Fazel gradually become an adult, Louelle’s feelings also deepened.

‘I’m glad we got engaged early.’

Fazel’s popularity in the territory vicinity was tremendous. Louelle praised herself for what she’d done in the past.

After sparring a bit more and returning to her room, a letter had arrived. Louelle opened the envelope together with Fazel.

[We inform you that you have been accepted to the Academy with excellent grades]

Though it was a formal phrase, Louelle was happy enough to fly. Fazel didn’t look at the letter, saying he already knew the result, and stayed with Louelle until dinner instead of going straight home.

When Fazel returned home, he wasn’t surprised even when Trean and Suran told him the acceptance result.

Fazel and Louelle entered the Academy together.

* * *

The sunlight was shining.

A boy received an Academy acceptance notice.

“Caslan, did you pass?”

Caslan nodded.

“I passed.”

“Congratulations.”

Academy acceptance wasn’t special in the Jennell family. Moreover, since Caslan was the best at studying, no one was surprised.

Caslan looked at the acceptance notice and smiled briefly.

Like this, Caslan, the male protagonist in the novel, would also attend the Academy.

Similarly, at a mansion a bit away from the capital, a girl also received an Academy acceptance notice.

“Mother, I passed!”

The girl had a very clear voice. Liliet, a girl with a pure face and red eyes, showed the acceptance notice to her parents.

Liliet, the female protagonist in the novel, would also attend the Academy.