A gentle breeze was blowing. Having finished all my work for the day, I walked through the garden with Father. During this sweltering weather, the castle was incredibly busy preparing for my birthday party.

Today too, Father and I agonized over the birthday invitation list until we were exhausted by the heat. So we came outside to enjoy the cool evening breeze.

“Was there anything disappointing today?”

“Of course not.”

Actually, there was.

I wanted to do homework with Fazel, but I couldn’t because there was too much work. That was disappointing. But since this was my own secret, I deliberately didn’t mention it.

‘No, it must have shown.’

Since I was sulking all day.

“You seemed sad about something related to Fazel.”

“It’s troubling when you ask like that.”

Since he pressed me this much, I had no choice but to answer. Then Father stroked my head and laughed.

“I was also depressed when your mother Roselia was busy and we couldn’t drink tea together.”

It was a statement befitting Father, who lived his whole life as a romantic. I nodded and looked up at the sky.

“I think I’ll become a romantic too.”

Father didn’t deny it, seemingly agreeing.

The stars in the sky were incredibly beautiful. I felt like they might descend to earth at any moment.

“It’s a shooting star.”

“You should make a wish.”

In this world too, people made wishes when shooting stars fell. I clasped my hands together and earnestly wished to become closer to Fazel.

“Now that the party guest list is roughly decided, I feel like I can breathe.”

Of course, Fazel was included on that list. Naturally, if not him, who else would be there!

“But Father, what kind of outfit should I have tailored for this time?”

Father tilted his head slightly.

“Will you dance with me?”

“Of course.”

“How about going out with another man? You’re fourteen now.”

Those words were truly surprising.

Father was a fool when it came to me, but he didn’t dislike me dating. Usually in novels, doting fathers try to keep their daughters to themselves.

Or maybe he liked Fazel that much.

“Fazel will reject a partner proposal.”

“There are many men besides Fazel. And you won’t know how it’ll turn out until you try.”

Father’s words were right, but…

“Will it really work?”

Fazel dancing with me? When we’re barely at the stage of studying together?

It’s too soon now!

“I also want to see my daughter dance with a partner.”

Father’s eyes sparkled. When Father comes at me like this, things get complicated.

When I stayed quiet, unable to find words to answer, Father looked at me with eyes full of anticipation for what I’d do.

I stood there dazed, thrown into confusion.

From today, when Father made his bombshell statement, my worries began.

* * *

After swordsmanship training, I was always thirsty. I gulped down cold water, then came out after washing. Marlene personally dried my hair.

“Miss, next week is your birthday. Who will you go to the party with?”

After Father’s radical declaration, the household members were curious about which man I’d go with. Well, more precisely, they were curious if I’d go with that man all the way to the birthday party.

“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”

Marlene moved the towel aside and lifted my head so I could see the mirror.

“I naturally thought it would be Sir Fazel?”

Mischief lingered in Marlene’s voice.

“We’re not close enough yet to say such things.”

Would Fazel even allow it? Even if he did, it wouldn’t be of his own will.

So it’s difficult to go out with Fazel.

“Don’t be so definite—try talking to Sir Fazel.”

Marlene narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

“What’s so fun that you’re laughing?”

“Seeing you worry about this brings new feelings.”

What does she mean?

“You’re always mature, miss, but when it comes to matters related to Sir Fazel, you become like your peers. That’s why it’s fascinating and new.”

“Is that so? I’ll try asking, but I won’t get my hopes up.”

What if I asked with expectations and he coldly rejected me? That would hurt.

“Are you afraid your heart will ache?”

Marlene asked gently.

“……”

It’s difficult to say.

Just talking about it made my heart race.

“Still, try it. Who in the Asnel County would dare refuse your request?”

Marlene’s eyes were shining.

“I don’t want to use power that way.”

Marlene shook her head.

“Miss, to capture the heart of a man you like, you can’t be picky about methods.”

Marlene, speaking like that, looked unfamiliar. I closed my mouth and inhaled. I felt overwhelmed by her charisma.

“But I learned that power shouldn’t be used carelessly.”

“That’s for official matters. This is private.”

For a moment, I saw a swishing tail behind Marlene. Ah, she was fox-like.

I was a bit fox-like too, but I couldn’t match Marlene.

She brushed my hair beautifully, placed a hair ornament on me, and smiled with satisfaction.

“You look really pretty today, miss.”

“In Marlene’s eyes, I always look pretty, right?”

“Of course!”

At Marlene’s follow-up words, my shoulders drooped.

I looked in the mirror and touched my hair.

I thought it would be nice if Fazel liked seeing me like this.

“And miss, you planned to invite Sir Fazel to the party from the start anyway. Even if he doesn’t go as your partner.”

My heart skipped.

“Did I?”

“You deliberately invited mages this time. Wasn’t it to make Sir Fazel curious about the party?”

“That’s right.”

I’m caught here.

“Invite him to the party, and take that opportunity to dance too.”

Marlene pushed my back.

Like that, my ears perked up at Marlene’s words, and I decided to ask Fazel to dance.

* * *

Following Marlene’s advice, after finishing lessons, I did homework with Fazel on the terrace. When today’s homework was almost done, I casually spoke to Fazel.

“Fazel, you’ll come to my party, right?”

“Will you give me an invitation?”

“Of course.”

Fazel seemed to ponder. To him, unable to answer easily, I added one more thing.

“And I’d like you to be my dance partner too.”

Seemingly not expecting this at all, Fazel looked at me with a displeased face.

The beating sunlight, his swaying silver hair. Fazel looking at me with sparkling golden eyes was like a painting.

Handsome and exactly my type—I was momentarily entranced by his face.

No, this isn’t the time to be distracted by appearance. My mind briefly became hazy from Fazel’s outstanding looks.

“May I refuse?”

As expected, the first response was rejection, just as I guessed.

“That’s okay.”

“Then I refuse. For a half-noble like me to step forward at such an occasion doesn’t fit propriety.”

Since I expected this reaction, I quickly changed my approach.

“I thought so. Well, your name will inevitably rise and fall unintentionally.”

Would the story have been different if Fazel had ambition and was trying to seduce me?

Of course, if he were that kind of man, I would never have gotten close to him.

Thinking that made me like him even more, so I smiled.

“Even deciding whether to participate is difficult, so dancing is even harder.”

“Still, after hearing this story, it’ll be hard to refuse dancing.”

At my confident assertion, Fazel frowned and looked at me. He must know too. Whenever I spoke this confidently, only good things happened to him. Though Fazel felt averse to my tone, he asked anyway.

“What is it?”

“Roktaron the Mage is coming.”

Fazel’s eyes wavered. At the news that the renowned Grand Mage was coming, Fazel showed curiosity.

“But you have to dance with me for him to accept your greeting. You know he doesn’t greet anyone unless they’re remarkable.”

“But I don’t match you, my lady… Haa.”

“Whether you’ll meet the Grand Mage even if you attract attention and things get noisy around you, or just stay as you are—that’s your choice.”

Fazel frowned.

“You make things difficult for me, my lady.”

Fazel held his head.

I leisurely waited for his answer.

There’s no way he, who craves learning, can refuse my request. Just exchanging words with a Grand Mage would bring great enlightenment.

“Understood.”

Fazel ultimately decided to become my partner.

“Good choice.”

Fazel’s choice was part of my grand plan.

I grinned.

“Please prepare the outfit, my lady.”

Fazel pointed out a practical problem. Seeing his face flush, he must have been embarrassed to say this.

Still, seeing him choose practical benefits over pride, I nodded.

I like it!

As expected of the man I chose.

“Naturally.”

I should obviously provide this level of support.

I also didn’t want Fazel to go out dressed shabbily. I’ll dress him up more beautifully than any noble son!

“Call me Louelle then.”

“It’s a difficult request, but understood.”

Having achieved my goal, I smiled brightly.

“Fazel, you’re going to the academy, right? Then you’ll mingle with nobles, and having experience attending a party will be helpful.”

Asking him to be my partner wasn’t just for me. It would help Fazel too. I never did things that only benefited one side.

* * *

Fazel spoke to Suran during dinner.

“I don’t understand.”

Fazel shook his head, thinking about what happened today.

“It’s because of the lady.”

“She keeps trying to give me something. It’s suspicious, but I can’t figure out what her purpose is, so it’s frustrating.”

Truthfully, wouldn’t Fazel want to go to a noble party too? As Louelle said, having experience attending a party would be helpful someday.

He wanted to accept immediately, but thinking of his family, Fazel had no choice but to refuse. Troublesome things might arise. Louelle was a famous young lady in the territory, wasn’t she!

However, the condition she offered was very tempting. Enough to ultimately accept.

In the end, he couldn’t shake the thought that everything was flowing according to Louelle’s plan.

Fazel bit his lip.

Louelle knew him well. That’s why he ended up acting as she wanted. Of course, it was never anything that harmed him. That made Fazel even more concerned.

Suran quietly told Fazel.

“She’s a grateful person.”

“I know.”

The more he gained from Louelle, the more he feared what price he’d pay later.

He didn’t know where she intended to use him—having him attend lessons together, letting him learn swordsmanship—but someday she would reveal her sinister intentions.

‘I should use the lady instead.’

Before that, he should also gain everything he could from Louelle. Fazel, having finished dinner, stood up from his seat.

“Going to swordsmanship practice?”

“I don’t know how long the lady’s kindness will last, so I must learn as much as possible. With swordsmanship, the curriculum advances separately, so the more I train, the more advantageous it is for me.”

Fazel closed the door and left.

After closing the door, he inhaled.

“Really.”

He hated himself for being anxious about others’ goodwill and calculating gains and losses like this. But it couldn’t be helped.

“I truly resent you.”

Setting aside what happened at the ducal house, he was still his biological father. He resented the duke who turned a blind eye and ignored his *buse.

* * *

Messengers coming and going between noble families wasn’t particularly special. That’s why Esran didn’t think much of it when a messenger visited this time either. 

Precisely, that was the case until the messenger showed the family seal. Esran received the letter with a stiff expression.

It was a letter sent from none other than the Zieten ducal house. Esran, who had been looking at the letter the messenger left, entered his office, checked the contents, and sighed.

“Well now.”

The Zieten ducal house conveyed their intention to send the young duke to celebrate Louelle’s fourteenth birthday.

“Things will get noisy.”

He heard his daughter chose Fazel as her partner. Louelle was preparing for this party very happily.

Tomorrow she was going downtown with Fazel to look at outfits to wear together.

“This is truly troublesome.”

Of all times, the Zieten ducal house had to make a move on this birthday.

Actually, this wasn’t the first time Zieten reached out to Esran. The duke hoped the young duke and Louelle would become engaged.

They didn’t want Louelle from the start. Louelle was merely a Count’s daughter, and compared to the Zieten ducal house, the status didn’t match. 

Considering marriages between nobles that were usually arranged strategically, there was absolutely no reason for the Zieten ducal house to take Louelle.

But now circumstances were different.

“Another letter from the Zieten ducal house?”

“That’s right, Melka.”

The one reason the Zieten ducal house persistently pursued Louelle was because of Louelle’s mother.

Melka, the head chamberlain, placed tea in front of Esran.

“The Zieten ducal house says they’re sending their son.”

“Whew, it’s because of the late madam.”

“Right.”

“Why did His Majesty revive the madam’s succession rights and complicate matters like this?”

Melka shook his head and sighed.

Esran recalled Roselia, who was Louelle’s mother.

She was incredibly beautiful with long golden hair and blue eyes. Though she could have simply enrolled in Elan Academy because she was an imperial princess, she boldly took the exam while hiding her status and entered. Esran was first place and she was second.