Chapter 1 – Pressure (Part 8)

Unlike her anxious mother, Elysia was quite satisfied with having successfully avoided any marriage proposals at the royal ball and remained one with her bed. Marion was also lounging around, reading a book on the sofa.

Today’s entertainment for the sisters was secretly going through the special supplement of the ‘Ladies’ Newsletter,’ which Elysia had brought to burn behind Lillian’s back, and complaining about it, so Marion’s attacks were less frequent than usual.

“Hmm… This person looks like someone I danced with either the fifth time or the thirteenth time… Or maybe not? It’s hard to tell just from the picture.”

As Elysia hesitated, Marion explained.

“There might be some distortion in the ‘Ladies’ Newsletter’ portraits.”

“Seems like it. Duke Grendel’s portrait doesn’t do him justice.”

“Really? The portrait included this time is said to be the best in the history of the ‘Ladies’ Newsletter,’ and people are willing to pay extra to get this supplement.”

“He’s popular, indeed.”

Elysia flipped to the women’s section and looked at her own introduction. The higher the rank, the larger the portrait and the more space dedicated to the description. The lower the rank, the smaller the portrait and the simpler the introduction. Elysia, being outside the top 100, had a much smaller portrait compared to Duke Grendel.

“Hmm… Do I look like this to others?”

“Your portrait doesn’t do you justice either.”

“This isn’t bad, though?”

“No, it’s not good.”

“Why are you suddenly taking my side?”

“One of your few strengths, lazy El, is your face. If the portrait looks like this, you should have done better at the ball. What were you counting on to mess it up?”

About to throw the supplement at Marion, who mixed praise with insults, Elysia restrained herself, fearing the weight of the thick book containing information on hundreds of people would sprain her wrist. Then, as she looked at the information of noble daughters ranked ahead of her, she was shocked.

“This isn’t a complete scam!”

Marion looked up from her book at Elysia’s exclamation.

“The portrait of Sera van Kumaran! It’s way too beautified compared to the original! And have you read the introduction? It says she’s modest and kind-hearted. I’ve never met anyone as petty and vicious as her in my life!”

The Kumaran Earldom was a family that had built a rapport with the Serenze family through trade. Sera van Kumaran, close in age to Elysia, was the daughter of the Kumaran family, and Elysia disliked her for her extremely arrogant personality, likely due to her status as the eldest daughter of a noble family.

“There’s a rumor that if you pay a lot, the ‘Ladies’ Newsletter’ will make your portrait prettier and write a better introduction.”

“Wow… Isn’t this supposed to be an article? Shouldn’t it be objective? How can they be so biased for money?”

Fuming, Elysia suddenly had a thought and looked at Marion.

“But how do you know all this? You’re someone who studies all the time.”

“The study group told me. It’s common knowledge for anyone who isn’t a shut-in like you.”

“It’s more of a gossip group than a study group.”

Marion, unfazed, pretended to pick her ears and asked,

“Didn’t Kumaran attend the Spring Ball? Who did she dance with?”

“I saw her there, but I don’t remember who she danced with. I was too preoccupied to care about her.”

“Sigh… I thought my only sister attending the Spring Ball would bring back lots of interesting stories, but you’re completely useless. This won’t reflect well on me in the study group.”

“Oh! I can definitely tell you who didn’t dance with anyone. Duke Grendel, you know, he didn’t dance with any lady who approached him. But Kumaran seemed to think she had a chance. She approached him confidently with her father in tow, but the Duke only greeted the Earl and ignored Sera completely. Her face turned so red! If I hadn’t been in the middle of a dance then, I could’ve watched more closely.”

Recalling Sera, who seemed to approach Duke Grendel as if she were already a Duchess, dressed in a noble-style gown with a puffed-up skirt instead of the latest fashion, only to be ignored, Elysia giggled.

Just as Marion was about to scold her for laughing slyly, the maid Daisy burst in without knocking and pulled Elysia out of bed. She sat her in front of the vanity and began frantically applying powder and combing her hair.

“Ah, Daisy! Why are you doing this all of a sudden?! Do you think you can just barge into a grown lady’s room and handle me like this?!”

“Please stay still, Miss. We don’t have much time.”

Daisy transformed Elysia’s appearance into something presentable in no time. Of course, Daisy’s hands moved much faster and more fiercely than usual to keep up the pace, causing Elysia some discomfort.

“Daisy, you’re like a real sorceress. It’s amazing how you can mold an inanimate blob into a human! It’s a shame you have to use such talent on my sister.” 

Marion teased, adding to Elysia’s suffering.

“Yeah. Instead of wasting your talent on me, wouldn’t it be better to go somewhere else and make a fortune?” 

Elysia suggested, trying to escape Daisy’s relentless touch. But Daisy, focused solely on her task, completed the perfect makeover. She then corrected Elysia’s posture with a firm hand, as decisive as Lillian’s.

In no time, Elysia, all dressed up, was led downstairs by Daisy. Unable to contain her curiosity, Marion followed and peeked around, but Daisy quickly pulled her out of sight and pushed Elysia into the drawing room.

Dragged in without knowing why, Elysia saw her mother, Lillian, laughing and entertaining someone in the drawing room.

“Have you come down, Elysia? You were a bit late because you were absorbed in embroidery.”

‘Embroidery? Whose daughter are you talking about?’ 

Elysia swallowed the words that almost escaped her lips and looked at the man rising from his seat to greet her.

“Elysia, nice to see you again. The beautiful image and graceful atmosphere you had at the ball were not a fleeting illusion. Even seeing you now, you are just as lovely. How about it? Did you wait for me as well?”

The man, who insisted on holding her hand to kiss the back of it, was someone Elysia desperately tried to remember.

‘Who was it?’

Elysia looked to her mother for help.

“Oh dear, I almost forgot, your father had an urgent task for me. You young people should talk comfortably.”

Ignoring Elysia’s gaze, Lillian quickly left the room. As she left, she left the door slightly ajar. Daisy, waiting outside, asked,

“Is there anything we should do to ensure the young lady has a favorable relationship with him?”

“No, if he does anything suspicious, go in and say it looks like it’s going to rain and chase him away.”

Daisy looked momentarily puzzled.

“Our Elysia is far too good for him, but having a competitor is better than having no proposals at all. It makes her seem more desirable.”

“A worm to catch a big fish, you mean.”

Lillian nodded.

“Elysia will likely handle this herself, but keep an eye out to ensure nothing unpleasant happens.”

With that, Lillian disappeared.

Meanwhile, inside the drawing room, Elysia finally remembered something as she looked at the man’s face, still holding her hand after kissing it.

‘The penniless Baron with “ambition” written on his forehead! Ranked 150th in the ‘Ladies’ Newsletter!’

She couldn’t recall his name.

“Did I stand out among the beautiful noble daughters for you to remember and visit me? I’m quite surprised.”

“Being perceptive, I assume you’ve already guessed the purpose of my visit?”

“Well…”

“Hahaha, you want me to say it myself. Yes, I am a man with enough courage for that. I’ll speak directly. It’s about the benefits we can gain from the union of my family and yours.”

The Baron then launched into a detailed explanation of his grand plan to use his title and Elysia’s family wealth to increase their influence, eventually aligning with the Ducal house and the royal palace.

‘Is he here to propose or to give a business presentation…?’

“In that sense, Elysia.”

Elysia was filled with a sense of foreboding. Before she could stop him, the Baron knelt on one knee.

“Will you marry me?”