CHAPTER THREE.
The Development (2)

“Miss. This is Lord Joel Landos, the third son of the Count Landos. As the third son of the Count, he is set to graduate from the Academy and will soon enter the palace as a government official.”

“Nice to meet you, Lady Lionella. I am Joel Landos. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Hello, Lord Joel Landos. I am Lionella of Parma.”

“I have heard a lot about you. They say you are the person responsible for raising the status of the Marquis of Parma.”

“Oh, no. I just helped with a few things my father was worried about.”

It has been a month since the strange incident with Mishael.

As the cherry blossoms bloomed, the vibrant social scene began, and I started engaging in social activities as I had told Mishael.

Contrary to the original story, the Marquis of Parma was gaining considerable attention in the social circle. Instead of the current head of the household, who had minimal influence, the young and talented successor, who is shrewd, clever, and charming, has emerged as a rising power. It is said that she is actively recruiting her family’s son-in-law.

All the socialites were frustrated because they couldn’t introduce suitable young men, while at the same time, the young men themselves were very interested in Parma, where the marquis’s exalted position and growing influence in both political and business circles have made it a favorite.

I, Lionella Parma, with my energetic ginger-colored hair and refreshing green eyes that seemed to capture the early summer, played a part. But it was also due to my personal charm.

Once again, through Mrs. Entera, who had been my governess in my youth, I looked into the newly arrived suitor who approached me. He had a neat appearance with chestnut-colored hair and an intellectual, warm demeanor. Above all, he had the basic looks of a man in the romance fantasy world, where even a rolling stone is handsome.

‘If it’s Count Landos, he should come from a reasonably wealthy family, so there’s no need to worry about unnecessary matters between us. And if he graduated from the Academy, his genes in terms of intelligence should be good. As for height… um, maybe a little short…’

I was startled by my own thoughts.

The Lord Landos in front of me appeared to be at least a head taller than me. Although I am not considered tall, anyone would find it difficult to say he was short compared to me.

But I had made a clear judgment based on certain criteria, and that criterion was… Mishael.

Mishael, who had to rely on my support during his illness. Despite his large build, he would complain about unexpected discomfort, almost hunching his back, leaning on me.

“Um, Lady?”

“Oh, yes…”

“If you don’t mind, would you like to dance with me for a song?”

“Oh, of course.”

Having rudely ignored the person in front of me, I accepted his polite dance request and headed to the ballroom inside the reception hall.

I could feel the commotion among the people surrounding the ballroom upon my arrival.

So this time it’s Lord Landos.

As expected, the talk of the social circle this season is undoubtedly Marquis Parma.

Will Marquis Parma find a fiance this season? Since she must get married to become a marquis, there must be some urgency…

Many people are targeting the position of the Marquis’s husband, so if one sets their mind to it, it shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

Who was it earlier? Lord Stefan Kiel, right? The second son of the Kiel family…

‘Hmm, perfect.’

Did those minor family members in ‘Wildflowers’ ever imagine such a thing? That the forgotten noble, Marquis Parma’s daughter, whose name was not even recorded and who was immediately executed for bringing a tragic past narrative to the sub-lead, would receive such admiration in society?

Anyway, my only goal is to find a husband, so the glory of society is useless, but the more attention I receive, the higher the probability of meeting a suitable suitor, so it was a good sign.

“Indeed, Lady Lionella, you are praised as the perfect lady of Parma, and your dancing is beautiful as well.”

“You flatter me.”

I recalled the time Mrs Entera was teaching me for hours, and where I made an extra effort to ensure that Mishael wouldn’t receive any blows. The angle of my toes, the direction of my outstretched arms, the rhythm of each step of the dance… I wondered how many times I practiced this dance and that dance every night, just to avoid her gaze, which would signal a beating from her servant if anything went wrong.

‘Mishael, are you alright…’

It had been a month since he caused an unusual incident in the Holy Kingdom, so that was about the extent of what I knew about his condition.

Whenever I had time, I searched everywhere for information about Mishael’s symptoms. When my troublemaking father was young, he sold all the books, so naturally, I gained nothing in our small house library. I visited the royal palace library and the council library, but I couldn’t find any meaningful information.

I even comMissioned my trusty information guild to see if it was some kind of curse, but I hadn’t received any significant news yet.

‘He should be able to handle it himself once or twice. I can’t get too caught up in it and end up making mistakes…’

For Mishael’s sake and for the sake of Parma, which will shine through him, of course.

So I hope, if his condition worsens again, that he’ll have an opportunity to offer prayers in front of his personal altar for more than an hour and take a cold shower…

“Oops!”

“Are you alright, Lady?”

“Ah, I’m sorry, Lord Joel!”

“It’s fine. Lady Lionella, you also have these human aspects.”

My goodness. I accidentally stepped on his foot while lost in my thoughts. For a moment, I almost glanced at Mrs Entera’s location, even though Mishael isn’t here to receive punishment in my place anymore.

It was truly the first mistake I made since Mishael entered our mansion. No, when I practiced with Mishael, occasionally I also stepped on his foot while avoiding Mrs Entera’s gaze…

‘Ah, stop it.’

Mishael, Mishael, Mishael…!

Why does my mind keep drifting towards him?

But there was nothing I could do. He would feel the same way…

“Uh, Miss… huh. This is really, really… strange…”

“Huh, Miss, please… s-stop!”

Since that day, I haven’t been able to forget Mishael even for a single day. Is it understandable? His peculiar face, blushing with embarrassment and excitement, and tears hanging from the tip of each of his long, thick, silver eyelashes. Of course, there was something particularly impressive about him……

“Lady, is there something on my clothes?”

“N-no…! I mean, no.”

Ah, here we go again.

‘Pull yourself together, Lionella Parma.’

Since then, I have attended all kinds of grand balls, soirées, and banquets that herald the beginning of the social season without fail. I have been introduced to several gentlemen, each more than once…… But my gaze always seemed to gravitate towards the center.

You know, where the gentlemen’s fortune cookies, which is larger or smaller than Mishael’s, were kept.

Though I had mastered the art of hiding my secret glances behind an appropriate and polite etiquette, I couldn’t help but think of Mishael every time I interacted with these gentlemen.

More precisely, I couldn’t help but remember his ‘alter ego,’ which had given me such a visually shocking impact.

‘I need to find a way to cure Mishael’s illness and quickly get rid of this lascivious demon……’

Yes, I guess because I haven’t figured out the nature of his illness yet, and that’s why my mind keeps wandering to his crotch? After all, Mishael is an essential person in the future of Parma.

“Thank you.”

“I had a pleasant time.”

While I was contemplating these thoughts, the music ended, and I exchanged greetings with my partner.

“If it’s alright with you, may I have the opportunity to talk more with you……”

Joel Landos’s gaze trailed behind me once again. There, either waiting for me to ask him to dance or for making the next move, stood a gentleman I had once danced with at another soirée. He had somewhat narrow shoulders and a short stature, and above all, he seemed quite timid…… I suppose he looked smaller compared to Mishael.

All these standards were, of course, set by Mishael.

‘…I’m losing my mind.’

To keep my embarrassment hidden, I bowed to the gentleman and greeted him with grace.

“A pleasant evening, Sir Ramon Cedur. I’m sorry, but my head is spinning to the point where I accidentally stepped on Joel Landos’s foot, so I need to rest for a moment……”

“Oh, I see. That’s a shame. Then, until next time.”

After showing a perfect bow and greeting both the gentleman I just danced with and the gentleman I rejected, I headed towards where my peers were gathered.

If I continued to stay here, I felt like I would unintentionally offend these perfectly fine men by evaluating them based on an absurd criteria. I need to find out Mishael’s illness as soon as possible……

“Good evening. What are you all talking about?”

“Welcome, Lady Parma! We were discussing going on a picnic before summer arrives.”

“If it’s in early June, I don’t think everyone have plans yet……”

“That’s right. Until the end of May, the spring flower festival will be in full swing, so everyone will be busy until then.”

“Oh, by the way. Will you be attending the upcoming Grand Temple Banquet next week?”

“Ah, are they holding a charity gala this time?”

“This year marks the 500th anniversary of the arrival of St. Nicholas, so it seems like preparations have been underway in the kingdom for quite some time.”

“It seems like everyone from the royal family is attending, perhaps to encourage the participation of the nobility.”

If everyone in the royal family is attending…

‘I wonder if I will be able to see the protagonist in person…!’

Upon hearing the sudden information, my heart fluttered with anticipation. As you may already know, ‘Wilflowers’ is a work that gained enthusiastic popularity among a small number of readers, and it could be said that my support for the original protagonist, Princess Daniella, was largely influenced by fandom.

“Lady Lionella will certainly attend, right?”

“As of late, there is no family that supports the church as much as the Parma family.”

In response to the arrow that came back to me, I replied as if I had been waiting.

“Well, yes. My father told me to attend in his place.”

Of course, my humble father wouldn’t know the fact that the Parma family is ranked among the high-value sponsors of the Holy Kingdom. If I hadn’t just heard that the royal family is attending, I wouldn’t have contemplated it deeply. Since it is a function hosted by the church, it’s not exactly a place for young socialites to hang out, and it doesn’t fit in with my socialite motto of finding my family’s son-in-law.

‘But… if I can create a connection with the protagonist, separate from Mishael, it would be a great opportunity.’

It wouldn’t be bad to introduce Mishael as a priest I sponsor after leaving a good impression on the protagonist first. Once the two meet properly, they will surely feel a connection to each other.

‘I hope Mishael can come too. But since he is not an official priest yet, maybe he won’t come to such an event…’

Now that I think about it, I have heard stories about even priests from the same monastery being selected and given the chance to face important people and network with nobles from other countries. Connections were important for priests who didn’t know which country they would be sent to.

In that case, could Mishael’s condition be a mental illness after all? No matter how much holy power Mishael possesses and how much he has grown with an appearance resembling that of God’s apostles… there is no guarantee that there won’t be someone who looks down on his humble background.

Without realizing that he would be a just and upright cardinal in the future.