It was no time to worry about a peaceful life or anything of the sort—handling Michael, who was about to storm in, took top priority.

Dealing with someone who harbored such an intense dislike for me was a first, and just worrying about it was already stressful enough…

‘First, I need to play the role of a devoted fiancée well enough to avoid any unnecessary suspicion.’

As long as he didn’t realize our engagement was fake and left, I could go back to living peacefully in Norhart.

From now on, I will do my utmost to deceive Michael. Lying was bad, but he was the one who had done wrong first, so I felt no guilt about it.

I burned with determination for the sake of my peaceful future.

***

“Good day, my lady! What a dazzling afternoon, just like your beauty. It is the honor of a lifetime to meet the most stunning woman in Arcadia—I am Madame Cindy.”

“Oh, nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”

“Aah, just seeing my lady’s beauty fills me with inspiration… with inspiration…!”

The top designer of Norhart, who had stylishly cut red hair, placed a hand on her forehead as if she were about to faint at the sight of my beauty, dramatically gushing over it.

“You may take your time finding inspiration, but for now, I need something ready by tomorrow, as His Highness the Crown Prince will be arriving.”

“Yes, Viscount.”

At Nielsen’s firm remark, all traces of flattery instantly vanished from Madame Cindy’s face. Even to my eyes, trained from a past life of part-time work, her professional composure was truly impressive.

As if on cue, the atelier staff entered, carrying dresses on mannequins, lining them up neatly behind her. In an instant, the spacious Grand Duchess’s parlor in Norhart was filled with dresses.

“Now, my lady.”

When Madame Cindy tilted her head slightly, the bob of her hair cascaded along her jawline, and her bold, oversized earrings jingled cheerfully.

“These are arranged in order: for formal greetings, tea parties, banquets, and daily wear. The formal greeting attire follows the style favored by previous Grand Duchesses of Norhart, with silk embroidered in traditional Norhart patterns…”

“Oh my, how exquisite…”

With each dress Madame Cindy introduced, the nanny interjected with deeply moved admiration. It seemed that, of all the many things confiscated from Lure, what she regretted most was the luxury that Odelia had once indulged in.

‘Well, a fully adorned Odelia is that much more breathtaking.’

But for me, this was just part of my work—preparing to play the role of Cedrion’s perfect fiancée.

“What do you think, my lady?”

“As expected of Norhart’s top designer, your reputation is well-earned. Even as samples, these dresses rival custom pieces from any atelier in Belvo. They not only highlight Norhart’s distinctive aesthetic but also incorporate your unique touch, Madame Cindy…”

In truth, all I could tell was that they looked pretty and expensive, but I gave a response that would satisfy everyone in the room.

“Viscount.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“As you know, I’m still in the process of learning about Norhart.”

“You are too modest.”

“I fell suddenly and deeply in love with His Grace.”

Nielsen’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“And I am more than ready to love everything about Norhart. I’d like to showcase its unique regional charm to His Highness the Crown Prince—to show him just how satisfied I am with my life here.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Most importantly, His Grace is so utterly enamored with me that he only gifts me the finest things.”

“That makes perfect sense.”

Nielsen seemed to immediately grasp my intent.

Though he had been skeptical about our contract engagement until now, his surprise lasted only a moment. As soon as I finished speaking, he turned to Madame Cindy, gesturing toward the dresses as he began discussing the selections with her.

‘Nielsen must know that Cedrion and I spoke last night.’

I wasn’t sure if he knew the specifics of Odelia’s past, but he must have at least realized that I had come to see Michael as a threat.

Last night, from Cedrion’s demeanor, it was clear that he had been reviewing evidence regarding Lure’s alleged rebellion in his office.

As I narrowed my eyes and studied Nielsen, the conversation between the two experts reached its conclusion.

“Shall we start with the most urgent—your formal greeting attire? Based on what you mentioned earlier, this design seems to be the best fit.”

Madame Cindy pointed to a deep purple dress adorned with embroidery in the traditional style of the indigenous people of the Snow-White Mountains. It was a long-sleeved, form-fitting dress layered beneath a robe-style outer garment with wide sleeves.

“This dual-layered design is a modern reinterpretation of Norhart’s traditional fashion. Given the cold climate of the North, it emphasizes warmth. The deep purple will make your porcelain skin stand out even more. And most importantly, all of this embroidery is done with gold thread, while the gemstones adorning it are sourced from small mines deep within the Snow-White Mountains.”

In other words, it was an outfit that practically screamed money.

“That’s nice.”

I nodded in satisfaction with a smile.

“And for the tea party… His Highness the Crown Prince will be staying for a few days, correct?”

“Officially, he mentioned three days, but considering the long journey, I suspect he might extend his stay.”

Since there would be many eyes watching, Viscount Nielsen kept his words strictly professional, but I instinctively sensed his underlying reluctance.

The longer the stay, the more burdensome the hospitality would become. Given how hard we had tried to prevent his visit, we couldn’t afford to show any signs of displeasure now.

In fact, the entire castle was already bustling with preparations for Michael’s impending arrival tomorrow.

“Then I will prepare these two outfits for now. If more are needed, I will make sure to bring to life the inspirations I received today.”

Madame Cindy winked.

Beyond that, Madame Cindy selected a variety of dresses for daily wear, formal dinners, and banquets, all aligning with my and Viscount Nielsen’s intentions. In other words, dresses that reflected Norhart’s uniqueness while still looking expensive.

“Now then, it’s time for the fitting… Viscount?”

“Yes, I will excuse myself.”

Viscount Nielsen nodded in my direction as a farewell.

“If you need anything else, please ask Dame Greta here.”

He gestured toward the aide standing by the door. The brown-haired woman, dressed in an aide’s uniform resembling a knight’s formal attire, gave me a respectful bow.

“Then, Madame, I leave it in your hands.”

“Leave it to me.”

As soon as Viscount Nielsen left the reception room, Mila and the maids approached to help me change.

“Now, now, just a moment!”

Or rather, they were about to—when Dame Gwendolyn swiftly entered through the door that Viscount Nielsen had just exited.

“Lady, please have this medicinal tea before we begin. Changing in and out of dresses takes a lot of energy.”

“The scent is a bit different this time?”

“Yes, I made some adjustments to the prescription.”

Though it still smelled bitter enough to tell it would taste just as bad.

This morning, during my medical examination, I had told Dame Gwendolyn that I used to be able to use magic as a child and that I felt like Michael had subjected me to some kind of magical attack.

I had kept the part about Cedrion suspecting black magic to myself. Spreading unverified rumors about the royal family would be dangerous. Given how cautious Cedrion was, he must have had considerable certainty before speaking it aloud.

Regardless, even this much information had been useful.

‘I knew it…’

The fact that Dame Gwendolyn had rushed to her research lab upon realizing something and now promptly brought me a new medicinal tea confirmed my suspicions.

Since she already knew I had been born with magical abilities and had diagnosed my illness as magic continuously leaking from my body, she must have formed a more concrete hypothesis.

‘Even if I’m still terminally ill, if I can live with less pain until the end, that’s good enough.’

I grimaced at the new, equally bitter taste of the tea before swallowing it and then tried on the ceremonial dress I had chosen.

“Oh my, Lady, you are truly slender. His Grace, the Grand Duke, will need to express his affection by increasing your meal portions.”

To be precise, Odelia’s body was on the thin side due to years of illness, but Madame Cindy smoothly turned even that into a flattering remark.

Was it because she had heard about Odelia’s past? I sometimes thought that if Odelia had been sick since childhood, it would make sense why she had developed such a terrible personality.

Not that it justified her misdeeds, of course.

While I found myself feeling a small twinge of sympathy for the real Odelia, the atelier staff worked swiftly, pinning the dress to fit me perfectly.

“Our young lady truly is the most beautiful in the world…”

“Kyaau!”

“Isn’t she, baby?”

“Uuung!”

Angie, who had once again settled comfortably in the nanny’s arms since yesterday, wiggled in excitement. Her delicate golden eyes sparkled as she beamed at me, making it feel as if the medicinal tea was working even better.

“Oh my, that baby…”

At Madame Cindy and the atelier staff’s curious glances, I recalled the conversation I had with Cedrion last night.

***

“What should we say about Angie? If Baron Alterman spoke to him, Michael would already know that I am protecting her.”

Last night, after finishing our conversation, Cedrion walked me back to my room.

Since Michael’s visit tomorrow meant I wouldn’t even have time to check on the vegetable garden, I suggested that we align our explanations regarding Angie in advance.

To the people at the Blue Roof Manor, Angie was officially Cedrion’s daughter, while to the staff at the Norhart Grand Duchy, she was simply an abandoned baby I had taken in.

It wasn’t likely that Michael would pay attention to the servants’ accounts, but it was still best to prevent any contradictions in our story.

“Considering that I am the victim here, yet they have placed a barrier around me for surveillance and followed me all the way here once I left Meldorf… There’s no harm in being extra cautious.”

“A reasonable thought.”

Cedrion stroked his angular jaw.