“Ah, this.”

Coming out with clear signs of a maid’s mistake was not like Odelia at all.

‘The dress is dark, so it must have been hard to see. How did they even notice?’

Anyway, troublesome people were always unnecessarily sensitive.

I quickly recalled the true nature of Odelia.

‘If she were the real Odelia, she would have slapped the maid, branded her with an iron, whipped her, and then come out in a perfectly prepared new dress… But…’

How could I do that when I was someone who had lived an entirely different life in my past?

I mixed Odelia’s original personality with the current situation to craft an appropriate excuse.

“The maid did make a mistake, but I wanted to meet His Highness while wearing this beautiful dress that His Grace specially ordered from the finest boutique in Norhart just for me.”

I clung even closer to Cedrion’s arm.

“And this man doesn’t like it when I get angry.”

“Ah?”

“Love has made me want to become a better person… Something like that, I suppose.”

Saying that, I made eye contact with Cedrion and gave a shy smile.

To convince the haughty noble before me, I put on the most sincere performance possible.

Feigning a sorrowful expression without actually feeling sorry? I must have done it thousands of times in my past life, so it wasn’t difficult at all.

“Ah, well…”

Had my sincerity transferred to Cedrion as well? He, too, blushed as he met my gaze—anyone would see him as a young man bashful from his lover’s bold display of affection.

“Indeed. Locking up the maid who angered you in the underground prison wouldn’t be enough to satisfy me, but your well-being is far more important to me.”

…Had Viscount Nielsen even prepared lines for unexpected situations?

For some reason, it felt as if he was genuinely worried about me, making my own face involuntarily flush.

As the two of us, too immersed in our act, continued to stare into each other’s eyes—

“Kawoo.”

“Ah, ahem, I see.”

Angie’s laughter and Michael’s flustered voice rang out at the same time.

***

“This way, please.”

Leading the way, the head butler Ian came to a halt in the inner courtyard of the Grand Duke’s castle.

“This courtyard has been personally tended to by the Grand Duchesses throughout Norhart’s 300-year history. This fountain, for example, was commissioned by the second Grand Duchess, Her Grace Sophiela, from the greatest sculptor of her time, Fabiano.”

It was as if Ian had been waiting for this very moment—he passionately explained how the Grand Duke’s castle was filled with historical, luxurious, and beautiful treasures.

Just touring the entrance hall alone had already taken more than an hour.

“And this section was landscaped in the southern style by the third Grand Duchess, Her Grace Bella, following the fashion of the time. As for that greenhouse over there…”

Hearing all these things for the first time, I felt a pang of guilt.

I had been planning to clear all this out to make space for farming this year, turning the land into my personal vegetable garden—just the thought of it made me feel incredibly ashamed.

Though, to be fair, it wasn’t my idea—it was Cedrion’s…

“And this flowerbed here.”

Ian gestured toward a small patch of flowers that seemed oddly out of place amidst the grand, antique landscaping.

“It was moved here when Lady Odelia requested a pastoral-style garden in the rear courtyard.”

“A pastoral-style garden?”

“Yes, to reflect Lady Odelia’s generosity, as she was concerned about even a single blade of grass being disturbed from its original place, we relocated the entire flowerbed just as it was.”

As he spoke, Ian gave me a slight bow.

“Indeed. Lady Lure is certainly generous.”

His ever-pleasant smile remained, but beneath the gentle curve of his eyes, his blue gaze gleamed with a cold sharpness.

‘He keeps calling me Lady Lure… over and over again. He knows full well that Lure was annihilated because of me. He must have an ulterior motive for saying it like that.’

Just as my wariness toward Michael deepened—

“I’d like to see this garden.”

“Pardon?”

“The garden that forced these lovely flowers to flee here when Lady Odelia had it created.”

I had only been showing off my lover, but now he really intended to go see it?

Hah… Michael truly was here to scrutinize me down to the finest detail.

It was as if he couldn’t stand the idea of not knowing my every move.

‘No, perhaps he really does know.’

He might have even heard from Baron Alterman about how I had turned the garden of the Blue Roof Manor into a vegetable patch.

“Lady Lure was once at the forefront of Belvo fashion, yet now she wears a distinctly provincial dress and enjoys things like pastoral and rustic scenery…”

Michael’s blue eyes swept over me once again, his gaze heavy with meaning.

“It’s all quite surprising, really.”

All day long, behind the bright, sunny smile he wore, Michael’s eyes had been scrutinizing me—full of contempt, ridicule, and wariness.

‘Of course, I am the sinner who escaped from his barrier, so that might be expected…’

But his gaze was too chilling for it to be just that. It was a look all too familiar with seeing this body in such a way.

Even if she had lost her childhood memories, Odelia would have felt something ominous from that gaze. So why had she been so desperate for the position of crown princess?

“I’ve known Lady Lure longer than my brother has… or so I think.”

His unsettling gaze brushed past Cedrion.

‘Cedrion did say that he ran into Michael at that time. Michael must know that Odelia and Cedrion were acquainted…’

But I still had to pretend I knew nothing about what happened back then. Otherwise, he might not even bother to feign such a gentle smile.

I had to be cautious. While Michael stayed in Norhart, my top priority was avoiding suspicion. If I wanted a peaceful future, I had to get through this first.

Recalling the resolution I had reaffirmed countless times over the past few days, I smiled gracefully and spoke.

“Coming to the north, where the land is harsher than Belvo, I naturally developed an interest in agricultural techniques.”

After all, the officials of Norhart were also said to be deeply interested in agriculture.

“That led me to take an interest in the food I consume, and unlike Belvo’s cuisine, which focuses on elaborate preparation, I became fascinated by cooking methods that preserve the natural flavors of ingredients. Fashion is the same. Compared to Belvo’s haute couture, which relentlessly pursues innovation, I find Norhart’s traditional and understated trends rather appealing…”

I rambled on, filling the air with meaningless chatter to prevent Michael from thinking too deeply.

“Could all of this be… because of love?”

I looked up at Cedrion again, letting Odelia’s amethyst-like eyes shimmer brightly.

‘Even in “Princess Flora Is Lovely,” there were remarks that Odelia surpassed Flora in objective beauty. That should add some credibility.’

Years of experience from my past life aside, a beautiful face always lent authenticity to a performance.

I poured every ounce of my being into making it seem as though my engagement to Cedrion was not for Lure’s survival or my own safety, but truly for love.

Cedrion couldn’t take his eyes off me—but that must have been because he was moved by my acting.

This level of emotional labor was nothing!

***

“The culinary skills of Norhart’s kitchen staff are quite impressive. This must also be the result of your retainers’ efforts to satisfy your affections, Brother.”

Michael’s scrutiny continued even through that evening’s formal dinner.

Lately, Norhart’s kitchen, which had been focusing on the low-sodium, vegetable-based meals advocated by Dame Gwendolyn, seemed delighted to finally showcase the traditional cuisine of the northern regions.

In addition, they had incorporated the latest fine-dining trends from Belvo as well as the health-conscious meals I usually preferred.

“Yes, this person was worried I might struggle with unfamiliar food after coming to Norhart, so he gave special instructions to the kitchen. He didn’t know exactly what I would like, but he told them to prepare a wide variety, hoping at least one dish would suit my taste.”

If the dream isn’t great, the interpretation should be. I took Norhart’s kitchen staff’s loyalty and twisted it into proof of Cedrion’s devotion to me.

Apparently, my interpretation was quite effective, as Michael eventually remarked,

“Brother, you never showed interest in any noblewoman before, and yet, once you fell in love, who could have expected you to be so blinded?”

Cedrion made no response and simply brought his wine glass to his lips.

No words to say, huh…

Meanwhile, Michael’s sharp blue eyes scanned Cedrion’s face with an unsettling curiosity.

‘Is he trying to determine whether Cedrion has liked Odelia since long ago?’

Even if that were the case, it wouldn’t change the fact that Cedrion had tried to save Lure not for any grand cause but because of unrequited love for Odelia.

Or… could that actually be true?

I recalled Cedrion’s demeanor from a few days ago when he spoke about his childhood.

He had looked deeply sorrowful throughout, yet when he recounted playing with Odelia, he had seemed slightly more cheerful.

‘He said she wasn’t his first love…’

Even so, considering how much he was striving to protect me now, it did seem like he had some lingering attachment. That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth…

Regardless, Cedrion had never shown interest in anyone before, and now, the woman he suddenly chose to be engaged to had only recently been a leading candidate for crown princess. Michael’s suspicions were hardly unreasonable.

‘We need to make our sudden love seem even more convincing.’

Michael had announced he would stay for three days, but judging by his doubts about our relationship, he might extend his visit.

This was a battle between a desperate underdog and a persistent interrogator. If enduring a few more days meant securing a peaceful future, then that was a small price to pay.

***

“You did well today.”

“You too.”

Late at night, after the formal dinner.

With Michael’s elite guards possibly watching from the shadows, we had to keep up the act of being madly in love even in his absence.

Thus, when Cedrion escorted me to the Grand Duchess’s chambers,

I rose onto my tiptoes, and Cedrion, perceptive as ever, lowered his head.

“How was it? Did I play the devoted fiancée convincingly?”

“Ah, acting…”

Seemingly caught off guard by an unexpected thought, Cedrion covered his mouth and averted his gaze.

Huh? Why are his ears turning red?