It was the sound of nobles chattering below the terrace.

“First he buys a mansion on prime real estate in the capital for Peirlily, and now he’s carpeting the streets with roses out of season. Just how much debt does that man have?”

“He’s gone mad.”

“He must have something to rely on. With Grand Duke Calosi still going strong, his debts will be taken care of somehow, won’t they?”

“Well, would the baron be worried about debts right now? He should be more afraid of other things.”

The gossiping nobles nodded in agreement. Someone spoke with an intriguing voice.

“How do you think Ruyan Piert will react?”

“Being the well-known doting brother, would he just sit still like this? He might make the baron unusable in one way or another…”

The speakers shuddered.

“…I think I prefer Peirose over Peirlily after all.”

“Of course. A flower needs to have that slightly broken charm to be a real flower.”

Hahaha. They exchanged meaningful glances as they laughed at each other.

“Isn’t the dress Peirose wore beautiful too? It should become the capital’s new trend.”

“Haha. Though I’d lock my daughter in her room if she tried to get that dress.”

“Of course! Just thinking about our Caitlin walking around with her chest so exposed, oh my…”

Listening to this, Leah was so angry she contemplated.

‘Should I just shoot a fireball?’

***

Leah became increasingly focused on her magic training.

On days when she heard unpleasant things in social circles, she practiced wind magic saying she needed to clean her ears, and on days when she saw things she didn’t want to see, she practiced fire magic saying she needed to burn something because she was so angry.

Her brothers watched her with worried expressions.

“Helix needs to come back soon. Without Helix, Leah looks like she’ll become a great mage in no time at this rate.”

Ruyan agreed with Rikeil’s words.

“She looks at the northern sky once from the terrace and then shoots a fireball at the fireplace. A week ago she’d still miss sometimes, but now every fireball hits its mark.”

“I don’t know if we should celebrate this or comfort her…”

Separate from Leah’s longing, her consistent training began to show effects.

As her physical strength and mana were trained, she became increasingly healthier, and an undeniable aura began to emanate from her entire body.

Then one day, Leah witnessed an unsettling scene at a party.

“My fairy! This is my heart I offer to you!”

It was after Baron Durford appeared before Lady Yuria Seigan with a huge rose bouquet for a public courtship, and Lady Seigan fled with a pale face.

“Sigh, I should retire from social circles if only to avoid seeing such sights.”

Leah shook her head and came out to the north terrace of the party venue, sipping her drink. The northern constellations were clearly visible, making her drink taste somehow bland and bitter.

“Helix, should I just retire from social circles? Should I retire and announce that I’m a mage? What do you think?”

Muttering toward the night sky, she shook her head. Helix would surely say ‘Then you’d be known as the only mage, which would be dangerous. Let’s observe the situation more.’

“Social circles would have been fun if I could attend with Helix… What is all this.”

As she was grumbling, she propped her chin and sighed.

That’s when it happened.

“Baroness, I think Peirose is avoiding me.”

It was Baron Durford’s anxious voice. Leah almost spat out her drink.

Isn’t that obvious?

Always following her around with that creepy stare. Constantly pushing flashy rose bouquets at her and making her uncomfortable.

‘After everything you’ve done, did you expect her to welcome you? Of course she’s avoiding you!’

She clicked her tongue internally while looking toward where the voice came from. Baron Durford was talking with a woman below the north terrace.

‘Who is that?’

Come to think of it, he just called her Baroness. Leah narrowed her eyes to try to identify the person in the darker spot than the baron. Their conversation drifted up.

“Why would Peirose avoid me? Could she be misunderstanding something about me?”

“Oh, misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding do you mean?”

“I mean, could she be misunderstanding that my feelings for her are just a passing fancy, not sincere? As you know, Baroness, I did go through quite a period of emotional wandering.”

Listening to this, Leah didn’t know where to even begin pointing out the problems. The baron’s conversation partner seemed to feel the same way, as she remained silent for a moment.

The other person changed the topic.

“Instead of just worrying, why don’t you give Peirose a gift?”

“A gift?”

Baron Durford, who seemed interested, shook his head.

“If she won’t even accept rose bouquets, would she accept a gift?”

“Bouquets and gifts are different. Even if she avoided flowers because people’s gazes were burdensome, she probably won’t reject a personally sent gift.”

“…You think so?”

“Of course. If the gift happens to match her taste perfectly, wouldn’t that naturally spark some affection?”

The baron seemed lost in thought.

“Baroness Whipft, since you’re always by her side, you must know Peirose’s tastes well. What does Peirose like?”

“Well, young ladies of that age are often interested in high-end accessories that are hard to get from their parents.”

Listening to this, Leah blinked in surprise.

‘Baroness Whipft?’

Isn’t she Lady Yuria Seigan’s chaperone?

‘Why is she pushing the girl she’s supposed to protect toward such a thief…?’

Leah tried to look more carefully due to her uneasy feelings, but the two exchanged a few more words and parted. She fell into deep thought. She had a bad feeling about this.

‘This is like… like those old dramas where the madam of a bar hands over an innocent newcomer to a wealthy patron…’

Leah shook her head as she thought of Lady Yuria Seigan.

‘Surely they wouldn’t do something that crazy when her father is Duke Seigan?’

But having seen and heard what she did, she couldn’t help but worry. She was especially concerned because she had her own past experience with Baron Durford.

“Oh! Lady Piert, hello. Did Baron Durford come this way by any chance?”

That’s why. When she saw Lady Yuria Seigan, who was clearly running away from Baron Durford, Leah impulsively grabbed her hand and spoke.

“Lady Seigan, be careful.”

“…Pardon?”

Lady Seigan trembled slightly as she asked back. It was because of her revealing dress. Leah took off her white fur muffler and wrapped it around the lady.

“Don’t go around cold, and those flower bouquets, just reject them if you don’t like them.”

Lady Seigan blinked. After wrapping the muffler around her, Leah awkwardly added.

“Um… don’t endure too much, walk with your shoulders straight. If anyone seems strange, quickly tell Duke right away. Understood?”

It was like the nagging her mother, who passed away a few years ago, used to do.

‘Why is she so gentle when she looks like me? Yuria, your father is the Duke. You should quickly tell him about people who treat you badly, why are you enduring it?’

Lady Seigan’s throat felt hot and she could only nod without answering. The pure white fur tickled her cheeks, soft and warm.

‘I wish Lady Piert was my sister.’

***

In the returning carriage, Lady Yuria Seigan kept her head down, just fiddling with the muffler.

“My lady, how embarrassing must it have been for Baron Durford when you ran away like that? I was so mortified when I had to apologize to him.”

“…”

“And what’s with that fur muffler? Haven’t I always told you? Your ample chest volume is your advantage, so you need to highlight it well.”

“But… everyone keeps glancing at me like I’m some kind of spectacle!”

Yuria spoke irritably while clutching the end of the muffler.

The muffler gathered at her chest seemed to cover the deeply cut dress and protect her.

“Why are you being so provincial, my lady?”

One maid sighed and said. Another maid agreed.

“That’s right. Don’t act like a child. Everyone can’t take their eyes off you because you’re beautiful.”

At the maids’ words, Yuria bit her lip.

‘I still don’t like it.’

Just sixteen years old. She was too young to be wearing deeply cut dresses and smiling around ballrooms.

Everything was unfamiliar to the young girl.

The capital’s social circles with their smiling faces hiding knives, the sticky gazes fixed on her face and figure – everything was difficult for a young girl to adjust to.

“My lady, you are blessed.”

While gently pressing Yuria’s lips to make her stop biting them, Baroness Whipft spoke sternly.

“Biting like that makes you look insecure and unattractive. Always manage yourself.”

“…”

“In this world, which noble lady becomes the center of attention and even gets a nickname right after her debutante? And what a beautiful and glorious nickname it is – Peirose, the Rose of Peiren.”

Another maid chimed in.

“The Duke is pleased too.”

Yuria’s eyelashes trembled.

“…Really?”

“Of course. Though he doesn’t say much, they say he shows signs of being proud.”

“The Seigan ducal family’s prestige has risen even higher since you received the nickname Peirose.”

Yuria noticeably became more docile. The maids exchanged glances and giggled.

“Do you know what people are saying? They’re calling it the war of the rose and lily. You’ve become a rival to Peirlily, who has dominated social circles for years!”

“This is all thanks to Baron Durford, so at the next party, please accept his bouquet.”

Yuria puffed her lips and shook her head.

“That old man is creepy. I don’t like the way he looks at me!”

Yuria had memorized by now how and where the baron’s gaze would go.

Baron Durford would always look at her chest first, then quickly check her hips, and scan her up and down. Goosebumps rose on her arms as she remembered those blatant gazes.

“Oh my, stop being so childish.”