“The coming-of-age ceremony is a ceremony to recognize and celebrate that you have become an adult. The debutante ball is for formally introducing you to society or essentially announcing under the permission of your family that you are ready to receive proposals. It’s a matter of personal ethics, so to speak.”

“Ethics?”

“Just because you’re of age doesn’t suddenly make you an adult. Becoming an adult involves responsibilities that are quite heavy, heavier than a young lady who has just become an adult might think. It’s like a minimum grace period.”

‘He’s right, but the problem is that mentally, I’ve been an adult for a long time, and I even had a child with you.’

“What about Lady Leverun? Lady Leverun hasn’t had her debutante ball either, right? I saw her name on the list for the imperial debutante ball happening in half a year along with mine!”

“She has had her coming-of-age ceremony.”

“…She had her coming-of-age ceremony?”

Arne blinked slowly. This was not a good sign. The engagement between Lady Leverun and Cedric in her previous life happened after her debutante ball.

Moreover, Lady Leverun was a beauty envied by all, unlike Arne who was small, thin, and sickly. Of course, Arne had grown taller and filled out a bit before her debutante ball, possibly because she was no longer traversing battlefields, creating quite an enchanting atmosphere, but still, she felt rushed.

“Anyway, I am indeed an adult. Even if you say that, I can go to the underworld salons!”

Entrance to the underworld salons required proof of adulthood.

“You might not believe it, but I can even buy tickets for the adult-only opera box!”

Arne thought hard about things only adults could do, but couldn’t come up with anything specific.

Since she mostly participated in wars at the request of the duke, she didn’t know what adult ladies did.

But the more Arne thought, the more Cedric seemed to be holding back laughter.

‘I feel somehow offended. It’s like he’s looking down on me.’

Arne glared at Cedric sullenly.

“I didn’t want to say this, but I’ll look pretty by my birthday!”

“Look pretty?”

“People say I look ominous. My white hair that’s thinned out and red eyes resemble those of an ominous rabbit monster.”

“……”

Cedric slowly reached out his hand. As he gently lifted the bangs that almost covered Arne’s face, her red eyes were revealed.

Feeling suddenly exposed under his gaze through her usually unkempt bangs made her body tense with nervousness.

It was too close and too raw. Almost like I’m being stripped bare.

“You are beautiful. You will be beautiful in half a year too.”

Arne’s face slowly heated up.

‘He really knows how to say such embarrassing things.’

Unsure where to look, she just moved her lips.

“After the debutante ball, there will likely be many suitors for you, lady.”

Cedric bit his lip bitterly.

“The real misfortune lies with the Renigrad Grand Duchy. Cursed by a demon, most of its descendants live short lives. Spouses are no exception.”

“I don’t care about that.”

Cedric raised an eyebrow.

“That’s why the lady is still young.”

‘No, really. This man. I had a child with you!’

Unable to spit out these words, Arne frustratingly stomped her foot.

Cedric chuckled softly, finding her actions reminiscent of a snow rabbit thumping its foot in displeasure.

“I do like snow rabbits. They are beautiful, after all. Though they are demonic creatures, and it would be foolish to underestimate them.”

A smile spread across Cedric’s lips like paint.

Arne couldn’t take her eyes off his laughter. It was the first time she had seen Cedric smile so brightly.

* * *

Once Arne’s spirit mana was replenished, Cedric unhesitatingly sent her back to the Duchy of Ronia.

The reason was that if she disappeared from the duchy for too long, the duke and duchess would worry.

‘The duke and duchess wouldn’t even know I was gone.’

Arne peered outside the carriage. The Duchy of Ronia was slowly coming into view.

‘He said he would contact me as soon as the mage arrives, so I’ll see him again soon.’

The carriage, adorned with the grand ducal crest of Renigrad, stopped in front of the Duchy of Ronia.

Then, Bianca, who had never come out to greet them before, hurriedly ran out.

“I thought you refused, but you accepted my invitation. I welcome you, Lord Cedric of the Renigrad Grand Duchy. I am Bian…… Arne?”

‘So that’s it. She thought it was Cedric who came, not me.’

Arne, facing Bianca for the first time in a while, lifted one corner of her mouth in a hollow laugh.

“How did you come down from the carriage of the Grand Duchy of Renigrad?”

Arne didn’t answer Bianca’s question but extended her hand instead.

As promised, Warren perfectly escorted Arne down from the carriage.

Bianca’s face contorted with anger. She believed she should have been the one standing there, not Arne.

“Lady Ronia, I look forward to seeing you again soon.”

“Good work, Sir Warren.”

“Seeing you again?”

But the prickly Warren only showed courtesy to Bianca without giving her an answer.

Instead, he stared intently at Bianca, who had rushed out with only one of her eyebrows done.

She’s been trying to change her uneven eyebrows recently, so she shaved off the front part of one eyebrow, making the lack of it starkly apparent.

“Perhaps you should finish grooming your remaining eyebrow?”

“Oh my, oh my.”

It was because she had rushed out without further thought upon hearing that Cedric, who always sent letters of refusal, had come.

Bianca’s face gradually turned ashen.

Warren was one of Cedric’s capable subordinates.

Thinking that her rash behavior might reach Cedric’s ears, Bianca’s face turned pale with horror.

Arne passed by such a Bianca with a faint smile on her lips.

“You little…… Arne!”

Bianca awkwardly lowered her hand that was about to grab Arne’s hair and nodded to Warren instead.

Warren narrowed his eyes disapprovingly and entered the carriage.

As the carriage of the Renigrad Grand Duchy completely disappeared, Bianca’s footsteps changed.

It seemed she was about to grab Arne’s hair as usual today.

‘It seems like today is the day I should correct Bianca’s nasty habit.’

Turning around, Arne caught Bianca’s hand first and smiled brightly.

Bianca’s eyes widened in shock, seemingly frozen and trying to discern if the situation was real.

‘Arne blocked my hand?’

She always tried to stay out of sight, shrinking away from Bianca’s gaze.

That was natural. Arne was like an impurity that should not fit into this house.

Despite being an orphan who couldn’t even raise her face if they met on the street, she dared claim to be a lady of the ducal family?

Because of that, Bianca was too embarrassed to show her face in social circles.

Yet, now Arne was looking straight at her with her head held high.

‘You dare to meet my eyes?’

Arne smiled lightly and let go of Bianca’s arm.

As if to set a polite example for her.

“What is this?”

Bianca struggled to pull her hand away, but it didn’t budge.

Arne, who earned her merit on the battlefield at her father’s request, could easily overpower Bianca if she wished.

She simply hadn’t done so. Realizing this sent a chill down Bianca’s spine.

Her immobile arm and the look in her eyes overwhelmed Bianca.

“Are you sure you want to do this to me? The one who’s always anxious about when she might be kicked out, afraid to even breathe?”

Bianca’s lips twisted. She felt intimidated by Arne’s spirit for a moment, but there was no reason for that.

“Would it be alright even if Father knew about this?”

The Duke of Ronia had turned a blind eye to Bianca harassing Arne.

It meant it was allowed. Bianca was his real daughter, and Arne was not.

“Don’t mistake yourself for a Lady of Ronia. You and I are different. You are not my father’s daughter.”

Arne kept a calm face. The old her would have been hurt by those words and tried harder to prove herself.

She would have done anything to become a part of this ducal household. Anything she was told. Foolishly so.

But that doesn’t really make one family.

‘No, if that’s what it takes to be family, then I refuse.’

It was a painful truth she learned at the cost of Vivian’s death.

“You’ll be thrown out by Father the moment you can’t use magic properly, won’t you?”

Bianca’s threats continued, but a deep smile spread across Arne’s lips. Arne whispered closely into Bianca’s ear.

“Right, Bianca. Father can never discard me as long as I’m useful.”

Arne’s voice was enchanting, like a thorny red rose.

“Father’s ambition knows no end, does it? Would the man who became a duke from a marquis thanks to my contributions stop here? I am essential in forging his path.”

He even attempted to sacrifice the lives of Arne and Vivian to become a grand duke.

The Duke of Ronia was someone who would do anything for his ambitions.

Meaning, he would choose his ambitions over Bianca’s whining.

“That’s why I’m still a lady here after being adopted. No matter how much you beg, Father to throw me out.”

Bianca’s face turned pale.

No matter how much Bianca, his real daughter, pleaded with the Duke of Ronia, he kept Arne around.

He tolerated Bianca harassing Arne but never disowned her.

A truth Bianca didn’t want to acknowledge sharpened her nerves.

“You’ll be disowned soon. Especially with your frequent mana surges lately? If your mana core breaks down completely, it’s over.”

Arne could only laugh in disbelief.

‘Please, just disown me.’

The plea rose to her throat but she swallowed it back down.

Vivian died. The Renigrad Grand Duchy’s territories, wealth, and status had all been sacrificed, along with Arne’s life.

So, she wouldn’t just give the Duke of Ronia the satisfaction of disowning her.

For whose benefit? Arne wouldn’t stop until she had devoured everything from the Duke of Ronia.