Betty was shocked into silence. Instead of storming out in a fit of rage, the foolish lady was sitting in a chair, anxiously biting her nails.

“Are you scared?”

“Who is!”

Her temper was still there. But she was clearly wary of Arne. Definitely!

“She’s a fake lady who had a mana surge yesterday and doesn’t seem to have any strength, so what are you afraid of?”

“You say she had a mana surge yesterday? But that girl recovers her mana quickly. Others would be bedridden for days, but she can use magic right after a mana surge!”

After shouting, Bianca bit her nails. After pondering for a moment, she smiled as if she had a good idea.

“Betty, bring that. We need to spray some perfume before going to the banquet, don’t we?”

“If you mean that, understood!”

A smile spread across Betty’s lips too.

They were talking about the ‘Mana Perfume’ created by the mage Rein to repay his patron’s investment funds.

It was a perfume that turned a person’s unique mana into a fragrance, creating a one-of-a-kind scent in the world.

Nobles spared no expense due to their curiosity about the scent their mana would produce and the uniqueness of having a one-of-a-kind fragrance.

Especially among the ladies, it became known as a miracle cure for catching a husband’s infidelity, leading to the release of an edible type of perfume in addition to the spray type.

‘Even non-magicians have a small amount of mana. But for Arne, who just had a mana surge, that perfume is poison. A deadly poison. Since her mana is made by converting her life force, if all her mana turns into fragrance and flies away, she’ll die.’

Bianca would often secretly torment Arne, who had mana surges, by dropping a few drops of mana perfume into her tea.

And Betty, who brought it to Arne, took pleasure in watching Arne clutch her stomach in pain with a strange sense of superiority.

A few drops were enough to make her suffer like a dog crawling around.

Searching for water, trying to vomit endlessly.

But the duke thought it was just an aftereffect of the mana surge. The symptoms were very similar.

‘Arne, you can’t beat me.’

Bianca lifted her thin lips into a smile.

“Let’s see how you embarrass yourself at the banquet.”

* * *

The duke, duchess, and Bianca were waiting for Arne in the carriage on their way to the banquet.

Bianca became irritated when Arne, who would usually be the first to arrive and wait, was late.

“Why are you so late……”

“I’m sorry. I heard the duke is looking forward to this banquet, so I took some extra care.”

Arne climbed into the carriage gracefully. Her braided and pinned-up hair was neat and elegant.

Even the plain and dull black dress looked dignified.

The mana core beneath the pearl necklace reluctantly lent by Cecil shone so much that it added a restrained beauty.

Moreover, there was dignity in her gesture as she climbed into the carriage. Cecil had deliberately not provided Arne with an etiquette tutor.

Because of this, Arne was often compared and ridiculed in society against Bianca.

But now, Arne exuded the dignity of a lady, even more than herself, the duchess.

Reading Cecil’s thoughts, Arne gave a bright smile.

“It’s a banquet that Duke Ronia is especially concerned about. If you go dressed in rags and become the laughingstock, it will tarnish the honor of the ducal family.”

Cecil pointed out that for such an important banquet, nothing but a dull and simple dress was provided.

Even Bianca’s dress, who was merely tagging along, was much more splendid.

“Cecil, didn’t I tell you to pay attention because this banquet is important to me?”

Duke Ronia asked Cecil in a gentle tone, but his words had thorns.

He hated being at a disadvantage.

“I thought, ‘What’s the use of a pearl necklace on a pig?’ since Arne is such a lacking child.”

Cecil shifted the topic uncomfortably.

“The Grand Duke of Renigrad and Lady Leverun are also coming this time. Please make an effort. Bianca suits Cedric better than Lady Leverun.”

Rumors had already spread in the social circles that the Grand Duke of Renigrad was looking for a family to form an alliance with to expand his family’s influence.

The most straightforward and certain alliance was an engagement with Cedric.

And the Leverun family was the first to bite the bait.

“What does our Duke Ronia’s family have to lose to the Leverun family?”

“Exactly.”

The duke, coveting the influence of the Grand Duke of Renigrad, nodded.

“Speak well to the Grand Duke of Renigrad and the Duke. Plus, Cedric will fall for our Bianca at first sight.”

Cecil beamed with pride in his daughter. Bianca’s face flushed with excitement.

Arne chuckled, causing Cecil’s brow to furrow.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I heard Bianca sent countless invitations to Duke Ronia’s banquet? I wonder if there’s any chance since all those invitations were declined.”

Cecil sounded as irritable as Bianca.

“Cedric is known to be a just and polite gentleman. He simply maintains formality. Not just Bianca, but he declined all personal invitations from ladies.”

It meant he only attended banquets approved by the Renigrad Grand Ducal family.

Though it was true, Arne still did not lose her light smile.

Cecil bit her lip, picking on trivial matters.

“Arne, do you know how important this banquet is? To be late on such an important day. Your role is to win over Kale de Wayne for an engagement.”

Arne casually crossed her legs and placed her handbag on her lap.

“I went to get some Ivellata tea.”

Arne deliberately spoke loudly enough for the duke to hear. Ivellata tea has mana stabilization and detoxifying effects.

“Are you saying you were late just because you were fetching that trivial thing? As if a mana surge is something significant. Coachman, let’s depart quickly!”

At Cecil’s reprimand, Arne merely smiled briefly.

Another task for Arne at this banquet was to ensure Cecil could no longer link her with Kale de Wayne.

In fact, that’s why she was late preparing.

Cecil will be wailing over ‘just that trivial Ivellata tea.’

* * *

Cedric found the Wayne family’s banquet tedious and boring.

He was suddenly summoned to see his grandfather, who then informed him to attend the Wayne family’s banquet that evening.

Without any prior notice.

‘Grandfather, he’s always been like this.’

If Calron, the Grand Duke of Renigrad, decides something, it is followed. That was the absolute power of the north, Calron Schopendha de Renigrad.

‘It’s suffocating.’

The cravat of his formal attire felt like it was choking him.

Loosening the cravat relaxed the front of his shirt.

Seeing this, ladies peeking at Cedric from behind their fans lifted their fans higher to hide their flushed faces beneath.

Cedric had a unique aura that somehow made their hearts race and their senses tingle just by looking at him.

After delivering Arne to the duke’s residence, Warren joined late and clicked his tongue at the situation.

Noticing Warren, Cedric spoke up.

“Did you take good care of Lady Ronia?”

“Yes. But it seems the lady will also attend this banquet.”

Cedric raised an eyebrow as if he couldn’t understand.

“The lady should be in a state where she absolutely needs to rest, not attend a banquet.”

Overexerting could speed up mana consumption, and without rest, the core wouldn’t have a chance to recover.

It was similar to how recovery from an injury would be slower if one didn’t stop exercising continuously.

“Did the duke and his wife not know about Lady Ronia’s mana surge?”

“At least when I arrived at the duke’s residence, Bianca seemed unaware.”

“Does that make sense? It was a mana surge that could’ve been nearly fatal. You can tell just by looking at her mana core.”

Warren felt strange that Cedric seemed excited.

“Lady Arne and Bianca didn’t seem close. Rather, it seemed like they were on bad terms.”

Cedric bit his lip. Somehow, he kept looking only at the entrance of the banquet hall.

He nervously tapped his fingers. The ladies who arrived at the banquet hall couldn’t take their eyes off Cedric when they made eye contact.

However, Cedric, turning his head away in disappointment, just bit his lip. He became increasingly anxious.

Then, the door to the banquet hall opened again.

At that moment, Cedric stood up abruptly. His steps hastened.

It was Arne.

As she got closer, Cedric’s eyes only caught sight of Arne’s cracked mana core.

A mana core that was almost transparent in color from the rapid mana drain of what had happened in half a day.

“Lady Ronia.”

A smile spread across Bianca’s lips as she lifted her head simultaneously with Arne.

“Why come to the banquet in such a condition?”

As Cedric inadvertently checked Arne’s complexion, Bianca’s smile faltered.

On the other hand, Arne’s lips slowly curved into an arc as they parted.

“Nice to meet you, Lord Cedric. I am Raniarne Freya de Ronia.”

Arne extended her hand towards Cedric.

Arne deliberately did not wear gloves, unlike Cedric, who followed etiquette by wearing them.

Cedric wrapped his hand around Arne’s and kissed the back of her hand.

Quite slowly and deeply. Enough for the warmth of his lips to be fully felt. Enough for all her senses to stand on edge.

Cedric stared at the fluctuating lavender mana at Arne’s chest area.

Arne’s unique purple mana mixed with Cedric’s white spirit mana, fluttering in lavender.

Though it was a respectful kiss, the mana wasn’t satisfying enough.

He was concerned about that point but holding onto a lady’s hand for too long was also impolite.

Cedric let go of Arne’s hand and made eye contact.

“I am Cedric Schopendha de Renigrad.”

Arne couldn’t take her eyes off Cedric for a moment. His appearance in formal attire overlapped with that of their previous life’s wedding reception.

Still handsome.

“Lady Ronia?”

At the mention of Lady Ronia, Bianca flinched and clenched her fist.