“That should be done by calling a servant.”

‘Could this really work?’

Arne flinched at Cecil’s sudden scolding as she blinked in disbelief.

“Arne, what have you been doing? You should have brought out another tea! Don’t tell me you just stood there……”

“Duchess, the tea is fine. It’s been too long.”

Cedric’s deep voice interrupted Cecil’s words.

“But another tea would have……”

“No, I have another appointment. But the Grand Duke wanted to ensure that Lady Ronia appreciated the gift he sent.”

This time, Ella tilted her head in confusion.

‘Did the duke say that?’

“Isn’t that right? Ella, the Grand Duke said to check personally what dress the lady likes best. Renigrad does not take reciprocation lightly.”

Ella had no memory of being given such instructions, but if the young master of Renigrad said so, it must be true.

“Yes, I’ll prepare it right away if you go up to your room now.”

Ella bowed respectfully immediately.

Then, the corners of Cedric’s mouth slowly lifted. He leisurely turned his head to ask the duke,

“May I have your permission, Your Grace?”

The Duke of Ronia nodded immediately.

He wanted to keep Cedric in this mansion a little longer,

Even though it was improper to let a man into the lady’s room unless he was her fiancé.

“What are you doing, Arne? Go up now.”

Arne nodded in confusion.

“I have something to discuss with Ella briefly; I’ll go up later.”

“Alright.”

“Then I’ll go up first.”

“Father, what about our tea time?”

Bianca asked with a voice full of resentment and expectation to have some time with Cedric.

“Next time.”

“What?”

Bianca clenched the hem of her dress tightly. But the duke’s gaze had already passed Bianca and was directed at Cedric.

Bianca, biting her lip, strode towards Arne on the second floor.

* * *

“Hey.”

Bianca suddenly grabbed Arne’s arm and pulled her up. Anger was evident in her eyes.

“Did you know? The Grand Duke despises other races. What would he do if he found out your original red hair color that you’ve dyed over?”

“Sister, even if you hate me, lying like that…”

“If you’re curious whether it’s a lie or not, go and find out for yourself. It’s a widespread rumor. If the Grand Duke learns the truth, you might even be thrown out of the banquet.”

Bianca snorted, pushed Arne’s shoulder, and then walked away.

Arne was more concerned about Bianca’s words than the pain in her shoulder.

‘He hates other races? The Grand Duke? No way. It must be a lie, she said in anger.’

She felt uneasy, but no matter how much she tried to remember, she couldn’t come up with anything.

In her previous life, when she met Cedric, both his father and grandfather had already passed away, so he was the Grand Duke of Renigrad.

Soon after, when Ella and others arrived, Arne headed to the room.

* * *

“Let me show you. This dress was sent by the Grand Duke, and this one was sent by my patron. Please take a look at both.”

Ella excitedly followed Arne, as she continued to explain about the dresses.

“This dress is called ‘Sacred Prayer’. It was inspired by the praying figure of Lady Judith, the Grand Duchess, who was a holy knight. It’s one of the Grand Duke’s favorite dresses.”

Hearing that it was one of the Grand Duke’s favorite dresses made Arne’s eyes sparkle.

Then, one of Cedric’s eyebrows raised. Ella quickly continued her explanation after he coughed.

“And the dress you saw earlier, ‘The Return of Roa’, was one of the favorites of my patron.”

But Arne’s gaze still lingered on ‘Sacred Prayer’.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to wear the Grand Duke’s favorite dress to the banquet where I’m meeting him?’

Cedric seemed displeased to see where Arne’s heart was leaning.

For some reason, he disliked it.

“Roa is one of the greatest knights in existence. His contributions are acknowledged by everyone.”

Ella’s eyes sparkled at Cedric’s words.

“I agree! She succeeded in missions everyone thought impossible. She had the power to turn battles from being at a disadvantage to a strong position in an instant.”

The more Ella spoke, the more animated she became. Her battle was beauty itself. It was art and love.

Watching this, Cedric smirked.

“She’s one of the few knights I acknowledge. Honestly, I wanted to meet her personally too, but it was unfortunate he mostly carried out solo missions.”

Cedric turned his head to look at Duke Ronia.

Duke Ronia felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

The quick-witted Ella clasped her hands together, silently cheering for Cedric. She thought she couldn’t do it, but maybe Cedric could.

“Is it possible to meet Roa, the secret knight of Ronia, Duke?”

‘As expected of Lord Cedric!’

Ella internally cheered. But the atmosphere was strange.

“That would be difficult.”

“I see.”

The duke glanced at Arne briefly. Following his gaze, Cedric asked Arne.

“Wouldn’t Lady Ronia also like to meet ‘Roa’? Or have you already met?”

Arne couldn’t help but suppress her laughter at Cedric’s genuinely curious question.

“Met… Hah, pfft.”

Moreover, at this moment, not only the duke but also Cecil and Bianca’s expressions were priceless.

Could she ever witness such a satisfying scene again in her life?

“Let’s choose a dress first.”

Urged by the duke’s hurried words, Arne barely managed to suppress her laughter.

“I’ll take ‘Sacred Prayer’……”

“Young lady, the dress inspired by ‘Roa’, a war hero of the Great Demon War. This dress is so popular that it has caused a sensation. ‘Sacred Prayer’ might seem a bit old for you to wear. ‘The Return of Roa’ might suit you better.”

“Kkh. Ahem, ahem. It’s fine……”

“Isn’t it beautiful? A truly beautiful dress inspired by that Roa.”

Ella watched them closely and smirked.

‘Could it be jealousy?’

Both Lord Cedric and the Grand Duke disliked losing, but they weren’t usually this persistent.

“I’ll still choose ‘Sacred Prayer’……”

“Young lady, I didn’t want to go this far with my words. If you choose this dress…”

Cedric raised an eyebrow. He didn’t want to lose to a dress chosen by his grandfather.

“To be with me…”

Cedric whispered into Arne’s ear. His languid tone flowed softly.

Hearing Cedric’s words, Arne’s pupils dilated. Her cheeks gradually flushed red.

It was an offer she couldn’t refuse.

“…Wouldn’t you like that?”

Arne looked back and forth between Cedric and the ‘Sacred Prayer’ dress.

It was an offer that was hard to refuse.

“…But wasn’t that already planned?”

“6 months.”

Cedric realized it was the moment to drive the point home to the conflicted Arne.

“Do it with me within 6 months.”

Arne looked at Cedric, dumbfounded. It was truly an irresistible temptation.

“As much as you want, do it.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

The moment Cedric answered, Arne’s head immediately turned towards Ella.

“Then please, the dress, The Return of Roa.”

Only then did a satisfied smile spread across Cedric’s lips.

Ella was curious about ‘what it was’ but could not ask about her master’s private life and simply nodded.

“Understood. I will prepare as instructed.”

That’s when Bianca’s sharp voice rang out.

“What is that?”

Arne immediately looked at Cedric and gestured with her eyes not to say anything.

‘It’ll only get complicated if you tell her. Just beat around the bush!’

Seeing this, Cedric smirked.

“We decided to go to the Ipellita Garden together.”

Arne’s eyes widened.

‘Of course, I told him to beat around the bush, but that place was recommended by Lady Leverun to Cedric at the last banquet.’

It was the perfect response to sow misunderstanding. The famous Ipellita Garden is a place often visited by couples.

Bianca and Cecil’s faces hardened, while the Duke seemed intrigued.

Meanwhile, Cedric took out a pocket watch to check the time and ordered Ella.

“Ella, try on that dress right now. Let’s start tailoring it to fit the young lady today.”

“I will follow your command.”

“I will wait outside.”

Cedric left without giving Bianca and the ducal couple a chance to ask more questions.

Leaning against the wall, Cedric tilted his head back and sighed deeply.

The Ipellita Garden was an impulsive answer.

‘Why did I say that?’

That place spontaneously came to mind. It was known for its beauty but he had never been particularly interested in it.

For Cedric, it was just a place to visit with his fiancée-to-be, according to his family’s wishes, nothing more, nothing less.

‘But wouldn’t she like it? Women usually like such places.’

Cedric ran his fingers through his hair.

‘Should we really go there?’

His contemplation did not last long because Ella’s excited voice rang out.

“You’ve waited a long time. Would you like to see, Lord Cedric?”

“Let’s do that.”

As Cedric was putting away his pocket watch and turning around, he found himself unable to move from the spot.

“The Return of Roa is when Roa cast fire magic, and the flames fell like flower petals……”

Ella continued her explanation, but Cedric heard none of it.

“……It’s beautiful.”

Arne looked at Cedric nervously in her bright dress.

“Really.”

Cedric clenched the pocket watch in his palm. The second hand of the pocket watch ticked away mercilessly.

Cedric clenched his fist tightly and took a step forward.

As he approached closer, Cedric captured Arne’s figure in his eyes and spoke.

“You’ve met me in a brilliantly beautiful dress. Has some of your sorrow been alleviated, my lady?”

Arne’s pupils slowly dilated. She watched endlessly as Cedric’s smile spread like paint.

‘Could it be, because of what I said earlier, he deliberately told me to try on the dress……’

“I wanted to wear a beautiful dress like Bianca and meet Cedric.”

Arne didn’t know what to say. Her nose tingled, feeling choked up.

Someone remembered what she said?

“…Thank you.”

Cedric smiled leisurely, lifting his lips.

Clutching the ticking pocket watch in his hand, he turned back to look at the Duke couple.

“It was a good time. I hope you will come to the dinner once the young lady recovers.”

Instead of the stunned Cecil, Duke Ronia greedily nodded.