“Please forgive our rudeness, and please don’t tell Marquis Berto…”

They must be afraid of Lucian Berto.

Those men would believe that I’m going to become Marquis Berto’s wife.

I relaxed my stiff expression and smiled.

“Well, what can’t a drunk person say?”

“Thank… thank you.”

“You know what they say, right?”

“P-pardon?”

The Renel heir looked up at me with a bewildered face.

“When drunk, one becomes a dog.”

“……”

“I suppose you temporarily became dogs. Dogs that bite even their masters because they can’t see properly.”

After my words, silence fell.

Immediately after, the faces of the Renel heir and the others burned red with shame.

“W-we’ll… be going now.”

Their faces were bowed so low I couldn’t see them, but they were surely grinding their teeth.

Well, if they want to badmouth me, they’d better do it a lot now. After their families are ruined by Taro’s curse, they won’t have the energy for it.

I was clicking my tongue, watching the young noblemen flee in a hurry, when:

“Since when have you been here?”

I turned my head and met Adriel’s eyes.

Only then did I notice that his red eyes held something like worry.

After a momentary pause, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Ah, well…”

Since you drew your sword?

As I scratched my cheek awkwardly, feeling embarrassed about unintentionally eavesdropping, Adriel suddenly came closer.

“You don’t need to take to heart the nonsense those fellows said. As you said, it was all just nonsense uttered by beasts.”

I thought he was going to scold me for eavesdropping secretly, but instead, Adriel was comforting me.

I stared at Adriel blankly.

For a very brief moment. The cool breeze of early summer blew in, spreading a strange thrill in my chest.

Right. This is the kind of man he always was.

I felt ashamed of myself for mistakenly thinking that Adriel was badmouthing me along with the other men.

“Haha.”

For some reason, I felt completely drained and covered my face with both hands, causing Adriel to call out to me in a panicked voice.

“My Lady.”

When I glanced up, I saw him fidgeting and pulling out a handkerchief from his coat pocket.

Does he think I’m crying?

“I promise you. I’ll bring those fellows back and make them properly apologize…”

Please don’t cry.

I quietly looked at him, speaking with emotion in his voice, then parted my lips.

“Thank you for taking my side.”

As I expressed my gratitude with a light smile, Adriel stared at me blankly.

At least he had enough tact not to say something curt like “It wasn’t for your sake, My Lady” as he would have before.

When I stared at him intently, Adriel seemed to become embarrassed belatedly and turned his head away sharply.

“…How have you been?”

Then he changed the subject and asked how I ended up returning to Count Ferial’s house.

I explained to him what had happened after I left the temple.

That Count Ferial discovered my lodging and I had to return to the Count’s mansion, and that Lucian was behind it.

“Lucian Berto, so he finally…”

Somehow, at the name Lucian, flames seemed to rise in Adriel’s eyes.

“I saw that man hovering around you at the banquet hall.”

Adriel moved his lips, seemingly wanting to ask me something.

This made me recall a scene from the banquet.

The image of Adriel whispering closely to Cynthia.

“Sir Knight.”

At the same time, my mouth opened on its own.

“Didn’t you say you would monitor me?”

Adriel showed a face that seemed not to understand the question.

“You said so at the temple, remember? That you would monitor me.”

I continued speaking with a smile, my tone playful and light.

“Then you should only look at me. No one else.”

For a moment, silence settled between him and me.

It was clearly meant to be a joke.

I belatedly felt embarrassment rising, and at the same time, I saw Adriel’s eyes slowly widening.

“Ah…, anyway then…”

In the end, I stumbled over my words and fled back to the banquet hall.

Why did I say something like that?

I couldn’t understand myself.

I hadn’t even drunk alcohol like those men, so why on earth…

If Adriel misunderstands again that I still have lingering feelings for him, because of what I just said.

“Ah…”

I clutched my throbbing head.

***

The day after the imperial banquet ended.

Violet had paced in front of Lucian’s office since early morning.

“My brother has changed…”

She kept muttering while nervously biting her swollen fingernails that stung just by looking at them.

Brother Lucian has changed.

Violet knew that Lucian was basically kind to everyone.

But she also knew that it was just a mask he wore, not his true feelings.

She thought that she was the only person Lucian truly cared for.

An absolute unchanging truth. That’s what she had believed, but cracks were slowly beginning to form in Violet’s faith.

“It’s all because of that person.”

Violet’s voice trembled with anger.

At the imperial banquet, Lucian’s gaze was fixed on Rosemary Ferial.

Was that all? Lucian even acted as if Violet didn’t exist throughout the entire banquet.

At every opportunity, it was Rosemary, Rosemary.

What’s so special about that person!

Violet’s face contorted as if she was about to cry.

Why is that person trying to take my brother Lucian away from me?

In Violet’s memory, Rosemary had always been consistent.

A gloomy person with less presence than a handkerchief dropped on the floor, just as the rumors said.

No one had ever paid attention to Rosemary.

Unlike me, who received everyone’s attention whenever and wherever.

Yes, attention…

At that moment, a realization struck Violet’s mind like lightning.

She’s jealous of me!

Rosemary, who was always marginalized, is trying to steal Lucian because she’s jealous of Violet, who is loved by everyone.

Could there be a clearer reason than this?

Violet, having found the answer, let out a sigh.

“I truly am a sinful person.”

Violet, overwhelmed with sympathy and superiority toward Rosemary, muttered in a pitiful voice.

But Lady Ferial would eventually come to realize the reality.

For Violet, the world’s attention and love were as natural as breathing.

Because Lord Oberon had said so.

That the protagonist of this world is Violet Berto, herself.

It was at the moment when Violet’s lips curved up smoothly.

“Violet.”

Violet reflexively lifted her head.

And her eyes met with Lucian, who was smiling kindly as always.

“Br-Brother Lucian?”

Violet, who hadn’t expected Lucian to come out first, asked with a surprised face.

“Why did you suddenly come out?”

“Why? I came out to go outside. What were you doing here anyway?”

At Lucian’s words, Violet suddenly remembered something.

“Going outside… Don’t tell me you’re going to Lady Ferial again?”

To the sharp question, Lucian narrowed his eyes mischievously, asking how she knew.

To that, Violet barely suppressed her emotions and said.

“I don’t want you to be close with Lady Ferial.”

“Why, Violet?”

“Look at how Lady Ferial is acting! She’s completely playing with you, acting like she might accept your proposal, but then not! Don’t you think that woman is using you?”

“Well. It’s hard to understand. I don’t think Lady Ferial would have any reason to use me in that way.”

“That’s because that person is…!”

Violet, who was about to burst out, trailed off.

No matter how correct it was, it was embarrassing to say with her own mouth that Rosemary was jealous of her.