“Raviel, can you heal Young Lord Parfin’s wounds?”

“Yes, of course.”

Hearing Raviel’s answer, Shailyn grabbed Young Lord Parfin’s shoulder and smiled kindly.

“Young lord, you know well what would happen if I reported you, right? You’d be stuck with your gambling debts and receive severe punishment.”

“I’m sorry! Please forgive me just this once, Lady Sharofe!”

Young Lord Parfin knelt down and rubbed his hands together desperately. After getting beaten up, he realized how stupid his actions had been.

Shailyn made a gentle suggestion to him.

“I’ll forgive you and even pay off your gambling debts, so will you grant my request this time?”

“Yes, yes! Just tell me anything!”

“Then listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

Seeing him prostrate himself flat just as he had done to Johanna, Shailyn smiled meaningfully.

‘Let’s see you get screwed over too, Johanna Celsior.’

***

Sunlight streamed through the cabin window. Johanna woke up in a good mood.

Since she had set a huge trap for Shailyn last night, her heart fluttered with anticipation of how much chaos would erupt starting this morning.

She leisurely stretched and rang the bell to call her maid, then got out of bed.

Squish.

More precisely, as she was getting down, she hesitated when her toes touched something warm instead of the hard floor.

“……?”

Johanna looked down under the bed in bewilderment and was horrified.

Young Lord Parfin, who should have been discovered in Shailyn’s room, was lying there.

“Kyaaah!”

Johanna screamed involuntarily and kicked the young lord with her foot.

“Ugh!”

“What, what! Why are you here? You should be in Lady Sharofe’s room……!”

Young Lord Parfin got up limply with a haggard face without saying a word.

The favor Shailyn had asked of him at dawn was precisely to do to Johanna exactly what she had tried to do to her.

Of course, Young Lord Parfin had refused at first. He was afraid of House Celsior’s retaliation.

‘N-no! Celsior might kill me……!’

‘Do I look like I won’t right now?’

‘……!’

‘You’re already standing at the edge of a cliff. If House Diart learns of this fact, they’ll never leave you alone either. Of course, my bondservant will finish you off before that.’

‘…….’

‘Actually, the Celsior side won’t be able to formally report you. If they did, it would reveal what they ordered you to do. So make a wise decision this time, young lord.’

Eventually persuaded by Shailyn’s argument, he chose to betray Johanna.

After having his wounds completely healed by Raviel, he infiltrated Johanna’s room under their surveillance or assistance.

Johanna, who had no way of knowing these facts, was simply flustered.

Before she could accurately grasp the situation, Shailyn came running to Johanna’s room with people in tow.

“I just heard a scream from inside! Something terrible might have happened!”

“Isn’t this Lady Celsior’s room? Hey, open the door quickly!”

“J-just a moment! I’ll open it now!”

Johanna, who had been staring at Young Lord Parfin in bewilderment with his clothes somewhat disheveled, came to her senses and shouted.

“Wait! No—!”

Click.

But the door finally opened. The people who had rushed over thinking something had happened lost their words at the scene inside the room.

“L-Lady Celsior and Young Lord Parfin in the same room……”

“No, what on earth is this about.”

“When did those two end up in that kind of relationship…?”

Young Lord Parfin, who had been reading the room, ran out without a word.

His desperate fleeing appearance looked exactly like someone flustered after being caught in a secret meeting.

“Everyone, please don’t misunderstand. I have no idea why Young Lord Parfin is in my room. We’re absolutely not in any strange relationship……!”

“We understand, my lady.”

Cutting off Johanna’s desperate explanation, Shailyn smiled slyly.

“Let’s all stop making the lady uncomfortable and withdraw now.”

While it seemed like she was looking out for Johanna, it was actually the same as saying they should be considerate of her after catching her in a secret meeting.

Several people who understood perfectly nodded and stepped back.

Johanna stared blankly at the crowd that had surged in like a tide and was now receding, then belatedly reached for Shailyn.

“Wait!”

Shailyn, who had been about to leave the room last and close the door, looked back at her with a fresh face.

“How, how did this happen?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“Young Lord Parfin should have come out of your room, not mine!”

Johanna couldn’t contain herself and shouted. Shailyn shrugged casually and replied.

“Oh my, why? I have no relationship with Young Lord Parfin whatsoever.”

“What kind of relationship do you think we have?!”

Shailyn kindly pressed down on the agitated Johanna’s shoulders and said.

“Lady, you’re too excited. Even so, please refrain from speaking informally. We’re not friends, are we?”

“……!”

Struck by the blow, Johanna stopped all her actions and was dazed.

Shailyn gently pushed away her hands and left the room with light steps.

Ah, how refreshing.

Due to the morning commotion, the ship party ended anticlimactically.

The people who returned to their respective homes spread rumors about what they had witnessed.

That Lady Celsior and Young Lord Parfin were in a very secret relationship.

Then the rumors that grew like a snowball quickly took over high society and finally reached Duke Celsior’s ears.

“Johanna, have you really gone mad?!”

The duke, furious to the tips of his hair, immediately stormed into his daughter’s room.

“Where there are no people to play with, you play around with such a worthless guy and cause a scandal?!”

“It’s not like that, Father! Young Lord Parfin unilaterally invaded my room!”

“What? Then report that bastard immediately!”

“That won’t work!”

Johanna, who had grabbed her father as he was about to storm out, was forced to confess the truth.

After hearing the whole story, the duke’s blood pressure rose and he grabbed the back of his neck and scolded her.

“Oh, you foolish thing! Because of your scandal, I can never propose an engagement to His Highness the Crown Prince again!”

“……”

“You should have done it with someone else. How could you with a child from such a humble family……!”

The duke, who had beaten his chest and scolded her for a long time, withdrew.

Johanna, who had been grinding her teeth and swallowing her anger, soon flashed her eyes.

“Bring George Parfin immediately.”

The Celsior knights, who received her order, forcibly dragged Young Lord Parfin over.

Young Lord Parfin, who was dragged in like he was being pulled, got beaten a few times and spilled everything.

That he had been caught by Shailyn Sharofe and threatened in return.

Johanna, who finally learned the truth of the incident, clenched her fists and trembled with rage. It felt like blood was rushing backward and her eyes were turning inside out.

She wanted to immediately storm into the Diart residence and grab Shailyn’s hair, but taking such action now would only harm herself.

Instead, she pressed so hard that her nails dug into her palms until they bled and vowed.

‘Just wait, I’ll definitely make you regret this……!’