‘What happened to my face?’

‘I should be on “World’s Astonishing Events.”’

Once Shailyn put effort into her appearance, her face shone brightly.

Her silver hair, lightly curled with a hot iron, flowed softly along her cheeks.

The deep tube top dress, revealing her long neck and shoulders, was both sophisticated and elegant.

The color gradually lightened towards the bottom, sprinkled with glittering jewel dust, reminiscent of the night sky.

“I dressed you maturely on purpose. You’re not well-known in the social circles yet. If you dress too lively from the start, you might be ignored.”

“I see. Thank you, Deborah.”

Having a sister who knows the social scene so well is a blessing.

“Next time, let’s dress similarly. You know, sisters often do that…”

Deborah shyly requested, her cheeks turning rosy.

Wearing a bright yellow dress, she looked young and cute, contrasting with me.

“Sure.”

I smiled warmly, and Deborah was thrilled. We excitedly headed out to the carriage.

There was someone standing in front of the carriage.

“Allow me to assist you, ladies.”

It was Dain, with his hair neatly brushed back and dressed in formal attire.

“Let’s go to the party together.”

To this, Deborah replied coyly.

“You don’t have an invitation, though?”

She really didn’t get him one…

But Dain, unfazed, pulled out a party invitation from his pocket.

“I prepared mine.”

“Fine, then get in.”

And so, the three of us took a carriage to the Duke of Celsior’s residence.

“I heard most of the capital’s nobility are attending today’s party.”

My eyes widened at Dain’s words.

“Really? Is it because it’s a duke’s party?”

“That’s part of it. It’s also celebrating the end of the southern pilgrimage by the temple, so the attendance of high-ranking nobles is quite high.”

He explained that the Duke of Celsior’s family has always been deeply religious and closely tied to the temple.

“Recently, there was a scandal involving the young head priest who led the pilgrimage and the young lady. Neither side has commented, so the truth is unclear.”

While I listened with interest, Deborah commented with a displeased look.

“Isn’t it a bit odd?”

“Huh? What is?”

“I heard it’s almost the anniversary of the young duke’s death. How can they throw a party at such a time?”

“Well, what can you do? They weren’t siblings, and it’s said they weren’t particularly close due to the young duke’s madness.”

Dain shrugged.

Only I, unfamiliar with the ways of the social circles, was confused by their conversation.

“They weren’t siblings?”

“Oh, the young duke and the young lady are cousins, like you and us. The deceased young duke was the son of the former Duke, and the young lady is the daughter of his brother, the current Duke.”

After the death of his brother and sister-in-law, the uncle took over the family to pass it on to his nephew when he came of age.

But the boy, traumatized by his parents’ death, went mad, leading to tragedy.

He never stepped out of his home, killing innocent servants and having fits.

Eventually, he died alone in his room during a fire last year.

His body was completely burned, leaving nothing but charred remains.

‘That’s so sad…’

Even Shailyn longed for the mother she had never seen. Imagine how heartbroken must the young duke have been to go mad?

As I pondered this heavy thought, the carriage entered the Duke of Celsior’s residence.

The time to make my first appearance in the capital’s social scene was swiftly approaching.

* * *

The ballroom of the Duke of Celsior’s residence.

It was filled with people celebrating the temple’s pilgrimage and trying to make an impression on high-ranking nobles.

“Entering are Young Duke Dain Diart and Young Lady Deborah Diart, along with Lady Shailyn Sharofe!”

As the servant at the entrance announced the arrival of the Diart siblings, all eyes turned to them.

“Oh my, Young Duke and Young Lady Diart are here?”

“They’re always such a beautiful pair. There’s no sibling duo as perfect as them in the Empire.”

“…Oh? But who’s the silver-haired lady next to the young lady?”

Someone noticed the unfamiliar woman linked arm-in-arm with Deborah and tilted their head in curiosity.

Unlike the petite young lady, the woman exuded an elegant and mature aura.

Her unforgettable appearance should have made her recognizable, yet no one knew who she was.

“What did they say when she entered? I think it was something like Sha…”

“Doesn’t she slightly resemble the young duke? Even her hair color.”

“That’s true. Could she be from a branch family…?”

The way the three walked in together gave off a family vibe.

“Excuse me, but may I ask who the lady next to you is?”

Someone cautiously inquired, and the Diart siblings proudly introduced her.

“She’s my adorable cousin. Haha, I have two sisters now.”

“She’s our aunt’s daughter. That’s why if you look closely, she resembles me too.”

Everyone was surprised by Dain’s friendly yet definitive introduction and Deborah’s openly prickly demeanor.

Especially the older nobles familiar with Shailyn’s mother; they were more astonished.

They were sure the families had severed ties, so it was puzzling when and how the cousins became close.

Regardless of the murmurs, Shailyn’s head was spinning.

Not only because there were more people than she imagined…

‘This place is a goldmine of blondes!’

Blonde men were everywhere in the vast hall.

Deborah glanced at the dazed Shailyn and mouthed to Dain.

Hey, brother. She looks nervous, so help her out.

Dain, obedient to his charming sister’s request, agreed.

“Shailyn, would you grant me the honor of your first dance?”

He extended his hand to the blankly staring Shailyn.

‘Wow, one of the three ladies is dancing with a blonde.’

Thinking that, Shailyn was startled and looked at Dain.

“Me, me?”

“Yeah, is there another Shailyn here? Hahaha.”

“I’m not good at dancing…”

“It’s fine, I’m terrible too and always get scolded.”

Dain laughed brightly.

‘Then maybe we shouldn’t dance together…?’ crossed Shailyn’s mind, but…

‘It’ll be fine, I guess.’

She took Dain’s hand and headed to the center of the hall.

Even if it wasn’t her formal debutante, dancing was essential.

Especially when there were male family members; the first dance was usually with family.

Deborah watched the awkward yet earnest dancers and admired them.

“Wow, they’re really bad at dancing.”

How can they be so clumsy?

Even though both were dazzlingly attractive, they stood out even more.

Deborah momentarily felt so embarrassed she wanted to look away from Shailyn but remembered the Tower entrance exam and held back.

As her grandfather always said, one who forgets kindness is no better than a beast…

She composedly greeted her brother and cousin as they returned, faces flushed.

“I think you both can stop dancing now. That was plenty.”

“Really? I enjoyed it; it’s been a while since I danced.”

“Shut up, brother. It’s polite to refuse dance requests from the ladies.”

Deborah glared fiercely at Dain but tried to speak kindly to Shailyn.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought, sister. You danced very uniquely. I didn’t notice many mistakes.”

“Really? Actually, I did step on Dain’s foot a little.”

“It’s okay. He put his foot under yours.”

Gaining confidence from Deborah’s words, Shailyn’s eyes sparkled.

“Then can I dance more?”

“Huh? Um, well…”

While Deborah hesitated to answer honestly, a shadow loomed behind Shailyn.

“It’s been a while.”

A low voice weighed heavily in the ears of the three.

Turning their heads, they saw Linus standing arrogantly.

His parted and slicked-back reddish-blonde hair, a uniform embroidered with splendid gold threads, and golden eyes marking him as an imperial family member.

“Greetings to Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Acknowledging Shailyn’s slight bow, he slowly spoke.

“Lady, seeing you like this—”

“Yes?”

“You resemble a lowly herbivore.”

“…Pardon?”

Was that an insult or what?