Today she wore a flowing water-blue chiffon off-shoulder dress.

The design that emphasized her straight neckline and shoulder line added an elegant yet haughty charm, and the subtly open slit on the side of the hem gave a cool feeling.

By the way, after the queen selection, dresses that revealed various parts from ankles to knees were trending among young ladies.

It was the influence of her becoming queen even while wearing a provocative front-slit dress.

She grabbed a small silver bag and came outside, where Carl was waiting for her wearing a mask.

“Wow, you really wore it?”

“Let’s go.”

He calmly took her hand and helped her board the carriage.

Instead of his usual light attire, he was dressed quite properly.

He did put effort into going to the imperial palace after all.

Although it was a simple black uniform, Carl’s superior physical condition made it seem like the clothes had wings.

“What are you going to do at today’s party.”

“What else, I have to scout for my husband material.”

When she answered nonchalantly, wrinkles formed on Carl’s straight forehead.

He tapped his forearm with his fingers, then opened his mouth in a low voice.

“I’m curious about something. When I see someone sticking close to another person, I feel bad and my insides twist. Do you know why that happens, master?”

“Hmm…… There are two possibilities.”

She extended her index and middle fingers.

“One is that you hate that person so much that you can’t stand seeing them even with others.”

She folded her middle finger first.

“The other is that you like that person so you’re jealous of the people around them.”

“……Jealous?”

“Yeah, in the books I’ve read and dramas I’ve seen… no, plays, it’s usually like that.”

At her words, Carl seemed to have many thoughts and fell silent with his mouth closed.

Did he, perhaps, develop feelings for someone who makes him feel jealous?

But that would mean……

‘Our bondservant got a woman.’

Of course there was no reason he shouldn’t, but she felt strangely uncomfortable.

Who could that person be. A ducal family servant? Or an outsider?

Suddenly she too felt like she had many thoughts, making her head complicated.

‘If he really developed feelings for someone he likes…… would Carl also leave me to build a family with that person?’

After imagining various things, she came to her senses thinking this wasn’t the time for this.

What was important to her now was the mission and finding male leads.

She had to quickly find all the male leads and raise their favorability to return to the original world.

‘I’m not going to live here forever, so why am I acting like this toward Carl. Rather, if he got a lover, I should congratulate him saying it’s good……’

If someone appeared who could become real family for him, who was in a lonely situation like her, it would be right to welcome it.

When she had steeled her heart like that, the carriage entered the imperial palace and stopped.

“Please get off carefully.”

She took Carl’s hand and got off the carriage, walking toward the hall entrance.

When she presented the invitation to the attendant guarding the front, he checked it and shouted loudly.

“Miss Shailyn Sharofe is entering!”

She slowly entered inside, holding Carl’s calloused hand.

She felt people’s gazes suddenly focus on her.

Since becoming queen, she had been receiving this burdensome attention wherever she went.

She walked as calmly and confidently as possible, then at an appropriate time let go of their clasped hands and whispered.

“Thank you, you only need to do this much.”

It was her way of being considerate of him. Since he seemed to avoid places with many nobles usually.

Rather than keeping him tied up, she planned to just receive an escort at the beginning and send him away.

Carl stared at her quietly, then nodded briefly.

“I’ll be going.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

He acted as if he would immediately turn and leave, then said quietly.

“Don’t enjoy yourself too excessively.”

“……?”

She made a puzzled expression for a moment, then soon understood the meaning and grinned.

What nonsense, today she was going to make all the blond handsome men at this place hers.

She gestured for him to go and turned around first. Then she lit up her eyes and slowly scanned the inside of the hall.

Blonds! Where are the blonds, blonds!

In this place, all nobles with any name had gathered.

She had a strong premonition that other male leads would definitely be here too.

***

Carl quietly positioned himself in a corner of the huge hall.

Originally he had planned to escort Shailyn and then return to wait in the carriage, but his mind changed.

‘How can I leave when I’m anxious.’

The face that had smiled freshly at his worry not to enjoy too excessively had firmly grabbed his ankle.

Anyone could see she was in the mood to properly enjoy herself, making his insides twist again and irritating him.

‘This is jealousy? And I’m doing it because I like master?’

Carl, who hadn’t felt the emotion called love since he was very young, couldn’t immediately understand and accept it.

He hid in the shadow of a pillar and watched Shailyn.

But Carl wasn’t the only one keeping a close eye on her.

“Originally she was treated like leftovers even in the Sharofe count family. Isn’t it surprising how she turned her situation around like that?”

The nobles gathered in small groups gossiped about Shailyn.

Carl was very displeased with those who put his master on their tongues and chattered about her, but……

“They say she won’t even glance at anyone who isn’t blond. The symptoms are so serious that whenever she opens her mouth it’s blond, blond……”

He had no choice but to acknowledge that much. Right now too, she was flashing her eyes and throwing flirtation at some blond man.

“Nice to meet you, Young Lord Norton. Could you perhaps show me the way?”

“Pardon? What way……”

“The way to your heart.”

Everyone was shocked at the incredibly cheesy statement, but Carl was an exception.

‘With a face like that whispering such sweet words, who wouldn’t fall for it.’

He glared at the blond young lord standing in front of Shailyn with a face full of dissatisfaction.

It was fortunate he was wearing a mask, otherwise his murderous intent would have pierced through and spread chillingly to the surroundings.

“Young Lord Norton, do you happen to like grape juice?”

“Ah, no. I don’t like it.”

“What if someone gave it to you to drink?”

“I would refuse……?”

Shailyn, who got the answer she wanted for the first time, smiled brightly.

It was when even Carl momentarily lost his wits at that smile.

Crash!

Suddenly a sharp sound of breaking glass came from beside him, so Carl turned his head.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

A neatly dressed man with a pale face politely apologized to the maid.

He was Chester.

Coincidentally, like Carl, he had been blankly staring at Shailyn and accidentally dropped the glass he was holding.

“I brought a new drink here.”

“……Is this grape juice by any chance?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, but I’d be grateful if you could bring a different drink.”

Chester frowned and refused as if he had received a glass with poison.

The flustered maid quickly brought a new drink glass. This time it was orange juice.

“Here……”

“I’m sorry, but this is also fine. Just a glass of water is sufficient.”

But Chester wrinkled his nose just from smelling it and waved his hand.

Carl, who was watching this, thought.

‘He’s as sensitive as some animal.’

When he turned his head to look at Shailyn again, Janice was picking a fight with her, having appeared at some point.

“Are you happy abandoning me and mom to go to the Diart ducal family?”

She was exerting all her acting skills to somehow overturn the social opinion that Shailyn had changed.

“How could you do that? Is the Diart ducal family’s wealth that sweet? Enough to abandon your original family for money……”

It was such a spectacle that Carl frowned and was about to step forward, then stopped.

He spotted Johanna with Raviel among the crowd.

‘As expected, she doesn’t miss occasions like this.’

He clenched his fist while looking at Johanna with dark eyes.

Fortunately, Shailyn navigated through the difficulty on her own without anyone’s help.

“Janice, don’t you know why I ignored contact from you and mom?”

“That’s because sister was greedy for money—”

“It’s because you and mom kept making terrible demands like asking me to dig up the Diart ducal family’s secrets or embezzle funds to bring to you.”

She picked out only words that would further worsen the already negative image of the mother and daughter.

“Oh my, I heard they tried to sell off Miss Sharofe who was in debt from spending on luxuries. I guess they even tried to make her do such bad things.”

“How can they have no conscience! Wasn’t the strange rumor that was going around at first also spread by the Sharofe count side?”

“They’re really scary people I don’t want to associate with. I should go around warning people to absolutely not get involved with the count and young miss Sharofe.”

The atmosphere in the hall had irreversibly turned to Shailyn’s side.

Janice, who had been trembling with anger, eventually left as if fleeing.

Carl felt relieved seeing Shailyn left alone, frustrated by the overflowing blonds.

‘There doesn’t seem to be anyone else who will bother Master.’

But that was only for a moment.

“Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince are entering!”

The atmosphere in the hall changed in an instant with the appearance of the imperial family.