The moment the man got out of the carriage, he removed the mask that had been covering his face.

“Did you return safely, Your Grace?”

“Yes.”

When the mask was removed and the man’s face was revealed, Luciella couldn’t help but be flustered. Unlike her expectation that he would be tremendously ugly, the man’s face was flawless like a well-carved work of art.

His deeply set eyes, straight nose bridge, and sharp jawline drawn like a painting were clean without excess yet masculine. His slightly dark skin wasn’t noble-like, but it suited his large build quite well.

Luciella became confused by the unexpected appearance of a handsome man.

‘Does even such a decent-looking man do such things behind the scenes?’

The man in front of her seemed to lack nothing. Tall height and solid body. And a face that countless young ladies would die for.

Seeing that he had paid as much as one billion gold to buy her, he must certainly be from a family that held considerable power even in the Empire. She was flustered because she couldn’t grasp why the master of such a family had bought her.

Luciella had thought that those who did such things would be lustful old men or tremendously ugly men who couldn’t properly meet women.

When the mansion door opened, numerous servants bowed their heads respectfully toward the man. They also glanced at Luciella slyly.

“By the way, Your Grace. Are you really going to…… that person……”

“There’s no need to ask twice. My thoughts remain unchanged.”

“Ho, however…… if you announce an engagement this way, it will certainly harm Your Grace. Some members of the noble faction are already using Your Grace’s origins as a reason……”

The butler who had been speaking was startled and closed his mouth. The man just stared at the butler with cold eyes without answering.

“I, I misspoke. I apologize.”

“The greetings are enough, so everyone may withdraw.”

When the man gestured, the servants who had been bowing their heads left one by one. The butler who had been trembling, saying he misspoke, also backed away and disappeared.

Thus, only the man and Luciella remained in the mansion’s lobby.

‘Engagement announcement? Origins?’

What did all this mean? Luciella’s confusion and bewilderment were brief.

The man in front of her turned his body toward Luciella. The man silently stared at her, then soon opened his mouth.

“I will formally introduce myself, Your Highness the Princess.”

Luciella made a flustered face at the title of princess that came from the man’s mouth. It had been so natural just a few days ago. Now it only felt uncomfortable, like it wasn’t hers.

“I am Enoch Walter, master of the Walter estate.”

Enoch Walter.

Luciella’s eyes widened upon hearing his name. That was because he was quite a famous person.

He was someone whose rumors had spread even to the distant frontier Bert Kingdom from the Empire. No, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the entire continent knew his name.

Though he was a knight of commoner origin, he had achieved remarkable merit in the western subjugation and was granted the title of marquis. In the Empire, where conservative noble factions were powerful and particularly obsessed with origins and status, this was a very exceptional case.

His reputation was so tremendous that when Marquis Walter participated in battle, enemy armies would lose morale and surrender before even fighting properly.

The Empire’s growth to its current size was largely due to Marquis Walter’s contributions.

Therefore, Luciella had also heard news about him quite often.

‘The man in front of me is really that Marquis Walter?’

Only then did the conversation between the two people from earlier begin to make some sense.

Origins. And the noble faction. His slightly dark skin color, which was unusual for a noble, now made sense too.

‘So that was why……’

However, to think that he, who was no different from the Empire’s hero, was actually someone who did vulgar things like buying women at auction houses….

Luciella shook her head blankly in disbelief.

Enoch bowed his head respectfully toward Luciella, who couldn’t even organize her thoughts properly. Then he carefully took Luciella’s hand for a greeting. Whether he knew her confused state or not, Enoch tried to kiss the back of her hand while maintaining formality toward Luciella.

“Ah……”

However, the startled Luciella immediately pulled her hand away. Her hand was too dirty to receive a kiss from him.

Because she had rolled around on all sorts of filthy floors, her hand was covered with unsightly black grime.

Enoch’s hand instantly became lost in midair. He stared at his lone remaining hand and silently raised one eyebrow. His expression didn’t look very good. Well, anyone would react that way if a slave they bought for one billion gold acted this way. Luciella, who confirmed Enoch’s expression, hastily added.

“It’s dirty……”

It was an excuse she uttered in case of misunderstanding. However, for some reason, Enoch’s expression didn’t soften.

She forced the corners of her mouth up with a face more stiff than before. His eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“I see.”

Enoch’s hand that had been left in midair was withdrawn. Only then did Luciella let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

“You must be tired. I’ll guide you to the room where you’ll be staying.”

“……”

“Head maid.”

A middle-aged woman who had been standing far away came running at Enoch’s call. She seemed to be the head maid of this mansion.

“Guide Her Highness the Princess to the room she’ll be using.”

“Yes, understood.”

The head maid gestured to Luciella to follow. After briefly examining Enoch once, Luciella soon chased after the head maid who was walking quickly.

* * *

“You may stay in this place from now on.”

The room given to Luciella was so luxurious that she wondered if it had been assigned by mistake. It was actually not much different from when she was in the royal palace.

Luciella’s face was colored with bewilderment, having expected to be given one of the remaining attic rooms at best.

“Th, this is my room?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

A splendid chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. Drawers heavily painted with gold and soft sofas. And a wide bed that seemed like four people could easily lie on. When she opened the large window, there was even a small terrace overlooking the garden.

Whatever the case, it was certainly a space that didn’t suit her situation of being sold.

Luciella, who had been pondering, finally opened her mouth carefully.

“Something seems wrong…… It’s too excessive for me to stay in……”

“This is a room the Marquis personally selected. There’s no mistake.”

The head maid’s answer, cutting off Luciella’s words, was cold and stiff. Anyone who wasn’t a fool could tell that the head maid didn’t welcome her.

“Ah, I see……”

A room that Marquis Walter personally selected……? The head maid’s words only made her questions grow larger.

Luciella found this situation only confusing. Not only had he bought her from the auction house for a huge sum, but he was also giving her a space that would suit a mistress, too excessive even for a guest room.

‘Why is the Marquis doing this much for me……’

Then suddenly, the conversation the Marquis had with the butler flashed through her mind.

“By the way, Your Grace. Are you really going to…… that person……”

“There’s no need to ask twice. My thoughts remain unchanged.”

“Ho, however…… if you announce an engagement this way, it will certainly harm Your Grace. Some members of the noble faction are already using Your Grace’s origins as a reason……”

The meaningful conversation between the two and the luxurious room given to her.

‘Surely…… he’s not really trying to get engaged to me?’

Luciella’s expression became quite serious.

‘No, that can’t be.’

No matter how much the Marquis was of commoner origin, he couldn’t not know what kind of act it would be to marry a fallen princess, especially one who had once appeared at an auction house.

‘Right, it must be my misunderstanding.’

It doesn’t make sense. Even if his origins were problematic, there would be countless young ladies wanting to become his wife……

Though it would be difficult to connect with high nobles or noble faction forces, he had enough wealth and honor to choose and marry any partner he wanted from other families.

Therefore, Luciella found it even more incomprehensible.

She shook her head and dismissed the thought.

‘He must be planning to marry someone else, not me.’

Let’s not have useless thoughts beyond my station. The reason he gave me such an excessive room…… there must be another reason.

Sitting down calmly and reflecting once more, Luciella realized how absurd the thought she had just had was.

That great Marquis Walter would buy a fallen princess and try to marry her?

If the person involved heard this, he would sneer and be disgusted.

‘My head must have gone wrong for a moment.’

Luciella cut off the delusion she had been continuing with that thought. Then she sat quietly on the sofa in the room.

She was waiting for the reason why he had given her such a luxurious room.

‘I’ll find out soon enough.’

And it didn’t take long to learn the answer.

* * *

Late afternoon when the sun hadn’t set yet.

Luciella’s firmly closed room door opened. It opened without any particular knock, but she wasn’t greatly surprised.

She knew how excessive it was to expect a knock given her situation.

Luciella’s gaze, who had been sitting on the sofa continuously, slowly turned toward the door.

Sure enough, the visitor was Enoch Walter.

“You’ve come.”

Luciella said while nodding her head slightly toward him. It was as if she had already expected him to come.

Whether that displeased him, Enoch slightly furrowed and relaxed his brow.

“Do you like the room?”

“…… It’s far too excessive for me.”

“Excessive…… I’d like to ask why you think so, Your Highness the Princess.”

It wasn’t just the room that was excessive. His manner of speech, still using honorifics as if she were still a princess, also made Luciella very uncomfortable.

Enoch, who had approached with large steps, sat on the sofa across from her.

Unlike earlier, he was dressed somewhat more comfortably. His white shirt was loosened precariously down to his chest.

His chest, packed with muscle, seemed almost visible.

“Ah, don’t you know? Such a room is far too much for a sl, slave……”