After swallowing hard, Mariam glanced at Siara again.

She didn’t seem afraid. Despite being a mere maid, Mariam appeared concerned about Siara. The way she worried resembled someone caring for their own blood relative, making Siara decide she should observe this woman more carefully.

Her noble-like gestures and concerned demeanor.

‘What kind of relationship did Mariam have with Annie?’

Upon reaching the hall, Mariam bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.

“…I’ll take my leave now.”

“Alright. See you again.”

“Be careful of Marquis Marcel…”

“…I will.”

It seemed Annie wasn’t completely without allies in this mansion after all. That’s why Siara overlooked the impertinent remark.

Many people had already gathered at the party. Men approached women showing their interest, while women danced with men they liked or secretly slipped away to the garden.

The noble ladies whispered to each other while looking around the Duke’s hall.

“They say they have a lot of debt, and it shows even in a ducal family.”

“They’re falling apart, I suppose. But the Duchess looks splendid, doesn’t she? Wearing so many jewels.”

“Who’s the lucky illegitimate daughter getting engaged to the Marquis?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her face. The Duchess has never brought the illegitimate child to parties, has she?”

Despite the engagement party’s protagonist entering the hall, no one paid her any attention. Annie might have felt hurt, but Siara found it convenient to move around freely.

In the center of the party hall, Sophie was laughing with her friends. Suitors stood around her, each requesting a dance.

“This is so tiresome…”

Sophie pretended to be annoyed but selected a handsome nobleman to dance with. The Duke and Duchess watched with smiles curling at the corners of their mouths.

Just then, a man roughly grabbed Siara’s wrist. The man had a protruding belly, thinning hair, and blackened, rotten teeth.

“Are you Annie Light?”

Siara instinctively shook off his hand.

“Yes. Who are you?”

The man chuckled and touched his own greasy face. When he tried to touch her with those oil-covered hands, Siara unconsciously backed away.

The man laughed awkwardly.

“I’m your fiancé, Annie Light.”

He was definitely someone Siara didn’t want to associate with. Standing next to him, she could almost smell decay.

‘Has he even bathed?’

Siara glared at the man.

“Marquis Marcel! Ah, I see you’ve found Annie. Haha. She’s quite shy, you know…!”

“Not at all. She’s very young and pretty. Heh heh. Three years left, is it? Until our wedding day?”

“Yes. I apologize that you must wait three more years.”

“Heh heh. For a young bride, I can wait that long. …But, she doesn’t say much. What has she been learning at school, hmm?”

At Hart’s remark, Siara snorted. She had thought he was despicable, but seeing him in person made her want nothing to do with him. However, since he was her elder, it seemed appropriate to speak respectfully.

‘I shouldn’t stand out too much.’

“…Marquis Hart, please enjoy yourself.”

“Of course! Hah hah!”

Just as he tried to place his hand on Siara’s head again, a servant guarding the hall suddenly rushed over.

“Your Grace! His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!”

“…What?”

Duke Rowan and Marquis Hart wore bewildered expressions.

When Siara tried to move outside, Marquis Hart grabbed her wrist with his greasy hand.

“Now, now. You should dance with me. Aren’t you my fiancée?”

The sensation felt like bugs crawling up from her wrist, making Siara speak with a disgusted expression.

“The engagement hasn’t been announced yet.”

“…It will be soon. Hee hee.”

When he smiled, his cavities showed black.

Siara clenched her fist. She wanted to pull out all his rotten teeth.

At that moment, Diego walked straight toward Siara. Peter followed behind him, and the crowd parted around him like the Red Sea.

He looked exceptionally stylish, with his gold suit complementing his red hair perfectly. His pitch-black eyes, so deep they seemed bottomless, looked straight at Siara without glancing elsewhere as he approached.

When he finally stood before her, Marquis Marcel bowed, showing his rotten teeth.

“It’s an honor to meet Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am Marquis Marcel Hart. Hah hah. I haven’t visited the palace recently due to poor health, but I see you’ve grown considerably. Heh heh.”

However, Diego ignored him and stared at the Marquis’s hand gripping Siara’s wrist.

“…I came to see my friend Annie.”

“What? Oh.”

Marquis Marcel finally released Siara’s wrist. Seeing the red mark left on her wrist, Diego frowned.

Marquis Marcel was very flustered.

He knew Annie attended magic school with the Crown Prince, but due to their vast difference in status, he never imagined they would become close.

If she remained friends with the Crown Prince until their marriage—when he planned to take a child from her and kill her immediately—it would create significant problems. However, being skilled at deception, he didn’t let it show on his face.

“I’m greatly honored that Your Highness is friends with my fiancée.”

“Fiancée?”

Diego’s eyebrow raised momentarily before he smirked.

“Who said she’s your fiancée?”

“You haven’t heard the news? This woman is my fiancée…”

Diego looked directly at Siara.

“You tell me. Is Marquis Marcel really your fiancé? I’m curious if this engagement reflects your wishes.”

Siara shrugged.

“The engagement happened because of my father’s debt. It wasn’t my choice.”

Duke Rowan, standing nearby, cleared his throat. Diego glared at him.

“I cannot allow my close friend to be in such an engagement.”

‘Close friend…?’

Come to think of it, Diego had bought her meals, gone to cafes with her, and lent her money.

‘Does that make us close friends?’

Siara was the only friend the Crown Prince had been close to. So according to his words, if they weren’t lovers, they must be close friends.

“Duke Rowan, Marquis Marcel.”

“Yes, yes, Your Highness.”

The Duke bowed deeply. Though the same age as his daughter, the royal bloodline was fundamentally different. One shouldn’t underestimate him just because of his youth.

“I want to invite Annie to the palace. May I take her now?”

“What? The p-palace? O-of course, Your Highness!”

Diego gestured for Siara to follow him, and she obediently did so, holding her dress.

No one stopped them as they crossed the wide hall and boarded the royal carriage. Siara was newly impressed by the benefits of power.

‘Since the engagement wasn’t even announced, it’s clearly broken off, but will Marquis Hart let this go? He won’t give up the Duke’s territory so easily.’

Marquis Hart was truly a greedy old man. Having both power and money, yet still wanting more.

‘To touch my wrist with those filthy hands… If I weren’t wearing Annie’s skin, I would have killed him.’

A murderous aura swirled around Siara.

On the way, Diego turned to look at Siara and spoke.

“You said you wanted to visit the palace library, right?”

“Huh? Yes, that’s right.”

Siara immediately dispelled her killing intent and smiled at Diego.

He was truly handsome. No other crown prince could look so good in gold.

“I’ve only seen you in your school uniform, but you look really handsome in a suit.”

At Siara’s words, Diego’s face turned bright red. He looked away and said:

“You look pretty too…”

“Thanks.”

How cute, Siara murmured to herself. Diego was Annie’s prince on a white horse.

‘I wonder if I should be enjoying such luxury when I’m not even Annie. Where could Annie’s soul be?’

After boarding the palace carriage, Siara gazed out the window, lost in thought. Diego, who had been quietly observing her profile with narrowed eyes, spoke up.

“Didn’t you want to see me?”

“…Huh?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“Ah… Yes. Me too.”

Siara didn’t know how to respond. Would it be too cold to say she hadn’t particularly thought of Diego when Sophie mentioned him? But at that time, family matters had taken priority.

“Oh, right. About Marquis Marcel. I looked into it and…”

“I don’t want to hear about that.”

“…Oh.”

The carriage fell silent for a moment.

In the silence, Peter, who was sitting next to Diego, raised his hand slightly.

“Excuse me, you two… You haven’t forgotten I’m here, have you?”

“Oh. I did forget, sorry.”

At Siara’s words, Peter laughed awkwardly.

“Haha… That’s understandable, I don’t have much of a presence!”

Thanks to Peter, the atmosphere seemed to improve slightly, but Diego still didn’t look pleased.

Siara wanted to tell Diego the truth.

‘I’m not the Annie you like. I’m sorry. So you absolutely shouldn’t confess or anything to me. Understand? I’m actually older than Marquis Marcel!’

But she didn’t know if he would believe the truth, and even if he did, he might forcibly remove her soul from this body and destroy it. Yet she didn’t want to travel all the way to the palace in this uncomfortable atmosphere. The cramped carriage was already awkward enough.

“I can get off halfway. I’ll take another carriage to the palace.”

Peter sighed with relief at Siara’s words. However, Diego objected.

“No. You’re safe here. With knights around, even bandits won’t bother us.”

“Bandits? Those guys wouldn’t dare touch me…”

Seeing Diego’s suspicious eyes, Siara changed her words.

“Could touch me, of course. Right, I think it’s better to do as you say!”

Since his word had saved her from the engagement, it seemed wise to listen to him. Above all, though they were classmates, he was the Crown Prince, and his words carried tremendous weight.