I felt like I was about to grasp a clue, but it eluded me. Then I reached a rather absurd conclusion.

“Could Leon really be a male lead?”

I immediately shook my head.

Why would the Grand Duke of Pontos be in Arcadia?

“That’s just nonsense—”

But then, the name of the Grand Duke of Pontos suddenly popped into my head.

Iscallion Pontos.

Along with Pinion and Gined, he was the third male lead of this novel.

And the suspicious man, Leon.

“Iscallion, Leon, Iscallion, Leon, Iscallion, Leon…”

My head spun. I collapsed into the chair as if my legs had given out.

‘Why is the Grand Duke of Pontos in Arcadia!?’

According to the original story, he should be holed up in the Principality of Pontos dealing with internal strife by now.

“Why is he out already?”

No, that wasn’t the important part.

I realized that I had personally set free the only male lead who had shown interest in me.

***

The Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice festivals were holidays with religious significance, so around this time, the capital was flooded not only with travelers but also with pilgrims and priests from all over the continent. Among them, those of high status were specially invited to the imperial palace.

I strolled through the palace corridors, dressed more neatly and formally than usual.

When I arrived at the reception room, the attendants opened the door for me.

Inside, high-ranking priests who had been invited gathered.

Until last year, I only made brief appearances at such events, but this year, the Empress had specifically instructed me to entertain the guests.

The Emperor and Empress, unaware of the rift between Pinion and me, seemed intent on presenting me to the public.

Knowing their intentions, I felt nothing but burdened.

Especially now, with the awakening of my abilities and Iscallion’s appearance of, I was even more overwhelmed.

‘Ha…’

Since I had to greet the guests first, I swallowed my sigh and forced a smile.

“Hello, High Priest Dominique. There are some new faces here.”

“Lady Dronay. How have you been?”

High Priest Dominique, who had come to the capital representing the Holy Kingdom, greeted me. He was the very priest who had introduced me to Gined.

“Seeing you dressed so elegantly, you truly look like the future madam of the imperial palace.”

Though he was a good person, High Priest Dominique lacked tact and offered a compliment mixed with a bit of flattery.

That much I could tolerate.

But the words of another high priest standing next to him almost made me lose my composure.

“That’s right, Lady. Or should I start calling you ‘Your Highness’ from now on? Hahaha!”

The priests were busy flattering me, oblivious to my deteriorating expression.

I was already exhausted from just exchanging greetings. I could fully understand why Gined, who didn’t mingle with the priests, felt the way he did.

“Is Sir Roengreen still stationed at Mount Acheron?”

“Except for when he reports, yes.”

“Sir Roengreen is having a hard time. Though he is overly single-minded, his skills are undeniable. Even without considering holy power, there’s no one who can match him in sheer strength.”

“Yes. Thanks to him, the monsters were quickly subdued. As a citizen of Arcadia, I am truly grateful.”

“But I wonder why the Holy Knights haven’t returned to the Holy Kingdom yet. His Holiness the Pope is deeply concerned. While it’s natural to help an old ally in trouble, we can’t keep our most important forces abroad indefinitely.”

I inwardly scoffed at High Priest Dominique’s words. Even if others didn’t know, the Pope couldn’t be unaware that Enril had disappeared.

It was clear that some sort of deal had already taken place between the imperial family and the Pope. Seeing him feign ignorance and apply pressure, it seemed the Pope intended to secure a hefty reward for sending the Sephiroth Holy Knight Order.

“I’m not officially married yet, so I don’t know the details. Perhaps you could ask His Majesty the Emperor later? Or you could mention it to His Highness the Crown Prince when he arrives. Oh, my tea cup is empty.”

Feigning ignorance, I evaded the question and gestured to an attendant. The attendant promptly refilled my cup.

As I took a sip, I paused. The water was lukewarm, not steeped enough to brew the tea leaves properly.

‘Is this a new attendant?’

I wasn’t particularly fond of tea and didn’t want to scold the attendant over such a trivial matter, so I silently drank a few more sips.

“Lady, please don’t just stand by. Convey the Holy See’s concerns to His Majesty the Emperor.”

The priest who had earlier called me ‘Your Highness’ persistently requested.

“I don’t have the authority to—”

When I opened my mouth to reply, the attendant holding the tea cup bumped into me. The half-drunk tea spilled onto my dress.

“Oh no!”

I instinctively stood up. Luckily, the tea was lukewarm, so I didn’t get burned.

“I’m terribly sorry, my lady!”

The attendant bowed deeply and apologized.

“What are you doing! How could you make such a mistake with the lady!”

Although I was fine, the priests were the ones who got upset.

“It’s alright, don’t scold her too harshly. Anyone can make a mistake.”

Not much had spilled, and my dress was dark enough that it didn’t show.

But I decided to change clothes anyway. I wanted to escape this troublesome place, even if just for a moment.

Honestly, I felt like thanking the attendant.

“Please excuse me for a moment. I’ll go change my clothes and be right back.”

Stepping out of the reception room, I felt a bit more at ease.

In the meantime, an imperial maid brought me a new dress.

“Let me help you change.”

“No, it’s fine. I can do it myself.”

I declined the maid’s assistance. I didn’t want to hurry, so I intended to take my time.

“Then I’ll wait outside. Call me if you need any help.”

I slowly put on the new dress. Fortunately, it was easy to wear, so I had no trouble doing it alone.

When I finished changing and stepped out, the maid was gone, and the attendant who had made the mistake earlier was waiting.

“I’m very sorry, my lady.”

The attendant apologized with her head deeply bowed. He seemed so nervous that his etiquette was all over the place.

It was both amusing and pitiable, so I decided to console him.

“Don’t worry too much. Thanks to you, I got to take a breather, so it all worked out well.”

In truth, my mind was more focused on my palm. The wound had reopened and was stinging slightly, with a bit of blood seeping out.

‘That guy made the wound unnecessarily deep…’

I glanced at my palm as I slowly walked.

But I had to stop shortly after.

The attendant blocked my path.

It was absolutely forbidden for a low-ranking attendant to obstruct a noble.

‘How did someone so clumsy become an imperial attendant?’

I felt more puzzled than displeased.

As a warning, I deliberately glared at him with a stern expression. If he made such a mistake with another noble, he could face severe punishment.

“I understand that you intend to apologize, but let me advise you not to block a noble’s path so recklessly. Next time, be careful, or it might end with more than just being dismissed—”

“Lou, what happened to your hand?”

The attendant suddenly grabbed my hand.

My eyes widened, startled by his rudeness. And then, seeing the attendant’s face, I was shocked a second time. He was, quite literally, an incredibly handsome young man. His beauty, teetering on the edge of boyhood and manhood, made my vision blur for a moment.

But his short, dark blue hair and golden eyes had a distinctly rebellious air.

“Who did this to you?”

He asked again. Due to his towering height, I had to tilt my head back to look at him.

After meeting Pinion and Gined, I didn’t need to ask to know.

Such a handsome man could only exist if he was a male lead.

“Iscal… No, Leon?”

When I called him unintentionally, his golden eyes sparkled for a moment.

Iscallion tilted his head.

“But how did you know it was me?”

‘Oops.’

Although we had exchanged names, it was the first time I saw his face because of the mask. It was natural for him to be suspicious since I recognized him at a glance.

I hastily made up an excuse.

“Well, there aren’t many men with a physique like yours. You’re like a swan among ducks. Even if a swan covers its face, you can still tell it’s a swan, right?”

“Ah, so you’ve been paying close attention to my physique?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Anyway, it’s good to see you again, Lou. But what happened to your hand? Who hurt you?”

“It’s not like that. It was my mistake. I cut it on something sharp.”

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s bearable.”

“You shouldn’t get hurt, Lou.”

“I’ll try.”

“I want to do that greeting you taught me again.”

Iscallion said sulkily. Seeing his face, I couldn’t help but extend my other hand.

Just like before, he buried his face into my palm and kissed it.

His greeting was still a mess.

But now that I knew his true identity, I understood why he was so clumsy with etiquette.

Straightening up again, he tilted his head.

“With your hair up, you look older, Lou. You’re almost like an older sister.”

As a real older sister, I hesitated a bit.

“Could you say I look mature instead?”

“But Lou isn’t an adult.”

“I am an adult.”

“Liar.”

“Really. I’ll be 21 in three months.”

“What?”

Iscallion’s mouth dropped open, genuinely shocked.