“Yes?”

Caught off guard, my voice came out awkwardly. Despite my rudeness, the Crown Prince didn’t seem to mind.

‘What’s going on? Why is he doing this?’

“Hurry.”

When I didn’t respond, the Crown Prince took my hand. Unconsciously moving as he led me, I came to my senses a moment too late and stopped.

‘Damn it, I got confused because it felt so familiar.’

Suddenly, the smell of wine hit me. As befits a male lead, even the scent of alcohol on him wasn’t unpleasant but sweet and rich.

“Have you been drinking?”

When I asked, I noticed that he looked different than usual. His usually smooth, ivory-like skin was flushed pink, and his eyes were moist. He hardly ever got drunk, so I was quite surprised.

“No.”

“Lou is my partner.”

Not to be outdone, Iscallion grabbed my arm. In an instant, I found myself stuck between two men holding my arms.

‘This is so embarrassing.’

Two handsome men competing over me. When I read the original story, I couldn’t understand why Lina found herself in such an awkward situation. I used to dismiss it as a privileged complaint only the heroine could make. But now that it was happening to me, I could fully understand her feelings.

‘This is like being a shrimp caught in a whale fight.’

Moreover, realizing that both Ines and the Empress were watching with displeased expressions made my buzz disappear and brought me back to reality. My excitement quickly faded. I gently declined the Crown Prince’s invitation.

“I’m sorry, but my feet hurt, and I don’t think I can dance anymore today.”

“Yes, Lou’s feet hurt. She doesn’t have the luxury to dance with you, Your Highness.”

Feeling triumphant at my refusal, Iscallion stepped forward more confidently. Of course, it didn’t help at all. I barely restrained myself from hitting both men. Forcing a bright smile, I spoke to Iscallion through gritted teeth.

“Count Philip, would you please prepare the carriage?”

“Why—”

Seeing my fierce gaze, Iscallion hesitated.

“It’s late. Hurry.”

I practically pushed him away and gently pulled my hand from the Crown Prince’s grasp.

‘Good, that was smooth.’

I was sure the Crown Prince wouldn’t notice. But as soon as I let go, he reached out again.

“Isn’t your partner being too careless?”

Looking down, I saw that the ribbon on the glove of the arm Iscallion held was untied. Pinion calmly retied the ribbon.

“……”

As soon as he finished, I quickly stepped back.

“I-I should go now. The carriage should be ready by now.”

Fortunately, Pinion didn’t stop me. Just before turning away, he whispered in my ear.

“I don’t care about any prophecies. I can wait until your heart changes.”

But my heart had already grown dull like rusty iron. His persistence didn’t make me feel even a bit flattered. He was simply dissatisfied with Ines Poel. Despite both being from ducal families, Dronay and Poel couldn’t compare in terms of reputation or wealth.

Pretending not to hear, I left the ballroom. I untied the ribbon he had tied and threw my gloves far away. Not caring about my aching feet, I quickly crossed the garden, eager to leave the palace.

Coincidentally, someone was coming from the opposite direction. I slowed down and stepped aside. The other person also stopped simultaneously, and we naturally faced each other.

“Hello.”

When our eyes met, she greeted me with a smile. She was a beautiful woman with pomegranate-like dark red hair and eyes.

“Yes, hello.”

I greeted her back, somewhat bewildered. Her smile deepened. Her red lips contrasted with her white skin, and for a moment, I was entranced. Her plump lips parted slightly. I found myself staring at them as if in a trance. Just then, someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

“Sister, why are you out here? Where’s that guy?”

I snapped back to reality.

“Huh? I just wanted to leave quickly.”

As I answered, I glanced back at where the woman had been standing.

“What?”

In the brief moment I had spoken to Iscallion, the woman had disappeared without a trace.

“What’s wrong?”

“There was someone here…”

“There’s no one here.”

Iscallion asked curiously. I looked around, wondering if she had passed by, but there was no one else around.

“What the…?”

Unless she had gone through the landscaping trees, it was impossible for her to disappear so quickly. It felt like I had been bewitched by a ghost. Seeing me standing there dazed, Iscallion started searching the area.

“No, never mind. I must have been mistaken. Let’s go back.”

It seemed I still hadn’t fully sobered up.

‘Come to think of it, my head hurts too.’

Shaking my head to clear the alcohol, Iscallion asked worriedly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, let’s go back.”

Back at the mansion, I washed up and lay down on the bed. As soon as I relaxed, fatigue overwhelmed me, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. The next day, I had completely forgotten about the mysterious woman.

***

Thinking that attending the palace banquet would allow me to avoid the social scene for a while was a complete misconception. Whatever rumors had spread, noble ladies began sending me party invitations like crazy.

Even when I wielded considerable influence as the Crown Prince’s fiancée, I had never received so many invitations. Honestly, I didn’t think they were all eager to see me. Most of the senders had their hair pulled by me at some point.

So there was only one reason.

I sighed as I watched Iscallion munching on cake across from me. Having passed the sacred duty of guarding Mount Acheron to the Crown Prince, I was taking a rare break at home, spending time with him in the garden. While Iscallion enjoyed his snacks, I was sorting through invitations, deciding which families I could afford to decline and which I couldn’t.

But after more than half a day, I still hadn’t finished, and my patience was wearing thin.

“Congratulations, Count Philip. You’ve turned the social scene of Kebrenia upside down with your looks.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Never mind, just keep eating. Do you want more?”

“Yes, this is delicious. Aren’t you going to eat, sister?”

“I’ve had enough.”

I was about to signal the servant to bring more cake when I saw my mother approaching with her maids. She also noticed us and came over. Glancing at the unopened invitations piled up, she smiled with satisfaction.

“Leon has done his part well. Very well indeed.”

Iscallion, not knowing why he was being praised, looked happy just to be complimented. My mother, noticing this, kindly explained.

“You’ve really boosted Lou’s confidence.”

“Ah.”

Finally understanding, Iscallion nodded. My mother’s eyes were full of affection as she looked at him. As an only child who had always monopolized my parents’ love, I felt a sense of crisis. Even my father had changed since the party, no longer bothered by Iscallion’s unrefined speech. Fortunately, my mother soon turned her affectionate gaze to me as well.

“By the way, Duchess Poel has been hosting a lot of parties lately. She’s planning a grand birthday party for her daughter this time. It seems like every noblewoman in the capital has been invited.”

Hearing about the Poel family naturally reminded me of Ines Poel’s venomous glare.

‘Well, what can I say?’

Ines and I had never gotten along since the day we first met. I could probably make a wig with all the hair I had pulled from her head.

Even though the Dronay and Poel families maintained a politically friendly relationship, constant fights between the children inevitably led to personal grudges. Moreover, most of the rumors about me had been spread by the Poel family.

‘And they were mostly true, so I couldn’t even deny them.’

However, my mother, who was exceptionally protective of me, seemed to think differently.

“It’s obvious what they’re up to, gathering all those women. It wasn’t enough to spread baseless rumors and tarnish your reputation; now they’re trying to openly challenge our family. It’s absurd. They don’t realize that it doesn’t matter if you’re not the Crown Princess. Your father and I never wanted an overly prestigious son-in-law anyway. The best son-in-law is one who boosts my daughter’s confidence.”

As she spoke, my mother glanced subtly at Iscallion. Despite repeatedly emphasizing that he was a minor, my parents didn’t seem to care.

‘Maybe it’s not entirely my fault that I lack a conscience…’

They say personality is largely influenced by genetics, and with such shameless genes inherited from my parents, it was no wonder I turned out this way.