“Miss, I’ll help you get ready.”
“Uh… okay.”

It was already the day Sebastian was supposed to arrive.
Last night, I was tossing and turning, wondering how to swindle Sebastian as much as possible, and now I sat in front of the vanity with puffy eyes.

I was bracing myself for the painful brushing that the unfriendly maids usually subjected me to when, unexpectedly, a maid I had never seen before carefully began brushing my hair.

“Miss, you look even more beautiful today.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”

It was true.
White skin, pink hair, and emerald-like sparkling eyes.
Delicate and well-proportioned features.
Espin was exceptionally beautiful for someone who was just an extra.

“Today is the day Sebastian is visiting, right?”
“Yes.”
“Sebastian is really amazing, isn’t he? He’s so kind to us maids, and his manners are impeccable.”
“Really?”

That’s strange. He’s not the type to have any sense of manners.

The maid’s reflection in the mirror showed the corner of her mouth lifting into a smirk.

“You and Sebastian look so good together. You’re like a match made in heaven.”
‘A match made in heaven? Espin might be heavenly, but…’
Sebastian, no matter how generously you looked at him, was just an ordinary man, far from a heavenly match.

“I really hope you marry Sebastian, Miss. There’s no one better than him.”
“Do you really think Sebastian is that amazing?”
“Yes, of course. He’s such a high-ranking person, yet he’s so down-to-earth. I’ve never met such a wonderful prince in my life.”
“Really? Thank you. It’s nice to have a maid who gives me such good advice. What’s your name?”
“My name is Jane.”
“Ah, Jane.”

So, it’s you, Jane. The rat Sebastian planted in the mansion.

How could a mere maid know Sebastian’s true identity when even the head butler didn’t? It was absurd.
It was practically a confession that she was an accomplice of Sebastian.

Watching Jane continue to praise Sebastian without realizing the mistake she had made, I barely held back my laughter.

***

“Whew, focus. Focus.”

Standing in front of the drawing room where Sebastian was waiting, I took a deep breath.
Once I opened this door, I would have to start acting.

‘From now on, I’m a noble lady in love, and the person in front of me is not a slimy con artist but a prince. A prince.’

I psyched myself up, flung the door open, and shouted.
“Sebastian!”

Sebastian, who had been sitting in an armchair devouring cookies, stood up as soon as he saw me.
“Espin!”

Sebastian, not wanting to lose, greeted me just as enthusiastically and ran toward me.
He didn’t seem to notice the cookie crumbs still on his lips.

“Sebastian, I missed you!”

Sebastian seemed a bit flustered by my affectionate tone, but being the con artist he was, he quickly recovered and patted my head, giving me a nauseatingly sweet look.
“I missed you a lot too.”
“I missed you more.”

Wow, if I die now, it’ll probably be from embarrassment.

This excessive display of affection was so over-the-top that I felt like I might die of shame first.
But to completely fool Sebastian, I had to play this part.

The role of a naive young woman blinded by love.
Only then would Sebastian believe his scheme was working and wouldn’t suspect me.

“Haha, it seems you missed me a lot.”
“Of course. I’ve been living for you, Sebastian.”

Seeing me act as though I was completely infatuated with him, Sebastian’s lips curled into an annoying smirk.

“Espin, by the way, about what we discussed last time—”

Sebastian, eager to bring up the seal, was quickly interrupted by me.

One thing I learned from dealing with scammers and trips to the police station was the importance of controlling the conversation.
These con artists always tried to steer the conversation to extract the answers they wanted.
That’s why it was crucial for me to take control of the dialogue, not Sebastian.

“Sebastian, let’s sit down first. We have so much to talk about.”
“What?”

Sebastian, looking bewildered, sat down.

“Sebastian, don’t you notice anything different about me?”
“Different? I’m not sure.”
“I’m wearing a new dress. Doesn’t this purple dress suit me well?”
“Yes, it suits you beautifully.”
“Right? I knew it. Sebastian and I really are in sync.”
“Yes… but Espin, we have more important matters to discuss—”
“Of course, there are important matters. But look at my earrings. They match my eye color perfectly, don’t they? Aren’t they pretty?”
“Yes, they’re very pretty. But more importantly—”
“And this necklace! Doesn’t it look amazing on me? It makes my neck look thinner—”

As I kept rambling on about trivial things instead of the topic he wanted, Sebastian, seemingly losing his patience, finally shouted.
“Espin! Dresses and jewelry aren’t what’s important right now!”

“Sebastian… are you yelling at me?”

I looked at him with a shocked expression.

“No, that’s not what I meant—”
“It’s just that… I don’t have anyone else to talk about these things with. I just wanted to share this with someone…”

Turning my head away with a trembling voice, I saw Sebastian jump to his feet, flustered.
He began soothing me in a panic.

“No, Espin, that’s not it.”
“Sebastian, do you not love me anymore?”
“Of course not! How could I not love you? I just… I’m just worried about resolving your status issue quickly so I can make you happy.”
“Really?”
“Espin, we’re soulmates. Trust me.”

‘Wow, could he at least pretend to mean it when he lies?’

I almost respected how effortlessly he lied.

“You’re right. We’re soulmates. I thought it was fate the moment I saw you, Sebastian.”
“Yes, so don’t doubt my love for you.”

Sebastian, now standing in front of me, grabbed my hand and brought it to his face.

Ugh.

The slimy grease on his skin made my fingers scream to pull away, but I held back.

“Sebastian, could you do me a favor?”
“A favor?”

I handed him a piece of paper and a pen I had prepared.

“Write me a letter. Something I can read whenever I miss you.”
“If that’s what you want, of course, I’ll write one for you.”
“Hmm. Write something like, ‘To my beloved Espin, I’m always watching over you. Our love will last forever.’ Don’t forget to sign it at the bottom.”

Completely unaware of how the letter would be used, Sebastian obediently wrote down exactly what I dictated.

“Thank you, Sebastian.”

Seeing me in a good mood, Sebastian cautiously brought up the topic he had been dying to discuss.
“Espin, about the seal—what happened to it?”
“Oh, that… I couldn’t find it, no matter how hard I looked.”

Sebastian’s eyes, which had been sparkling with hope, instantly turned cold.

“What? What do you mean? Didn’t you say last time that the seal would be in this mansion?”
“I thought so, but it seems Father took it with him when he went to the Count’s estate.”

“To the Count’s estate?”

Sebastian’s expression twisted in frustration at the unexpected development.

“Yes. The head butler said so, so it must be true.”

“Ha, then what do we do? I was counting on you, Espin. Without the seal, what am I supposed to do?”
“Are you yelling at me again?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Unable to hold back his anger, Sebastian had raised his voice again but quickly sighed and spoke calmly.

“As you know, without a new status, I can’t even enter the Arcadia Kingdom, and I could die.”
“Can’t we just live here in the Empire?”
“No! I absolutely must return to the Arcadia Kingdom.”
“Hm. Then I’ll bring it once Father returns from the Count’s estate.”
“No!”

Sebastian suddenly jumped up, appearing to be in a fit.

“Why not? Is there a reason it has to be before Father returns?”

Of course, there was.

It would be easy to deceive me and escape while I was alone in the capital, but with the Count present, it would be much harder. That’s why Sebastian was desperate to finish everything before the Count returned.

“There’s no time. I need to leave as soon as possible.”
“Then there’s only one solution. I’ll go to the Count’s estate myself.”
“Would you really do that?”

Sebastian’s face lit up like an ironed sheet.

“Yes, but… there’s a problem.”
“What problem?”