“The admiral who led the Phoenician naval battle to victory. He’s about to be promoted to vice-admiral, and, in addition, His Majesty, the gracious emperor, granted him the baron title just last month.”

Hester looked even more bewildered at Fabian’s detailed explanation. No matter how hard he tried, Fabian’s words sounded as if they were coming from a growling dog or a snorting horse.

After gasping for breath for a while, Hester furrowed his brow and forced himself up.

“B-brother!”

“Sir, you’ll collapse again!”

Yelodia and the servant gasped, trying to stop Hester.

But collapsing here wasn’t what mattered.

“Let go of me. I’m going to see Father, no, His Majesty, right away…”

Hester, fumbling, reached for the bedpost, then suddenly started to cough.

As his body heaved violently, it seemed like he might cough up blood; the servant, now pale, gently pushed him back down onto the bed.

“Please calm down, sir. You’ll collapse again at this rate.”

Then, the servant went over to the stove, poured a cup of the herbal tea that had been simmering, and handed it to Hester.

Only after taking a gulp of the tea did Hester manage to take a deep, steady breath. Fabian, with an unimpressed expression, folded his arms and looked down at his brother.

“You don’t need to be so agitated. Baron Adrian is scheduled to visit the estate this weekend. So try to recover and be up by then, even if it means drinking an entire pot of tea.”

“When’s the engagement?”

“April 30th.”

“That’s just the last day of next month.”

A blue vein bulged on Hester’s forehead. He muttered a curse under his breath, startling both Yelodia and the servant.

He cursed. It was a shock. Hester had been so gentle that he’d been nicknamed “the meek one” as a child, and nobody had ever expected to see him like this.

Breathing heavily, Hester asked, “Have you got the alcohol ready?”

“I’ve selected only the strongest stuff in the empire, specially prepared.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Hester added, “Don’t just get the strong ones. Prepare some poison, too.”

“Of course.”

Fabian smirked, as if he’d anticipated this. Yelodia’s face turned pale in an instant.

“Brothers!”

“It was a joke, Yedi. You didn’t think I’d actually poison your fiancé, did you?”

But Yelodia wasn’t reassured; she couldn’t shake the feeling that Hester was entirely serious.

Looking around, Hester muttered, “Now, where’s my sword…”

“I’ve already told a servant to prepare it.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

The two brothers continued their banter, perfectly in sync. It felt like the first time in ten years that they’d seemed this friendly.

Yelodia felt a chill run down her spine. An ominous feeling crept over her.

＊ ＊ ＊

From early that weekend morning, Yelodia was anxiously wandering around the estate.

Of course, her nervousness was entirely due to her two brothers’ meaningful conversation.

Fabian and Hester—who usually clashed like oil and water—seemed united in their plan to mark Edward as their enemy.

Whenever they had a chance, they’d huddle and exchange cryptic comments, occasionally glancing at Yelodia with a sneer, as if mocking her.

‘As if I’d let them get away with this.’

Not wanting to give them any chance to catch her off guard, Yelodia had been bustling about since dawn. With the maids’ help, she carefully dressed and oversaw preparations around the estate.

But her efforts didn’t seem to pay off.

She hovered around the kitchen only to burn bread in the oven, then joined the servants in mopping the floors and was promptly shooed away.

Finally, Martha stepped in.

“My lady, please stay still. You’re really not helping us. It would be better for everyone if you waited in your chambers.”

“But I feel like I’ll explode if I stay in my room!”

Her candid response made some servants chuckle. The staff at the Duke of XXavier’s estate had become just as excited and flustered at their young lady’s unusual enthusiasm.

The news that their beloved lady’s fiancé would soon be visiting had everyone sweeping, polishing, and tidying the grounds from dawn.

Having cared for frail Yelodia as if she were their own daughter or sister, the servants were both excited and grateful, even if the thought of her engagement felt surreal.

Once, many had feared she wouldn’t live past the age of thirteen, which made their affection for her all the deeper.

“When are the brothers coming?”

“The first and second masters haven’t returned from the palace yet, and the third master is in the annex. Dinner isn’t for another two hours, so I’m sure they’ll be here in time.”

“No word from the baron yet?”

Martha sighed in defeat and gazed absently into the distance.

“I’ll check with the butler again. If you’re tired of staying in your room, why don’t you take a walk in the garden? I’ll come find you when the baron arrives.”

“All right…”

Finally, Yelodia trudged out to the lobby. She thought she heard a warm chuckle from the staff behind her.

The sky was filled with heavy, gray clouds.

“It might rain by tomorrow, but for now, those clouds don’t seem likely to ruin the banquet.”

Yelodia strolled over to the rear garden, where rose vines grew thick. Ideally, she wanted to visit the stables to see her favorite horses, but she couldn’t risk having the smell of manure cling to her dress.

The garden, though slightly bleak, had a certain somber charm. Knowing that soon the buds would bloom, completing the rose garden’s splendor, stirred an odd restlessness in her heart.

In just a month, she’d be holding her grand engagement ceremony here.

Suddenly, Yelodia let out a deep sigh.

“…I feel uneasy.”

She had been restless since dawn, unable to sleep due to her worries about the upcoming banquet.

Her unpredictable, stubborn brothers were the cause.

‘Surely Fabian wouldn’t challenge Edward to another duel, would he?’

Just imagining how much her brothers might torment Edward made her sigh again.

The banquet, which she’d thought would simply be a time to introduce her fiancé, was beginning to feel like an invisible battleground.

More than anything, with it being three against one, Edward would inevitably lose.

Having directly or indirectly experienced her brothers’ endless antics since childhood, Yelodia knew only too well that when those three banded together, there was nothing they couldn’t overpower.

Even if the goddess of war, Lonel, appeared in person, they’d still be impossible to defeat.

‘I must be of help somehow.’

Yelodia resolved firmly to stand by Edward’s side. Three against one might be tough, but three against two was at least possible.

Facing Kias or Fabian might be hard, but she was confident she could handle her youngest brother, Hester, somehow.

“It may sound ridiculous, but I can’t just laugh it off.”

Murmuring to herself with a sullen face, Yelodia froze on the spot. She’d just spotted Edward walking along the opposite path.

“Baron…?”

“Lady Xavier,” he replied, with a somewhat awkward smile. It was clear he hadn’t expected to encounter his fiancée in the garden.

Yelodia asked without a second thought, “Are you lost, by any chance?”

Edward let out a small cough, as if stifling laughter, and replied, “I’m sorry to disappoint, but I’m not lost. It seems I arrived at the estate a bit early, and the butler kindly suggested I take a walk in the garden.”

“Oh, I see.”

It was obvious that Martha had likely advised the butler.

Without thinking, Yelodia stepped closer to Edward, and they exchanged a brief look.

“…”

“…”

Today, Edward was dressed in formal attire. While his navy uniform suited him well, the classic combination of a white long-sleeved shirt, black satin pants, and a vest adorned with blue gem buttons seemed even warmer.

If his uniform looked dignified but somewhat distant, his formal attire felt… comforting.

If Sona had heard her thoughts, she’d probably scoff, but Yelodia continued her silent observations, greeting him as if she hadn’t been scrutinizing him.

“A good afternoon, isn’t it?”

“A very good afternoon. Were you out for a walk?”

“Yes, the weather’s quite nice.”

The moment she spoke, a loud rumble of thunder sounded from somewhere beyond the mansion. Edward briefly glanced westward before replying casually.

“Yes, quite lovely weather.”

Boom, crack!

A bright flash of lightning lit up the sky behind him, as if heavy rain might fall any moment from the darkening clouds.

Feeling as if the heavens themselves were displeased, Yelodia admitted hastily, “To be honest, the servants drove me out. They seemed uneasy with me mopping the floors.”

“Were you… mopping the floors?”

She parted her lips in a slight “ah” before nodding, her ears turning red.

“Well, I was bored.”

“Oh, you were bored.”

Edward chuckled softly, agreeing with ease.

She wished he wouldn’t imagine a lady, out of sheer boredom, scrubbing the floors… but it seemed he already had.

Yelodia’s cheeks flushed as she thought, ‘How did I manage to bungle things so badly within just ten minutes?’

Quickly, she changed the subject. “I, uh, could show you around the garden. This is your first time walking here, right?”

She felt flustered again. Of course, it was his first time walking through the Duke’s garden—this was only his second visit.

Every word from her mouth sounded increasingly absurd. Clearly, she hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of their previous encounter.

‘Ah, that’s how we parted last time!’

Now, she was truly feeling anxious.