Under the canopy, the band playing music and the nobles alike screamed in shock. As if that were the signal, large raindrops began to fall from the sky.

“Quickly, take shelter in the mansion!”

The butler shouted as he helped an elderly lady who had nearly toppled over in the wind. Her hair was disheveled, tangled by the fierce gusts.

Whooosh!

A sudden gale blew a gentleman’s hat away, and a lady’s dress flapped wildly toward the sky.

“This way, please!”

Yelodia stared wide-eyed at the chaos unfolding before her. It was a scene she couldn’t believe. Shielding her eyes with his palm, Edward sighed.

“A typhoon seems to be on its way.”

＊＊＊

The first-floor drawing room and hall of the Xavier mansion were unusually crowded with nobles—guests invited to Yelodia’s engagement ceremony.

Having taken refuge in the mansion from the storm, they stared out the windows as if entranced.

Boom! Crash!

The storm outside roared like an enraged beast.

The downpour was so heavy that it was impossible to see even an inch ahead. The nobles, frozen in fear, didn’t dare consider returning to their own homes.

Driven by the influx of people, Yelodia retreated to the second-floor drawing room. She slumped onto the sofa and let out a feeble sigh.

“What kind of cursed day is this?”

“Indeed. Do you think the Archbishop is all right?”

At Hester’s question, Fabian furrowed his brow deeply and replied.

“How would I know? The man’s been perfectly fine until now. What are the odds that he’d have a sudden seizure today of all days? It’s just bad luck.”

“Watch your words. Do you realize how many ears are downstairs?”

Hester scolded in a low voice, but Fabian waved it off with an exasperated air.

“I probably know that better than you do.”

Having helped guide the guests to the first-floor hall and drawing room and clean up the storm-wrecked garden, Fabian was already fed up with the situation.

“Do we really have to go through this again?”

“What have you even done to complain? Our eldest brother did all the work.”

“I’d rather not hear that from someone who’s done nothing but lounge around without a care in the world.”

As if to reprimand the two of them, a thunderclap boomed from outside, followed by the relentless roar of rain.

Yelodia stared blankly out the window.

She still couldn’t believe what had happened during her engagement ceremony.

‘This is absurd. If this is a dream, I wish I could just wake up.’

Edward, who had been silently sitting beside Yelodia, spoke up then.

“Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise. If the archbishop had arrived, the engagement ceremony might have been held in the rain.”

“But even so…”

Her voice wavered as she struggled to hold back tears.

The thought of her once-in-a-lifetime engagement ceremony being ruined made her chest tighten, and the storm ravaging the garden only added to her dismay.

Edward gently wiped the tears welling in her eyes and asked softly.

“Are you truly disappointed?”

“Yes…”

Yelodia’s candid reply drew chuckles from Fabian and Hester. They still couldn’t get used to their sister’s newfound demeanor.

Though her outward beauty rivaled that of a blooming peony, Yelodia had never been one to hold back her temper, often matching Fabian’s fiery disposition.

Seeing their sister act like a demure lady only in front of her fiancé was both endearing and amusing to them.

Just then—

“Achoo!”

Hester let out a thunderous sneeze, loud enough to shake the drawing room.

“Ah-choo! Cough, cough!”

Fabian grimaced, and Yelodia jumped up in alarm.

“Hester, are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Yedi. Just caught a bit of rain.”

Hester rubbed his tired eyes. His face was flushed, and beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead, a sign of a fever.

It was a more ominous sight than the storm clouds outside.

“Is anyone there? Call for the physician!”

“There’s no one available. All the servants are busy cleaning up downstairs and in the garden.”

Sighing, Fabian easily lifted Hester onto his back. Yelodia and Edward hurried to assist.

“Yedi, where’s Hester’s medicine?”

“It should be in the annex.”

“I’ll get it,” Edward offered, crossing the drawing room with determination.

“I’ll go with you. I know where it is. Fabian, where will you take him?”

“To the eldest brother’s bedroom. I’ll fetch the physician myself.”

“Got it.”

Yelodia grabbed Edward’s hand and quickened her pace.

“This way. It’s faster to take the servants’ passage to the annex.”

“Understood.”

Following her lead, Edward descended a staircase leading to the back entrance, traversing a long corridor before arriving at the annex’s entrance.

“This way.”

Yelodia ascended to the second floor and entered a room furthest from the staircase—Hester’s usual quarters.

Once inside, she opened a drawer and quickly found a familiar bottle of medicine.

“Here it is. Let’s head back.”

The two retraced their steps.

When they returned to the main building, both were drenched, having braved the relentless rain and wind. They looked like drowned rats.

Unbothered by her appearance, Yelodia hurried upstairs.

A servant they passed on the third-floor landing gasped at her state.

“My lady? Have you been caught in the rain?”

“Hester has a fever. Quickly take this medicine and prepare a medicinal tea. He’s in the eldest brother’s bedroom.”

“Y-yes, understood! Please wait just a moment.”

The servant hurried off with the medicine Yelodia handed him. Without wasting any time, Yelodia made her way to her eldest brother’s room.

“Fabian?”

“……”

The sitting room connected to the bedroom was quiet and dim. Yelodia quickly entered the bedroom.

Hester lay weakly on the bed with his eyes closed. Fabian had already tended to him, as evidenced by the damp towel placed on his forehead.

Just then, she heard footsteps behind her.

“Yedi?”

“Fabian.”

Turning her head, she saw Fabian standing at the doorway with the physician.

The physician hastily entered the room.

“Please step aside for a moment. I’ll take a look at him.”

Fabian approached the physician, then glanced at Yelodia. She had been staring at Hester absentmindedly but quickly snapped out of it and spoke.

“I told a servant to prepare Hester’s usual medicinal tea.”

“Good job. Yedi, I’ll take care of things here. You should leave.”

“But Hester…”

“Do you plan to fall ill too? Look at you. You’re soaked to the bone. Is this how the star of the engagement ceremony is supposed to look? Go and take a warm bath immediately.”

Fabian’s firm tone startled her. She glanced down at herself, realizing for the first time how drenched her dress was from the rain.

“Baron, please see her to safety.”

“Leave it to me.”

Edward answered, guiding Yelodia out. She hadn’t even realized she was still holding Edward’s hand until then.

“Oh…”

Out in the hallway, a sense of helplessness washed over her. She didn’t know where to go. After a moment of hesitation, she decided on her room.

“This way, please.”

When Yelodia opened her door, Edward hesitated, looking uncomfortable. He hadn’t expected to end up in her room.

“Is it alright for me to enter?”

“If you don’t dry yourself immediately, you’ll catch a cold too. Come in.”

She spoke firmly, then retrieved a towel from a shelf and handed it to him.

“Here, use this to dry off first.”

“Thank you.”

Edward wiped his wet hair and neck with the towel while Yelodia began drying her damp dress and blouse.

“We should light a fire, but there’s no firewood.”

“There’s a stove. I’ll make some tea. Why don’t you change into dry clothes?”

“You should change as well,” Yelodia replied.

Edward hesitated, looking a little sheepish. “Do you think there’s anything here that I can wear?”

“Of course. Follow me.”

Yelodia crossed the sitting room and flung open the door to her dressing room. Edward, following her, paused in surprise.

The dressing room was filled with hundreds of dresses, ranging from thin muslin gowns for summer to thick fur-lined coats for winter.

A central shelf displayed hats, gloves, and accessories. One entire shelf was dedicated to ribbons and lace.

Noticing a dazzling tiara among the jewelry, Edward muttered with a sigh, “It feels like I’ve been invited to the emperor’s treasure vault.”

“How did you know? The most valuable ones are all gifts from His Majesty. Oh, here are some clothes you can wear.”

Yelodia led him deeper inside. The room was so vast that one could easily lose their way.

Passing a towering shelf lined with colorful shoes, they reached a section with trousers and shirts—surprisingly all men’s clothing.

“Feel free to choose.”

Picking up a shirt and trousers, Edward hesitantly asked, “Whose clothes are these, if I may ask?”