“How did the engagement ceremony turn out?”

“As expected, it was a complete disaster. Far worse than Your Majesty might imagine.”

At Duke Xavier’s frank response, the emperor furrowed his brows slightly.

It was the first time since Princess Anais confessed her feelings to him that Duke Xavier had expressed his emotions so openly.

The emperor, after a long moment of contemplation, finally spoke.

“I heard the archbishop suddenly had a seizure.”

“So I was told.”

“That excuse seems rather flimsy. Whose idea could it have been?”

“The other day, the Marquis of Cheshire’s second son came to my estate, pompously declaring he wouldn’t allow the ceremonial salute.”

“Ah, the Marquis of Cheshire.”

The emperor clicked his tongue. The thought of being manipulated by such petty schemes made his stomach churn with irritation.

“How is Yedi doing?”

“She hasn’t left her room for two days now.”

“Is she deeply disappointed?”

“What could be more humiliating for a young noblewoman of her age? Frankly, we’re fortunate the storm happened—it masked the shame somewhat.”

“Indeed.”

The emperor shook his head, tapping his chin with the back of his hand. Then, he glanced at Duke Xavier, who stood there expressionless.

“So, what do you plan to do now?”

“I intend to present only the engagement vows to the temple.”

Catching the duke’s intent immediately, the emperor’s eyes flashed with interest.

“Are you serious about that?”

With a stony expression, Duke Xavier nodded.

“All the temple does is send a stiff-necked priest to bless engagement ceremonies while demanding exorbitant donations in return. I have no intention of bowing to such extortion.”

“…”

“Furthermore, I plan to halve the temple donations from the southern estates.”

The emperor let out a gasp of mixed admiration and amusement, suppressing a laugh that threatened to escape.

The temple likely hadn’t anticipated that the usually composed Duke Xavier would react with such fury.

But then, it was only natural. His only daughter, whom he cherished like a treasure, had been humiliated. The duke’s wrath was entirely justified.

“We’ll hold Yedi’s engagement ceremony this weekend at the duchy, in an intimate gathering with family. I hope Your Majesty will attend as well.”

“Very well. Then I shall host the celebratory banquet myself. Chamberlain, arrange a banquet at the palace.”

“As you command, Your Majesty,” the chamberlain replied obediently.

Only then did Duke Xavier show a hint of satisfaction.

＊ ＊ ＊

Martha stood outside Yelodia’s bedroom door, her face etched with worry.

It had been several days since her lady had locked herself inside without stepping out.

“My lady, Baron Adrian is here to see you.”

“…”

“My lady?”

Despite Martha’s urgent call, there was no response from inside the room. She turned to Edward with a hesitant expression.

“She’s still feeling unwell. If you wait in the drawing room, I’ll try to bring her out shortly.”

“…”

Edward said nothing, remaining silent. This was the third day he had come to no avail, and it seemed Yelodia had no intention of leaving her room today either.

Thinking about how deeply her lady must be hurt, Martha felt her eyes well up.

“Perhaps you should return for today? Tomorrow, I promise to persuade her to come out.”

Instead of replying to Martha, Edward stepped forward and knocked on the bedroom door himself.

“Yelodia. It’s me. May I come in?”

“B-Baron!”

Startled, Martha tried to stop him. It was unthinkable for a man to directly knock on his fiancée’s bedroom door.

According to noble etiquette, visitors waited in the drawing room while servants conveyed their message. If the lady refused, the visitor was expected to leave.

“Yelodia. May I open the door?”

Edward knocked again, this time with a hint of urgency.

From inside, Yelodia’s panicked voice called out.

“D-Don’t come in!”

“Are you truly feeling very unwell?”

“That’s not it…”

“Then, have you grown so tired of seeing me?”

“That’s not true, Baron!”

Yelodia retorted sharply. Even without seeing her, Edward could vividly imagine her shaking her head desperately.

With a gentle voice, Edward tried to soothe her.

“At least show me your face for a moment. I’ll leave as soon as I confirm you’re not unwell.”

“…”

Yelodia remained silent once more. Edward waited patiently.

After a long moment, faint movement could finally be heard from the other side of the door.

“I really am fine…”

The door creaked open slightly, and a cascade of luscious red hair peeked through. Soon, Yelodia cautiously poked her head out from the narrow gap.

“You’re here?”

Dressed in plain clothes and without a trace of makeup, Yelodia looked fresh and youthful. Compared to others her age, she might appear mature, but to Edward, she was nothing more than a young, delicate girl.

Edward involuntarily swallowed a sigh before asking,

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, well… I’m not as sick as you seem to think,” Yelodia replied in a deliberately nonchalant tone. She had no intention of prolonging his visit.

“You can leave now if—”

At that moment, a small red fox darted out from the room.

“Ah! Lily!”

Yelodia exclaimed in surprise, calling the fox’s name, but it ignored her entirely. The little fox dashed across the reception room, wagging its tail vigorously as if relieved to be free from the confined space. It sniffed around noisily, rubbing its body against the sofa legs and the corners of the bookshelf, marking them with its scent.

Edward observed the fox for a moment before asking,

“Have you given the fox a name?”

“Yes, it’s Lily.”

“That’s quite a cute name for a male fox.”

Edward’s playful remark made Yelodia press her lips together and blush. Martha also looked startled, as she hadn’t realized Lily was male.

Would Edward think her careless for naming it without even considering its gender?

“W-Well, now that you’ve confirmed I’m fine, you can leave,” Yelodia stammered.

“Won’t you even offer me a cup of tea?”

At his request, Yelodia hesitated, glancing up at him before quickly averting her gaze.

He was still breathtakingly handsome, even more so than before.

Yelodia felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. She had come to a realization she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge.

There had been many ominous signs.

On the night of the fireworks, for the first time, she’d felt an inexplicable flutter in her chest as Edward gazed at her under the flickering lights. At the time, she’d dismissed it as a reaction to her near-death experience, attributing her racing heart to shock.

When they encountered each other at the Empress’s palace and again on Lonel Street, Yelodia couldn’t understand why she felt overly exhilarated in his presence.

But when she heard rumors of Edward being gravely injured during a hunting expedition, Yelodia was paralyzed with fear.

And after the engagement ceremony was canceled, seeing Edward’s calm demeanor had left her feeling an indescribable sense of disappointment and sadness.

It was then she realized she had been slowly, almost imperceptibly, growing fond of him.

“I… I’m not dressed properly right now. If you wait in the reception room, I’ll come down shortly. It won’t take long,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.

“If it won’t take long, I’ll wait here.”

Edward gestured toward the sofa in the attached reception room. It was the same spot where they had once sat together, watching the rain pour down outside the window.

Yelodia was flustered and hesitated.

“B-But—”

“Would you prefer I leave?”

Unable to refuse, Yelodia lowered her gaze before reluctantly murmuring,

“Then, please wait here for a moment.”

“Thank you.”

With her permission, Edward strode across the reception room confidently.

The little fox, ears perked, recognized him and bounded over, sniffing at him curiously. After catching his familiar scent, the fox wagged its red tail and nuzzled against Edward’s leg.

Unconsciously, Yelodia found herself gazing at Edward, her eyes dazed and full of unspoken emotions.