“I want to break off the engagement!”

Her eyes sparkled like a comet with anticipation.

“No.”

And just like that, the sparkle vanished like a falling star.

“Then nothing’s going to change, is it? Father, do you really want a cheap royal like Gellensid as your son-in-law?”

“We need at least one connection to the royal family. I can’t marry you off to some old man, and the crown prince is too dangerous…”

“What about Duke Blake?”

She had only thrown the name out casually, noticing her father pause for a moment, but the moment he heard “Blake,” his face twisted in fury.

“You mean that lunatic?”

“…?”

Kyla couldn’t help but wonder if her father had really meant what he said. It didn’t seem like he was saying it just because the Duke resembled the old Haiden.

No, it seemed like her father didn’t even imagine they might be the same person.

‘Why not? I recognized him immediately.’

Still, her father started a long rant about how terrifying Duke Blake was.

“That expressionless face—just seeing him from a distance gives me chills.”

‘That’s weird. He smiled just fine.’

Though most of the smiles he gave her were closer to smirks, he definitely wasn’t as emotionless as people said.

The changes in his expression were just subtle.

‘Does no one have a good perception? It seemed pretty obvious to me.’

“And that man would never listen to us. He barely listens to the crown prince—he’s too arrogant. Why would he listen to us?”

“…”

“There are also rumors that his taste in women is extremely peculiar, so most noble ladies can’t even approach him.”

The Count, seemingly able to list three hundred reasons why the Duke was unacceptable, didn’t stop his tirade for a second.

He had no idea that saying all this would only make Kyla more curious.

“His taste? What kind of taste in women does the Duke have?”

When Kyla’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, the Count quickly cleared his throat, realizing his mistake, and became more cautious with his words.

“Anyway, the prince will be dealt with when the time is right, so just do as I say for now.”

“When exactly is that time?”

She had done everything he wanted so far—had the engagement ceremony, and had come this far because she followed his orders.

If Gellensid had hated her, this might’ve been easier. But instead, he liked her so much he wanted to kill her. There wasn’t a more messed-up situation.

‘No one—neither the king, my father, nor Gellensid—wants to change this situation.’

This engagement had never taken her opinion into account.

She hadn’t even walked into the engagement hall on her own two feet—she’d been dragged in, tied to invisible strings.

‘Am I some kind of animal?’

Standing before her father, who kept trying to calm her down, Kyla folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.

“Father. Do you know what I hate the most in this world?”

“…Me?”

“Wrong. It’s waiting for something.”

The Count looked like he was about to get angry, but instead, his lips twitched slightly, and he went silent.

“If the Duke doesn’t work out, I’ll go and bring back another prince myself. So don’t even think about objecting.”

“Whoever you bring home, I’ll want to half-kill them on sight.”

That reaction was so typical of her father, who had always hated the royal faction.

Still, now they had no choice but to marry into that faction—there were no other options.

It wasn’t her ideal either, but since she had already promised her father that she’d bring someone better than Gellensid, she had to follow through.

‘I need to move quickly.’

Just as she was about to leave the study, Kyla suddenly turned around, raising her voice.

“Oh, right, I’ll use that wish ticket later! And you can’t say no when I use it, okay? Otherwise, I’ll really go wild.”

Slam.

The door shut, and a gust of wind blew in, rustling the Count’s white eyebrows.

As he stared at the closed door his daughter had disappeared through, the Count picked up his quill.

He was about to finish signing the document he had been reviewing, but his hand stopped mid-motion. He looked up and asked the butler, Loren:

“Loren. If my daughter gets any more out of control, what on earth will happen?”

“Well, sir… she’s already pretty far gone… so maybe she’ll circle back and return to normal…?”

Even Loren, who had been managing the estate for twenty years, couldn’t say for sure.

***

After leaving the study, Kyla quickly got ready and left the estate in a carriage.

Come to think of it, her father had to know about all the things Gellensid was doing.

And still, he chose to keep the engagement—probably because he believed there was no one else who could replace Gellensid…

Which was exactly why the Duke’s face kept floating into her mind.

‘He’s a bit annoying, but he’s not the type to hurt his fiancée. He can be surprisingly kind too…’

Apparently, it had been his idea to increase the number of guards protecting her.

She thought he found her annoying, but then he’d do things like this that made her feel… strangely looked after. Was it just wishful thinking?

“How is he doing?”

Kyla had come all the way to the temple and sent another knight to check on Raiden’s condition.

The knight returned pale and shook his head.

“You shouldn’t look, my lady. The injury is quite gruesome…”

The knight, despite having a broken arm himself, kept apologizing to Kyla for failing to protect her.

“I’ll return soon and protect you in Sir Raiden’s stead!”

At his passionate words, Kyla crossed her arms and replied curtly, clearly displeased.

“Forget it. I don’t want to see your face for a while, so take a long break and don’t show up again until you’re well enough to spar with me. Got it?”

“But still…”

“If you show up before then, I’ll break your damn wrists.”

“Y-Yes, my lady…”

She gave the crestfallen knight a once-over, then turned sharply and walked away.

‘That should scare him enough to stay away for a good long while.’

In truth, this whole incident could’ve been avoided if she hadn’t let her guard down.

“Damn that Gellensid.”

How could she get rid of that bastard as soon as possible?

Grinding her teeth, she climbed into the carriage.

If there’s a will, there’s a way. So today, she planned to start by gathering information.

“Take me to Havalde Jewelry.”

The Havalde jewelry shop, located near Kitten Port, was an ultra-luxurious store run by a young man named Havalde.

On the surface, he seemed like an ordinary merchant, but he had once risen to the position of vice-captain of the Bailey Knights, a testament to his capabilities.

Now retired, he managed Lullaby’s finances and even tracked movements in the black market, doing a variety of tasks he claimed to be very satisfied with.

“Anything unusual lately?”

As soon as Kyla entered, the shop locked its doors and pulled down the shutters—an unspoken signal of a silent emergency.

Once she entered the office, hung her lace-trimmed hat on the wall, and sat down on the sofa, Havalde immediately began reciting information he’d been saving.

Among the many things he said, one caught her attention—the story of a new group of wild birds.

“Oh, and recently, a group called the ‘Yellow Wild Birds’ has been searching for one of your items.”

“Yellow Wild Birds?”

“They haven’t been in the business long, but they’re growing surprisingly fast. I’ve been keeping an eye on them.”

If even Havalde, who was usually stingy with praise, acknowledged them, it meant they were worth noticing.

“So, what do they want?”

“That necklace you brought in last time.”

The one said to be made by Queen Margarita, the very first queen?

“That thing’s expensive. It would be a waste to sell it to some birds—wild or migratory. If I wait, I’ll probably get a much better offer.”

“I thought the same.”

“Tell them it’s not for sale.”

“That was my plan as well.”

Havalde took a red pen and violently scratched out the words “Yellow Wild Birds” written in large letters on his notepad.

“Then I’ll take off early.”

“Please, allow me to show you the way out.”

“I know the way.”

“My lady? Don’t forget your hat.”

Barely five minutes after arriving at work, Kyla took off her hat with a satisfied smile and walked out of the store.

The warm sunlight felt like it was lighting her path forward.

‘Ha… I just acquired that item, and I’m already getting offers.’

She felt intoxicated by how brilliant she was. Her taste truly was impeccable.

However, that very evening—and the next night, and the one after that—she kept receiving messages, which made her start to get irritated despite her brilliant instincts.

“That damn Havalde…”

She was sure she told him not to bother her over the necklace again, and yet he kept sending her notes.

Figuring he’d keep sending them until she read one, Kyla opened the latest letter with a grimace.

[There’s someone who wishes to meet you in person. They say they’ll pay the price of an entire estate just to see the necklace.]

What the hell? Who in their right mind would pay that kind of money just to look at something?

‘Unless they plan to steal it, that is.’

She initially skimmed the note, not believing it.

But the moment she saw the name of the person requesting the meeting, her previously furrowed brow lifted in surprise.

“Rophelin?”

This wasn’t some wild bird—this was a big shot.