Julia sat quietly on the sofa in the unfamiliar drawing room and waited.

True to its reputation as a marquis’s residence in the capital, the interior was grand, and the opulence drew a silent admiration from her.

Fragrant tea and an assortment of refreshments arrived shortly, but she was too nervous to reach for any of it, and sat with her back perfectly straight.

The drawing room was decorated to flaunt the glory and wealth of the Rodev family: costly masterworks and sculptures, and a softly glowing crystal chandelier overhead.

Sitting alone, the passing time felt unusually slow.

By the time the warmth in the teacup had nearly faded entirely, rough and hurried footsteps sounded from beyond the door, and the drawing room door swung open.

“Oh, you were here! I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

A young man stepped in with an easy smile, long legs carrying him forward in wide strides.

By age he was still a boy, yet his height and build were those of a grown man.

He had the dark brown hair and brown eyes of both marquis and marchioness of Rodev, common coloring in the capital, but his features were well-formed in the manner of nobility, the kind of face anyone would find agreeable.

“Hm?”

Henry looked Julia over, blinked in what seemed like a brief surprise, then smoothly composed his expression and dropped into the seat across from her.

The instant he sat down, a strange and foul odor hit her, and Julia wrinkled her nose before she could stop herself.

She wanted to cover it, but since it was their first meeting, she quietly suppressed her breathing and held her posture.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Henry Rodev.”

Henry readily extended his hand.

‘A handshake? Is that how one greets someone for the first time?’

Among nobles, greetings typically involved exchanging formal bows.

But perhaps things were done differently in the capital?

Julia, raised in the countryside, couldn’t be certain of anything and felt unsure.

Propriety demanded she follow his lead, but after that foul smell, she honestly had no desire to touch his hand.

“Are you perhaps not pleased to meet me?”

“Oh, no.”

Just as a reluctant Julia began to extend her hand with some hesitation, Henry moved with surprising fluidity and caught her fingertips, pressing his lips to the back of her hand.

It was so smooth and practiced that she was left momentarily speechless.

Only after the soft touch withdrew did Julia belatedly register what had just happened.

It was an unfamiliar and intimate contact she never experienced before.

‘Ugh….’

It was improper and vulgar.

Yet her body reacted on its own.

Heat rushed to Julia’s cheeks, and her heart pounded loudly with flustered surprise.

Henry took that as a positive sign and smiled with satisfaction.

“You’re as beautiful as I heard, Lady Julia.”

Henry grinned and gave a wink, and Julia, not knowing what to do, looked away in embarrassment.

“A little young-looking still, but I look forward to what’s to come.”

There were only two years between them, yet the difference in build was so great that it felt like facing a grown man.

Perhaps because of that.

For Julia, who had no experience with the opposite s*x, it felt all the more foreign and awkward.

It was almost frightening, like encountering an unknown creature.

“Since we’ve finally met like this, we should get to know each other little by little, shouldn’t we?”

At a light gesture from Henry, a servant came back in and brought warm black tea.

Henry tilted his teacup elegantly as steam curled from it, and murmured languidly.

“Haah…, I finally feel like I can breathe. I was rather busy all night. Couldn’t think straight at all.”

Julia blinked at the grumbling remark and took a proper look at Henry’s state.

His hair was somewhat sloppily arranged, and his shirt buttons were undone, whether deliberately or not.

Setting aside the foul smell coming off him, he looked exactly like someone who had just crawled out of bed and rushed down in a hurry.

‘…Surely not. The sun is high in the sky.’

He was someone who reportedly dreamed of becoming a royal guard knight. Wouldn’t he have been up since morning, training hard to condition his body?

She had heard that capital knights, especially royal guards, were expected to be upright in conduct and exemplary in their way of life.

So it must absolutely be her imagination, Julia told herself, and was just bringing her teacup to her lips when a commotion sounded in the corridor outside the drawing room, and the door swung open again as an unfamiliar woman came rushing in.

Her makeup ruined and her long hair disheveled and flying loose, the woman went straight to Henry without a moment’s hesitation, draped her arms naturally around his neck, pressed her lips to his as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and smiled.

“Darling, that was fun. I’ll be going now. See you again sometime?”

A woman in a careless state of dress, trailing a thick mix of heavy perfume and stale, damp odor.

With her décolletage deeply exposed, she threw Julia a grinding, arrogant smile like a victor, then vanished like a storm.

Julia understood in an instant the source of the foul smell that had been turning her stomach.

He spent the night with a woman like that.

He had probably just woken up, and being so busy all night meant he was busy producing that terrible stench.

‘So there was smoke for a reason….’

It was not a baseless rumor.

The reputation of Henry Rodev, known as a proper scoundrel, was entirely accurate.

Julia set down her teacup and held her breath, her expression hardening. Henry glanced at her, sat blankly for a moment with an awkward look, then gave a bitter smile and shrugged.

His manner said: I’ve been caught, nothing to be done about it.

“You’ll be generous enough to overlook this, won’t you? I was a free man until just yesterday, after all.”

Julia’s brow furrowed slightly.

‘A free man?’

A silent laugh rose inside her.

Because it was absolutely not true.

She wanted to point out that the engagement between their two families was finalized not yesterday or the day before, but a full fortnight ago.

But looking at Henry’s bleary state and his attitude that showed no will to even address the situation, it was clear that saying anything would only waste her breath. Still, shouldn’t she say something sharp and set the record straight right here?

“Lord Rodev seems quite free-spirited and uninhibited.”

“Ha ha, it’s just my nature. Please be kind about it.”

The shameless reply left Julia at a loss for words, and she responded only with a silence that had gone cold.

Looking at that brazen face made her feel deeply nauseated, as though something was stuck in her chest.

***

After that worst of first meetings, the official introduction with both families present took place a few days later.

At the formal meeting, a few minor details were worked out once more.

Not long after, the Rodev Marquisate held a grand banquet at their capital residence.

Before an assembly of the capital’s prominent nobles, it was publicly announced that Henry, the sole heir of the Rodev family, and Julia of the Wilroy County were engaged.

That day, Henry, grown tall and impressive, and Julia, beautifully adorned in jewels and silk, stood side by side at the entrance to the banquet hall and were required to present themselves as a harmonious pair.

They exchanged pleasantries with the stream of distinguished guests pouring in, wearing smooth, mask-like smiles.

“What a wonderful match the two families have made. Congratulations.”

“The Rodev family must feel very secure about the future now. What a splendid and beautiful union.”

“Lady Wilroy is said to be a remarkable talent, and Lord Rodev is handsome and distinguished wherever he goes. Truly a fine pair.”

Every time the uninformed guests’ well-wishes and admiring praise washed over her like waves, Julia wanted to flee.

But the reality was that she had to hold her smile until her lips nearly cramped.

“It’s so wonderful that everyone is celebrating.”

“What a joyous occasion indeed.”

Marquis and Marchioness Rodev looked on with satisfaction at Julia’s flawless conduct, while Count and Countess Wilroy, their faces full of smiles from the relief and joy of having finally saved their son, kept busy heaping praise on Henry, their future son-in-law.

Marquis and Marchioness Rodev, in turn, were equally occupied returning the compliments and singing Julia’s praises.

With only the parents of both families in harmony, Julia wished again and again for this time to pass as quickly as possible.

“My dear fiancée? Brighten up. Your eyes aren’t smiling. Surely you must be very happy today?”

“…Yes.”

She was.

She was supposed to be happy.

She was engaged to a family of higher standing, and her brother Vincent was freed from his illness along with it.

But that was the family’s perspective, and nothing more.

This engagement was a political arrangement agreed upon by both houses, and in truth, it was a desperate transaction achieved through the Wilroy County clinging to the Rodev Marquisate, pleading and begging.

Julia recalled the day the engagement was finalized, her eyes dark and sunken.

***

For the sake of Vincent, who had been sickly since birth, the Wilroy County relocated to Pearl Springs, the open-air hot spring resort.

Julia, who had no particular business of her own, simply followed her parents and moved into the small house there.

Her mother, consumed with caregiving. Her father, worrying over Vincent while keeping busy searching for a cure.

In the midst of all that, Julia, physically healthy and full of energy, was always alone.

She was surrounded by nursemaids and servants, but they too put Vincent, the heir of the Wilroy County, first, and whenever a frequent seizure or fever struck, Julia was pushed to the back.

Left largely to her own devices, Julia had to spend her time alone, and while exploring here and there, she met Lou by chance, spent time together and grew close, then parted abruptly.

After Lou disappeared, the days that followed were hollow and empty, like a hole punched through the center of her chest.

To fill the gap, Julia threw herself into anything and everything.

Studying, foreign languages, instruments, painting, embroidery. She came to learn them all in her effort to fill the emptiness somehow.

As the years piled up, Vincent’s condition showed no improvement and only worsened day by day, until one day Count and Countess Wilroy set out for the southern region with only Julia in tow.

It was a taxing carriage journey for young Julia.

Days of riding all day, stopping at a post station to sleep, then climbing back into the carriage.

After what felt like an endless long-distance journey, a weary Julia sat in the carriage staring blankly at the unfamiliar scenery passing outside the window.

“We’ll arrive soon.”

Her mother’s voice, Countess Willloy, pulled Julia back from the reverie she had drifted into.

She looked up, and the sky wore a heavy frown, draped with thick grey clouds.

She personally disliked overcast days.

But her childhood playmate, Lou, who was sensitive to sunlight, loved to take walks on cloudy days.

A fragment of memory surfaced: following along as a small child, holding that warm hand. Something in her chest softened quietly, and the dark clouds no longer seemed so unpleasant.

“There, you can see Rodev castle.”

At Count Willloy’s words, Julia’s gaze traveled to the grand fortress visible in the distance.

“Tidy yourself up a little before we arrive.”

Held in place by the maid in the back seat, Julia had her hair carefully arranged and her clothes straightened.

In the meantime, the carriage finally entered the grounds of Rodev castle at the end of its long journey.