Brother Rubert stiffened his body in surprise when he saw Bershua and Leila attending the coming-of-age ceremony.

I nudged his side slightly, signaling him to snap out of it.

As we entered the banquet hall, many people approached us with smiles.

“Oh, it’s Lady Rowenloa and Lord Rubert. I heard you received direct invitations from His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Despite your young age, you’ve been recognized for your abilities by His Majesty the Emperor. Lady Masipacius, you must be familiar with the imperial palace by now.”

“I heard you’re acquainted with His Highness the Crown Prince? Also, I heard that Lord Rubert will be taking on a new business venture with the marquis.”

Rubert and I were too busy responding to each comment from the people crowding around us to pay attention to Bershua and Leila.

Just as my face was about to cramp from smiling too much, I heard murmurs among the people, and then a familiar face appeared from the crowd.

It was Young Duke Posilia.

“It’s been a long time.”

Young Duke Posilia knelt on one knee in front of me and carefully kissed the back of my hand.

Envious sighs mixed in from the surroundings.

“Could it be… those two, Lady Masipacius and Young Duke Posilia… are they in that kind of relationship?”

“Come on, surely not. Lady Rowenloa hasn’t even made her debut in society yet.”

Surprised by his sudden action, I could only blink my eyes and stare at Young Duke Posilia, while Brother Rubert, standing beside me, seemed to gaze intently at me and the young duke before clearing his throat with a “ahem” sound to draw the young duke’s attention to himself.

“It’s been a long time, Young Duke Posilia.”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

As Young Duke Posilia and Brother Rubert were conversing, Bershua and Leila suddenly appeared from somewhere.

“Sister, you’re here!”

I almost frowned at Leila who suddenly called out to me, but then realized there were many nobles watching us, so I raised the corners of my mouth again.

“Lady Leila. I was worried since I couldn’t see you at the house recently, but here we meet.”

“When I heard that sister would be attending His Highness the Crown Prince’s coming-of-age ceremony, I wanted to attend with you, so Brother Bershua looked into various things for me. I became so busy because of that… hehe.”

“I see. Well, I hope you enjoy the banquet, Lady Leila.”

Bershua frowned as he listened to the conversation between us.

That was because our conversation was strange enough to make anyone tilt their head.

Leila calling me in a familiar way and my tone putting up a wall against her was enough to stimulate people’s curiosity.

The noble ladies peeking at us while covering their mouths with fans seemed to prove that my current thoughts were not wrong.

“Brother, if we were going to meet like this, you could have given me a hint.”

“You must be busy. I couldn’t relay the message because there was no time to see your face. I was also busy preparing since I received the invitation not long ago.”

As soon as Bershua finished speaking, Veltune Crescent with his tall stature appeared behind him.

Bershua and Leila looked at Veltune with triumphant expressions.

“Lord Veltune Crescent sent us invitations!”

At Leila’s words, Veltune smiled and bowed to me and Rubert.

“I am Veltune Crescent. I’ve heard a lot about you through Lady Leila and Lord Bershua.”

Veltune looked at me, Brother Rubert, and Young Duke Posilia.

After his greeting, we also politely greeted him.

“I didn’t know Young Duke Posilia would be here too!”

After Veltune’s introduction, Leila immediately turned her attention to the young duke standing next to me.

Naturally, Veltune’s gaze also turned toward Young Duke Posilia.

“…Yes. I also didn’t know Lady Leila would be attending the coming-of-age ceremony.”

Veltune’s gaze on the young duke was piercing.

Seeing his eyes, I could roughly understand how this situation had come about.

Just as we were engaging in meaningless conversation, there seemed to be a commotion near the entrance, and then the emperor and crown prince appeared.

All the nobles bowed to them.

We were no exception.

As I lifted the hem of my dress to show respect, I noticed the expression of Veltune standing nearby.

His eyes were fixed on the crown prince.

Then he gritted his teeth once.

His expression was like someone who had something stolen from him.

“Everyone, thank you for attending my son’s coming-of-age ceremony. I hope you enjoy this time.”

The emperor said those words and then led the crown prince to the ornately decorated chairs placed on the platform, gesturing to his aide.

Instantly, the banquet hall was filled with beautiful music.

As the banquet hall filled with music, people began to drink and engage in their own conversations, or started dancing in the center of the hall.

Having never been invited to such places in my previous life, I found this atmosphere very uncomfortable and awkward, so I decided to quietly slip into a corner, considering my mere attendance at this coming-of-age ceremony as meaningful enough.

Brother Rubert seemed quite accustomed to such gatherings.

He skillfully employed the nobles’ way of speaking while responding to people, but occasionally approached me sipping my drink in the corner to check on me.

And Young Duke Posilia did the same.

When other noble ladies approached Young Duke Posilia asking him to dance with them, he would glance in my direction for some reason and then shake his head to indicate refusal.

…Didn’t the young duke have something going on with Leila?

I clearly thought that since Leila had let Young Duke Posilia hear our conversation last time, he wouldn’t be interested in me at this coming-of-age ceremony.

As the atmosphere of the ceremony was reaching its peak, the crown prince rose from his seat and descended from the platform.

People seemed not to pay much attention to the crown prince as they continued their activities, but they began to act as if they were conscious of him walking around the hall after descending from the platform.

For example, the ladies suddenly started talking about their daughters, all claiming how exceptional their daughters were.

Not to be outdone, the heads of families boasted about what businesses they were running and how much profit those businesses had brought to the imperial palace.

But the crown prince, as if not caring about any of this, merely exchanged simple greetings with the nobles while continuing to roll his eyes as if looking for something.

Feeling suffocated just watching this, I put down the drink I was having and headed to the terrace through a nearby window.

Taking in the cool night air deeply, I felt my stifling feelings easing a bit.

Ah, I need to clear up the misunderstanding with Young Duke Posilia soon.

I feel somewhat lethargic today.

As I was blankly staring at the stars scattered across the night sky, someone gently tapped my shoulder from behind.

Startled, I turned around to find Young Duke Posilia offering me a drink.

As I took the glass, the young duke came beside me and clinked his glass against mine.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while. You suddenly disappeared from the hall.”

Hearing his words, I gave an embarrassed laugh.

“It’s my first time coming to such a place without Father.”

“For that matter, Lady Leila seems to be skillfully handling people.”

I shrugged at his words and fixed my gaze back on the night sky.

“I suppose I don’t have the same personality as Lady Leila.”

Young Duke Posilia burst into laughter at my words.

“Lady Leila’s personality is certainly good for gaining people’s favor, but do you know that it’s also a personality that makes it easy for others to take advantage of her?”

At that question, I shifted my gaze from the night sky to him.

I had clearly expected him to praise Leila.

“Because her desperation is visible. That desperate desire to be loved by people might appear positive, but it doesn’t always look good to everyone.”

Even after he finished speaking, I continued to stare at the young duke without saying anything.

Had he come out to clear up the misunderstanding with me, or to talk about the end of our relationship?

“Lady Leila told me. That you hate me, Lady Rowenloa.”

He opened his mouth again, but I didn’t answer and just sipped the drink he had given me.

“I also heard directly that you don’t like me. Lady Leila was sharing the situation with me through a communication stone.”

Still, I said nothing.

No, I couldn’t say anything.

Because what he said wasn’t wrong.

“And she told me. That she would make you like me. She said that if you saw us getting along well, you would feel insecure and approach me.”

Hearing those words, my mind began to race.

In my previous life, Young Duke Posilia, who had been interested in me, turned to Leila after hearing my rejection.

I thought that Leila had comforted the young duke who had been rejected by me, and that’s how their mutual interest began.

But what if that wasn’t the case?

What if it was all Leila’s scheme?

“So, I pondered for a long time. What I should do.”

Young Duke Posilia continued speaking.

“Lady Rowenloa. I……”

Creak—

Just as Young Duke Posilia was about to speak, the window suddenly opened, and an unexpected figure appeared before us.

“Your Highness the… Crown Prince?”