Cesar hadn’t been completely idle in his search for a companion. Whenever his condition improved, he occasionally attended noble banquets and matchmaking events. 

From the most celebrated beauties in the empire to daughters of wealthy families, he had met practically every noble young lady, yet he never found a companion, only experiencing profound exhaustion. Today would likely be no different.

Cesar placed his hand over his heart, feeling the faint beating against his palm. 

‘Not much time left.’ 

Ryuel from the Cruce family, who had served the Velius household for generations researching the curse, had said Cesar wouldn’t last even half a year, but he was wrong. 

Cesar knew his own body best and instinctively felt his remaining time was very short. A week? 

Perhaps even less than that. Instead of holding banquets and gathering villagers to find a companion, it would be far more beneficial to consider how to fill the soon-to-be-vacant heir position.

‘Well, it’s not my concern anyway.’ 

He felt no family love or sense of responsibility, as he had never received such things himself. If a person’s heart could be compared to land, Cesar’s heart was a parched earth that had never known rain. 

He had never experienced refreshing emotions like gentle rain or the exhilarating feeling of something blossoming within him. Family and lineage were merely like sculptures that had always been there since his birth.

‘I should at least pretend,’ Cesar thought, though he lacked the strength to defy Teresa. 

After watching people excitedly conversing at the banquet, he turned away and left the room to prepare for the upcoming blackout. He had a feeling it would be a long night.

* * *

Lesia’s eyes widened when she saw the person who stepped onto the stage. The moment they appeared, the noisy surroundings instantly fell silent. Even to strangers, their appearance and aura were extraordinary.

“I extend my gratitude to all residents of the Grand Duke’s territory who have attended today.”

A voice neither high nor low, yet full of dignity, carried on the wind throughout the banquet hall. Seeing this person, Lesia unconsciously murmured, “Amazing…”

With silky black hair reaching her waist, snow-white skin, red eyes, and equally red lips, the woman was beautiful enough to instantly capture young Lesia’s attention. Her black satin dress revealed a perfectly curved figure without an ounce of excess fat. She exuded nobility and elegance.

Lesia wasn’t the only one who felt this way; all the Flora Village people stared at the woman, seemingly enchanted. 

Someone whispered, “That’s the Grand Duke of Velius…”

Lesia was startled by these words. Throughout the journey here, she had vaguely imagined the “Grand Duke of Velius” to be someone enormous and frightening, given they wielded power greater than the emperor. She never expected such a beautiful and elegant person.

While Lesia was staring in awe, she suddenly made eye contact with the Grand Duke. When Lesia flinched and raised her shoulders in surprise, the Grand Duke smiled. Her smile was even more beautiful, making Lesia’s face turn red.

At that moment, Lesia felt someone firmly grasp her hand. Turning in confusion, she found it was Grandma Lulu. 

Without taking her eyes off the Grand Duke, Grandma Lulu said to Lesia, “Lesia, you must never become entangled with that person.”

Not understanding this sudden warning, Lesia simply stared back. Grandma Lulu turned to look at her, and for some reason, her expression seemed profoundly sad. Seeing Grandma Lulu make such an expression for the first time, Lesia gazed at her blankly. 

Grandma Lulu stroked Lesia’s white hair, tied in two braids, and murmured, “Remember what I told you? About the curse of the Velius Grand Duke family.”

When Lesia nodded, Grandma Lulu’s expression suddenly became stern. 

“Lesia, the truth is that there’s another terrifying story hidden behind that curse.”

Grandma Lulu brought her lips close to Lesia’s ear.

Bang! Bang!

Just then, fireworks exploded, painting the sky. Colorful lights seeped into Lesia’s white face. Behind this breathtakingly beautiful scene, Grandma Lulu’s voice flowed into her ears.

“The Grand Duke of Velius destroys everything belonging to the person who becomes their companion. To prevent the companion from escaping anywhere.”

“…”

“They completely isolate them, ultimately binding them to the Grand Duke’s family. So you must never, ever become entangled with anyone from the Velius Grand Duke family. Do you understand, Lesia?”

These words were difficult for ten-year-old Lesia to fully comprehend, but instinctively she knew they were frightening. At the same time, a question suddenly arose in her mind. According to Grandma Lulu, the Velius Grand Duke family was very secretive and mysterious. 

How did Grandma Lulu know so much about their affairs?

She wanted to ask, but the banquet had begun, and the surrounding noise made communication difficult. 

‘I’ll ask when we return home,’ she thought. Perhaps she would learn yet another secret.

With this thought, Lesia turned her attention to the temporary stage. The Grand Duke had already descended, and a band was now playing music to signal the start of the banquet. Looking closely, Lesia realized they were the traveling musicians she had seen in the central square.

Strange instruments she couldn’t even name each produced their own sounds, creating beautiful melodies. Servants moved busily, placing delicious food and colorful wine glasses on each table. Food and wine glasses were also placed on the Flora Village table. Of course, in front of Lesia, they placed grape juice disguised as wine.

“Thank you, pretty sister,” Lesia said with a small bow. The maid looked surprised, then winked before moving on.

“Lesia, don’t drink too much. You might get a stomachache,” Juliana cautioned quietly from beside her.

Lesia nodded and took just one sip of the grape juice. The next moment, her eyes flew open. 

‘Delicious!!’

In fact, this was the first time Lesia had ever tasted juice. Most of the village residents were middle-aged or older, and Juliana was strict about Lesia’s health, so they never brought juice into their home. Lesia, who had vaguely thought of juice as ‘sweet-tasting water,’ was captivated by the much richer fruit flavor and sipped it eagerly.

Seeing Lesia like this, Juliana was about to stop her when Grandma Lulu quietly shook her head. 

“When will she experience an event like this again? Let her enjoy just for today.”

At Grandma Lulu’s discreet words, Juliana’s restraining hand lowered. She straightened her posture with a deep sigh of surrender. Lesia, who had been secretly watching Juliana’s reaction, brightened up.

From then on, Lesia drank the grape juice freely without worrying about being scolded. She also ate plenty of delicious desserts like cakes and macarons, enough to make her head spin. Lesia truly felt like she was dreaming. No, dreams couldn’t convey taste, so she was experiencing something even more wonderful than a dream.

As the banquet reached its peak, the band suddenly changed its music. An elegant yet somehow lively melody filled the air. It was a waltz. People stood up eagerly, climbed onto the stage, paired off, and began to dance.

“Grandma Lulu!”

The moment she saw this fairy-tale-like scene, Lesia turned to Grandma Lulu. Instead of answering, Grandma Lulu simply nodded. Lesia turned back to watch the dancers with enchanted eyes.

‘It’s real… it’s really real.’

Beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen paired up to dance the waltz. It perfectly matched the scenes from Grandma Lulu’s stories. Of course, being commoners, they weren’t wearing elaborate, luxurious clothes, but to Lesia’s eyes, they sparkled and shone brilliantly enough.

When one round ended, the dancers left the stage, and others climbed up to prepare for their turn. Among them were some Flora Village residents. Seeing familiar faces, Lesia’s head filled with both exclamation and question marks. 

Were they allowed to go up on the stage too?

Just then, the maid who had given Lesia the grape juice approached and spoke to her. 

“How about you go up and dance too, little miss?”

When Lesia looked up in surprise, the maid smiled brightly. 

“Ah, this child…” 

Juliana tried to intervene, but Lesia had already nodded vigorously.

“I want to dance!”

Normally, Lesia would have checked Juliana’s reaction before answering, but excited by the thought of being part of this dreamlike scene, she couldn’t contain herself. Juliana immediately gave Lesia a warning look, but Lesia didn’t notice.

The maid extended her hand toward Lesia. 

“I’ll guide you to the stage.”

Faced with the white-gloved hand, Lesia’s reason finally returned somewhat. 

She looked at Juliana with wavering eyes, and Juliana touched her forehead, saying with a sigh, “Just for a little while. Don’t wander off alone. Make sure to stay close to our village people. Understood?”

With permission granted, Lesia’s cheeks puffed up with joy. 

“Yes!!”

She answered emphatically, took the maid’s hand, and climbed onto the stage. When Lesia stood in the center, people naturally made way for her. But once she was up there, Lesia found herself in a predicament. She had no partner.

Even the Flora Village people were so engrossed in dancing that they didn’t notice Lesia had come up. Left alone among the tall adults, Lesia quickly became embarrassed and wanted to leave the stage. 

But with people moving around, even that wasn’t easy. Suddenly isolated among the dancers, Lesia’s expression turned forlorn.

Was it wrong to try wearing clothes that didn’t fit? 

While Lesia stood helplessly, unable to move in any direction, someone suddenly approached through the crowd and extended a hand to her.