It was the day of Viola’s birthday.

Rachel had been busy getting ready since early morning.

Though all she did was sit while the maids attended to her, it still took a considerable amount of mental energy.

In the midst of her preparations, there was a knock at the door.

Rachel couldn’t open her eyes for fear of ruining her makeup, so she barely moved her lips to speak.

“Who is it?”

“My lady, Young Master Hestein has arrived.”

“Already?”

With her eyes closed, she had no idea how much time had passed.

“Show him to the reception room for now. I’ll be out as soon as I’m finished.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And could you finish up quickly? I can’t keep my guest waiting.”

“Yes, my lady.”

At Rachel’s request, the maids’ hands moved more busily.

While it was important to put effort into Rachel’s appearance, following her orders was equally important.

“We’ve completed everything, my lady.”

It didn’t take much longer to finish.

Rachel finally opened her eyes slowly and checked her appearance in the mirror.

Beyond the mirror, her beautifully adorned reflection was visible.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

After thanking the maids for their efforts, Rachel stood up.

Then she immediately headed to the reception room where Edward would be waiting.

When Rachel arrived at the reception room, a servant opened the door for her.

Edward, who had been looking down at the garden from the window, turned around at the sound of Rachel entering.

And then he froze.

“Did you wait long?”

Rachel asked Edward. But she received no answer from him.

“Edward?”

When Rachel called his name in confusion, Edward finally came to his senses.

He covered his flushed face with one hand and even turned his head to the side, afraid that Rachel might see his reddened face.

“…?”

Confused by Edward’s unexpected reaction, Rachel frowned and approached him.

“Edward?”

Rachel called Edward once more. This time, Edward belatedly turned to face her.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just… Today, Rachel, you look really… beautiful.”

Edward stammered as he spoke.

At Edward’s unexpected words, Rachel stared at him blankly for a moment.

Then, realizing a beat late what his reaction meant, she gave a light, amused smile.

“Thank you for saying that, Edward.”

“No. I mean it sincerely.”

Edward whispered affectionately to Rachel.

“You look handsome today too, Edward.”

“Thank you.”

Rachel, who had been watching Edward’s reactions with amusement, extended her hand to him first.

“We should go now. We’ll be late.”

“Yes, we should.”

Edward nodded as he gently took Rachel’s hand.

Rachel, escorted by Edward, came out to the mansion’s portico entrance.

The Hestein family carriage was already waiting there.

With Edward’s help, Rachel boarded the carriage without difficulty.

Only after Edward had also boarded did the carriage depart.

Throughout the journey to the Hestein estate, Edward kept stealing glances at Rachel. Though he tried his best to restrain himself, it wasn’t working out as he intended.

Rachel was aware that Edward was looking at her, but she didn’t particularly stop him.

Eventually, Edward had to fix his gaze out the window to stop himself from stealing glances at Rachel.

After riding in the carriage for quite some time, they finally arrived at the Hestein estate.

“Shall we go?”

Edward asked her in a gentle voice, his tone warm and inviting. Rachel responded with a nod and a genuine smile. With practiced grace, Edward escorted Rachel through the palace, guiding her with a light touch.

After walking the length of an ornate corridor, the two came to stand before the banquet hall entrance, where a servant awaited them. The servant greeted them with a respectful bow before turning to announce their arrival in a resonant, formal voice that carried throughout the hall.

“Young Master Edward Hestein and Lady Rachel Pluret!”

As they entered through the open doors, all eyes turned to them.

The great hall of the count’s mansion was already filled with many people.

Most were either from the same academy or acquaintances of Viola.

They were all familiar faces to Rachel, who had grown up with her.

Viola was in the center of the hall. Upon seeing Rachel enter, she waved happily in her direction.

“Thank you, Edward.”

“No problem. Go ahead.”

“All right.”

After saying goodbye to Edward, Rachel immediately approached Viola.

“Happy birthday, Viola.”

“Thank you so much for celebrating with me, Rachel.”

Seeing Viola’s happy, bright smile made Rachel feel good as well.

“Rachel, you look absolutely beautiful today!”

Viola exclaimed in admiration as she looked at Rachel.

“Do I?”

Rachel looked down at herself with a bashful feeling. She had certainly put in extra effort today.

Rachel smiled at the compliment and examined Viola’s appearance.

Perhaps because it was her birthday, Viola also looked cuter and more lovable than ever.

“You look cuter today too.”

“This girl? How old do you think I am to still be calling me cute?”

Viola burst into laughter.

As Rachel took in the sound of her laughter, she suddenly felt someone’s gaze and turned her head.

Not far away, Tervan was watching Rachel.

Rachel nodded slightly as a greeting. Tervan, after observing this, began to approach Rachel directly.

“You’re a bit late.”

Those were the first words Tervan said to Rachel.

“Getting ready took a little longer than expected.”

Tervan nodded in understanding.

Then he politely extended his hand to her.

“Then would you like to have the first dance with me tonight?”

Tervan abruptly asked her to dance.

Viola looked back and forth between Tervan and Rachel with her large eyes. Then her eyes sparkled with interest.

Rachel hesitated at Tervan’s invitation. She could dance if she wanted to, but Tervan’s attitude had been subtle these past few days.

“You don’t want to?”

When Rachel didn’t answer and just stared at him, Tervan made a disappointed expression.

“What’s the harm, Rachel? Go dance once. That’s what this ball is for.”

Viola whispered softly as she nudged Rachel with her elbow.

Viola was smiling with crescent-moon eyes, anticipating Rachel’s response.

Rachel let out a small laugh at the sight before nodding and placing her hand on Tervan’s.

“Gladly.”

When Rachel didn’t refuse, Tervan took her hand.

Then he slowly began to lead Rachel to the gentle melody of the orchestra.

The two danced without saying a word, just looking into each other’s eyes.

Unlike Rachel, who genuinely had nothing to say, Tervan had many things he wanted to tell her.

However, he couldn’t bring himself to speak up.

What right did he have to confess his feelings to Rachel?

Instead, Tervan quietly etched the moment of dancing with her into his memory.

“You look really beautiful today.”

After dancing for a while, Tervan whispered in Rachel’s ear.

“Thank you. You look handsome today too.”

Rachel reflexively complimented Tervan. Tervan stared intently into her green eyes, seemingly trying to determine whether her words were sincere.

Fortunately, Rachel didn’t avoid Tervan’s gaze.

“I wanted to escort you today.”

“I told you it wouldn’t work out today. I had already made plans with Edward.”

“Did anything happen on the way here?”

“What do you mean?”

“…Never mind.”

Rachel responded to Tervan’s words in a dry tone.

It was a voice completely devoid of emotion.

The more he conversed with her, the more Tervan felt his throat burning.

And he reflected on himself.

That’s how he used to be in the past.

Just like Rachel was doing now, he always answered her questions dryly.

Unlike the current Rachel, back then Tervan had no choice but to act that way because he wanted to keep his distance from her.

He thought that if he spoke coldly and bluntly, Rachel would eventually give up.

And indeed, whenever Tervan responded like that, Rachel wouldn’t say anything more to him.

Recalling those memories, Tervan deeply regretted his actions now.

Receiving such cold responses from someone was more cruel and painful than he had imagined.

It felt suffocating to attempt conversation with someone who was deliberately keeping their distance.

‘Did Rachel feel the same way I do now back then?’

Tervan suddenly wondered.

And if she had felt the same, he sincerely wanted to apologize to Rachel.

He wanted to tell her that he hadn’t intended to hurt her. That at the time, pushing her away was the best he could do.

But Tervan didn’t have the courage to mention this to Rachel.