At dawn, when blue darkness covered everything because the sun had not yet risen.

At a time when she would normally have been in deep sleep, someone was disturbing Eileen’s sound slumber.

“Miss Eileen!”

“Mary…… just 5 minutes……”

“If we’re going to prepare for the party, we’re already running short on time. So please wake up now!”

Seemingly accustomed to Eileen’s sleepy protests, Mary carefully pulled down the blanket that had been covering Eileen up to the top of her head.

“The party is at night anyway. I’ll sleep more.”

“Miss!”

However, Eileen pulled the blanket back up to the top of her head, as if she couldn’t hear Mary’s earnest voice.

“So that’s how you’re going to be?”

Mary bit her lip lightly and approached Eileen, who was still covered with the blanket.

“If you don’t get up now, I’ll tell the master and mistress that you’re having such a hard time getting up in the morning due to severe overwork. Then the master and mistress will surely……”

“I-I’m up.”

“Please go to the bathroom right away. Dorothy is waiting for you.”

Eileen, knowing that Mary not only talked but actually followed through with her actions, sighed and trudged to the bathroom.

“Whew, after the bath, we need to put on the dress right away, so I should prepare in advance……”

Although Mary felt sorry for waking her up much earlier than usual, she had no choice. Today was the day Eileen would show herself in Bereut’s social circles for the first time in five years.

“I, Mary, will do my best today!”

So she had to wake Eileen early by any means necessary and make her shine the brightest. After all, she was the only lady of the Bereut Empire.

With firm resolve, Mary immediately went to prepare the next items.

From the dress to wear today to the accessories.

After completing all preparations, Eileen arrived from her bath.

“Miss, I’ll start now.”

“Okay.”

When Eileen nodded, the preparations for the party began. Starting with the dress and ending with makeup. After finishing all preparations, the maids finally draped a shawl over her shoulders.

“Miss. You’re so beautiful!”

Mary and the other maids who had dressed Eileen exclaimed at her dazzling appearance.

A pale yellow dress with abundant frills and a cozy shawl with fluffy fur, considering the slightly cold weather.

It was an outfit that made Eileen’s beauty shine even more than ever before.

Mary smiled brightly as she made final adjustments to the outfit.

“Thank you, everyone. Well, I’ll be off.”

Eileen waved lightly to the maids who were smiling contentedly and boarded the carriage heading to the Benston family.

“……Come to think of it, Aaron’s eye color was purple too.”

Purple saintpaulia flowers were blooming through the white snow along the path to the Benston family. She would have found them quite beautiful under normal circumstances, but perhaps because of the suspicious letter she had recently received from Aaron, today they reminded her of Aaron and made her feel uneasy.

“But why? Why does Aaron want to meet me so badly?”

They surely had no connection. Yet Aaron kept sending letters to meet her, someone who didn’t even appear by name in the novel, and even went so far as to visit the Ceres family.

“I’m too scared to meet him now just to find out the reason……”

Seeing how persistent he was, he would surely not leave her alone.

When her thoughts reached that point, Eileen suddenly felt a chill and shuddered.

“Still, today is the day of the Rapid family’s party, which caused so many readers to develop second lead syndrome in the novel.”

The Benston family must be getting closer, as the scenery outside the window began to change gradually. Unlike the dark forest they had been traveling through until now, numerous lights leaked out, brightening the surroundings.

“I’m going to the Benston family’s party held on the same day, at the same time, so I won’t run into Aaron today either!”

Once her thoughts were organized, her mind felt much lighter. Eileen answered the coachman’s announcement of arrival and slowly got out of the carriage.

“Welcome, Lady Eileen!”

“Thank you for inviting me, Count Hugo.”

Eileen gave a light greeting to Count Hugo who welcomed her.

“By the way, today is truly a lucky day!”

“Did something happen?”

When Count Hugo burst into hearty laughter, Eileen tilted her head curiously.

“Not only Lady Eileen but even Duke Aaron has graced my party with his presence!”

“What? If you mean Duke Aaron……”

“Of course, Duke Aaron de Monston of the Monston ducal family!”

Although Count Hugo kept talking excitedly, Eileen couldn’t hear anything.

‘Why Aaron?’

The unbelievable fact made Eileen’s mouth go dry.

“……Count, you must be mistaken.”

“I also received a rejection at first. But a few days ago, he sent another letter saying he would attend the party. I’m truly grateful.”

Eileen tried to deny reality, but Count Hugo’s voice was resolute without the slightest hesitation.

“Ah….. I see.”

Seeing this, Eileen forced a smile and said.

“Count, please excuse me for a moment.”

If, indeed, Aaron had attended this party ignoring the novel’s plot, she needed to avoid him at all costs.

He surely won’t leave me alone.

Having reached a quick conclusion, Eileen slowly backed away to escape from this place as soon as possible.

“Excuse me, are you Lady Eileen of the Ceres ducal family?”

At that moment, someone addressed her.

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

Just one step forward, just one step remained.

Eileen frowned so deeply that wrinkles formed between her eyebrows at the sudden obstacle.

“I knew it! Lady, you’re as beautiful now as you were five years ago! Oh, I’m late with my introduction. I am Viscount Ante de Veroni!”

“Haha. Thank you.”

If there was one complaint in her life, it was her unwanted appearance. She could easily understand that in a world of novels, both men and women had above-average looks.

‘Making me unnecessarily stand out!’

But her skin as white and fair as snow, her golden hair where sunlight seemed to melt, and her green eyes where verdure dwelled were too luxurious features for a mere extra.

‘I think I’ll have to spread rumors in social circles that I’m having a secret romance.’

Eileen chewed the inside of her cheek and secretly made a small plan.

“Haha, what do you think? My son is here too, would you like to meet him?”

Eileen was letting the viscount’s words go in one ear and out the other, wondering how she could naturally escape from this place.

“Excuse me, are you Lady Eileen Lia de Ceres?”

A low voice flowed between the two people.

“I’m sorry, but the lady is currently conversing with me.”

How rude at this crucial moment.

Viscount Ante lightly clicked his tongue before raising his head to see the face of the uninvited guest who had interrupted the conversation.

He was planning to give the person a piece of his mind if they were from an insignificant family.

“……Huh?”

However, when the uninvited guest’s face came into Viscount Ante’s view, his eyes grew larger and larger until he eventually turned pale.

“D-Duke Aaron?”

The viscount wasn’t the only one surprised. The name Aaron, clearly engraved in her ears, instilled fear in Eileen.

Though it was already too late, Eileen bowed her head deeply to hide her face.

“Good to see you, Viscount Ante.”

Aaron nodded lightly and then gave a cold look to Eileen, who was trembling while keeping her head deeply bowed next to the viscount.

“……!”

She needed to escape quickly.

Aaron would surely not leave her alone.

The piercing gaze fixed on her head told her everything.

So her only way out was to run.

“To see Duke Aaron here is truly an honor! I heard you recently visited Fresher, did you have a pleasant time?”

“It was a somewhat meaningful journey.”

Eileen bit her lip repeatedly as she slowly backed away one step at a time, unnoticed by the two people engaged in conversation.

“Haha! Is that so? Ah, since we’ve met like this, it’s a connection……”

“A connection.”

A bland smile escaped from Aaron’s lips.

He didn’t want to waste precious time on nobles who attached the name “connection” to insignificant things.

The sole purpose of coming here today was one thing.

“Please stop.”

“Ugh……”

“Where are you trying to go?”

To meet the haughty Lady Eileen of the Ceres family, who kept avoiding him like a loach, citing all sorts of reasons.

Aaron sent a warning voice to Eileen, who was slowly backing away.

“After avoiding me with ridiculous excuses every time, are you planning to run away without a word today?”

Perhaps it was because of Aaron’s voice, which was not just cold but dripping with frost.

“Well……”

Beads of cold sweat formed on Eileen’s forehead despite the weather not being hot. She wanted to escape this situation quickly, but there was no other way.

“I-I wasn’t avoiding you, as written in the letter, I really went to Enbeten for personal business. And today too, it’s not running away but……”

Eventually, Eileen mumbled in an inaudible voice with her head bowed deeply.

“Please show me your face, Lady Eileen.”

Although her deeply bowed posture looked pitiful, Aaron didn’t change his expression one bit.

“……I hate to.”

“Ah, do I need to take a number and wait in line to see that precious face of yours?”

Aaron sneered as he walked forward slowly.

“Or should I kneel down and beg, offering money, just to see your face once?”

Aaron reached out his hand to cup Eileen’s cheek and forcibly made her face him.

“Hmm……?”

The face forcibly lifted by his strength was too familiar to be a first meeting.

“Lemon tart?”

Green eyes like tender leaves full of morning dew, and cheeks with a light pink hue like peaches.

When such a familiar face came into view, Aaron tilted his head askew.

“Lemon tart……?”

Eileen, who had been trying hard to avoid his gaze while engulfed in fear, slightly rolled her eyes at the familiar words she heard.

“…… Annoying silver hair?”

The gazes that met held the terrible ill fate that had begun in Fresher.

No way!

Eileen’s tightly closed lips began to part gradually.

“Th-then you are Duke Aaron de Monston?”

Of all people! To think that the annoying silver-haired man was Aaron.

She shook her head several times in disbelief, but the man in front of her didn’t disappear.

“Ha. So……”

Unlike the flustered Eileen, Aaron’s face contorted with rising irritation.

To think that the person who had left him with an unpleasant feeling in Fresher and the one who had been interfering with his business were the same person.

The anger that had been suppressed all this time began to creep in.