“Why are there so many invitations?”

Eileen twirled the pen she was holding, trying to distinguish between invitations she shouldn’t attend and those she could. However, due to the sheer volume, she made little progress and only grew hungry.

“Let’s just go anywhere except the places mentioned in the book.”

Eileen rang the small bell placed on the desk, and a few minutes later, with a short knock, the firmly closed door opened.

“Did you call, Miss?”

“Mary, could you prepare a simple refreshment table?”

“Miss, the weather is nice today. How about enjoying tea time in the garden?”

Mary shared her opinion with a bright smile.

“Good idea! Please do, Mary.”

“Yes, Miss! Take your time coming out!”

Eileen put the pen and paper in the drawer and slowly made her way to the garden.

“Miss, have some lemon tart! I baked it with care for you.”

“Thank you, Mary.”

“Once you taste this, you won’t even think about the lemon tarts sold in Fresher!”

Mary’s words, delivered like a light joke while setting up desserts on the table, brought back the nightmarish encounter with Aaron that had become blurry.

“Miss. May I take Mary away for a moment? There’s an urgent matter.”

The head maid approached with hurried steps and slightly bowed to Eileen.

“Ah, sure…… I’ll be fine. Mary, go.”

“Then, Miss. Excuse us.”

Upon Eileen’s answer, the head maid and Mary bowed their heads and slowly retreated.

After watching their backs for a moment, Eileen let out a short sigh and turned her gaze.

“The lemon tart is innocent.”

Eileen picked up a fork, cut the lemon tart into bite-sized pieces, and brought it to her mouth.

“But thinking about it again makes me annoyed.”

Despite the tangy lemon cream filling her mouth, Eileen’s mood was not just heavy but mired in mud.

“How unlucky. Of all people, that irritating silver-haired Aaron de Monston.”

Her head throbbed painfully, like the fever she had suffered for days had relapsed, and a groan involuntarily escaped her.

“No matter what, why does he act that way toward me while pretending to be polite in front of others?”

Thinking about it again, there was no reason for her to hear such insulting words like she only cared about food or was ignorant.

“Now I can’t even enjoy the lemon tart.”

The more the tangy taste of lemon spread, the clearer Aaron’s face and the words he had spewed became, causing Eileen to put down the fork she was holding.

“……Well, would anything change just because I got entangled with Aaron in that way?”

Considering Mary’s effort and thinking she wouldn’t get involved with Aaron anymore, Eileen picked up the fork again. She then cut the lemon tart into bite-sized pieces while trying to rationalize.

“Anyway, I’m just an extra like air, right? The sub-male lead will follow the novel’s plot, which has nothing to do with me!”

Contrary to her wish to continue living peacefully like air, being an extra1…

“Ah, Miss, something terrible has happened!!”

Reality was cold and brutal.

* * *

“You’ve been avoiding me nicely whenever I wanted to meet you.”

Tap tap tap.

The leisurely fingers dancing on the table like pressing piano keys seemed to flaunt their superiority.

“Then why did you suddenly send a letter saying you wanted to meet me?”

With a languid voice, the tapping fingers also came to an end. Aaron buried himself deep in the sofa and crossed his long legs.

“The reason I came here, Duke Aaron, I think you know better than anyone else.”

Each word, calmly spat out one by one, was filled with anger.

How on earth did he find out?

She tried to clench her fist to hold back tears, but no strength came to her hand.

“Hmm? I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about, Lady Eileen.”

Aaron shrugged and slowly reached for the teacup. His leisurely actions gradually tightened around Eileen’s throat.

“……The theater.”

Eileen’s voice, barely managing to speak, was a bit hoarse, unlike usual.

“The theater. What on earth are you talking about?”

“I will pay Count Brooks’s debt instead, so please return the theater.”

Eileen gulped down the tea to soothe her increasingly hoarse throat. Whether due to the hot sensation traveling down her esophagus or her pounding heart, her throat kept stinging.

“I refuse.”

“What?”

“You know well, Lady Eileen, that I also have a lot of money.”

Aaron took a sip of coffee and put down the cup with a click.

“……Do you really have to go this far?”

Eileen’s hands gripping the teacup tightened, creating a clattering noise.

“Why are you interfering? Count Brooks is the one who handed over the theater when I offered to cancel all his debts in exchange for it.”

Unlike Eileen, who sat with her back straight, Aaron crossed his long legs and wiggled his toes.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You forcibly took the theater’s ownership, didn’t you?”

“Do you have evidence that I forcibly took it?”

The purple eyes looking down at her languidly were eerily bizarre.

“Evidence.”

She knew he would respond this way, but the word that actually came out of Aaron’s mouth was utterly ridiculous.

“Duke Aaron, you bought up all the bonds issued to Count Brooks and then said they had to be repaid within two days, adding this:”

Eileen said, containing the laughter that leaked out.

“If you can’t pay by then, hand over the ownership of the theater.”

Her gradually tilting head seemed to say, refute if you can.

“So?”

Although surprising, she was indeed the only daughter of the Ceres ducal family, bold and not intimidated even in his presence.

“What’s the problem? No matter how much you argue, the fact remains that the theater is now mine.”

Aaron sneered and took another sip of coffee. Today, the coffee tasted exceptionally sweet.

“Fine. Then let me ask one thing, why did you go to such lengths to take the theater? Honestly, that theater is of no use to you.”

Eileen clenched her fist to suppress the curses rising to the tip of her tongue due to Aaron’s brazen response.

“When I asked at the Benston family’s party why you deliberately took my business, you answered like this.”

In response to Eileen’s question, Aaron raised himself from the chair he had been deeply buried in.

“That I lost the businesses was due to my incompetence.”

The sound of heavy footsteps spread through the quiet reception room. The arrogant footsteps stopped precisely in front of Eileen.

“It’s the same for you.”

Aaron slowly bent his knee and met Eileen’s gaze.

“There’s no reason. You simply lost the theater to me because of your incompetence.”

The moment his touch, laden with cold air, brushed past her, Eileen sensed it.

“Eileen, you should feel it too. The dirty feeling I felt when losing what I wanted.”

Aaron was now challenging her.

But she could never win this fight with simple methods.

The definite sense of defeat made her face reality.

“Then, Lady Eileen. Take care on your way.”

Eileen left the reception room without even saying goodbye. She heard Liam’s voice asking if she was already leaving, but she ignored it.

“Let’s go back.”

Her voice was heavy, unlike usual. The coachman did not ask why and simply bowed his head. Mary did the same.

“We will depart.”

With the announcement of departure, the carriage slowly began to move. Soon, they quickly left the Monston mansion.

Eileen maintained her silence, fixing her gaze out the window. Memories of the past floated over the scenery.

— Our daughter. How was the theater today?

— I’m happy my wish came true. Mom, Dad. Thank you so much!

— Oh, so this theater is where our Eileen’s wish was fulfilled?

— Yes!

It was a place that fulfilled her precious dream, a dream that could never be fulfilled…

She tried to hold back the tears welling up, but they wouldn’t easily subside. Eileen secretly wiped her tears while watching the scenery quickly passing by outside the window.

“Miss, are you okay?”

Mary looked at Eileen, who kept her lips tightly sealed, with worried eyes.

“I’m fine, Mary.”

Eileen smiled, forcibly curling up the corners of her mouth.

“……”

But the more she tried to hide it, the more sadness leaked from her face.

“Miss……”

Mary felt so sad that all she could offer at times like this was mere verbal comfort.

“Although the ownership of the theater has gone to Duke Aaron, that doesn’t mean your memories have gone to him too, right?”

She desperately hoped to remove some of that sadness. Mary did her best to lift the corners of her mouth.

“Your memories remain forever in your heart, Miss. They stay with you, not taken or tainted by anyone.”

“……Mary.”

“So cheer up now and let’s go eat something delicious! Today, this Mary will treat you to a meal!”

Hurry up!

Mary spoke in an exaggerated voice, urging Eileen.

‘Right. Eileen. Mary is right. Just because I lost the theater doesn’t mean I lost my memories.’

The clear air coming in from outside the window spread throughout her body through her nose. Thanks to that, her complicated mind seemed to become clearer.

‘Today I completely lost to Aaron. But I won’t just sit here and take it.’

Before long, the darkness lifted, and a bright smile appeared on Eileen’s face.

“Yes, Mary. Let’s go eat something delicious.”

“But Miss, you know very expensive things are not allowed, right……?”

Mary carefully asked, struck by a sudden fear.

“Hmm? I didn’t know our Mary was such a small-minded person?”

Eileen spoke slyly, curling her lips diagonally.

“Miss……!”

Perhaps pleased with Eileen’s smile, despite her exasperated voice, a smile spread across Mary’s face.

Mary immediately rang the bell.

“Please take us to Lumière Restaurant that sells expensive steaks!”

“Understood!”

Noticing Mary’s voice had brightened, the coachman also answered in an excited voice. Liking that, Eileen wore a bright smile.

Thanks to the coachman’s efforts, they arrived at the restaurant faster than expected.

“Miss, let’s go in quickly.”

“Okay.”

Upon entering the restaurant, Mary asked for the best seat and the best steak. The restaurant staff, recognizing Eileen, guided the two to a good spot with plenty of sunlight.

After a short wait, thick steaks were placed before the two.

“Um, Miss. May I ask you one thing?”

“Yes?”

Mary, who had been watching Eileen cautiously, put down her knife and carefully opened her mouth.

“About that theater. Is there another precious reason besides it being the first place you visited in your childhood?”

“Ah……”

Eileen reached for the water glass. Then she swallowed a bitter smile along with the cold water.

“Hmm, a place where an impossible dream came true?”

“What?”

“There’s something like that, Mary.”

For a moment, a nostalgic emotion bloomed on Eileen’s face, but it quickly vanished like smoke.

“Shall we go shopping for clothes after eating this? I’ll buy for you, Mary. It’s almost vacation time.”

Eileen quickly changed the subject, indicating she didn’t want to talk about it.

“Sounds good, Miss!”

Although she still had many questions, Mary didn’t ask more about the theater. Because just now, Eileen had made an expression that looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.