Category: Selling the Main Character’s Shares

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Perhaps because he felt as if my shrieks were somewhat abnormal, the butler tried his best to once again inquire about ways to head to the North.

However, the response remained unchanged.

Not only was there a problem with the bridge, but large trees had fallen here and there on the path toward the North, and there were many large potholes, so all the coachmen shook their heads saying that the journey wasn’t possible.

Alright, since I didn’t necessarily have to go North, changing my mind and heading to the border where Commander Leonon was could prove to be a much better decision.

It was a situation where I could disappear in a week, so it wasn’t a situation where I could afford to be picky about.

However, while the butler was trying to get more information and sent a few people to the Holy Knights Headquarters to inquire, all he received in response was another hopeless piece of information.

“Apparently it will take a week to get to the place that the knights have been dispatched to. And even that’s on the premise that it’s a skilled rider who is able to ride a horse without stopping.”

“They say that during investigations, a protective barrier will be cast so that the general public are unable to enter. On the contrary, since it will be that safe, Commander Leonon will definitely not come to any harm. Please rest assured, my lady.”

Tearing at my innocent hair, I was unable to overcome my frustration and couldn’t help crying out, “How could things even turn out like this…!”

As a last resort, I even lowered myself to ask Winnard to send me to the border or to the North. But the only thing that came back was his familiar nagging.

“Did you already forget my words at being unable to intervene in a candidate’s situation?”

No, who would be like this because they didn’t know?!

At this point, he seemed less like my guide and more like a sentinel from hell who was driving me toward my death.

Although I appealed my desperation to Winnard through tears, he still calmly shook his head in the end.

“You said that you know ‘them’ better than anyone else. So, why don’t you make full use of that knowledge and experience that only you possess?”

He disappeared after leaving behind those words.

“And what should I do just because I know them better?!”

I let out an earth-shattering sigh and collapsed onto the sofa.

“Unless I’m able to sell the shares of someone new, this situation is simply one without an answer…”

Huh? Hold on.

My mouth stopped moving by itself for a moment.

After staring blankly into space for a moment, I got up from my seat and swung open the door of the study.

I saw someone nearby right at that moment. It was Joy, who had been circling around me anxiously, watching me almost go out of my mind.

“What’s going on, my lady? Can I help you with anything?”

Kind eyes full of concern stared at me. I looked into her eyes and shouted urgently, “Please prepare a carriage for me to head to the capital!”

“T-The capital?”

“Yep! Right now!”

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

That’s right. The reason I came here was to use literally everything I had in me.

In other words, it was to utilise my ‘reader ability’!

After hearing Winnard’s words and carefully reflecting on them, it finally occurred to me that in addition to Leonon and Periot, there could still be many more people that ‘they’ would be enthusiastic about.

Therefore…

“Although I’m not sure about any other places, there will definitely be people here whose stocks will sell.”

I looked with determination at the tall buildings towering behind the large castle walls.

The Imperial Palace.

An icon of the empire, built in the very heart of the capital, rumoured to have no place within it that wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful.

The reason I came here again was because the imperial palace was one of the most important places that couldn’t be left out of the romance fantasy genre.

The source of all events and romance, the centre of schemes and intrigue!

The victory festival was still in full swing in the capital, so the area near the imperial palace was also still full of carriages. I nodded with conviction.

“As long as you walk around here, you’re bound to bump into one or two of them.”

Whether it’s the youthful blond-haired duke with limitless power to do anything he wants, or the sweet crown prince with long hair who likes to hide his identity and visit the restaurants of the commoners!

I stood against the wall and began to observe the people who came and went nonstop with eyes of a hawk. I wanted to wipe my sweat that was about to drip down due to my cape that had a large hood, but I pressed down the urge.

Although it was unclear whether I’d be able to meet someone who could help me sell shares like this, it still beat sitting in my mansion and doing nothing.

And if nothing else, it was still a situation where my life was at stake, so of course I had to do something!

Moreover, there were a higher probability of events occurring in the capital rather than in Aurea, where I lived, so it would also be easier for me to sell shares.

So, starting from today, I’d go undercover!

…was the decision I made which only lasted for a moment.

After only waiting for less than half a day, I faced my first major crisis.

“We’ve come after receiving a report that there was a suspicious person wandering around the Imperial Palace.”

Palace guards with stern expressions soon surrounded me.

At some point, a rumour I had heard at the tea party soon came to my mind. It was the fact thatthe  imperial palace was a place that boasted of the highest level of security. 

“I-I’m not a suspicious person!”

After all my efforts, I was finally released after proving my identity.

But of course, I couldn’t give up on my plan just because of a setback like this!

“Please don’t come any closer than this.”

That’s right, even in the face of all odds, I will never give up…

“I’ll have to detain you if you keep this up.”

…Ah, I give up.

As if it was their final warning, the guards glared at me once more with chilling eyes. It was with an energy that seemed to say they really would arrest me if I didn’t listen to their orders this time.

In the end, I was pushed to hide far away from the imperial palace behind a towering tree, holding back my tears, “Just let me off the hook and treat it as if you were saving someone’s life…!”

At this point, it felt as if the entire universe was wishing for my disappearance.

If I couldn’t get near the imperial palace, then I had no choice but to find someplace else. It was when I turned around with a heavy sigh as if the very ground beneath me had fallen through, like a person who had a heavy stone in their heart.

On the other side of the path, I saw a familiar face hurriedly walking towards some place.

“…Isn’t that Sable?”

My rival, Sable Lily, had a frighteningly stoic face. Though of course, I was the only one who thought that we were rivals…

Today, the atmosphere surrounding her was completely different to that of her at the ball, which had seemed kind, and also my first impression of her, who had been smiling chillingly like a person straight out of a horror movie.

She must have also been aware of the change of rules, so I wonder how she had chosen to respond?

She had already sold a lot of shares in the first place, so it wouldn’t have been a big deal for her, right? Or… was she just as nervous as I am?

As I watched her back slowly recede, I slowly lifted the hood that I had slipped off due to the heat. 

Then, I started to follow her quietly from behind.

* * *

She continued to walk non-stop, gradually leaving the palace far behind her.

Half an hour must have passed. The path gradually became narrower and narrower, to the point where not even a single carriage could pass; and soon, a different scene soon unfolded before me.

A river filled with trash floating in it and a stench that assaulted my nostrils. Although there were shoddy looking stepping stones in place, the other side of the river was covered with thick bushes, to the point where you couldn’t even see the path ahead.

Despite it being a hideous sight that made it hard to believe this place was somewhere that existed within the capital, Sable didn’t seem flustered at all and continued to move with a practiced familiarity through the bushes.

I also proceeded to rush after her for fear of forgetting her footsteps. Cuts soon appeared here and there on the backs of my hand due to the sharp thorns of the bushes, but I couldn’t stop.

Not long after, a large building soon appeared in front of me.

The old walls were full of messy graffiti that made me wonder if it was an abandoned building. Apart from that, there were also ditches full of dirty sewage flowing around here and there. 

Even though I tiptoed carefully in case I trudged into the sewage, the bottom of my dress had already been soaked with dirty water.

There was a large sign hanging at the entrance to the building, but it was so worn and tattered that I couldn’t even read what it said.

Unlike me, Sable, who had managed to avoid the dirty puddles and sharp thorns, arrived in front of the building and quickly knocked on the door with a touch of urgency.

After a while, the silhouette of a large man soon appeared.

I hurriedly hid behind a thick bush that was as tall as a person and secretly peeked at them.

It was hard for me to see them since the bushes blocked my view, and I could barely hear them either since I had hid so far away. Only after focusing all my attention on them was I able to somewhat pick up the vague sound of voices that seemed to be arguing.

“…hurry up and guide me.”

“I already told you, but your position…”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to conceal that request since you received that nonsense…”

Just what on earth were they talking about?

As I continued to listen intently and took another step further into the pushes, I suddenly felt something squishy under my toes.

As soon as I froze and looked down at my feet, I spotted a snake that was coiled up, baring its sharp fangs at me.

“Hic…!”

Just as I was about to scream unconsciously.

“Shush.”

A large hand suddenly came out of nowhere and covered my mouth.

At the same time, a sharp dagger was thrust into the snake’s open mouth like the wind with a schwing sound.

Just as the long, disgusting body of the beast, which had seemed ready to rush out at any moment, collapsed, the sound of a young man’s voice rang softly in my ears at the same time.

“Oh, that sister keeps coming back to find us even though she says she doesn’t want to accept anymore commissions. How troublesome.”

Then came the sound of him clicking his tongue softly.

Sister? Are you perhaps talking about Sable? 

…More importantly, just who is this man?

While my mouth was still glued shut and my frozen eyelids blinked a few times, the hood the man was wearing was suddenly blown off by a sudden gust of wind.

I even forgot to blink my eyes for a moment.

Beautiful silver hair that seemed to have been dyed by moonlight fluttered softly before my eyes. Red eyes that sparkled like pomegranates also mesmerisingly hooked one’s gaze.

Ding dong!

「‘Person who risks their life for silver hair and red eyes’ purchases 30,000 shares for the first time. It’s a new record!」

「I came after hearing the news that this is a must-visit restaurant with silver hair and red eyes.」

When I saw the number on the screen, I almost lost consciousness for a moment.

One, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand… 

Oh, heavens. Oh my goodness.

Forcibly tensing my legs that seemed to be getting weaker, I counted the number of zeroes once more.

One! Ten! Hundred! Thousand! Ten thousand!

It was really in the ten thousands.

And it was even 30,000!

Is this the feeling a dying beggar would have if someone offered them a helping hand? My breathing became labored, and moist tears soon welled up in my eyes.

Meanwhile, the man began to scan the place with his eyes like jewels and proceeded to examine me.

As soon as the face with slightly raised corners of his lips came into view through the transparent system window, I involuntarily let out a gasp.

It was my first time seeing such a good looking face.

No, actually, it would be more accurate to say that he went beyond being just good looking and had an appearance that simply mesmerised everyone.

There was not even a single blemish on his pure white skin, even the mole under his eye was captivating.

He had a youthful face, as if he had just come out of adolescence, but I could see from his broad shoulders and tall stature that he was not just some teenage boy.

“But Sister, who are you?”

Even I wanted to ask him that.

…Then who are you?!

But at that moment, Sable seemed to have sensed our presence and turned around.

“Damn, we’re in big trouble.”

He suddenly grabbed my hand and started to run away.

“Sister, run!”

As if those words had cast a spell on me, I also started to run as hard as I could. That sparkling silver hair shone before my eyes like a mirage.

Although I quickly became out of breath, I gritted my teeth and continued to run as fast as I could.

The unidentified man who couldn’t be recongised, turned his head back at me and smiled sweetly, “Sister, you actually run quite well?!”

Ding dong!

「‘Person who risks their life for silver hair and red eyes’ purchases an additional 30,000 shares.」

「That mole under his eye is unbelievably precious. Let’s register it as a world cultural heritage.」

…No, this sister doesn’t care who you are.

You cute and lovely little gold mine!

Eureka.

This is eureka!

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author’s note

the current sign-up period for the gathering is open. (1/99999) for your information, i also… am registered. (shy)

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naver comments

pt12
but commander leonon has been the only one who has pursued her from the beginning… ha… my first share… should i buy more hereㅠㅠㅠ

ding dong parcel delivery
person who risks their life for silver hair and red eyes (2/100000)

and the final ml on the cover has appeared !! enter in puppy dog younger ml heehee^^

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Having stayed up all night with her eyes wide open, Lorella quietly got off the bed and parted the curtain slightly. Outside her window, dawn was breaking. 

As she looked at the sky getting brighter little by little, the last conversation she had with Winnard came back vividly to her mind.

“I really don’t know what’s going to happen from now on. So steel your heart and focus only on selling shares.”

However, what stuck in her mind more than anything else were the words, “There are a lot of people who are already getting bored.”

When she had been in the ‘observer position’, she had left without any hesitation once something she didn’t like had come out. To the point where she even left comments like, ‘I’m getting bored, what can you do.’

That’s why Winnard’s words had a heavier weight to them. Since she knew what sort of feelings they would have more than anyone else.

Although she wasn’t sure if it’ll be in a week, a month, tomorrow, or right now, if she doesn’t sell stocks like crazy, then her life really would be in danger.

Lorella tightened her grip on the window frame.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Apart from her whole mind being filled with selling shares, her daily life became even busier. This was thanks to the fact that she had attended the palace banquet and had gotten to know a lot more people.

It was Marchioness Grace Erne’s banquet that she had been waiting for with a heavy heart.

“Greetings, Lady Lorella. Welcome to you as well, Commander Leonon.”

The Marchioness welcomed the two of us who had arrived on time.

“Greetings, Marchioness Grace. Thank you for extending an invitation toward me.”

Leonon greeted her back with his usual gentle and valiant manner.

“It’s an honour for me to see you again, Marchioness.”

Lorella followed after him with an impeccably polite greeting of her own. However, for a moment, the Marchioness, blankly stared at her, who seemed oddly unlike herself.

She somehow felt completely different from when she was at the ball. Back then, she had seemed cheerful and lively, but today, her face seemed to be filled with sadness for some reason. 

Not only that, but her eyes were bloodshot, as if she hadn’t slept at all in days. 

‘She must be nervous.’

Having come to that conclusion, the Marchioness led her in affectionately, thinking that she should take extra care of her today.

“My thanks to the two of you for coming. Come on in.”

Not long after the two were ushered into the reception room, even the last of the guests finally arrived. After chatting and enjoying a light appetiser, the dinner finally began in earnest.

Delicious food and rare wines were laid out on a long table.

In the large dining room, where many bright crystal lamps were hung, the sound of people chatting happily rang out non-stop.

“Lady Lorella, listen to this too. The pie that our mansion’s chef is so proud of… Oh my, now that I think about it, you are the most renowned dessert entrepreneur in Aurea. It’s me that is ashamed for being so proud.”

Lorella, who was unusually silent while everyone was chatting happily, shook her head in a hurry at the words of the Marchioness.

“Not at all. It’s very delicious.”

Grace, the organiser of the gathering, took extremely good care of Lorella, who seemed to be particularly listless throughout the dinner. Though of course, she wasn’t the only one who paid attention to every one of Lorella’s actions.

“You have to tell me if you’re not feeling well.”

Leonon, who could not take his eyes off Lorella for even a moment, spoke in a small voice that could only be heard by the two of them. She would give a small smile and thank him every time, then stare into space as if she were somewhat embarrassed.

Their appearance looked so affectionate that it even aroused the envious gazes of the young ladies around them.

However, at the same time, it was enough to invite someone’s jealousy.

Just like it was right now.

“Miss Lorella. I’m so glad to see you like this today.”

A young lady sitting across from Lorella raised a corner of her mouth at an angle and spoke loudly as if for everyone to hear. 

“I would also like a chance to get to know you, Lorella. My uncle, Count Cheryl, will be having a hunting contest soon, so why don’t you come with me?”

Then, she hurriedly covered her mouth with an exaggerated gesture, as if she had made a mistake. 

“Oh my, I brought up such pointless words. Since the hunting grounds borders the North, I’m sure Duke Periot will also be invited as well…”

She acted like it was a mistake, yet her face was already filled with a malicious smile.

“I’ll pretend this proposal never happened then. I can’t possibly bring any trouble to Miss Lorella.”

Sure enough, that was what she meant to do. Since she wanted to see her embarrassed face as she brought up her ex-husband’s name while everyone was paying attention to her.

Commander Leonon was acting so sweetly that it seemed like he was unaware that she was a divorced duchess, so she also wanted to take this opportunity to make it clear to him.

Just like she had expected, the sound of whispering came from here and there as those that were in the know informed those who were unaware of what was happening.

It was when the woman lifted her wine glass gracefully with a satisfied expression on her face. 

“So when is it?!”

An urgent voice came from Lorella’s mouth.

“…Pardon?”

“I asked you when it would be. I really want to go!”

Two brightly sparkling eyes and a slightly flushed face.

Anyone could see that it was clear she had just been waiting for her to say those words. The young lady couldn’t comprehend her unexpected reaction, so she was unable to give her a response straight away.

“Are you going to send me an official invitation? I’ll be waiting for it, so please do me a favour. No, since we’re on the topic right now, please let me know the date of when it will be held.”

“No, that…”

“Don’t tell me, was all that talk about you inviting me just nonsense?”

“H-How could that be? If Miss Lorella wants to, then…”

The woman could only reply reluctantly, the furrow between her brow deepening. However, Lorella didn’t stop there and continued to ask when the exact date would be. After finding out that it would be three months later, she even expressed her deep disappointment.

Thanks to this, the woman couldn’t add anything else.

The dinner hall, which had quietened down for a while, soon returned to a pleasant atmosphere, as if it had always been that way.

Within that harmonious atmosphere, Marchioness Grace, who knew of Lorella’s situation, clicked her touch inwardly.

‘I had been worried since she seemed to feel intimidated, but contrary to my expectations, she seemed to be a lady that had a stronger mental fortitude than I imagined.’

In order to survive in high society, one had to know when to retaliate against the opponent at certain times. However, that was only possible after having years of experience.

‘She could even become the centre of high society in the future.’

With a faint smile on her face, she took a sip of her wine after nodding her head slightly.

It was a conclusion she could come to only because she remained unaware of the ‘inside story’ on Lorella’s situation.

Specifically the fact that she had to meet not only Leonon but also Periot at all costs… no, rather, it was her desperation and urgency in never missing an opportunity to sell her shares.

* * *

The enjoyable dinner banquet ended without any further incidents, with the attendees soon heading home.

Leonon and Lorella bid farewell once again to the Marchioness and climbed into the Holy Knights Headquarter’s carriage that had been waiting for them in front.

As soon as the wheels started moving, Lorella asked with her eyes shining, “Thank you for coming to escort me like this every time, Commander. In order to pay you back for the favour, there is a place I’d really like to take you. If you let me know when your earliest day off is, I’ll be able to send you an invitation just in time.”

Although she was planning on delivering that letter directly herself, she didn’t bother to mention such a fact to him.

At that, Leonon seemed to ponder over something for a moment before letting out a small sigh, “Now that I think about it, it might be difficult for me to see you for a while.”

“Pardon? W-Why?” Lorella asked back, unable to hide her astonishment at the news that was like a bolt from the blue to her.

“There have been reports of the corpse of a monster appearing near the border, so it seems like I’ll have to go and investigate it for myself.”

“What?!”

“I’ll definitely come and find you as soon as I get back. Oh, when that time comes, should the two of us… have a meal together?”

Unlike him, who spoke with a slight blush, Lorella’s complexion became increasingly pale.

“…When will you be coming back?”

“It’s hard to say. There’s some distance from here to the border, and there’s a lot of work for me to do, so I’ll probably be back in a month or so.”

As soon as he finished giving his reply, a loud voice suddenly rang out, “No way!”

Startled by the loud sound, Leonon stared at her. He couldn’t even ask her what was wrong. Since his vision was filled with a tearful face and eyes that seemed to leak falling dewdrops. 

“To think that I won’t be able to see you for so long…”

At that moment, his heart started to beat in a way that couldn’t be described with words.

‘Are you that sad at the thought of not being able to see me for a month…?’

As soon as that thought popped into his head, the sound of his heart grew louder, as if it had only been waiting, and continued to thud loudly in his ear.

“Please don’t be too upset. I will keep consistently writing back to you.”

Although he was sorry to see such a sorrowful and tear-filled face, on the other hand, he was rather happy and as a result, couldn’t keep his joyous smile off his face.

“If you look at it like that, then a month will fly by before you know it.”

He continued to comfort and soothe her, but only one thought lingered in his mind.

‘I really… don’t want to go.’

* * *

Late at night, when everyone was already in bed.

“No. It can’t go like this!”

The desperate cries of someone who still couldn’t sleep continued to echo in the study of the Mayred Mansion.

It was Lorella who was shouting to the point where her clenched fists were trembling.

The timing couldn’t be more ironic. To think that in such a desperate situation, even Commander Leonon would be absent.

There were even a few times she even tore her hair out from the overwhelming despair.

“Okay, now that it’s come to this, there’s no helping it anymore.”

With her bloodshot eyes wide open, she shouted loudly, “Let’s go to the North!”

She never dreamed that she would return to the North, which she had left with her own two feet, like this. However, now was not the time to discuss such technicalities.

If she could just sell stocks, she’d be willing to even head into hell.

Rather, if we were to be honest, she even felt extremely fortunate to have Periot.

Lorella left the study with a stiff expression and headed in the direction of the bedroom.

‘As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, I must ask the butler to arrange for a carriage to the North at once.’

It was as if she could finally see the light on the horizon.

She lay in her bed, clutching her blanket tightly, her eyes wide open in the dark.

…But just half a day later.

Another heartbreaking cry came out of the mouth of her, who had just been full of hope not too long ago.

“No!”

It took only an instance for hope to quickly turn into despair. Even more so when faced with something completely unexpected.

“This won’t do. I have to go to the North!”

“Please calm down, my lady,” The butler was having a hard time trying to calm her down as she kept repeating the same thing over and over again, like someone who had just lost their mind.

“This is the first time in decades that such a major flood has occurred. It was so severe that the entire bridge that is used to head to the north was destroyed.”

“Ah…”

Lorella collapsed onto the sofa, letting out a groan of despair. But she soon raised her head and looked at the butler with sparkling eyes.

“Then what about the other routes going there? Since it doesn’t matter how far I have to travel!”

Has she ever wanted to meet Periot so desperately?

No, this has never happened before. She had never even had the thought of wanting to see him.

But now, it was different. She felt like she was going to die if she didn’t meet him – and maybe she really would die if she didn’t. So she had to go and see Periot; even if it meant having to ride on horseback herself!

Lorella clenched her molars to steel her resolve.

If she urged the horse on by reducing her time to eat and sleep, it would be possible for her to save some time.

So it was too early for her to fall into despair…

“In any case, I looked into it already, but all the other paths going there are in the same situation.”

The highly proficient butler casually smashed down even the smallest possibility without any hesitation.

“Since the largest bridge has collapsed, theres no way the smaller ones could have fared any better. Since it was deemed impossible to launch a boat into the river due to the strong currents, even the small ferries withdrew as well.”

Damn it. Just why is this guy’s life not going as planned!? Why?!

“Then can we at least send a letter somehow? To tell Periot that I really want to see him…!”

“The postman’s carriage would be the same as well, my lady. How could the post be delivered when all the roads have collapsed?”

“Uwahhhh…!”

In the end, Lorella buried her head in her lap, cradling her face.

“No, this can’t be happening…!”

The butler looked at her, who was almost beginning to wail, and let out a small sigh. He had no idea and couldn’t understand why she suddenly decided to go to the North.

“This can’t be happening, uhuhuhu!”

“My deepest apologies, my lady.”

But he couldn’t even ask what her reasoning was in front of Lorella, who was screaming as if the world was ending, so he just simply resigned to bowing his head as if it was all his fault.

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author’s note

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naver comments

happ***
damn… still, it would be better to find out how to sell stocks as the female lead alone. i was a little nervous about her selling stocks only when she was with the male lead (candidates)…

dead PC
there’s only one more person who hasn’t been introduced from the novel’s synopsis! you should get entangled with him and sell his shares too!!! isn’t it time for the ‘reckless head of the guild’ to slowly appear so we can find out who he is?!!!

whether it’s the new face or it’s revealed that the guide npc winnard was actually a capture target as well HAHAHFESKL

oh, of course, i was investing in leonon, but as soon as the sarella stock appeared on the market, i immediately withdrew and went all in lol sable, you’re the best of the best & lorella, i’ll protect you forever! i really can’t see either of them disappearing…

damn idk why this chapter was all in third person but i hope the author goes back to first person, just bc it just feels way more natural to tl

also poor lorella HAHAAH neither of her ml candidates will be here after the life changing rule change but like the korean comments said, def means new faces and our final ml candidate !! (or is it HEHEHEH)

also, for those that are feeling sorry for the ml candidates who lorella isn’t rlly placing her feelings on (tbh it can feel like she’s treating them like they’re not ppl which is understandable since her life is at stake here, it isn’t as if she’s doing this of her own free will) our girl does grow and she does grow less callous abt this. we see this change in her with both leonon and periot with her exploring her relationships with them as a result of selling shares, but she does come to understand them more. these few chapters may be a short reprieve and regression of her treating them more like mere share sellers tho just bc the fact that she could disappear if she doesn’t sell more shares is once again emphasised to her.

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Another sunny morning dawned as I woke up early like I usually did.

“Miss, you must be tired, so why don’t you sleep a little longer?”

Joy, who was helping me out in the morning, cautiously suggested to me, but I shook my head in refusal. It was because I had a lot of things to do.

First, I had to write thank you letters to Countess Lewen, who had spoken kindly to me and introduced me to so many people, as well as Marchioness Grace Erne, who had extended an invitation to me to attend her banquet.

Of course, it went without saying that Commander Leonon, who accompanied me that night, would receive one as well.

Although I was sending one out with sincere feelings of gratitude, even if that wasn’t the case, I still knew that it would be basic courtesy in high society to do so.

Despite being locked away, that didn’t mean that I hadn’t seen or learned anything from the Duke’s residence in those two years. I talked to a maid and prepared a small gift as well.

After painstakingly writing so many letters, the morning had already quickly passed.

But I still had no time to rest.

After having a quick lunch, I headed straight to Leah’s store.

Since I hadn’t been able to show my face there much due to preparations for the victory banquet and all.

“Miss Lorella!”

As soon as I opened the door, Leah, who was standing in the hall, came running to my side with joy.

“I’ve been craning my neck everyday to see when you’d finally come and visit.”

Although she had always warmly welcomed me, she seemed to be particularly excited today.

What is it? Why was she doing this?

However, my curiosity was quickly satisfied. It was thanks to Leah, whose questions had started to pour out as if she had only been waiting to ask as she led me to sit down on a chair.

“I heard you went to the banquet at the imperial palace! Apparently Commander Leonon even asked you for a dance!”

“Pardon…?”

The other staff gathered behind Leah before I knew it, who was stamping her feet with her eyes shining brightly.

“Please tell us quickly, okay?”

“N-No, that’s…”

I was embarrassed for a moment and ended up stuttering over my words.

Since Leah’s store was frequented by so many customers, it was normal for her to overhear many things.

But just how long had it been for this story to have spread out so far already? No wonder they say bad news travels fast.

Even though I was internally sweating, I still briefly and plainly explained the facts to them.

Nevertheless, Leah kept her hands pressed to her chest.

“So you didn’t just part ways with Commander Leonon after dancing with him, right? Gosh, is there really anything we need to hide between the two of us? Hurry up and tell me.”

We had just danced, taken a walk together, and then parted ways. Did I perhaps remember wrongly…?

I became embarrassed for no reason and began to think about how to gloss over this situation.

At that moment, a welcome sound suddenly rang out. It was the sound of the bell hanging over the door ringing.

“Oh my, looks like another customer has come in,” I said as I turned around quickly. And then…

“Welcome… huh?”

I froze before I could even finish greeting the customer.

That brown hair and green eyes that shone like emeralds; a sight that I’ve seen many times from somewhere before. Luxurious looking clothes.

The person who had strode in with his long legs was none other than Winnard.

No, why are you here?

I almost blurted it out loud, but I hurriedly bit my lip. However, that wasn’t the only shocking event.

“Welcome!”

Leah hurriedly walked over in his direction, unlike me, who was frozen and just staring blankly.

Wait. Was Winnard visible to Leah as well now?! I alternated my eyes between the two of them.

“Is this perhaps your first time visiting our store?”

“Yes. I’d like to drink some tea, so would I be able to order that?”

“Of course. I’ll bring you a menu so just wait there for a moment please. Please have a seat over here.”

…Seems like he really was very visible now.

While I covered my mouth in embarrassment, Winnard sat down in the seat designated by Leah, rested his chin on his hand gracefully and turned to look in my direction.

Just what in the world was this situation? My mind was in chaos.

When I was by myself, Winnard had always appeared and disappeared like he was a ghost. As if the person had never existed from the beginning. Today was the first time he had suddenly shown up like this. 

As if I was possessed, I walked over to the table that Winnard was sitting at. As soon as I got closer, he smiled brightly, as if he had just been waiting for me.

“It’s been a while, Lorella.”

“Why did you suddenly… D-Did something happen?”

“I just wanted to see your face. Since you never come and find me, I had no choice but to come and find you like this.”

I heard the sound of something falling when he said that and turned around. Leah, who had approached us at some time, had dropped the menu. Judging from her wide eyes, it seemed like she had just overheard our conversation.

It was a perfect situation for people who didn’t know to misunderstand.

Quickly pushing Leah into the kitchen, I picked up the fallen menu and put it on the table before sitting down across from Winnard.

“Just what in the world are you plotting now?”

“What plot? By the way, what sort of tea is good here?”

He just looked nonchalant, disregarding my furrowed brows. But somehow… I sensed a strange sense of incompatibility.

Although there was no change in his extravagant attire or brazen smile, he seemed a bit different than usual.

I lowered my voice and said to him, “Is it really true that nothing happened? Since it’s strange for you to suddenly appear in front of people like this. Moreover, here…”

When I looked around, I found that it wasn’t only the store employees that were looking over in my direction but other customers as well.

“What I’m saying is that most of the people here are people who know me. Didn’t you say that the guide couldn’t influence the candidate’s situation at all?”

Although Leah was a trustworthy person, I couldn’t say for sure about the rest of the employees.

If someone added fire to what happened today and spread another annoying rumour, it would be my responsibility to clean up that mess.

“Well, something did happen.”

However, rather than giving me a clear answer, Winnard just muttered in a low voice.

The moment his soft words fell into my ears, an unknown anxiety welled up in my heart. It was clear that something was going on. However, Winnard still showed no sign of saying anything.

I got up with a frown and asked Leah who was in the kitchen for some top-notch black tea.

“Miss Lorella! Who’s that handsome gentleman over there now? Is it someone you met at the ball?”

“Goodness, just look at that luxurious outfit! Is he perhaps someone from the imperial family?”

When I realised that I couldn’t see any staff who were meant to be serving in the main hall, they had already crowded into the kitchen. The staff, including Leah, all made a fuss while they prepared the tea, their eyes bright with curiosity.

“No, he’s just an acquaintance.”

I responded with an awkward smile and left as if I was fleeing, holding the tray with two teacups and a teapot in my hands. And immediately placed it in front of Winnard.

With a clattering sound, both mine and his teacup were soon filled with a dark amber coloured black tea.

Winard savoured a sip of tea in a very elegant and dignified motion. Then, in a stoic and dull voice, he asked, “The ball must have been enjoyable, right? Judging from your face, you seem to have enjoyed it.”

A calm gaze stared straight at me.

It was a strange feeling. Like I was slowly walking into the middle of a swamp where my feet were sinking.

As I bit my lip and stared at him, Winnard let out a small sigh.

“Alright, it’s something you need to know anyway, so there’s no need for me to drag it out any longer.”

Winnard put down his cup as if he had made up his mind. Seeing that, I unconsciously swallowed dryly.

“The rules have changed, Lorella.”

What came out of his mouth was something completely unexpected.

“Rules? What rule?” I asked quickly, but there was only one answer I could think of.

“Is it perhaps… the share system you’re talking about?”

Sure enough, Winnard nodded his head silently.

Looking at his cold face that was devoid of a smile, and frighteningly hard green eyes, the news definitely didn’t seem to be good. I stuttered and moved my lips, “H-How has it changed?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the store bell rang out again.

The door opened as three to four young women all dressed up beautifully came rushing into the store. They were the most common type of demographic and customer that could be seen in our store.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“I really wanted to come to this store.”

“Me too. The atmosphere really is very nice.”

They sat across from our table, chatting cordially as if they were very close friends.

Leah, who skilfully took their order with a kind smile, glanced toward Winnard and I before heading back into the kitchen. But this time, it was neither embarrassing nor bothersome. It was because Winnard had gestured with his eyes toward that table.

I just listened to their conversation. Winnard also remained silent, crossing his arms and saying nothing.

“I was really surprised. To think that wooden Count Logan would be the first one to ask Claire to dance!”

“I know right? No matter how you look at it, it’s clear that the Count likes Claire.”

Although the store was a little chaotic since other customers kept coming in, it wasn’t difficult to overhear the conversation nearby.

Judging from the story, it seemed like they were noble ladies who had attended the banquet at the imperial palace, just like me.

“Claire, why don’t you confess now?”

When someone spoke in an excited voice, a woman who had been listening quietly for a while covered her mouth and laughed quietly.

Although she was dressed modestly, she stood out among them due to her beautiful and pure countenance.

“The Count and I are just childhood friends,” she waved her hand as if it were nothing. “Besides, for the Count, there will soon be… a partner that has been predestined by fate will soon appear.”

My ears perked up at those words.

A partner predestined by fate? She spoke as if she knew the future.

‘Don’t tell me…’

At that time, I suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu as I listened a little more closely to their conversation.

Then suddenly, something unbelievable started to happen.

The woman named Claire began to slowly fade away, starting from the top of her head.

“W-What?”

I quickly rubbed my eyes, wondering if I had perhaps mistaken it for something else, but a cluster of twinkling lights suddenly appeared before my eyes…

She had vanished into thin air.

“Heok!”

I couldn’t even swallow my exclamation and just froze.

It had happened in a literal instant.

I turned my head around and looked everywhere, to the extent that my neck started to ache, but I still couldn’t see even a single strand of her hair.

She had really disappeared.

She had clearly been fine sitting there, chatting naturally with other people, but suddenly disappeared like grains of sand. 

…No, it was as if she had only been an illusion from the beginning!

My hands started to tremble at the unbelievable sight I had just witnessed. A rattling sound came from the teacup that had cooled down as the table shook.

However, the shock didn’t end there.

I lowered my head and clutched my teacup tightly in an effort to try and hide my emotional turmoil, but the words that followed made those efforts pointless.

“What should we do about the tea party next week? We couldn’t even send out all the invitations…”

“We’d better hurry up and send them quickly while there’s still time. Haa, why are we always so anxious to make things that we can’t handle to fret over? Starting from next time, let’s not hold any gathering unless it’s a simple get-together. Let’s all promise each other first.”

“I apologise if I’m spoiling something, but didn’t we already make the exact same promise last time…?”

A round of jubilant laughter rang out among them.

Even though the person who had even been their friend, with whom they had been happily talking to just a moment ago, had disappeared, they seemed happy as if they had been alone from the beginning.

All that was left in my empty head was a single sentence.

I had read and reread it hundreds of times now, so I could now memorise it without making a single mistake.

<All candidates except for the main character will be annihilated, and will be completely erased from everyone’s memory in order to prevent confusion.>

But how come…?

No way, don’t tell me… has the main character already been decided?

So would I now disappear as well?

“This is the rule that has changed, Lorella. From now on, the candidates who have sold the least shares will disappear in their respective order.”

“B-But it hasn’t even been that long since I became a candidate…!”

Without realising it, my voice cracked and rose to a higher pitch.

The young ladies who completely forgot that they had been laughing and chatting with another friend just moments ago glanced over at me.

The only thing left in my mind that was empty due to panic was one thought.

‘How unreasonable.’

Although I didn’t know who the top ranked candidate was, the important thing was that I definitely wasn’t the top ranked candidate.

I had only been selling shares for a few months, but what if there was someone who had been selling them for ten years?

“It has nothing to do with the cumulative number of sales. After counting the shares that have been sold by candidates over a certain period of time, the candidate with the least amount will be the target for annihilation.”

“A certain period of time…? How long is that exactly?”

“It should be different every time. It depends on ‘their’ feelings. So even I don’t know. It could be a month, or even a week when the day of judgement finally comes.”

Winnard’s calm and placid voice was so chilly it gave me goosebumps.

“Although you might think it’s impossible, it’s something that can’t be helped. It’s an added penalty since there are a lot of people who are already getting bored.”

Clang!

At the same time, the teacup that I couldn’t hold on to fell and broke into pieces with a loud shattering sound.

The dark tea water soaked into my pink high heels.

My head hung on the table as if I had fallen apart. I couldn’t find any strength in my body. My whole body had started to shake like an aspen tree.

I could vaguely hear the sound of people murmuring. However, the noise seemed far away, as if my ears had been plugged.

“Miss Lorella, are you alright?”

At that time, Leah rushed over to take care of me with a clean cloth. However, my fear didn’t go away.

She must have clearly seen that customer disappear right in front of her eyes, but she paid no attention to the table over there and only paid attention to me.

Extending his hand toward Leah, Winnard said, “Give it to me. I’ll do it.”

“But…”

“It’s alright.”

And with a smile, he took the cloth from her.

Perhaps sensing the unusual atmosphere, Leah hesitated and shuffled her feet. She disappeared into the kitchen after Winnard gave her a look that seemed to say it was alright.

“I’ll give you a quiz.”

Winnard stood up and came closer, kneeling down on one knee next to me as he whispered softly, “Who will receive the penalty next time?”

I couldn’t even blink, as if I was an animal that had been stung by something poisonous and had turned stiff, slowly dying.

“Well, it’s alright, even if you don’t answer. Just that… if you had sold even a little bit less, just know that it could have been her that would have watched you disappear.”

“I-I…”

I struggled desperately to continue speaking. But even my squeezed out voice stopped coming out after a while.

“The guide of the candidate who disappeared chose to abandon her. They probably wanted to avoid their annihilation together. But I won’t do that. Because…”

Winnard dropped the white cloth on the wet puddle on the floor and spoke in a suppressed tone, “I already promised that I would never leave you, and my own pride won’t allow me to go back on my word. Of course, if you want to enjoy your life, now matter how short it is, I won’t stop you either since that’s also your fate. But before you decide to do that, I just want to ask you one thing.”

Far from getting angry, an infinitely calm voice quietly penetrated my ears.

“Do you really understand what kind of situation you’re in right now, and are you really going to be this easy going about it?”

It felt as if every word of his had become a sharp dagger, piercing my heart.

As I looked down, I noticed my fist that was clenched so tightly that the bones on the back of my hand were protruding. When I slowly opened my fist, I saw a red crescent-shaped mark on my palm where my fingernails had dug into it.

But I couldn’t feel anything at all.

The hem of my dress, which was already wet with tea, the feeling of cold drops of sweat running down my temples, and the pain I felt from my lips that I had clenched until they turned completely white.

It was as if all my senses had completely disappeared.

Just like she had a little while ago when she disappeared before my eyes.

---

naver comments

LUNA
winnard’s description is no joke… his backstory must be insane…

rebe****
lorella is the candidate that sold the second least amount of stock..? i thought she sold a lot though. to be fair, it is a bit too passive and relies too much on love, so it would be difficult to sell a lot

it’s getting real yawl !!!

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

“Sorry…!”

I was so startled that I almost shook my hand off.

The finger that touched his lips felt hot, as if it had been burned. At the same time, a frighteningly stoic face came into view.

‘H-He must be angry.’

It felt like any moment now, he was going to furrow his brow and say, “How dare you touch my face?”

Should I apologise sincerely one more time then? Or was it better for me to gloss over it as a mistake?

As I was fidgeting while staring into those black eyes, Periot suddenly cleared his throat and opened his mouth, “Shassen you say…”

Although it was dark and hard to see since the light had been blocked by the curtain, the nape of his neck seemed to be red for some reason.

“It’s an area that even knights won’t want to venture in alone, so that’s quite impressive.”

His return to the topic reminded me of something I had forgotten. I asked the next question cautiously, “Periot, do you perhaps… know of someone called Sable Lily?”

He thought for a moment before speaking softly, “No. However, I’ve heard of the Lily family. Since it isn’t common to use the name of a flower as a surname.”

My eyes lit up at the unexpected harvest.

“What kind of family are they?”

“They’re a marquis household that are constantly using physical force in the west. Marquis Lily is notorious for being greedy to the point where even us in the north have heard about it.”

I listened to Periot attentively and nodded my head. 

It truly was a setting that was befitting a face slapping female lead. It seems like there were a lot of frustrating people around her.

 고구마 is ‘sweet potato’. However, these days 고구마 is increasingly used as an adjective or a noun to express the speaker’s frustrated or impatient feeling about a situation or a person, the feeling similar to what you may feel when you eat sweet potato without any beverage.

Was this perhaps the storyline?

The female lead, who was originally obedient and compliant, realised that she had only been used and abandoned by her fiance and family, so she regresses and wields her sword of revenge…

“But why do you ask?”

While I was in the middle of letting my imagination run wild, Periot looked at me with puzzled eyes.

“I-It’s nothing. Thanks for telling me.”

“…It’s nothing?”

Even I thought it sounded like a stupid excuse. Sure enough, he frowned slightly as if he were suspicious and took a step closer to me.

As the distance between us got shorter again, I quickly backed away.

My back hit a solid wall. I was so surprised that I almost screamed but held it in at the last second. I once again realised what kind of situation I was in.

Two people who were secretly hiding behind a curtain, as if they were enjoying a secret affair. It was obvious that if anyone spotted us now, we’d be in an embarrassing position when groundless rumours would start spreading.

I quickly pulled the curtain aside and looked outside. Luckily there was no one in the hallway.

“Then, I’ll just get g…”

It was when I was hurriedly trying to say my farewells to Periot, who was behind me, and tried to leave as quickly as possible while keeping my gaze lowered.

“Wait.”

A long arm stretched out from behind and pulled me back inside again. The curtain fell once more, blocking out the light and making the surroundings dark.

“Is that woman named Sable Lily… bothering you by any chance?”

Periot’s voice was heavy with tension.

“…What did you say?”

“Is that not why you were hiding?”

“N-Not at all!”

It felt like he had somehow misunderstood the situation, so I waved my hand frantically, yet his sharp eyes still glinted brightly in the dark.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t tell me. Since I’ll find out soon by directly asking that person.”

Periot, who was somehow stuck in a delusion and muttering to himself, even gritted his teeth as if he were furious.

…I’m sure that me hearing him say he’d personally visit that person and torture her was just my delusion, right?

“No, don’t do it!” I shouted quickly. I was so flustered that I almost went insane.

Although I wasn’t sure what he was going to do by visiting Sable Lily, nothing good would come out of having my name reach her ears for no particular reason.

“It really isn’t like that.”

Periot was still looking at me in disbelief, so I shook my head even more desperately.

You annoying ass Grand Duke of the North who firmly believes that the whole world goes according to his thoughts!!!

I desperately resisted the urge to snap back at him like this.

He stared at my face as if trying to determine whether it was true or not, and then muttered quietly, “Those words… seem to be true.”

“How many more times do I have to say it’s true? Why are you so disbelieving of my words?”

When I resentfully rolled my eyes, it was only then that he sighed and muttered lowly, probably feeling embarrassed, “Not believing you… never mind.”

Despite saying that, he still had an uncomfortable expression on his face. So I still wasn’t able to feel at ease.

In the end, after repeating the same thing several times without being able to escape from behind the curtain, I finally managed to get a promise from him not to behave arbitrarily in matters related to me.

“Then why were you hiding?”

However, it seemed like his doubts had gone unanswered, so we ended up back at square one again.

As I was trying to come up with an excuse, I heard the sound of several men chatting at the end of the hallway. Only then did I realise that I had actually already been gone for quite a while.

Maybe Leonon was even anxiously trying to find me. With that thought in mind, I started to feel anxious as well.

“That’s because I was afraid you’d be troubled.”

“Me? Why?”

Trying to spot the right timing to leave, I answered half-heartedly, “Now that you’ve become a war hero, don’t you think everyone’s attention will be on you? I also heard that there were many courtship letters being sent to you from great people, whether they’re princesses or royal princesses. It would be problematic for you if there were unnecessary rumours going around.”

공녀 refers to the daughters of dukes. they’re not actually princesses descended from royalty, it’s just how they’re addressed or titled.

“Lorella, wait. I…”

At that time, the men’s loud laughter passed right in front of the curtain. I held my breath reflexively. Their presence gradually drew further away and soon disappeared completely.

“I really should get going now.”

I lifted the curtain without any delay. Then, after looking around carefully, I cautiously pulled my body out from behind it.

Not too far away from us stood a large decorative cabinet made of glass. I saw my well dressed appearance reflected on it. As well as the diamond ornament that sparkled on top of my hair.

When I turned around, I saw Periot coming out from behind the curtain, staring at me silently as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

I fiddled with my hair piece and said in a hushed voice, “This… thank you.”

Even if I hadn’t known who sent it before, it seemed only right to say thank you even if I returned it, let alone now that I had received it and was actually wearing it.

However, I still felt embarrassed to bring it up so late. So I just smiled sheepishly and finished what I was trying to say, “To be honest, I survived thanks to this.”

Periot didn’t answer, as if it wasn’t a big bother to him.

‘In any case, I already greeted him properly.’ 

I cut across the hallway in a hurry.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Periot, who was standing as tall as a stone statue, stared quietly at the end of the hallway where Lorella had disappeared, then sluggishly rubbed his face.

“Haa…” A low sigh escaped from between the gap of his fingers.

Eventually, he lowered his hand to reveal a bright red face.

“This… thank you.”

A face that was smiling prettily and red hair that was even more beautiful than the sparkling diamond hair piece kept lingering before his eyes.

That small and soft hand that had gently pressed against his lips, and that round forehead that had brushed against his chest… Even her scent that still lingered at the tip of his nose.

All of this seemed to cling onto his heart and refused to let go.

Just what in the world was this feeling? This was even the first time that an ‘emotion’ had shaken him so much, so Periot was unusually embarrassed.

‘Am I drunk?’

Was it because of the strong liquor that he had drunk back at the banquet hall? However, he immediately shook his head without even spending too much thought on it. Since there was no way he could get drunk after just a few drinks.

If that was the case, then it was probably the last thing he could have thought of.

“I must have gone crazy for a moment,” he muttered cynically after a moment. 

Her whispering voice lingered in his head once more.

“I also heard that there were many courtship letters being sent to you from great people, whether they’re princesses or royal princesses.”

To think that she was paying attention to that.

Should he have told her that all those letters had remained unopened and ended up in the fireplace?

But he shook his head soon after. He looked forward to just how much Lorella’s facial expression would change after finding out about this fact later.

Just thinking about watching her would be a great pleasure, so it would be better for him to take his time and savour it slowly.

Periot trudged toward the stairs with his chin raised haughtily.

“Oh my!”

At that time, he bumped into someone who had just come up to the second floor. They were noble ladies who were adorned with lots of gorgeous jewellery.

“Pardon me, Duke.”

“It’s an honour to meet you here, Duke.”

They both hurriedly bowed their heads in greeting to Periot.

However, he didn’t respond and just passed by them at a quick pace.

The women stared blankly at his majestic back, and with red faces, let out exclamations one after another as if competing.

“Oh my.”

“How…”

It was as if they were possessed. To think that they were able to see Duke Periot, who was renowned for being frigid and cold, smiling so softly.

All of the young ladies who had attended the banquet were already talking about his smile on the podium, so if they had seen such a wonderful smile, they would have probably fallen in love.

Each of them nodded their heads and continued along the same line.

However, Periot’s smile didn’t last for very long. It was because of a man he encountered while going down the stairs.

His neatly tied long blond hair swayed against his back every time the man turned his head to look around, as if he were trying to find someone.

Periot stopped in his steps for a moment and looked down at the man. Then, as if he felt his gaze on him, the man also looked up. 

The gaze of the two people clashed together.

Their eyes that were looking at the person in front of them were extremely callous, as if they were looking at a piece of wood or a rock by the side of the road instead of a person. However, the air was heavy with tension, as if sparks were flying.

Periot straightened his back first and walked without wavering, looking straight ahead.

In the same manner, Leonon also climbed up the stairs slowly with his normally calm countenance.

However, the moment their shoulders brushed against each other, the force of a blade that seemed to be able to cut down enemies seemed to settle on the two’s shoulders.

* * *

Although I returned to the banquet hall, Leonon was nowhere to be seen. Despite asking Countess Lewen, she only answered that she wasn’t sure either.

Was he perhaps looking for me? I felt apologetic for leaving my partner alone for so long.

I wondered if I should go out to look for him, but in the end, I just decided to wait for him in the banquet hall. Since there was no reason for me to move again and then miss each other’s paths.

The banquet hall was crowded with people chatting happily and dancing to the music that was playing non-stop. The servants of the imperial palace continued to bring around high-quality champagne without any rest.

I searched in every corner of the banquet hall for quite some time, but still couldn’t find Leonon or even Periot.

Well, seeing as he was a person who wasn’t too fond of banquets, he may also have left already…

It was then.

“So you were here.”

I heard a happy voice from behind me.

“Commander!”

As I turned back with a smile, his sweet smile caught my eye.

“I’m sorry, I was gone for too long, wasn’t I?”

“No, I was just worried you might be too exhausted.”

“How could I be exhausted when I’m this energetic?” 

I smiled brighter and brighter, trying to convince him that those words were true.

As upbeat music continued to ring out, we danced once more. Thanks to him adapting perfectly to my awkward dancing, I was able to do the movements quite well without being as nervous as I had been during my first time.

Although my dancing wasn’t much better than the basics at its best, the skirt of the dress that fluttered like flower petals every time I moved my body was extremely pretty, and Leonon’s smiling face made me excited.

Soon, time passed quickly and it was getting closer to midnight, but instead of the number of guests decreasing, it increased instead. I left the crowded banquet hall with Leonon and headed towards the rose garden.

The view of soft moonlight falling on the endless cluster of red flowers was so beautiful that it made my mouth drop open.

“I’m not sure… if today was enjoyable for you.”

As I was soaking up the cool breeze filled with the scent of roses, Leonon spoke in a solemn voice.

“This is my first time escorting someone, so I’m not sure if I’ve made you uncomfortable somehow, Miss Lorella.”

“Pardon? No, I had lots of fun thanks to you!” I quickly waved my hands and raised my voice with all my sincerity. Though of course, it was my first time being escorted, I still couldn’t help but notice how considerate he was toward me.

“I had so much fun I didn’t even notice how much time had passed. Dancing with you was also fun. This is my first time enjoying such a pleasant day.”

Then, Leonon responded with a smile, “There will only be more pleasant days in the future.”

“That would be nice.”

The moment I smiled brightly and nodded.

“So that it will happen… I will make it happen for you.”

A soft yet affectionate voice tickled my ears.

At that moment, that soft and fluffy feeling spread all over my heart and continued downwards. My face felt like it was getting a little heated for some reason.

All I could do was just nod at him, facing his affectionate eyes that seemed particularly warm.

* * *

“How was the banquet, my lady? Did you enjoy it? I heard that the victory banquet will be held for another ten days, but you won’t be able to go and enjoy it any longer.”

Joy, who had waited for me up until late at night, followed me to the room and continued to chatter non-stop.

“Mm, it was a lot of fun,” I answered honestly. “It was so fun to the point where I wondered if I would ever be able to have such a happy and enjoyable time again.”

“Oh my, why do you say that? In the future, the Commander will definitely…”

Joy closed her eyes while laughing without even finishing her sentence. She must have recalled him kissing the back of my hand when he was taking me.

“I’m going to sleep now, so you rest up as well, Joy.” 

I could feel the back of my neck getting hot again. I quickly sent the bright-eyed Joy away and shut the door hurriedly.

“Huu…”

As I lay down on the soft bed, it felt like my limbs were finally melting.

I looked at the skyrocketing amount of shares with eyes that were growing heavy with sleep. It was something I did every time before going to sleep and had gradually become a habit.

Rather than feeling anxious every time I look at the stock window now, I started to feel more excited at the thought of the number increasing.

As I turned off the system window and stared blankly at the dark ceiling, the events of today seemed like a distant dream.

‘It really was a lot of fun…’

As I blinked my heavy eyelids, a gentle smile appeared on my lips.

‘I also discovered information on Sable Lily.’

Like the fact that she was going to Shassen soon, and that she had a half-sister who had stolen her fiance, and so on.

And if there had been another discovery, it was that I was able to face Periot quite naturally now.

That meant a lot to me. Not only did I find that verbal communication with him was working, but I was even enjoying our conversation. It was quite a change from before, when I thought he had just been a crazy psychopath.

If I could keep this up, selling Periot shares might not be so painful for me as well…

Perhaps it was thanks to the enjoyable time I just had. My heart was suddenly filled with the confidence that I could do just about anything.

“Just keep it up, Lorella,” I muttered softly as I closed my eyes, overcome with this happy feeling.

…Never dreaming something like that would happen to me.

---

author’s note

?!

---

naver comments

rikye
no, i was just looking at the strong periot, but when i saw periot kneeling(?) in this chapter, i was like, why does it feel like i can picture the future?

winnie
the last sentence may take a while, but… the two of you fighting to impress lorella is so… desirable, so much fun. let’s keep the two of you in check, fight, send gifts, and throw your face away for love~~~!

pt12
please bury that crazy two person composition hereㅠㅠ wow the tension is crazy just… what in the world is going to happen??!ㅠㅠㅠ

omg why am i twinning with periot bc why is he so delulu AHHHHHH THE AUTHOR IS FEEDING ME GOOD BY WRITING THESE ML POVS BC YESLGHSDJFSDJ

ALSO THE ART IN THIS CHAPTER SLAPPED IVE BEEN FED GOOD TODAY

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Periot soon came down from the platform. For a moment, I was worried that he would come over in my direction, but thankfully, he didn’t leave from the place the attendant had guided him to. Perhaps that was simply the proper etiquette.

It was only then that I let out a secret sigh. Unlike earlier, he wouldn’t be able to see me standing behind all these people here.

Sure enough, the next to appear after Periot was the Holy Knights of Ecretus. 

All of the knights stood ramrod straight without even the slightest disorder, all of them wearing kind smiles with kind eyes. Perhaps that was why. That upright and vigour full of strength seemed to be even more prominent amongst them.

After that, the praises continued to pour out, one after another.

Rather than being boring to me, that time seemed like a whole different world.

After all the recognition ceremonies were over, the emperor and empress gave one last congratulatory speech and then led their entourage to a special banquet hall to meet with the foreign delegation.

The banquet hall was once again filled with joyous laughter and music.

Periot, who I spotted in the distance, was unexpectedly surrounded by various people.

I had watched him be alone everyday, as if he were a proud crow, but now, seeing him being bombarded with questions from other people gave off a weird feeling.

Leonon had also been tied up in the same way.

Although he had asked for their understanding and was making his way toward me, he didn’t get very far before he was once again stopped in his tracks as other people came rushing over to greet him.

I shot Leonon a quick smile and then exited the hall.

To be honest, I was worried about the incident at the lakeside being repeated once more.

Although there was no guarantee that the two people would come toward me at the same time, I still wanted to nip in the bud anything that could cause the slightest bit of trouble.

It wasn’t that I was delusional. In any case, these two people already didn’t seem to get along very well, so after going through something like that, wouldn’t it be natural if things didn’t end well?

Not to mention, I also wanted to make sure that my accessories and clothes hadn’t become messy. Due to my anxiety, I had also been sweating, so I was worried that my mascara had smudged and made me look like a panda.

“I heard that there was a powder room one floor up where the maids’ quarters are.”

Following the information given to me by Countess Lewen, I spotted a staircase with red carpet next to it outside.

It was when I was climbing up the stairs while holding the hem of my purple skirt that swept abundantly with each step.

“…She seems even more shameless from up close.”

The sound of giggling could be heard coming from someplace.

“She didn’t divorce the Duke, rather, it was the Duke who one-sidedly divorced her, right? Not to mention, just look at how vulgar red hair! Gosh, how tacky can she be?”

What?

A conversation that I couldn’t just ignore suddenly caught my attention.

As I turned around slowly, I caught sight of a group of people sipping wine while standing at a tall decorative table near the stairs.

As soon our eyes met, they all quietly shut their mouths. However, all of them had sinister smiles on their lips, as if they had made a promise together to do that.

As if I couldn’t tell that they were talking about me.

Seeing as there was talk about the divorce, it seemed like they had successfully found out about me being the Duchess. Perhaps there was even someone among them who attended the wedding two years ago.

“What’s the matter? Can I help you with anything?”

Perhaps due to my persistent staring, one of them spoke up in a hateful voice. There was a blatant disregard and contempt for me in her eyes.

At that moment, a sudden thought flashed through my mind.

Oh! Is it perhaps something like that?

The appearance of ‘brats that don’t know their place and are fruitless in their acting up’ that always appear at least once during balls or banquets.

I couldn’t believe I was witnessing a scene where the author was shaking their head thinking that there wasn’t anything for them to write in this episode.

As I thought about that, my mind started to spin in the other direction. 

‘Could I perhaps sell some shares because of this?’

It reminded me of ‘a mansour in cider’, who gave a huge hit to Sable Lilly. Thanks to their blatantly obvious name, it was impossible not to know what they wanted.

‘But I don’t think I’ll be able to sell a lot though…’

Since there was a limit of ‘cider’ that could be given right now. Since it was such a common scene, the impact might be a bit weak. Even I would have thought ‘seems like the author has nothing else to write about’.

cider interchangeable with satisfaction

Selling around 10 shares would already count as a lot. Still, it was better than nothing.

‘Then, should I try and sell some first?’

As I was standing still and saying nothing, a vicious sound of laughter rang out.

“Oh my, you poor thing.”

“Pathetic. No sense of shame, no sense of pride either.”

“Looks like all she knows how to do is be coquettish. But it seems like she couldn’t even do that properly, seeing as she ended up like this.”

Far from feeling hurt, I clenched my fists and shouted loudly in my heart.

‘Yes, that’s right. Please swear at me even more! You have to swear so viciously that people will say it’s cheap, even if it’s right.’

First of all, I planned to let them talk as much as they wanted, and then when they reached their peak, I would give them a grand beating(?). Of course, I only planned to do so with words, not fists.

Although I wanted to smash their head in straight away, I couldn’t do it in a place like this. Since I was a main character candidate who must always maintain their dignity.

“A pathetic person that doesn’t even know their place…”

However, at that moment when they turned toward me, their chatter suddenly stopped.

At the same time, the complexions of those people who had been laughing at me turned pale.

“We should get going now!”

“S-Sounds good…! We seem to have been gone for too long.”

Like people who had suddenly seen a ghost, they all left the place in a hurry and started running one by one.

Huh…?

Where are you going?! My shares!

I stretched out my hand desperately, but the table in front of me quickly became empty.

But for some reason, I also felt a tingling sensation at the back of my head. I swallowed my anxiety and slowly turned around.

“Oh.”

The person behind me, leaning against the wall, was Periot.

Periot, who had been glaring at the place where they disappeared, muttered in a chilly voice, “…How dare they.”

With an expression so terrifying that a child would have burst into tears if they had seen it.

“Ah, my shares,” a lament flowed from my mouth at the same time.

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing…”

When I shook my head weakly, he clicked his tongue briefly and walked next to me. Then, he spoke in a stern voice, “Why did you just listen to them say that to you? How uncharacteristic of you.”

I did it all because I had my own thoughts, but what do you know…

“Next time, just swear or yell at them like you did to me. Since I’ll handle everything else.”

“Yeah… Thank you so much…”

A low cough burst from Periot’s mouth at my soulless answer.

“To be thankful just for this. You don’t need to be for such trivial things.”

He lifted his chin slightly and ran a hand through his hair. It seemed like he was somehow proud, which actually made me even more upset.

‘Damn it, what a waste!’

Although I thought that it wouldn’t sell for very long, it was still disappointing to miss such an opportunity. Even if it was only 10 shares, where am I going to dig to find it again?!

In any case, he wasn’t any help at all.

I glanced at Periot with resentful eyes and slowly climbed up the stairs. Receiving my cold gaze, he just stood still.

“Wait a minute, Lorella.”

It was around the time I reached the hallway on the second floor. Periot called my name and followed me quickly with his long legs.

“What?”

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

For some reason, he didn’t say anything for a while even after he had called out to me and stopped me.

Finally, after a while, a rather unexpected question flowed from between his open lips, “Other than diamonds… what else do you like?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Tell me everything that you like. Like your favourite colour or your favourite style of dresses.”

No, why should I?

After a moment of confusion, I noticed that his eyes were focused on my head piece. Thanks to that, I was able to understand immediately what the current situation was.

“Wait. Did those clothes really come from you?”

“Then besides me, who else could’ve sent those clothes to you?” Periot shrugged his shoulders lightly as if it were obvious and continued speaking, “It would be good if you could tell me what specific style you prefer. Since I need to keep it in mind when filling out the dressing room in the mansion.”

“W-What did you say?!”

I was so bewildered even my eyelids started twitching.

“No way, don’t tell me, the mansion you’re talking about… is the Duke’s residence…”

“Of course, if you want, I’ll fill that one up too.”

Seeing Periot interrupting my words with a calm and collected face made me feel dizzy all over again.

A voice from that day, telling me not to think that this would be the last time, kept ringing in my head.

At the same time, a deep feeling of regret came over me.

This all happened because of the hair piece.

No matter how much Joy tried to stop me, I should’ve just not put anything in…!

“Do you like anything else? This is my first time giving something like this as a gift, so there could’ve been some mistakes. However, the next time will be perfect.”

Unlike me, who held my forehead in embarrassment at his absurd words, he remained confident until the end.

As if even that wasn’t enough.

Ding dong!

「‘Trying a taste of the obsessive maniac’ buys 2,000 shares.」

「The first gift in his life. Super tasty.」

「‘That bastard isn’t the male lead right?’ buys 2,000 shares suppressing their churning stomach.」

「Bleh. I’ll definitely have an upset stomach if I eat this.」

Ding dong!

「‘Trying a taste of the obsessive maniac’ flies into a rage and purchases an additional 1,000 shares.」

「Hey, could you please give me a little bit of respect?^^」

「‘That bastard isn’t the male lead, right?’ snorts and purchases an additional 1,000 shares.」

「Oops, my bad. I get nauseous when I see something I can’t eat.^^」

There was a subtle war of nerves going on inside the system window.

The constant ringing of the notifications had all my nerves unconsciously focused on it.

Although the purchase of a lot of shares as if they were competing was a good thing for me, they weren’t actually fighting, right?

“Are you alright, Lorella?”

However, a firm yet calm voice was soon heard.

“Why are you staring blankly off into space? Are you feeling hurt anywhere?”

When I suddenly came to my senses, I was met with affectionate black eyes staring worriedly at my face.

…I must have gone crazy. Just what had I just been thinking about?

Affectionate? To think that his eyes, which had always been cold and harsh, would suddenly feel affectionate! Periot’s face came even closer to mine, as if to further examine my complexion.

My heart started to beat uncontrollably.

‘No, why is it like this again!’

In any case, I suddenly had the thought of going to the powder room to quickly take a break under the pretence of fixing my makeup.

“A-Anyway, I’m not hurt anywhere. Then, I’ll head off now!”

With that single thought in mind, I hurriedly tried to turn around…

A bright laugh came from under the stairs. As I reflexively turned my gaze, I saw several young ladies coming up towards me.

My eyes suddenly widened at the same time.

“Oh!”

Among the three or four young women dressed in luxurious and elegant dresses, there was one person who caught my eye in particular.

Black hair that was so glossy it would be believable for one to describe it as silk, a nude-coloured dress that gave off a sophisticated yet lively feel, and even long lace gloves with embellishments made of pure white pearls.

It was… her.

My rival, Sable Lilly!

“…Lorella?”

Periot, perhaps noticing the unusual atmosphere, came closer to my side with a slight frown.

But I didn’t have time to think about anything else. As I quickly looked around, I spotted a red curtain hanging between the large pillars like a screen.

“Hurry, this way!”

I quickly hid myself in that direction while desperately holding onto his arm.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Since it was something I had done out of reflex, I soon came to realise something.

The fact that she didn’t know my face so there was simply no reason for me to hide. Is this why they had the saying, the body suffers with a stupid mind…?

However, it was clear that if we went out again now, it would look even weirder.

Although the place behind the curtain was empty – perhaps because it had been where a statue had been placed – it was still extremely cramped.

Thanks to this, my forehead was almost touching Periot’s solid chest. However, regardless of that, my attention was now focused elsewhere.

“Just what is going on…”

“Shh!”

A quiet voice rang softly in the dark space. I brought my index finger to Periot’s lips just in case someone heard.

The sound of the women’s talking came closer and closer.

“Regardless of how skilled they are, to think that you’ll have to wait so long to get another checkup. I hope your father’s condition gets better quickly…”

That was the same voice from that very night that had laughed so chillingly. I got goosebumps before I even knew it.

“That’s what I’m saying. But I’m sure he’ll be up soon. Thank you so much for your concern, Miss Sable.”

“If it’s alright with you, how about I head to the Shassen region and try to find a doctor there? There must be a way to bring him over directly.”

“Pardon? N-No, that’s an extremely dangerous area! That’s why the doctors in that area aren’t able to move around easily either.”

“I have some business to do in Shassen. I’ll be going anyway since I have work to do there, but it’d make me happier if I could also help Lady Lapiche while I’m there as well.”

“Miss Sable…”

There was a cry filled with emotion.

“I’m so grateful…”

“We’re friends. It’s alright not to mention thankfulness amongst friends.”

Her words seemed to be filled with genuine concern for her friend, to the point where I began to doubt whether this was really the same person I had seen on that day.

Maybe Sable was acting like me as well. No, but why was she so good at it? Was she perhaps an actress in her past life?

“In any case, the hour is urgent, so I’ll see if I can move it up the schedule a little more.”

Soon, the sound of soft footsteps rushing forward could be heard.

The remaining women had now stopped near the curtain, each and every one of them busy praising Sable.

“Is there anyone else in the world who resembles an angel more than her?”

“You could probably search the entire continent and not find someone as good as Sable.”

“That’s for sure. Despite having a younger half-sister who stole her fiance, to still be able to get along with her family is really…”

“Shh. We agreed not to bring that up already.”

The ladies who stood chatting for a while eventually passed the curtain and continued walking. Eventually, the sound of footsteps disappeared completely, but I still couldn’t move a muscle.

Wait. What the hell is this again? You’re telling me that villainess still got along with a half-sister that had stolen her fiance?

In addition to the absurdity of it all, I also felt an inexplicable sense of deja vu.

That setting… it seemed like I had seen it a lot before.

“…Lorella.”

But then, a low voice that seemed to be suppressing itself tickled my ears.

When I turned my gaze upward, I saw fluttering short black hair as well as pitch black eyes that were shining in the dark.

The moment his long and prominent fingers slowly approached and grasped my wrist, his lips, which were slightly lifted up, moved gently again, “Am I still not allowed to speak?”

Soft skin along with a shallow breath brushed across my index finger, which was still pressed against his lips.

It was… hot, as if it had been touched by fire.

---

author’s note

like a black fox…

---

naver comments

sejin
ding dong-!
[sejin buys 10,000 shares]
[i don’t know about anything else, but unnie is the prettiest in the galaxy]

saebom
regroup commander leonon. countermeasures are needed.

omg am i the only one that finds periot’s shamelessness absolutely hilarious HGSLKDFFSJ

like i know for a fact that i’d be absolutely pissed if i were in lorella’s shoes but it’s so fkn funny to me i had to take a couple of breaks bc i was dying from translating his lines

LMAOFDSFD LIKE WHAT IS MAN PROUD OF WHAT IS THE BASIS OF HIS CONFIDENCE LMAOOOO

also do u guys also think the author has run out of stuff to write whenever there’s a scene of ppl trashtalking mc bc that has never occurred to me before

meanwhile, the war between that bastard isn’t the male lead right and trying a taste of the obsessive maniac reminds me of the i’m the real one ml debates HGSDLKFJ SO MANY PPL GET HEATED ABT THE MALE LEAD (black hair all the way HE DESERVES IT)

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

It went without saying that I had not once danced since possessing this body, so it was only natural for my body to be bad at dancing.

The reason my feet were moving to the rhythm of their own accord was not because of my own will, but because there was a memory imprinted in my body. It was because Lorella Mayred had been educated and raised as a noble daughter.

However, that only meant I was ‘moving’, not that I was actually dancing properly.

I had already expected it to a certain extent. But I had already longed to dance at the ball for so long, and my only friend, who was both sweet and handsome, had even asked me to dance, so how could I possibly refuse him?

‘I stepped on him again!’

No. I should have just turned him down.

I could feel the moment my foot, which had rushed out in a hurry, pressed against the top of Leonon’s foot.

Wow, that must have hurt. No matter how I thought about it, this one must have been really painful. I spit out my forty-ninth apology with a pensive look on my face, “I’m sorry…!”

“Don’t be. It’s only natural for you to make mistakes.”

Although he had said it in a firm and resolute voice, Leonon bit his lip, as if he was struggling to endure it.

As soon as I saw that appearance, a line of cold sweat trickled down my back.

Looking over Leonon’s shoulder, I could see couples that were dancing gracefully and lightly, completely unlike me, who was stiff all over. Among them was Countess Lewen, who I was introduced to earlier.

Sure enough, not just anyone could be a popular socialite.

“Even your forehead’s filled with sweat now… I think it’d be best for us to take a short break first.”

As I paused to watch other people dance, Leonon took out a clean handkerchief from the inner pocket of his uniform and dabbed at my forehead, expressing his concern for me.

“Then, j-just for a moment…”

I quickly took the handkerchief from his hand and wiped my forehead.

In fact, it wasn’t me who needed to rest, but rather, Commander Leonon, whose foot I had stepped on about fifty times, and sure enough, it seemed like the strength I had exerted hadn’t been small either seeing as my legs were trembling.

In the end, with his support, I limped back awkwardly toward the comfortable sofa in the banquet hall. Even without shifting my eyes up to see, I could feel the stares of everyone around me.

“Haa…”

As I sat on the sofa and sipped at the refreshing drink Leonon had brought me, I finally felt like I had come back to life.

“Are you alright?” 

He continued to study my face with eyes full of concern. I quickly corrected my posture and muttered out an excuse, “To be honest, this is my first time dancing after two years, so…”

It was something that could be revealed to Leonon, who knew better than anyone how I had been living whilst in the North.

Though of course, this was actually my first time dancing in twenty three years, not two years, but I couldn’t be honest to that extent.

“I’ve always been extremely uncoordinated since a long time ago too,” I even smiled shyly while adding a perfect alibi.

“If someone has something they’re good at, they’ll also have something they aren’t good at.

Leonon, who had offered me a gentle consolation, suddenly gave a suggestion with his eyes sparkling, “If it’s alright with you, would you like me to be your practice partner?”

“Pardon? I-I couldn’t possibly ask someone who’s always so busy to do something like that…”

“You’ll get better quicker with more practice. I really want to help you.”

There was a certain firmness in his sweet voice.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that he was a knight commander. He had also said that he was the type that couldn’t stay still without doing anything when he oversaw the knights’ training.

“Don’t tell me… you’re going to treat this just like a sword drill…?”

“Pardon?” 

When I joked half sincerely, Leonon looked startled and waved his hand, “N-No. How could I? Just that with Miss Lorella…”

However, instead of finishing his sentence, he quickly shut his mouth. At the same time, his face was dyed even a deeper shade of red.

“With me? What do you mean…”

Just as I was tilting my head and asking about the unfinished conversation, the entrance to the banquet hall became noisy as numerous attendants suddenly appeared in a row.

I stopped talking and turned my head toward that direction.

“Announcing the entrance of His Majesty the Emperor, and Her Majesty the Empress!”

As soon as that loud cry rang out, everyone who had gathered in the banquet hall immediately bowed down.

Although I was startled by the sudden appearance of the imperial couple, I quickly stood up from the sofa and copied the people around me. At the same time, I also slightly raised my head to look around.

Soon afterward, between the rows of neatly lined up attendants, appeared two people who walked gracefully down that aisle.

The emperor, who was dressed in an impressive yet noble looking ceremonial uniform of white and gold, walked step by step, his cloak embroidered with the insignia of the imperial family fluttering in a dignified manner.

Donning a golden dress to match, the empress had a kind yet elegant smile on her face.

However, what stood out the most was the large crown full of jewels that adorned the grey heads of the two.

Behind them came a series of people each more dressed up than the other, as if they were competing. They were probably the people in charge of assisting the imperial couple.

This was my first audience with the emperor and empress. I was instantly overwhelmed, unable to blink until the emperor and empress climbed up to the innermost podium of the hall and sat down on a large chair.

The emperor scanned his eyes over the crowd for a moment and then opened his lips in a solemn voice, “Please, all raise your heads.”

Only then did people start to cautiously straighten their backs.

“Today is a truly happy day. After a long war, we have regained the territory of our ancestors that we have all yearned for, with it being commemorated as a glorious day that will forever remain in the history of the empire.”

As soon as he finished speaking, cheers and shouts of joy rang out from all over the place. A happy smile also spread across the emperor’s face.

“I hope you will all share in that joy with us today as well. As everyone here is well deserving enough to do so.”

As soon as the empress said those words, the emperor immediately nodded his head as if it were appropriate.

“Before sharing in that joy, it should be our priority first, to recognise and praise the achievements of those who have made great meritorious contributions. Be sure to clearly engrave those names that have greatly contributed to making our empire stronger.”

At that time, Leonon quietly whispered in my ear, “Excuse me for a moment.”

He asked me for my understanding and left quietly. His steps were headed towards a place where the knights I had seen while I was at the temple were all gathered together.

It wasn’t surprising as it was only natural for the Holy Knights of Ecrestus, who played the role of protecting the empire, to be praised by the emperor. It was nice to see uninhibited smiles on the faces among those knights.

An attendant holding a luxurious scroll shouted in a loud voice, “Duke Periot of House Chambers, please come forward!”

…What?

An unexpected name struck my ears.

At the same time, the audience, which had been whispering excitedly here and there, became as quiet as if they had been hit with cold water.

It wasn’t long before a tall man slowly approached the emperor, his black cloak fluttering.

I slowly closed my eyes and opened them again, wondering if I had perhaps been mistaken.

Good heavens.

The person that was quietly crossing the middle of the golden banquet hall was really… Periot.

Even on the day he returned from the battlefield, at a banquet held to celebrate his own safe return, he had only given a brief greeting before going up to his study. The Periot I knew hated banquets so much that he even avoided his own position.

Though of course, this was no ordinary banquet, so it would’ve been difficult for him not to attend since he would’ve received summons from the emperor to go.

However, it was still a shocking sight. Despite the fact that I thought Periot and banquets seemed to be extremely incompatible, the sight of him standing in the middle of a luxurious banquet hall just seemed so natural.

Different from the one he normally wore, he had donned a deep purple jacket while the black silk shirt he had on underneath was patterned with luxurious embroidery.

With a black sash that I was seeing him wear for the first time, as well as a cravat that was adorned with a diamond it was as if he was the main character of today’s banquet.

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

No, wait a moment.

That deep purple… just where had I seen it before?

“Come closer, Duke Periot.”

Then, the emperor himself called out his name. Those long legs of him also moved in response to that address.

His confident yet unwavering steps, as if he didn’t care at all about the air that sank heavily and the frozen faces of those around him, were like those of a graceful beast.

Today, those perfect and beautiful features beneath that soft black hair were particularly eye-catching.

Was it because of that?

It didn’t take long for the frozen eyes of most people to change into admiration. Many of the ladies even gave him passionate looks with flushed faces, as if they couldn’t even bear to miss a single move he made.

Soon, Periot, who had climbed up to the podium and lowered his posture, kneeled down on one knee in front of the emperor.

“Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor, and Her Majesty the Empress.”

A deep voice echoed throughout the grand hall.

“Welcome, Duke Periot!”

The emperor seemed to be pleased and had a smile on his face. 

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. It would be no exaggeration to say that the Duke is the hero who saved this country.”

“You overpraise me, Your Majesty.”

“The imperial family has pledged to provide generous support to the North. Everyone that is gathered here today can serve as witness to that. I would also like to give the Duke a large reward. Anything is fine, so if there is anything you’d like please let me know.”

“It’s an honour, Your Majesty. However, I would be even more grateful if you could give me some time to think about it.”

A respectful attitude that was without even a single flaw, and a dignified yet somehow cold tone.

Perhaps that’s why I couldn’t take my eyes off Periot.

Since I had the illusion that he was a different person to the one I knew.

“There’s no rush, so take your time to think about it. After all, the bigger and better the painting, the more time it will take.”

The emperor was so happy that he even laughed out loud.

But there was no change in Periot’s facial expression. Following that, he received numerous praises, but his eyes remained calm and serene.

It was only after the high praise that made everyone else around him embarrassed that he was then given permission to leave.

It was the moment he turned his body after slowly straightening his back.

‘Ack.’

Those deep and profound black eyes inevitably turned toward me of all places. They were like the eyes of a wild beast looking for its prey, so I lowered my head in a hurry.

Although it was such a short moment that he couldn’t have possibly spotted me, I somehow had the sinking illusion that his cold gaze was constantly on me.

…No, could I have been mistaken?

“Oh my, be careful.”

Instead of being aware of my surroundings, I kept cowering and retreating backwards to the point where I ended up bumping into a noble madam who was standing next to me.

“M-My apologies.”

“Are you alright?”

At the unusual sight of me, who had my head lowered, she expressed her worry to me in a sweet voice. I couldn’t even give her a proper answer and just nodded a few times.

Only when there was no longer any place for me to retreat did I stop walking backwards. Is it okay for me to raise my head now? Since I had already mixed in with the crowd, there was no way he would have seen me, and also, wouldn’t he have gone down from the podium by this point?

After numerous internal arguments, it was when I finally lifted my head.

My heart fell with a thudding sound.

Those pitch black eyes shining with a brilliant light of his were looking straight at me. 

I could feel his gaze even from a considerable distance away. It was an intense gaze that seemed to be scanning through all the clothes and accessories I was wearing.

It was such a blatant and obvious stare that even the people around me started to glance at me whilst their feet unknowingly approached me.

Finally, the moment his gaze landed on the diamond hairpiece that was sparkling on top of my hair.

Periot’s lips curled up in a smooth line.

His lips hadn’t moved at all, even after receiving all kinds of praise from the emperor.

The sound of voices chattering here and there scratched at my nerves. Additionally, I could hear a loud pounding sound coming from somewhere.

Although I couldn’t believe it, it seemed like it was a sound that resonated from inside me.

Flustered, I clenched my fists until the backs of my hands turned white.

J-Just why in the world… had it become like this?

---

author’s note

who knows?

---

naver comments

kshc****
ah… let’s just live in a reverse harem… live with flowers in both hands unnie…

min
in any case, it seemes like leonon is destined to be the second male leadㅠㅠ although leonon is the one whose actions make your heart flutter, periot is the one who makes the female lead’s heart react…

mou
grand duke of the north: obsessive ml
holy knights commander leonon: golden retriever ml
then is the guide a tsundere?
i believe in you, author^^

ding dong!
[mio slams her head on the keyboard and shamelessly buys 10,000 shares]
I DON’T CARE IF IT’S TOXIC THE OBSESSIVE GRAND DUKE OF THE NORTH CAN POISON ME FOR ALL I CARE ♡

OH MY GODSKDFFS I KNOW HE’S A RED FLAG BUT I’M A BULL AND MY FAVOURITE COLOUR IS RED
please im just a sucker for cold and obsessive mls if this was real life i’d kick him to the curb BUT GOOD THING THIS IS FICTION AND NOT REAL LIFE HAHAHAHAHAH

you’ll be happy to hear tho that our girl lorella does not tolerate red flags like me, and that this in fact, is her real life hehehe trust in our girl ฅ́˘ฅ̀

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Through the wide open window, the smell of fragrant flowers flooded into the interior of the mansion. There was not a single cloud in the blue sky today. The weather was extremely fine today.

Nevertheless, the mansion had fallen into chaos, as if a typhoon had swept through it.

“Quickly, quickly…!”

At my urging, the hands of the maids on one side of me who were finishing the hair that was beautifully braided became extremely busy. Not able to wait either, Joy also put the lace gloves with dainty ribbons on my hands as well.

I jumped to my feet as soon as their hands fell away from me.

“Miss, you’ll fall if you do that!”

Although Joy’s urgent cries came from behind, I wasn’t able to stop my hurried steps.

It wasn’t that I was late for our agreed upon time, but rather, I was anxious knowing that someone was waiting for me.

No, to be honest, it was more appropriate to say that I was actually excited. 

As soon as I arrived in front of the living room door and knocked urgently, I immediately heard a short answer come from inside.

“Pardon my intrusion!”

As I opened the door while breathing heavily, I saw the man sitting on the sofa get up quickly.

“My apologies. You must have waited for a long ti…!”

“No, rather, it’s me that came too early…”

We both stopped talking at the same time, as if we had agreed upon it earlier.

Seeing him face to face, I was unable to think about anything else and could only blink my eyes.

Although I had already seen him wearing his white ceremonial uniform several times already, today felt somewhat different from any of the other days.

The first thing that caught my eye was the long blue sash that ran diagonally from his shoulder to the waist. The golden pattern engraved on it gave off a sense of elegance and luxury.

But it wasn’t just that. The angular epaulettes and sparkling sapphire buttons on the jacket also caught my eye immediately.

His blond hair that was tied up with even more care than usual as well as those blue eyes that seemed to smile affectionately at me could not be overshadowed by his flashy uniform as he stood there shining beautifully in the sun.

“It seems like it really does suit you,” Leonon praised in a soft voice. Thanks to that, I felt a flush of shyness overcome me. In front of the person who had given me the gift, wearing those clothes and standing there for him to see it seemed even more embarrassing than I thought it would be.

However, I sensed his eyes staring blankly at a certain place at that moment. He was staring at my prettily braided hair… no, it was the diamond studded hair piece.

Would it be better for me to tell him the whole story?

“Though you look good, no matter what you wear.” 

As I was about to start talking, he said something unfamiliar again with a kind smile.

Only then did I remember that I hadn’t thanked him yet, so I hurriedly grabbed the hem of my purple pleated skirt and greeted him.

“Th-Thank you so much for gifting me such beautiful clothes. To just accept something like this… I’m not sure if it’s really alright to do so.”

“As I said before, this is something I wanted to do for you, so please feel free to accept it with peace of mind.”

He walked toward me and continued to say, “I will also be more than happy if you continue to do so in the future.”

Those firm words were followed by a short sound of him clearing his throat. The area around his neck had already turned slightly red.

‘In the future?’

What sort of meaning should I attach to these words? Was he going to ask me to be his partner next time as well? If not that, then…

I wanted to ask, but it seemed like a shameless question to ask out loud.

“Shall we leave if you’re ready then?” 

Looking more excited than usual, Leonon also added, “I’m really looking forward to the banquet today as well.”

Although I missed the right timing to mention the head piece thanks to that, I resolved myself to definitely explain it to him later.

“So am I,” I smiled brightly and gently hooked my arm around his politely extended arm.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

The carriage that left the mansion continued along the road even after passing through the large palace gate located in the centre of the capital.

We had long since passed by the building I had visited the other day to file for a divorce, which had been the only familiar sight to me.

“Wow…!”

As we ventured further inside, the sight that greeted my eyes was gorgeous, so I could hardly take my eyes off the scenery and couldn’t help but glue myself to the window.

“To think the imperial palace was so vast! We’ve been travelling for so long yet we still haven’t arrived…”

“It’ll seem like that even more since this banquet will be held in the building located deepest within the imperial palace. Oh, we’re almost there. We’ll arrive in just a moment.”

As he explained kindly, the carriage soon stopped in front of a large building.

It was the moment I stepped outside while being escorted by Leonon, who had gotten off first.

“Goodness…”

The world outside the carriage was all red.

A large marble outer wall with beautiful geometric patterns, a flag hanging from the spire, and a rose garden so vast that you couldn’t see the end of it. Even the towering water fountain and its gushing water in the middle of the garden had been dyed red by the burning evening glow of the sunset.

The sight was so beautiful I had unconsciously opened my mouth in an unrefined manner.

At that moment, an attendant dressed in a crisp green uniform approached us.

“Sir Leonon Berhardt, Miss Lorella Mayred. Welcome in. I’ll guide you to the banquet hall.”

The attendant guided us inside politely. Seeing as this was my first time experiencing this, Leonon, who placed my hand in his once more, smiled softly and gestured with his eyes toward the garden.

“This is one of the most beautiful buildings in the imperial palace. The rose garden, which is filled with every single type of roses that can be found on this continent, is especially famous. Would you like to come and have a look with me later?”

The tension in my body seemed to ease little by little after hearing his voice, which was just as friendly as usual. I nodded and walked confidently toward the entrance of the building.

However, as soon as I entered, my barely closed mouth opened slightly once again.

On both sides of the long hallway draped with red silk and satin hung a dignified portrait of the imperial family in a frame made of real gold.

Adorning the pillars brilliantly was a huge tapestry with animals symbolising each territory of the empire embroidered with precious stones. It was so elaborately made that it seemed as if it could come to life and start moving at any moment.

That was hardly the end of it. All the windows had been decorated with stained glass of a vast variety of colours to the extent that there was no overlap while dazzling fragments of light too many to count poured down from a chandelier so large it was my first time seeing one of that size.

I was instantly overwhelmed by the magnificence and splendour of it all.

Although it was embarrassing, it wasn’t an unexpected reaction. Since it would’ve been difficult for me, who had never attended even the smallest banquet in the outskirts, to even dare to imagine attending the largest banquet in the empire.

However, the real window of opportunity was now.

The moment I had passed through the hallway and stepped foot into the large hall, dozens of eyes flitted toward me, who was standing with Leonon. No, rather, hundreds of eyes were focused on us at once. Their gazes were so intense it felt as if my skin was actually tingling.

Even if it were natural, it was only to be expected.

Even before my possession, Lorella Mayred was not someone who had been very well known in high society. Since the Count of Mayred was only a family that was powerless and impoverished.

So it’s no wonder that the appellation of ‘the former duchess of the Chambers household,’ whose face no one had seen for two years, would still be more famous.

On the other hand, Leonon was the Commander of the Holy Knights of Ecrestus, a name no one in the empire had not heard of, and had even made meritorious contributions to this war.

It would’ve been even stranger for them not to have looked over and not had suspicions about who in the world that woman standing next to the Commander was.

“It’s alright. Don’t be nervous.”

If it hadn’t been for Leonon who quietly whispered in my ear, I might have already retreated backward a few steps and quietly left the banquet hall. To the extent that my face had already frozen stiff.

“Huuu…”

But I couldn’t just cower in fright like this. It would’ve also been discourteous toward Leonon, who had accompanied me as my partner.

That’s right, Lorella. Just think of yourself as the most popular social butterfly in all of the empire for today! Go out shamelessly, that’s right, shamelessly.

It was when I was hypnotising myself and taking deep breaths.

“Miss Lorella, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”

Turning my head at Leonon’s words, I caught sight of a woman around my age wearing an elegant pale green dress.

“This is Countess Lewen.”

As soon as Leonon finished speaking, she took the initiative to offer me a friendly greeting, “Nice to meet you, Miss Lorella. I really wanted to meet you.”

…Does this person perhaps know me?

“Oh, it’s… nice to meet you too.”

I was extremely cautious since the thought of not returning her greeting seemed to be discourteous, but when I gave her a formal greeting, she responded with a gentle smile, “You must have been shocked since I greeted you so suddenly out of the blue.”

The Countess suddenly grabbed my hands, her eyes shining, “I’m actually a huge fan of that dessert shop. Although I went there to have a look after the Commander let me know about it, I became completely obsessed…!”

“P-Pardon? Th-Thank you…”

“From what I’ve heard, this is a place where Miss Lorella personally invested in? It seems like you have a natural sense for business. If you don’t mind, would you mind telling me more about business?”

From skinship skills that can dramatically narrow the distance in an instant to small talk skills that kick off a conversation naturally like flowing water.

When I talked about someone who was a popular social butterfly, I meant someone who was exactly like this Countess.

Staring at her blankly, I then turned my head toward Leonon in that moment.

The Commander let her know about it…?

Our eyes met, but he just pulled the corners of his mouth upward, pretending like he didn’t know anything.

That was how I suddenly started to chat with the Countess. Seeing as she was familiar with all the menu items, it was clear that she was in love with our desserts.

In the presence of a natural social butterfly, the conversation proceeded smoothly since we also had a common interest. Afterwards, we talked about the dress we wore and the rose garden we saw in front. And just like she had wanted, there was no shortage of business topics in our conversation either.

Meanwhile, three or four more noble madams had already gathered around us. They all had connections to Countess Lewen.

“Our funds were limited and the general response to each idea presented wasn’t good. The partner I had been working with was also losing confidence…” I continued to speak passionately in front of them, unlike my prior hesitation.

“Oh my, it must have been hard on you.”

“That’s right. There is nothing more frustrating than having inventory that is constantly accumulating yet difficult to dispose of. So in the end, how did you resolve it?”

“I made that product with the thought that this would be my final try, but it fortunately started garnering a huge response.”

“Then that product!”

“It must be ‘that’ coffee…!”

The women who had been listening to the story with great interest suddenly all agreed.

“Yes, that’s right,” I nodded, unable to suppress my pride and touched the tip of my nose.

Director Leonon, who had been listening to our conversation nearby, also widened his eyes as if he was surprised, “Although I knew that a lot of work went into running the store properly… this is my first time hearing the full story with all the details. That’s truly incredible.”

Lips adorned with a smile so sweet that it would be sad to think of it as not the sweetest in the world caught my eye.

The moment I encountered it, an indescribable gratitude filled my heart.

Considering the situation, it was clear that Commander Leonon had deliberately introduced me to Countess Lewen. He must have known that I would have had no friends to greet in a place like this.

“Lady Lorella really has a way with her words. I didn’t even notice time passing whilst I was listening to you.”

The grey-haired woman with whom I had just been talking to spoke with a gentle smile on her face. I somehow felt a little embarrassed and just smiled back at her awkwardly.

“It seems like I’ve forgotten to tell you my name. I’m Grace of the Marquis of Erne.”

“Oh, so it’s Marchioness Erne. Thank you so much for the compliment. You praise me too much.”

“How is it too much praise? Please come and visit my mansion next time. We’ll be holding a banquet soon, so if it’s okay with you, I’d love for you to attend. Of course, with the Commander as well.”

My eyes widened at the unexpected suggestion. The other young women who were listening also burst into laughter and added a few words about the banquet being held at the Marquis of Erne.

“A… banquet?”

“That’s right. I also run several large workshops, so I can relate very much to your business story. If it isn’t too much of a bother, I would like to have a more in-depth conversation with you.”

“H-How could it be a bother? That absolutely isn’t the case. As long as the Commander is fine with it, I’ll definitely want to be there!”

I was so happy that I ended up raising my voice unconsciously.

Then, as if he had just been waiting, Leonon responded with a smile, “I’m honoured you invited me. Since Miss Lorella is going, I will also come with her to visit you.”

The Marchioness seemed to be extremely pleased that we had both immediately accepted the offer, smiling broadly as if to say, ‘It’s good to be so vigorous and energetic’.

She and the other ladies with her chatted with us some more and then dispersed. Because the banquet had so many people coming in and out, I was completely out of my mind.

Still unable to calm my pounding heart, I slowly walked to the centre of the hall with Leonon.

It wasn’t long before I saw Countess Lewen, who had spotted me among the crowd and smiled. I, too, smiled back at her and whispered softly to Leonon, “So there was a reason why you introduced me to Countess Lewen in the first place. Seriously, thank you so much.”

“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

“You also deliberately told her about my store in Aurea, didn’t you?”

“Haha… To be honest, I was only lucky since she happened to have a sweet tooth.”

The truth that was revealed briefly and bluntly made me burst into laughter unconsciously.

“You said you weren’t that close to high society, but sure enough, the Commander is such a formidable figure. Don’t you think that all debutantes will ask the Commander for a helping hand?”

“Although it’s true that I’m not close to it, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t seen anything.”

Well, that was true.

I couldn’t help but agree with those words.

Wasn’t he also the emperor’s nephew as well as the next head of the Berhardt household? It was clear that he would’ve attended quite a few banquets since he was young, and had personally seen and learned about those things first hand.

Thanks to this, I had completely regained my confidence and had become relaxed enough to straighten my back and greet strangers quite skillfully.

I found it very enjoyable to chat and make light conversation with new people from all over.

“I knew everyone would like you, Miss Lorella.”

Upon seeing such a side of me, Leonon was happy as if it were a matter concerning himself.

When I saw his face that was smiling so wide even his neat row of teeth were visible, I was instantly overwhelmed with emotion. Because no one had ever treated me this well.

As I pressed my hands to my chest in an attempt to calm myself down, Leonon asked in a voice that was full of concern, “Are you perhaps feeling ill anywhere? If you are, call for the attendant right away…”

“N-No. I just have a few concerns.”

I hurriedly waved my hand. Then, with a serious look on his face, he asked, “If you have concerns, what…?”

“I was just concerned about how I’m meant to repay my gratitude to the Commander.”

At those words, Leonon pondered deeply over something for a moment and then continued speaking with a bright smile, “You’ve already paid me back so abundantly, so don’t worry about it.”

“Pardon? But I haven’t even paid back a single thing yet.”

It was when I looked up at him while saying those words that were filled with doubt.

“Since I can see your face like this.”

A low voice with a soft yet heavy resonance quietly rang in my ears.

“Eyes that sparkle when listening to an interesting story, or laughter that bursts out brightly when you find something enjoyable.”

Heat was rippling in his blue eyes, like the midday sea, fully bathed in the hot sunlight.

“That’s more than enough for me.”

My face quickly heated up as I couldn’t find the words to reply; all I could do was stare at him while the pleasant melody played by the court orchestra filled my ears.

When I turned my gaze, I noticed that there were musicians sitting near the terrace. Additionally, the atmosphere of the people around me was slightly different from before.

As I stood there in confusion, Leonon held out his hand toward me, “Would you give me your first dance?”

Perhaps it was this gentle and deep voice that was pleasant on the ears.

I stared at the luxurious white gloves that matched well with Leonon, and eventually placed my hand gently over them. Then, his strong arm wrapped around my waist as if it had just been waiting to do so.

Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong.

The soft sound of bells echoed continuously, as if in harmony with the beautiful melody of the waltz.

---

author’s note

please buy a lot of shares (❁´▽`❁)

---

naver comments

wan
oh… the black hair male lead formula is just going to break like this????? I APPROVE!!!!

rejina
–ding dong
[miss rejina goes all in on leonon x lorella shares]

claire
i’m going all in on these shares

AHHHH LEONON MY SWEET SUMMER BOY YOU’RE SO SWEET YOU DESERVE THE WORLD HOW CAN ANYONE BE SO PURE (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) MY SWEET BOY YOU DESERVE ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD

i still hate lorella’s dress LMAOO the puffy sleeves r not it imo

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Within a few days of Commander Leonon’s departure, the Berhardt household’s exclusive dressmaker really did visit the mansion along with several assistants.

“Don’t fret about anything and just leave it all to me. I’ll make you stand out more than anyone else at the banquet,” speaking confidently, the dressmaker soon began to bring in everything that he had brought and gave orders to the assistants.

Dozens of boxes containing shoes, hats, and gloves constantly entered the mansion, starting with expensive fabrics that were usually hard to find, elaborate lace hand woven by craftsmen, jewellery to decorate buttons and brooches, and explanations that they were just samples.

Since there was even a dressing room on one side of the living room, that was where I spent most of my time.

If only that was all. After looking at the fabric and trying on several clothes with similar designs, what appeared before my exhausted eyes were red rubies crafted in different shapes and pearls that shone softly with a natural glow.

I was already grateful enough that he offered to go to the banquet with me, but from the dresses to the expensive accessories…

…is it really okay to keep going at this rate?

“Is this really alright…”

At that moment as I muttered out loud without realising it, the dressmaker, who was sitting across from me and was busy choosing my jewellery, responded with a grin.

“Of course it’s fine. These days, it’s popular to mix a few completely different gems with lace decorations. As long as the gloves and shoes that are worn are of the same style, you will still be able to maintain a sense of unity and glamour.”

Answering confidently, he then lowered his voice quietly, “He asked me to make a dress for a lady. This is a first ever since I’ve worked with the Berhardt household. Furthermore, I was told to prepare something that would suit you, Miss Lorella, the best, since the price wouldn’t matter.”

Then, somewhat sneakily, he quietly added, “Although I’m like this, I’d still call myself a pretty sensitive person.”

No, so what kind of sense are you talking about…

However, I had no choice but to shut up in tears.

Even after that, the dressmaker and his assistants were busy trialling different kinds of fabric and accessories against my face and hair to determine the details for quite a long time.

After the hectic day was over and they all went home. I couldn’t fall asleep right away and paced around the room.

As I was putting together the dress and choosing accessories, I realised that the day to go to the banquet was getting closer and closer. Nevertheless, as each day passed, the excitement and tension grew within me, little by little.

To be honest, I had actually secretly fantasised about things like the imperial palace’s banquet and the inner circles of high society. That was only natural. Since I had read so many romance fantasies so far.

To the extent where the first thing I had wanted to do when I had become free after escaping from the Duke was to attend a ball.

Wearing a pretty dress and having requests to dance with me pouring in from here and there; just how much had I dreamed of such a scene!

Moreover, one of the main characteristics of a female protagonist in a Rofan is their entrance into high society! T-Though of course, I’m not the official main character yet.

And as for the real ‘Lorella Mayred’, I wouldn’t know. For me, who had been whisked away and locked up in the Duke’s estate as soon as I possessed this body, this would be my official debutante. So it was only natural that I wouldn’t be able to sleep since I was looking forward to it so much.

In any case, I was going to take this opportunity to properly get my foot into the door and step into high society.

Although there would be various underhanded fights and conflicts that would come and go, the social world would also be a place that was overflowing with valuable information that can’t be heard, regardless of how much money was spent. It was a gateway that I had to pass through in order to stand tall as the Young Miss of the Mayred County.

And for that, there would’ve been no better opportunity than this banquet. I really… could not express my gratitude enough to Commander Leonon.

“I said, you’re the prettiest.”

As soon as I remembered that voice again, my face heated up again without fail. I quickly walked over to open the window and was greeted by the cool breeze on my face.

It was a moment when I personally experienced the feeling where a person’s heart could actually jump out of their mouth if they are so shocked.

“T-To think he would suddenly say such a thing,” I muttered aloud on purpose. I tried to shake it off and pretend like it was nothing, but my feelings that emerged from that time suddenly came to me even more vividly.

In addition, I suddenly smiled unconsciously when I remembered Leonon, who at that time, had various emotions such as embarrassment and self-reproach blooming and sinking on his face one after the other,  when various emotions, such as embarrassment and self-blame, bloomed over his face one after another.

Though of course, although I didn’t know everything about him yet, I could still get a rough idea at what he was feeling just by looking at his expression now.

He seemed to think that I might be displeased since he clearly looked embarrassed and full of self-blame.

Although it wasn’t like that at all. It was far from being unpleasant – rather, just thinking about it now was…

I stood with my shoulders straight and my hands on the windowsill as I enjoyed the billowing wind. I could vaguely see my mouth that was lifted on the glass of the window that had been opened at an angle.

‘My heart was racing.’

I was shocked for a moment and scrambled to hurriedly close the window, as if I was a person who had been caught in something I shouldn’t have seen.

However, the gaze that looked at me gently along with the face with an affectionate smile was something that would never leave my head.

This wouldn’t do. At this rate, it seems like this would be the only thing I’d think about until the banquet.

I rubbed my burning face with my cool palms and tried to think about something else.

That’s right. For example, thinking about the 15,000 shares and bonus cookie that popped up at that time.

I had been on tenterhooks, worried about how something like when I had broken the swing at the Holy Knights Headquarters would happen again if I accidentally used it without realising it.

But on the other hand, it was reassuring that I would be able to use it if I ever needed to.

Yeah, now was the time to focus on getting to the banquet without any major incidents happening.

Even if it was just so as not to cause any inconvenience to Commander Leonon, who had invited me.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Time quickly flew by and the banquet was just around the corner before I knew it. Aurea wasn’t close to the capital, where the banquet would be held, so I had been extremely busy due to the various preparations that were in order.

Meanwhile, boxes wrapped in luxurious wrapping paper were delivered to the mansion one after another.

It was the finished dress along with the matching accessories.

“You need to unbox your present, right Miss? Fufu, don’t worry and just leave it to us.”

As soon as dinner was over, Joy along with my other maids approached me with a creepy smile.

I suddenly remembered the day I had invited Leonon to the mansion. The day I had been held captive and had been unable to move for hours as they tied my hair up and down dozens of times.

I resisted timidly, my voice trembling with fear, “B-But we still have some time left?!”

“What are you saying? Do you mean to say that you’ll decide on your hair and makeup right before the ball starts?”

“She’s right! We’ll have to confirm in advance which one suits you the best!”

You guys don’t mean to do a fashion show all night long… right?

After faltering and retreating back a few steps, I was still eventually dragged by their hands and had no choice but to sit quietly on the chair in the dressing room.

Still, you’ll let me sleep, right…?

“Quickly, open it for us to see. Please? Come on.”

Hearing the sound of someone’s anxious cry, I sighed and slowly opened the lid of the box.

Then, a purple dress with an abundance of pleats soon appeared before my eyes.

“Woah.”

“How…!”

As soon as Joy carefully took the clothes out and hung them on the hanger, exclamations erupted from all around her.

It was an elegant dress with a boldly plunging neckline, a skirt puffed out with a pannier, and a flower pattern that was embroidered in gold thread down the stomacher of the dress.

Delicate gold lace was attached to the waist and end of the sleeves, and sparkling ruby and pearl adornments along the sweetheart neckline further caught the eye.

Another box contained a cape with cute satin ribbons as well as lace gloves.

Even the maids who had been watching from behind gathered around the boxes, as if they couldn’t bear it anymore.

“Oh my…!”

However, as Joy was examining the accessories in the box, a confused exclamation suddenly came out of her mouth.

“What is it?”

In her hand was a large hair ornament full of amber and crystals. The adornment was modelled after the yellow dahlia flower, which I especially liked.

“Miss. Isn’t this the dahlia flower?”

“Yes, that’s right. Why?”

“This is something I also heard through rumours. Apparently Duchess of Lionel from the capital was bitten by a snake while picking this flower in the Duchy’s own forest some time ago and something bad almost happened.”

“The Duchess… of Lionel?”

“Yes. Fortunately there wasn’t any poison, so the bite wasn’t life-threatening; however, the shock of it all still lingers to this day, and apparently just seeing this flower would cause her to tremble in fear…”

‘Duchess Lionel’ was a name that I had heard of several times at tea parties.

Everyone had unanimously agreed that they were one of the households that dominated the centre of high society, and that you should never get on their bad side, regardless of what happens.

“What should we do about this?” 

Joy stomped her feet almost in tears.

It was only natural for Joy to worry, since this hair ornament would definitely affect the feelings of the Duchess, who was at the centre of high society.

“Don’t I have other hair ornaments as well? You can just switch it to another one that suits me the most.”

“But they’re all too small. Above all, if the hair ornament doesn’t match the dress, it’s pretty much the same as not wearing one at all…”

I bit my lip in embarrassment. The other maids also began to whisper amongst themselves about what they were going to do.

I never thought a day would come where I would have to wear such a luxurious and expensive dress, so I never expected that I would also need accessories that would match it. Not preparing for it in advance was my mistake.

However, I should’ve thought about it when I knew I was going to be attending such a grand ball.

“Then how about removing the hair ornament…”

“That’s absolutely non-negotiable! It would be like walking around the ballroom barefoot.”

This time, not only Joy, but also all the other maids around her joined forces and shook their heads vigorously.

 It was only then that I realised the severity of the situation.

Should I try heading to the jewellery store early tomorrow morning? But those large and glamorous head pieces weren’t the kind that could be bought right away. Most of them were custom-made pieces. 

In other words, if you wanted it, you had no choice but to order it, but there was too little time for me to do that.

The only option left was for me to shamelessly visit the ladies I had met at the tea party at such a late hour.

I felt a headache forming and massaged my temples.

I once again strongly felt that I had to enter high society at all costs.

Not only had I found out about such an incident regarding the Duchess even later than a maid, but there was not even a single person I could comfortably turn to for help when something like this happened.

There was nothing else I could do. Right now, I should at least send a letter to the madam who invited me to the tea party…

But it was then.

A knock sounded from outside.

“Pardon the intrusion, my lady.”

The faces that peeked through the crack in the door were the butler and a few other servants who were holding several boxes.

“What’s all this?”

“These are the boxes that were just delivered.”

“Delivered? From who?”

“They said it was sent by a boutique in the capital, but I’m not sure who sent it. There isn’t even a name written on it.”

“Pardon?”

Unlike me, who was still puzzled over the words boutique in the capital, Joy quickly accepted the box with a smile.

“Miss, shall I open it then?” She asked me in a hurry. I nodded in shock.

“Oh my, good heavens!”

As soon as the box was opened, the maids all burst out in joyous cheers.

As soon as I saw it, I also jumped out of my seat and looked into the box again. I couldn’t believe it, even when I saw the contents inside with my own eyes.

What was inside was an elegant yet intense purple dress. The alluring black silk lace attached here and there to act as statement pieces was dizzyingly beautiful.

Another box contained black heels with equally sophisticated embroidery, another contained a glossy velvet shawl, and the small, flat box contained rows of diamond-encrusted jewellery.

“…What is all of this? Who could have sent it?”

“Who knows? But it’s definitely for you, my lady! Since your name is even written on the parcel.”

For me?

As Joy said, the thing written on the box was clearly my name. It was addressed precisely to Lorella Mayred of the Mayred County.

Could this be another surprise gift from Commander Leonon?

I looked closely at the violet purple dress hanging side by side with the lilac dress.

However no matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like a dress Leonon had sent. Even though the styles were different, it was too different.

A skirt with simple, yet alluring and elegant lines instead of adorable puffy pleats. Instead of a round and cute sweetheart neckline, a décolleté neckline that gives off a somewhat provocative feeling.

Of course, it was an extremely beautiful and charming dress. Every piece of fabric and embellishment seemed expensive, so it wasn’t something that a regular boutique would be able to make in advance.

Furthermore, this colour and design… seemed like it would suit me very well, almost as if it were a perfect match…

But black lace of all things.

No matter how little I knew about high society, I still knew that there were not many young misses or noblewomen who would wear such lace decorations of this colour without any hesitation. Even moreso to a banquet that was commemorating a victory.

For a moment, an unknown ominous feeling surged through my mind.

It was because I was reminded of someone who would wear dark clothes every time I met them, as if they were a crow. 

Don’t tell me. How could someone who doesn’t even know I’m going to the banquet send me clothes? Gee, it can’t be.

While I was lost in my thoughts, a hand emerged from somewhere and forced me to sit down on a chair. It was Joy, who had at some point taken out a large comb and was humming a tune.

“Miss, please stay still for a moment.”

What she was holding along with the comb was a diamond-studded hair ornament. It was so gorgeous and dazzling that I couldn’t even bear to look straight at it.

“Wh-What are you doing right now?”

“What what are you doing! I need to quickly decide on your hairstyle. We’ve really been saved since we now happen to have a wonderful hair ornament that suits either dress.”

“Wait a minute. What are you going to do if it’s not for me?!”

“Your name is obviously written clearly on the parcel, my lady. You can’t possibly think there’s another person in this mansion with the same name as you, right?”

“No, what if there’s p-poison on the end of that hairpin…!”

“What sort of nonsense is that? Now, now, please stay still.”

My resistance was once again in vain.

A beautiful hairpin studded with both large and small diamonds was intertwined in the hair that had been quickly done up in fear of me moving again.

As I glanced towards the mirror in front of me, my eyes were pulled towards the two beautiful dresses that were hanging neatly on the hanger.

---

author’s note

take all the good things

---

naver comments

sejin
no, unnie… although i like the black one better, you’ll be matchy matchy with the duke if you wear it…. unnie will just buy it for you to wear…

roni
it’s following all the cliches of rofan, but… why is it still so good? it’s so good i’m about to go crazy HAGLKDSJFDJ

apple mint
unnie, you know, you look good in both of them,,, you need to choose the person… so who do you want to go with?

yawl if i’m being rl here i don’t rlly like either of them, but if i had to pick i’d pick the black one too hgsdlkfsdj I AGREE WITH THE SEJIN COMMENT SHE’LL MATCH THE DUKE IF SHE PICKS IT THO SO LIKE GHDSFLKFSJ

i honestly think the author should’ve either matched her dress with her hair (could look tacky tho) but i feel like our girl would look SO GOOD IN WHITE OR CHAMPAGNE IT’S SUCH A SHAME AHHHHH

ne ways its missing winnard hours WHEN WILL I HAVE WINNARD SCREENTIME

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

The loud pounding of a heartbeat from somewhere interrupted his hearing. The moment he realised that heartbeat was his, Leonon almost spat out a swear word without realising it, so he hastily bit his lip.

‘…Crazy. I must have gone crazy.’

Unfortunately, however, the words he had already uttered could not be recovered. Thanks to this, in the drawing room where a friendly atmosphere had once flowed, only an awkward air lingered now.

He couldn’t bear to look Lorella straight in the eye so he looked away. Looking into her eyes only seemed to make him even more embarrassed.

But he had meant it. Those words he had said about her being the prettiest.

Until now, there had never been a time where he had said something unnecessary he didn’t mean in order to impress the other person or for keeping up appearances.

So Leonon really thought that Lorella was very pretty and beautiful.

Even now, he couldn’t take his eyes off her face, which was still burning red like the red roses he had gifted her.

Everything about her was loveable and lovely, from the way the corners of her mouth curled up mischievously when she was joking, her dimples that appeared the moment she laughed, and eyes that widened without fail whenever she was excited.

However, Lorella remained silent for a while, as if she had frozen with her teacup in hand. She didn’t praise him for doing as well as she had earlier, nor did she smile. Did she feel bad after hearing those words? Belated worries filled his head.

In any case, Leonon examined her cautiously, thinking to himself that he should apologise.

No matter how sincere the words are, if they hurt the other’s feelings, then you should apologise.

It was when he was about to open his mouth after coughing awkwardly.

“No way. I’m not accepting it.”

A small murmur came out of the mouth of Lorella, whose head was lowered and had turned red all the way to the tips of her ears.

What was she rejecting?

Leonon instinctively listened to hear her voice.

“Oh, I said not to use the cookie.”

It was an extremely soft voice that would have otherwise been missed if it had been anyone other than Leonon sitting across from her.

However, he was a highly trained swordsman who could catch even the slightest footsteps, not to mention he was also aware of Lorella’s habits as well.

She seemed to have a lot of imagination, and even during their conversations, she was easily lost in her other thoughts from time to time. At times like that, she would talk to herself or thin air. It was a sight he had seen often, so it felt somewhat familiar now.

What could she be thinking of this time? To think that it would be about cookies. No doubt her thoughts were all so cute and pure.

Lorella’s eyes turned to meet his, as if she felt his gaze on her at that moment. Perhaps she didn’t know he had been looking at her, since she seemed shocked as soon as their eyes met.

“M-My apologies, Commander.”

“No, I should be the one to apologise.”

Leonon didn’t miss the timing and apologised with both sincerity and politeness.

“What do you have to apologise for, why…?”

Seeing her tilt her head as if she really didn’t know, he felt relief wash over him since it seemed like she wasn’t offended. At the same time, on the other hand, he felt perplexed.

Whatever Lorella did, whatever appearance she showed him, no matter what, she looked adorable.

‘Just what in the world is wrong with me?’

It was as if he had been possessed by something.

Of course, Lorella had always been a lovely and adorable person, but that fact alone still couldn’t justify why his heart was beating so violently in his chest.

He gritted his teeth and tried to somehow calm his racing heart that seemed to be bucking like a wild horse.

Then, he called out to her quietly in a voice that had been carefully deliberated over, so that it would not be different to how it was usually.

“Miss Lorella.”

That’s right, he had to keep as much of his composure as he could right now. Since there was still something that he hadn’t said yet.

“Oh, yes.”

“Would you be my partner?”

“Your partner?”

It wasn’t until she asked the question back to him with her eyes wide that Leonon knew he had made a mistake. He had been in such a hurry to ask that question that he suddenly brought up the main subject without any context.

“I’d like for you to come with me to the victory banquet. As my partner.”

“You’re talking about the banquet that’s happening at the imperial palace…?”

“That’s right.”

Leonon nodded with a smile.

He had kept thinking about it the moment he heard her talk about the victory banquet from the tea party. To the point where he wondered why he didn’t think of that first.

It was only natural that Leonon, who had made a significant contribution in the war, would receive an invitation to the banquet. However, even if he didn’t receive an invitation, he would’ve another way for them to go together somehow. 

…Because she really wanted to go. And of course, he also wanted to go with her as well.

When he heard that it was her first time going to a social gathering, although he hadn’t expressed it, he had still been shocked.

In the harsh North, the things she could have enjoyed as a ‘Duchess’ would have been limited. Social gatherings and banquets with other noble ladies must have been the most important of the few entertainments. 

A quiet but not at all small wave of anger welled up in Leonon as he clenched his fists tightly. He finally understood why she had been so desperate to flee from the Duchy.

So, even more so, he wanted to help her enjoy all the things she wanted to do and places she wanted to go.

“Would you come with me?”

“Of course!”

After asking once more, he finally got the answer he wanted to hear. Seeing her bright smile, his heart started pounding again.

“But… are you sure you don’t mind me coming with you?”

“Of course.”

Without any hesitation, Leonon copied what Lorella had just said.

Until now, his attendance at most banquets held at the imperial palace had always just been mandatory. However, he had absolutely no interest in having an accompanying partner. No, rather, it was actually uncomfortable.

Thus, it was actually also his first time proposing to be someone’s partner and escorting them to go together. Perhaps that was why, before he even knew it, Leonon also began to look forward to the banquet.

As they continued to chat happily, it came time for him to leave. His teacup had also been emptied as well.

However… he felt that it was somewhat of a shame.

“Would you like some more tea?”

When the maid standing beside him asked him, Leonon’s guards who were standing by the side of the door gave him a sidelong glance. After this, he also had something scheduled at the headquarters, so he fully understood the meaning behind their eyes.

However, Leonon nodded at the maid, pretending not to understand.

For now, he just wanted to keep talking to Lorella and know more about her.

When the maid went to fetch the tea, he ignored the guards who were restless and asked, “Do you have any hobbies or interests?”

“Oh, I…”

Perhaps because the question was too sudden, she squinted her eyes and seemed to ponder over it. He had thought it would be an easy question, but the reply didn’t come back for quite a while.

Even as the maid returned and filled the cup with steaming tea, Lorella could not easily open her mouth and seemed to groan.

Seeing such an expression on her, Leonon added with a small smile, “Anything is fine. If you don’t have a hobby, tell me a little bit about what you’re interested in these days.”

Lorella, who had been thinking for a long time, opened her mouth shyly, “To tell you honestly, stocks…”

“Stocks?”

“Yes. If you invest in the area you want, they convert it into numbers and issue some kind of certificate. It’s… insanely popular in foreign countries far away.”

Leonon, who looked puzzled by the unfamiliar name, nodded only after hearing her explanation, “There are several cooperative organisations that seek profits from merchants by investment. It must be similar to that kind of thing.”

“Yes, it’s exactly like that.”

Lorella’s eyes, which had been frowning in contemplation, finally softened gently.

‘I see. So she’s someone who’s very interested in economics.’

He was a little happy since this was the first time he knew about her personal interests. He promised himself that he would slowly learn more about her from now on, and at the same time, also swallowed his slightly rising feeling of shame.

As he was expected to become the future leader of the Holy Knights, he graduated from the Imperial Knight School, where talented individuals gather, and graduated at the top of the class from the High Academy, which was rumoured to be difficult to enter.

In particular, he had always been interested in military studies and economics and there was not a single aspect of it that he neglected, but this had been his first time hearing about shares. Albeit he was familiar with the concept.

‘It seems like I’m lacking in knowledge about the latest foreign investment trends.’

Determined to call an economist right away as soon as he returned to his mansion, he asked another question, “Then what ‘stocks’ have you been interested in recently?”

“Oh, that…” 

Lorella looked flustered once again, seemingly unable to answer easily.

“Obsessed man… no. That basta… n-no.”

It was at that time when Leonon’s head was slightly tilted to the side as she was shaking her head and muttering something incomprehensible.

“To put it bluntly, I am interested in funny stocks…”

“Funny… stocks?”

With a rather red face, she added quickly, “Ah, yes. It’s an organisation created by noble ladies who love reading. Because they are sincere about the kind male protagonist, they do not spare any investment in him. I-I’m investing in that direction too! It’s the stock I’m most interested in these days.” 

An awkward smile ensued at the end of her speech.

Apparently, she was investing in the publishing business. It was a wise choice to start with the area you are most interested in and gradually expand upon it.

Her area of interest was economics and her hobby was reading books.

He honestly hadn’t expected it since she has such a bright and cheerful personality. It was because he thought she would have enjoyed running around freely under the bright sun instead.

Numerous questions lingered in his mouth. The more he knew, the more he wanted to know. He was looking forward to seeing what other aspects she was hiding underneath and how it would surprise him.

But now, the time has come when it really has to happen. He stood up, hiding his regret.

“Thank you very much for inviting me today. I’m not sure if I’ve stayed for too long and intruded on you.”

“How could that be? I had a lot of fun as well. Although it would be nice if you could stay longer… Come visit us more in the future.”

“I will,” Leonon nodded sincerely.

On his way out after receiving her send off, he quietly said what had been on his mind for a while, “I would like to give you a gift in return for going to the banquet with me. If it’s okay with you, would you please accept it?”

“Oh my, you really don’t have to. I’m already grateful enough at the fact that you’re taking me with you to the banquet.”

“I really want to do it for you. Is it alright if I send the Berhardt family’s exclusive dressmaker to you sometime soon?”

“Pardon?”

Lorella’s eyes shook slightly.

“It’s a gift from me, so don’t feel it’s too burdensome and just take it.” 

In order not to burden her in any way, he also added carefully, “It’s also a courtesy given to the partner you go to the banquet with.”

She seemed troubled for a moment, then replied with a bright smile, “Then I’ll… receive it without any shame. What should I do if I can’t fall asleep from excitement?”

In addition to her giving him permission, Leonon also smiled brightly at her joking words. He was glad that his feelings seemed to have been conveyed well to her.

He made eye contact with Lorella, who was blinking shyly, and took in the full view of her face.

* * *

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“Pardon my intrusion, Duke.”

With the knock came a familiar voice from behind the heavy door. 

Instead of answering, Periot moved his hand, which had paused for a moment, and became absorbed on checking the documents again.

If it was the person whose voice it belonged to, he would automatically sense his permission without having to tell him to come in.

Sure enough. After a while, the door was opened carefully in a cautious manner. The person who appeared was the butler, who had been by his side for a long time.

“The letters that arrived today.”

The box the butler was holding was full of various letter envelopes.

After Periot returned to the estate, there was no shortage of letters to the Duchy. Even if he delivered it day after day, it still piled up like a mountain the next day.

“The important things?”

“That…”

The butler thought for a moment and then carefully opened his lips, “These are mostly letters from the noble families in the capital. And these…”

Then, looking at the luxurious envelope placed at the top, he added with a sigh, “There is also a letter sent directly from the princess of Kallion and the princess of the Besselamo Empire.”

However, Periot’s eyes remained fixed on the documents and didn’t move at all.

For a while, the quiet room was filled with only the sound of a pen moving smoothly across paper as well as the crackling of the fire in the fireplace.

Although it was spring, when flowers were in full bloom, the cold air still settled as soon as the sun set in the northern part of the country, making it difficult to not use the fireplace.

Eventually, Periot, who had completed all the paperwork, slowly got up from his chair.

And without even touching the letter, he glanced and gestured somewhere with his chin.

“I guess we can use it as firewood.”

“…Yes.”

Sure enough, it was the same today as well.

The butler, who at first expressed concern at the order in which to throw the letters with the seals of prominent families into the fireplace without opening them, now obeyed the order without a word.

The scarlet flame burned even brighter when the last barrel was poured in. Periot, who looked on silently, added a few words, “Apart from that?”

The butler took another letter from his arms, as if he were waiting for him to ask.

“A letter from the Imperial Palace.”

“From the Imperial Palace? Again?”

“Yes. You haven’t sent a reply to the invitation to the victory banquet, so perhaps he sent it again to ask whether you’d be attending.”

At those words, the corner of Periot’s mouth curled up. It was a sneer with a clear hint of mockery.

Up until two years ago, the North had been a place where the capital hadn’t placed any importance on. He had never been invited to a banquet like this.

That had also been the reason why he had voluntarily gone off to war. Though of course, he never would have done it if it had just been him that had to manage the estate…

“This time, will you be sending a reply that you’ll attend…?”

The butler, who noticed what Periot was thinking, hurriedly asked.

For the war hero to be absent from the victory banquet; it absolutely could not be allowed. Rather, if he didn’t go, it would be the imperial palace that would be angry at him for making them lose face.

However, the Duke still had no answer. As if it was offensive, he just loosened his cravat that had been tied tightly.

“And Miss Lorella will be attending the banquet.”

Eventually, the butler showed his second card in a timely manner.

At that moment, Periot’s hand which had been unbuttoning his shirt suddenly paused.

“…How? Did that side get an invitation as well?”

“My apologies. That much, we still…”

Again, a heavy silence fell upon them. The butler quickly turned his gaze towards the fireplace, fearing that an unpleasant voice would be raised.

It wasn’t long before Periot’s lips opened slowly.

“Send a reply saying that I’ll attend.”

“Yes, understood.”

In any case, it was a relief that he decided to attend. It was at the time when the butler, who thought so, secretly sighed and turned around.

“And as soon as the sun rises tomorrow, bring in the best dressmaker in the capital.”

---

author’s note

our noble ladies who love reading ♡

---

naver comments

roni
when did i become a noble lady? is it okay if i just say funny things sophisticatedly from now on? i’ve never done it before, so please let me know HAHAHAH funny comments are possible, but noble is a word that doesn’t exist in my life hLGSKJFDS

moo
i’m noble lady 1 of the silly group who loves you commander

HALPPPPP i was legit kicking my feet while tling this BC IF THERE’S ONE THING ABT ME I EAT IT UP EVERY TIME AN AUTHOR DOES SOMETHING IN A MALE PERSPECTIVE LIKE HELLO ??? I GET TO HEAR THEIR INNER THOUGHTS AS THEY KICK THEIR FEET GIGGLING TOO ??? THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD I AM FED. i need to go to the dentist bc of the cavities i got from how sweet this is hGOISJFSDF

ALSO i am for sure feeling second male lead syndrome for leonon MY SWEET BOY HE DESERVES ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD MOMMY WILL PLUCK THE STARS OUT OF THE SKY FOR YOU QAQ

the way i legit see him as my son ALL OF THEM ARE MY CHILDREN i’ve tled 20+ chapters of them and i’ve decided im a single mother of six kids now (lorella + 3 male leads we know so far + 1 that’s coming soon + RIVAL SABLE MY GIRL)

i actually got second hand embarrassment from lorella tho GIRL YOU DON’T NEED TO BE THAT HONEST JUST SAY YOU LIKE READING WHY WOULD YOU TELL HIM STOCKS HAGLDSKSF i can just imagine lorella as a finance bro hELP she be mansplaining the stock market and etfs to leonon QAQ

also the author is going to dive into periot more (i almost forgot abt him if the author didn’t remind me tbh)

but tbh who am i kidding I AM JUST CAMPING FOR MORE WINNARD SCENES BC WHEN IS MY MAN COMING HOMEEEEE THE KIDS MISS YOU

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

“No, just like I suspected, it seems like I’ll have to go with something else.” Joy, who had been seriously agonising over something for a long time with furrowed brows, shook her head violently, “Although this hairpin is pretty, it makes it feel like I’ve cared too much about it, so it won’t do.”

And in front of her was me, whose hair was full of various hairpins, all twisted or inserted into my braided hair.

“Then how about this one? It’s quite adorable, but most importantly, it goes well with Miss’s hair colour.”

“Hm, it’s alright, but… wouldn’t it be weird for it to be exactly the same colour as Miss’s hair?”

It had already been a few minutes, yet the debating of the maids surrounding me continued. Thanks to this, I couldn’t hold myself back and stood up from the chair after sitting for such a long time. 

“That’s enough.”

“Gosh, Miss! You can’t!”

But my resistance was futile. Joining forces, not only Joy but my other maids all hastily pushed my shoulder back down to sit.

“You can’t miss this opportunity!”

“That’s right! From the moment you arrive at the mansion, all eyes will definitely be on you!”

No, so exactly what opportunity is it that I can’t miss…? 

Although I was full of questions I didn’t understand, I wasn’t able to bring them up due to their excitement that was so overwhelming they were shaking their fists. 

The reason why the usually quiet mansion had suddenly become so noisy since the morning was because of the guest that was coming today. 

Upon hearing that the first guest of the Mayred Mansion was none other than the Commander of the Holy Knights, Leonon Berhardt, the employees had all become busy as if it was themselves that had made the appointment. 

As soon as I had told them to pay more attention to the refreshments since the Commander would be coming, a scream that was still fresh in my ears immediately burst from Joy’s mouth, “Why are you only telling me such an important matter now, my lady!”

I wasn’t even sure how many dresses I had changed into since then until now. They had also changed my accessories several times already. If only that was it. They had tied up my hair, then let it loose, then braided it, then unbraided it. 

Even a single earring or pin could go back to its original place if there was even a single disagreement. 

“Dressing up today will be natural but not natural to show that there was still care put into it, simple yet tasteful, I’ll dress you up in a style that will make it hard for him to take his eyes off you once he sees you! Pure yet sexy!”

Once Joy vowed to do so, the eyes of the other maids around her also blazed with determination. It wasn’t even a hot iced americano, how does that even make sense? Listening to it made me feel so embarrassed I could feel my face burning. 

“No, I’m just friends with the Commander…”

However, no one listened to my protests. In the end, I had no choice but to leave myself in the hands of the maids who couldn’t resist and ended up letting loose my hair again. 

I waited for Leonon in a pale yellow dress adorned with adorable frills, with half of my hair braided up. I felt awkward since it felt different to what I would normally wear, but I had been filled with confidence from everyone spouting praises of me being pretty from their mouths. 

By the time the warm sunshine of the afternoon hung low over the rose bushes by the front door, a large carriage led by two horses finally emerged. 

It was the carriage of the Knights of Ecrestus. 

Leonon had come just in time for our previously agreed on appointment. 

The moment the wheels of the carriage had come to a stop in front of the door, Joy, who had been standing next to me, took a step back unconsciously. Sneaking a glance at her, I saw her trembling down to the tips of her fingers. 

Seeing that, I ended up also becoming nervous and gulped dryly. 

Soon, a knight who jumped down from the carriage opened the door with a disciplined motion, revealing Leonon, who appeared out of the carriage. 

“Oh my…”

“Heavens…”

Low exclamations immediately filled the air here and there. 

Behind the white uniform that was devoid of a single crease, fluttered a cloak lined with an intense red. Blond hair that was tied neater than usual glistened an extravagant gold in the sunlight. 

Those blue eyes, which stood out even on his masculine face, were extremely bright and clear that it seemed as if all my worries would be washed away just by looking into them. 

Above all, what caught my eye was a bouquet of red roses, the colour shockingly similar to the colour of my hair. 

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

And behind him stood a line of knights carrying large, pretty boxes. 

Leonon spotted me and strode toward me with a big smile. The scene was like a harmonious picture with beautiful fresh greenery. 

Soon after, a large bouquet of flowers popped out in front of my eyes. At the same time, a soft, friendly voice settled in my ear.

“Thank you for inviting me today.”

When he held out the bouquet of flowers, the fragrant scent trembled at the tip of my nose.

“Thank you for com…ing.”

I managed to reply, concealing my ever-red face. The eyes of the maids standing next to me were so hot that they almost stung.

“P-Please, come inside.”

I hurriedly led Leonon into the mansion, leaving the eyes of everyone else behind.

“I’m sure you’re busy, so I hope I’m not a disturbance.”

“Disturbance? Of course not, I was the one who invited you first after all. Oh, that’s right. Would you like to take a look around the mansion first before they serve the refreshments?”

“Of course. I’d love it if Miss Lorella could give me a tour as well.”

At that, I gave the bouquet to Joy, who was following after me, and turned slightly to the drawing room. 

Joy, who received the bouquet, disappeared with the maids who were still lingering around, saying that she would prepare the refreshments in the drawing room. Then Leonon also dismissed the knights who were still holding the large gift boxes. 

At some point, it became just me and Leonon in the empty hallway. 

Perhaps it was because we hadn’t seen each other in a long time, or maybe because I hadn’t completely forgotten about the incident that happened at the Knight Headquarters. 

My heart continued to race and I kept biting my lips unconsciously, perhaps out of anxiety.

“This is… the hall on the first floor. Behind it is a corridor that allows you to enter into the backyard.”

Even my voice started to tremble. I doubt it’d get better, even if I coughed to clear my throat. However, Leonon, who was slowly keeping pace with me, didn’t show any sign of noticing and just accepted my words with a sweet voice, “What a nice place with a simple yet comfortable atmosphere.”

“To be honest, it used to be more splendid. Compared to it at the time… it’s quite a dreary sight now.”

I had tried to patch it up when I had time, but the interior still remained relatively empty. To the point where it was quite embarrassing to call this a mansion of the nobility. Moreover, I couldn’t erase the idea even more since I had personally seen just how gorgeously antique and splendid the Holy Knights Headquarters were. 

Of course, I knew very well that Leonon wasn’t the type of person who would judge others solely by their material possessions, but… somehow, I still felt a little inferior and smiled awkwardly, but Leonon shook his head firmly.

“Rather than a blindingly extravagant mansion, I prefer the cozy and comfortable feeling it gives off now. Since the house normally follows the owner’s feelings as well.”

Perhaps it was because of his sincere words. I raised my head that had gradually drooped. 

As I turned my eyes to him, his warm eyes, that didn’t seem to be able to be found anywhere else in the world, met mine. 

That was an uncommon occurrence. What Leonon had said was to be considered. I didn’t believe him blindly. At least because I knew he wasn’t someone who would just spout nonsense. 

I smiled brightly at Leonon. When he saw my smile, he smiled softly, as if responding. 

As my mind became less bogged down, my qualms about guiding him to every corner of the mansion also disappeared. 

Perhaps because the atmosphere had also become comfortable, the conversation continued naturally like flowing water.  

“How have you been?”

“Thanks to your concern, I’ve been well. Although I wrote about it shortly in my letter the other day, I went to the palace and wrapped it all up safely. I’d like to thank you once again.”

I bowed to him sincerely. It was only natural for me to do so since it may well have been impossible without Leonon’s help. 

“Don’t be like that. It wasn’t something that was so great to be deserving of such a bow.”

Leonon held me up by the shoulder as if he were flustered.

“It was a great deed for me. I can’t imagine how great a deed must be for the Commander to accept such a greeting.”

“Well… who knows.”

My gaze met Leonon’s once again as he scratched his cheek, seemingly embarrassed by my joke. We burst into laughter at the same time as if we had agreed on the timing. 

“Oh, right.”

While we were walking a roundabout way around the mansion to go back to the drawing room. 

I suddenly remembered yesterday’s incident while chatting with him and began to boast to him about it. 

“Yesterday was my first time going to a social gathering.”

“A social gathering?”

“Yes, I was invited to a ladies’ tea party that I had come to know about while working.”

Although it may not be a big deal to Leonon, I still wanted to boast about it. At last, I finally felt recognised as a dignified person rather than just a mere figurehead duchess.

“I made a lot of good friends. We decided to meet up often in the future.”

“I heard that it’s hard to run a store, but thankfully something good came out of it. I’m glad.”

Despite it not being an interesting topic for him, Leonon still paid attention to what I said and asked, “What do you usually talk about in those sort of meetings?”

When I glanced at him, wondering if he really was curious about this sort of conversation, he added with a smile, “Although it might be obvious for you, I’ve never been to a women’s gathering, so it’s only natural for me to wonder what you usually talk about.”

“There wasn’t really anything special. Oh, about the Holy Knights Commander…”

“Pardon?”

In that moment, I hurriedly shut my mouth. I almost let slip that everyone had praised that he was sweet, handsome, and the type of man who would probably pluck a star from the sky for the woman he loved.

“Um, they talked about the banquet that would be held at the imperial palace in a while.”

As I quickly retracted my words, Leonon thought for a moment and nodded, “You mean the banquet that’s being held to celebrate our victory.”

“I heard that it’s apparently going to be the most splendid banquet since the founding of the country! Everyone was envious. Even I wish I could go to such a place at least once.”

“Do you… want to go?”

I nodded my head at his words, “Of course. I was also curious since everyone had been looking forward to it so much. When I was in the north… there was never an opportunity for me to go to such a place.”

However, there were only a limited number of invitations. But that was only natural, since not only would the emperor and empress be in attendance, but also honoured guests that were coming from foreign countries.

It was impossible to dream of attending unless you were in one of the aristocratic families that dominated the inner circles of high society, or if your household had made meritorious contributions in the war. 

We arrived in front of the drawing room, talking about various topics. 

The wide open door showed a table spread that was several times stronger than usual. The bouquet that Leonon had brought was also separated into several large vases and arranged tastefully. Next to it were the pretty gift boxes that he had brought, stacked next to each other one by one.

“Please, come in.” I stepped aside while saying so, but didn’t sense anyone. 

As I turned my head, Leonon, who was standing a few steps behind me, looked at me with a pensive expression on his face. 

“…Commander?”

“Oh, my apologies.”

He immediately apologised when I called out to him softly. Then, as if it had been nothing, he strode inside.

In front of a table filled with exquisite and appetising refreshments, Leonon said he hoped that I would like at least one of the gifts. At the same time, with a soft smile on his face, he encouraged, “Why don’t you open them right away?”

He must have noticed my probing gaze that seemed to wonder what the hell was in so many of those boxes. 

I began to open the boxes that he had sent to me one by one. 

At first, I had been very happy, but the more boxes I opened, the lower my head would be. And it was no wonder it did, because those boxes were filled with extravagant and beautiful presents.

“W-Why did you get this much…”

“Because I didn’t know what you would like.”

From colourful candy and nutty luxurious chocolate to sweet liquor with a mellow citrus scent, beautiful gloves with lace so tightly woven it was scary to wear them, a parasol with rose patterned embroidery, to a small jewellery box embedded with real jewels. 

I had just been trying to keep my promise of having you over for a cup of tea, but somehow, the belly button became larger than the belly.

 배보다 배꼽이 더 큰
used to describe when something secondary overshadows the primary.
e.g. repair cost of a phone costing more than buying a new phone

When I looked at him with pursed lips, Leonon smiled sweetly, “It’s in return for the gift you gave me last time. I chose it myself, so I hope you like it.”

All I had given was a feathered pen which could be found anywhere, yet the return gift was this big. However, what made my smile bigger was the fact that he had chosen all of this himself. 

“So many things… you chose personally?”

“That’s right. Do you perhaps…”

I waved my hand hurriedly since I could see the worry in his eyes.

“I really like it!”

Although he was normally friendly enough, I wasn’t aware that he had such a meticulous side of him.

“I’ve never seen such pretty things before! They’re all to my liking!”

When I spoke with a big smile and an excited voice, the person who was taking care of the tea beside me nodded indiscriminately, “Then that’s a relief.”

Only then did a natural smile bloom on Leonon’s lips.

“So turns out listening to my older sister’s nagging does help sometimes.”

“Then your sister’s nagging must be quite severe then.”

“Don’t even mention it. If you don’t listen to her properly, then she’ll just keep talking until you do.”

Leonon, who was lifting his teacup, replied in a rarely curt voice. I laughed out loud unconsciously upon seeing that sort of appearance on him for the first time. 

Our conversation kept flowing. The atmosphere around us continued to be amicable, so I was completely unaware of the fact that Joy and the other maids had come to sit with us as well.

Our topics of conversation were endless, and thanks to that, I could hear a lot about Leonon that I usually didn’t get to hear.

“Have you really never spoken casually with a girl?”

“That’s right, I’ve never.”

Surprised, I asked again, but his answer was consistent. Leonon seemed to think again and shook his head, “Of course it was natural to not speak informally to my tutor who looked after me when I was young, but I never even spoke casually to my nanny either. It’s the same when I speak to other men as well. Of course, the only exception being the knights I’m closer to.”

Hearing that, a mischievous thought crept into my mind for some reason.

“Then try it on me.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s an opportunity for me to hear the Commander speak comfortably, unlike how you usually do, so of course I can’t miss it. Come on.”

“But what should I say…”

“There’s a lot of things to say. Even the most insignificant things are fine. For example, ‘The flowers are pretty, Lorella,’ or ‘What’s the name of this tea?’ etcetera…” 

It was honestly shocking to me, who didn’t even hesitate to speak informally to Periot. Of course, although speaking informally is not a very sophisticated way of speaking, I felt more comfortable speaking like that as a person who had come from a different world. 

But I couldn’t believe there was a person who had been using honorifics for their entire life. 

“The flowers are pre…”

Leonon rubbed the back of his neck that was turning red and opened his mouth, but eventually couldn’t get the rest of the words out and retracted his words, “…pretty.”

he’s switched back to formal speech

My laughter flowed out at the sight of such a respectful him. Although it started off as a joke, I became more and more excited to see it.

“It must be hard since it’s your first time, right? In return, I won’t forget this historic moment where the Commander spoke informally for the first time.”

As I encouraged him like that, Leonon blinked slowly. 

Then, as if he had made a big decision, he put down the teacup and opened his mouth while looking at me, “…Pretty.”

informal speech

“Look at that, you can do it!”

It was when I burst into laughter feeling a strange sense of victory.

“You’re prettier, Lorella.”

“…Pardon?”

A low voice that seemed to emphasise each syllable echoed gently in my ears.

“I said, you’re the prettiest.”

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author’s note

let’s keep going

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naver comments

sara****
“i said, you’re the prettiest.”
wow no matter how i look at it, leonon is definitely the male lead. i’m buying all of leonon’s shares!!! black haired male lead? since when was that destroyed?!!!!

mou
that’s righttttt let’s keep going~~!!

wonju
author nim, you know that the black hair male lead blond hair second male lead was already destroyed a long time ago, right? aside from not knowing what is mom did, i don’t need a male lead who imprisons my unnie and doesn’t recognise his own wrongdoings, so i’m ordering a commander male lead

i’ve been going thru something recently so i havent been able to update, but uni holidays are going to be here soon so hopefully more updates?

ALSO I’M BUYING LEONON STOCK RN BC WTF WAS THAT HAGLIKSFJISFJ GOT ME KICKING MY FEET AND GIGGLING BC WHGLISDKJFF IM BUYING IT IM BUYING IT EVEN THOUGH SPOILERS BUT TO LIVE IS TO LIVE IN THE PRESENT