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~Chapter 45~
The debutante was over, and it ended well.
Astia had worried a lot because this was her first time doing something public since the tea party, but it finished without any problems, and she felt relieved.
Astia’s first thought was to thank Countess Helen, who had been her sponsor before the debutante.
“Thanks to you, I was able to finish the debutante safely, Countess.”
“No need to thank me. If you ever need my help again, call me, Young Lady.”
Countess Helen said she would keep good relations with the Lovelitto family.
Damian agreed with a smile.
If a noble was helpful to Astia, Damian wanted to be friendly with them.
After the debutante, Damian disliked the Selion family even more.
“Atty, remember what I said? I never liked that sly Duke Selion. How dare he take your first dance?”
Damian showed his dislike for Diego, but honestly, he was just upset that Diego got Astia’s first dance.
Astia promised that next time she went to a party, she would dance with Damian. That made him smile brightly.
‘He’s so simple.’
Because Damian was still a very protective brother, Astia didn’t want Cecilia to be added to that list.
For the first time after the debutante, Astia read the newspaper.
“A Successful Debutante—Who Is the Lady of Lovelitto?”
Most of the articles were about Astia, who was finally appearing in society.
She was embarrassed and skipped over the news about herself. But then, she saw another headline.
“Duke Selion’s First Appearance—What Did He Talk About with the Emperor?”
There were lots of articles about Diego.
After meeting Diego at the party, Astia’s thoughts about him changed. She had only thought of him as the main character in the original story. Realizing that Ruby was actually Diego made her feel happy and confused at first, but now she felt even more embarrassed.
She remembered hugging Ruby like a doll, petting him, and all the things she had said.
Astia covered her mouth, remembering her childhood.
“Wait a minute.”
At the party, she was too busy to remember, but now she recalled that she told Ruby all about the original story. She had said Diego and Cecilia would end up together.
She remembered Ruby crushing the heart shape with his paw.
She hadn’t known why, but now she understood.
“I don’t think anything is decided.”
Diego’s last words before she went to the terrace with Cecilia echoed in her mind.
It meant things weren’t set in stone, unlike the original story.
Astia felt so embarrassed that she wanted to hide somewhere. If possible, somewhere warm.
“Annie, is there somewhere warm I can lie down?”
“Pardon? Young Lady, what do you mean? Should I ask the master?”
“No… I just think a warm place would be nicer than a cold one.”
Annie looked confused, and Astia sighed.
‘This is all my own fault.’
She felt like she had said many embarrassing things, but it was probably good she didn’t remember them all exactly.
While she was covering her face, feeling ashamed, Annie spoke.
“Young Lady, you have another letter. Like last time, there’s no sender on it. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Astia took the letter with no seal.
“This is…”
She opened it with a paper knife and saw the neat handwriting. She was shocked and moved.
“I wonder if you liked the flower crown. Even if this world is like a novel, there is no fixed ending, so may the Young Lady be happy…”
The rest of the letter said the sender still believed in her and would always watch over her.
The careful handwriting left a deep impression on Astia’s heart.
‘So the flower crown and letter I got when I missed Ruby were also from Diego…’
Even after becoming human, Diego worried about her.
Astia smiled to herself, feeling like they understood each other.
“Young Lady, are you happy? You look really pleased after reading the letter!”
“Ah… I guess since the debutante, good things keep happening.”
Astia felt a strange connection to Diego and smiled.
But when she read the last line, her face turned red.
“You must keep the promise you made before. The promise to stay together forever.”
“D-did I really make that promise?”
Astia panicked and crumpled up the letter.
She tried to convince herself she never said such a thing, but she couldn’t forget the memory.
‘But that was a promise I made with Ruby!’
It was embarrassing to hear Diego bring it up now.
She remembered Diego holding her close during the dance, whispering in a low voice, and covered her face with both hands.
‘Everyone in this world is just too good-looking…’
Damian, Haruon, and Diego—all had looks that made the noble girls’ hearts flutter.
Diego’s low, charming voice was enough to move anyone’s heart.
‘What am I even thinking!’
Astia shook her head to clear her mind.
The promise to stay together forever was just a childish thing she said not long after arriving in this world.
She wondered how Diego’s letter could reach her.
Normally, a letter with no family seal would have been stopped by the butler.
“Annie, did my brother say anything about this letter?”
“No, Young Lady. The letters are always left at your door. The butler probably checked them already.”
“Hm, is that so?”
Security had been strict ever since the spies came, so it felt strange.
“Now that I think about it, it is odd. Normally Jen gives you the letters, but this was just stuck in the door. Is there anything strange in the letter?”
“No, nothing strange. It’s just from someone I know. I was just curious.”
Astia turned the letter over, still wondering.
Diego must have found a way to get around Damian’s watch and send it directly.
“Young Lady, I’ll step out for a bit. Please call me if you need anything!”
“Thank you, Annie.”
After Annie left, Astia stood by the window alone.
The breeze felt good, so she closed her eyes for a moment.
She was still curious about the letter, but decided she could ask Diego next time.
She leaned on her hand, enjoying the wind, when she suddenly felt someone watching her.
“…?”
Floating in the air, staring at her, was Ian.
“Eek!”
Astia almost fell backward in surprise, but she grabbed the window frame in time.
Ian was standing there with his arms crossed, just watching her.
She felt so embarrassed.
Why is he floating in the air like that?!
