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Chapter 55
“Lady Giselle, it’s even more delightful to see you here.”
Slowly rolling his eyes, he squinted gently at the woman standing before me.
“Greetings, Your Grace,” she said.
As someone who had been mentioned as the Crown Prince’s fiancée, her greeting was impeccably neat and proper.
Henia Giselle.
The woman Eshedwa had asked to be invited.
I covered my mouth with my hand and studied her carefully.
I need to find out why.
Everyone else remained silent, their eyes flicking between me and Henia Giselle with sharp attention.
Who’s that beside her?
Beside Henia Giselle stood a man, her partner, it seemed.
A new lover? Or her fiancé?
His features were masculine yet delicate, and his face was strikingly handsome.
Why does he look so familiar?
Although I’d never seen him before, there was a strange sense of déjà vu.
What is this?
I never forget a face I’ve seen once. His features were good enough that forgetting them would be unusual.
Could it be that he resembles someone?
Who does he resemble?
I had no choice but to let the question go as he turned his head.
“I hope the gift I brought pleases Your Grace,” Henia Giselle said.
Though she probably wondered why I, a former candidate for the Crown Prince’s fiancée, had been invited, she showed no sign of it.
“Do you like it?”
A brooch adorned with large pearls was presented before me.
It was a lavish and extravagant gift, the kind one might expect from the daughter of a leading merchant house on par with Asra.
“Thank you, my lady.”
I had hoped she might act as she had the last time we were alone… but that, too, seemed unlikely.
Even as we spoke, following proper etiquette, I felt I could glean nothing from her demeanor.
“Yes, it must please you. Are you not the most beautiful in the Empire?”
“With Her Majesty the Empress present, I wouldn’t dare…”
“No. You became a Duke with such difficulty; you should shine more than anyone.”
“Haha. You speak amusingly,” he said.
The surrounding gazes were piercing.
“Honestly, I was so surprised when you became a Duke. I didn’t expect you to desire the title so actively, especially since your parents had passed not long ago.”
Everyone’s eyes are on this.
The dynamic between a candidate for the Crown Prince’s fiancée and the current lover probably didn’t look good.
Eshedwa must appear as my lover, not the other way around.
Even the same words can mean very different things depending on the order.
I can’t interfere directly with her here.
Then another way presented itself.
I’ll provoke someone else into a conflict instead.
As our conversation briefly paused, someone took the opportunity to step in.
“Hmm, Lady Giselle, was it?”
There were countless cadet family members clinging to Mertiel, trying to act important. Not everyone wanted me removed.
Henia Giselle’s eyes sharpened as she turned toward the voice.
“What rude behavior is this toward Your Grace?”
It would be roughly two hours until Eshedwa arrived.
Until then, I intended to provide a truly delightful prelude to this party.
Henia Giselle reacted immediately.
“Rude? Whatever do you mean, sir? I spoke with affection toward the esteemed Duke.”
“Ha! My lady, are you too young to distinguish between affection and rudeness? What on earth did your family teach you?”
“And you, sir, have remarkable manners. Not only do you offer me advice, but you also speak disrespectfully toward the Giselle Count family!”
The gaze of everyone present fixed firmly on the two of them.
I quietly chuckled in my mind at the spectacle.
A commotion is always welcome.
Henia Giselle lifted her chin.
“Do you dare challenge the authority of the Giselle Count family?”
“And you, my lady, are you not speaking recklessly in front of Mertiel?”
But what I wanted was not merely a verbal spat between the cadet family and Henia Giselle.
Eshedwa will arrive soon.
Before that, I needed to find out why he insisted on inviting Henia Giselle to the party.
There’s no time.
Henia Giselle twisted her lips slightly, veins visible in her hand holding a fan.
Perfect timing.
I intervened.
“My lady, that gentleman is a baron from the Sisedo family, a house with deep ties to your ancestors.”
Someone might scoff, “Just a baron?”
“He is a cadet relative tied by blood to my grandfather. He has the authority to speak for Mertiel’s prestige.”
Henia Giselle gritted her teeth.
I stared at her.
If I prod a little more, something will come out.
Ever since Eshedwa had asked me to summon Henia Giselle, I suspected it wasn’t her he sought, but something connected to her.
“When will you stop raising your voice in front of me, my lady?”
I knew my instincts were correct when a man suddenly stepped between Henia Giselle and me.
“My apologies. Lady Giselle has stayed up anticipating tonight’s party, so she’s rather sensitive,” he said.
His hair was a rich brown, with faint traces of residual mana unseen by others.
Though a new face, he exuded a calm, composed aura reminiscent of someone I knew.
I realized instantly.
“Please understand her actions kindly,” he added.
“Of course. I have no desire to cause a ruckus at my own party,” I replied.
This man was exactly what Eshedwa hoped would be through Henia Giselle.
His presence, reminiscent of Eshedwa himself, was telling.
Soon after, a servant’s announcement heralded Eshedwa’s arrival, faster than I had anticipated.
“His Highness the Crown Prince Eshedwa Pol Ribedro has arrived!”
With my lover’s name, the entrance was grander and more dazzling than anyone else could manage.
As the servant shouted, the halted music resumed, silver dust scattering in the air.
As I was the first to bow, those beside me followed in waves.
The man emerging in a flowing white robe was, as always, beautiful and ethereal.
“Thank you for coming to celebrate me. I thank God that my most precious day can be shared with you.”
I approached, placing my hand over Eshedwa’s chest.
I felt the sting of gazes upon me, yet moved forward with confidence.
He wouldn’t refuse, would he?
As I thought this, I felt his embrace and a gentle touch on my forehead.
“My beautiful lady, may you shine today as always.”
Relieved, I smiled. I pinned the brooch, a centuries-old treasure Eshedwa had gifted, on my chest and continued with the party.
His gaze lingered briefly on me before moving to those engaging in conversation.
I noticed, amidst the chatter, his eyes remained unusually long on a single spot.
That wretch.
The man who had come with Henia Giselle, somehow reminiscent of Eshedwa.
The moment Eshedwa looked at him, he returned the gaze.
Eshedwa’s lips curved in a subtle smile, but he looked away, pretending not to notice.
From this, I could be certain.
That man… is the Emperor’s illegitimate child.
The rumors that had spread throughout the Empire before I returned, and now this situation… the puzzle pieces were fitting together.
“Inerea,” Eshedwa called.
I calmly raised my head.
“Yes? Why are you calling me?”
Reflexively, as if the momentary worry had been a lie, I responded.
I held my breath, waiting for him to speak.
Seeing my tense eyes, Eshedwa smirked and nodded.
“How far are you willing to go for me?”
“I’ll do anything you wish, Eshedwa. You know that,” I said, looping my arms around his neck.
I felt the gaze of others on my back, but… I could handle this level of performance.
“If you just tell me you love me, I can do truly anything.”
“Is that so?”
He smiled faintly, a tinge of mischief in his eyes, and continued.
“Then… would you even kneel?”
