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Chapter 72
For a moment, Tanesia’s expression hardened, but Lucius didn’t notice.
He kept on spouting his delusions.
“Just like my mother. I, too, wish to take as my wife a woman who is pure until marriage.”
If countless women of the Empire had heard him, they would have thought, what kind of garbage nonsense is this?
At the very least, Lucius had no right to say such things.
He had always enjoyed a very free and frivolous love life, changing partners frequently—rarely lasting even a month with the same woman.
At times he would even see multiple women at once, two-timing or three-timing.
Rumors even circulated that he sometimes brought two women into his bedroom at the same time.
Tanesia fixed him with a steady gaze and said quietly,
“You truly resemble His Majesty, my son.”
Her words carried weight.
But he took them at face value.
“Well, of course. I am my father’s son.”
“Indeed.”
Answering curtly, Tanesia then threw the question back at him.
“Then shall we look for another woman instead of Calliope Verdi? Someone who would perfectly suit your taste?”
“No.”
Lucius immediately rejected the idea, as though he had never disliked Calliope in the first place. His eyes gleamed oddly as he added,
“Wouldn’t it be more satisfying to break such a woman? I’ll take her and then discard her.”
There was a brief silence, then Tanesia smiled faintly and replied,
“…That may be so.”
“So Mother must help me. So that I may marry her.”
“Trust me, my son. The marriage between Calliope Verdi and Leraige will never come to pass.”
Only then did Lucius relax. The scowl that had lingered on his face eased as he rose to his feet.
“Then I’ll place my trust solely in you, Mother.”
As soon as his business was done, Lucius left the Empress’s palace as though there was nothing more worth his time.
Watching the Crown Prince depart through the window, Tanesia murmured,
“You’ve inherited even His Majesty’s stubborn refusal to give up, my son.”
Her eyes grew cold and sharp.
* * *
The morning of the engagement ceremony.
“My lady! Good news!”
No sooner had Calliope pulled the bell cord after waking than Sylvia came rushing in, practically leaping with excitement.
“The rain has stopped!”
“Really?”
Since it had rained all through the previous day, everyone had been worried.
The ceremony was to be held outdoors, in the count’s rear garden and on the lawn.
Even Archibald had seriously asked whether they should move the venue.
Of course, Calliope had firmly refused.
I thought I might need to set up a transparent magical barrier around the venue… thankfully it won’t be necessary.
Sylvia dashed to the window, flung back the curtains, and threw open the panes.
“Look at the sky! It’s so blue, you wouldn’t believe it rained yesterday!”
“You’re right.”
Perhaps because the rain had just cleared, the sky looked especially bright. The air pouring into the room felt crisp and refreshing.
“There’s still some dew on the grass, but by noon it’ll be dry.”
The ceremony was scheduled for late in the afternoon. Calliope nodded and asked,
“Where’s Agnes?”
“The aide went out early to oversee the preparations. Now it’s our turn to get to work!”
“Already? Isn’t it a bit early?”
When Calliope checked the time in puzzlement, Sylvia scolded her.
“Oh honestly, my lady! Today isn’t just any banquet or ball, you know? It’s your en–gage–ment!”
“Well, I mean…”
“It’s important! Very! Extremely! Tremendously important!”
Before Calliope could get another word in, Sylvia clapped her hands sharply—clap! clap!
As if on cue, a small army of maids marched in, laden with bath supplies, scented oils, and toiletries.
Seeing them file in so aggressively, Calliope nearly fainted.
“Wait, Sylvia…!”
“Don’t you worry about a thing, my lady. Leave everything to us!”
And so Calliope fell prey to Sylvia’s clutches.
When she finally emerged from a long soak in a bath scented with fragrant oils, her whole body felt drowsy and languid.
“You can take a nap if you’d like.”
Enticed by those words, she was guided onto a plush leather massage bed.
Warm oil was poured over her skin, and the maids set to work kneading every inch of her body.
“Doesn’t that feel good?”
“Well…”
She tried to play it off, but the truth was she was exhausted from all the engagement preparations.
Before she knew it, lulled by the relaxing massage, she drifted into slumber.
By the time she awoke, the massage had just finished.
“Ah, you woke up at the perfect moment.”
“I’ll dry my hair myself.”
With a flick of power, Calliope dried her own hair in an instant—and even dried the maids’ damp clothes too.
“Every time I see that, it amazes me.”
“Of all the lady’s abilities, that’s the one I envy most.”
“Hey, last time she lit the hearth for us, you said that was the ability you envied most.”
“Well, that too!”
The maids giggled and chattered, breaking into laughter.
Listening to them, Calliope suddenly had an idea.
A magical tool for drying hair…?
As she began sketching out a new business idea using magic stones, the maids bustled about, moving on to the next stage.
For the engagement, Calliope had chosen a vivid crimson gown—its color inspired by her hair.
Several maids helped her into the dress and applied her makeup.
When they finally stepped back, their work complete, Sylvia couldn’t hold back her awe.
“Heavens, my lady! How can anyone be this beautiful?”
Her sharp, slightly upturned eyes, the long dense lashes, and the mysterious purple irises glowed in harmony.
Her lips, glistening as though drenched in fruit juice, radiated a provocative charm.
Her rich red hair, left to fall naturally down her back without any ornament, still drew the eye with its entrancing color.
“Her skin is so fair and flawless that even with light makeup…”
“Oh my, I think I’m falling in love myself!”
Even the other maids could hardly contain themselves, shifting from foot to foot in excitement.
Amid all the fuss, Calliope herself remained indifferent.
“Well, I don’t look much different from usual.”
“Of course, my lady’s beauty was radiant a year ago, it’s radiant today, and it will be radiant ten years from now. But today—today, you’re even more perfectly, utterly, dazzlingly beautiful!”
“…Is that so?”
Narrowing her eyes, Calliope studied her reflection in the mirror.
“Looking at it this way… maybe it’s not bad.”
“Not bad?! I’ll bet today’s feast that His Highness will be absolutely stunned the moment he sees you!”
Leraige, stunned?
For a moment, she imagined Leraige staring with his mouth agape in astonishment.
Without realizing it, a soft giggle escaped her lips.
“Countess…?”
What am I thinking?!
“No, nothing.”
By the time the maids finished fussing with her gown, Agnes had arrived.
She had steeled herself before opening the door—but all that preparation proved useless.
“My word… am I welcoming a goddess right now?”
“Close enough,” Sylvia chuckled.
While Agnes froze in the doorway, Arsen, who had come along to see Calliope too, squeezed past her and into the room.
The boy’s eyes went wide.
“You look amazing, Calliope! Like you’re about to march into battle!”
