Chapter 164

‘Dahlia? What is she doing here?’

Perhaps it was the shock of seeing someone she hadn’t expected, but Evelyn’s greeting caught awkwardly on her tongue.

“It really… has been a long time, Dahlia.”

Then, she quickly forced her usual smile, pretending nothing was wrong.  

Watching them quietly, Chloe folded her arms and tilted her head.

 “I didn’t realize Lady Lorenheim had received an invitation to the gathering.”

At those words, Dahlia lowered her gaze, her long lashes fluttering faintly as a subdued shadow crossed her eyes.

“Oh, you’re here as well, my lady. The invitation wasn’t addressed to me, but it was sent to the young lord.”

“Then how is it that you came instead, my lady?”

As Chloe asked, her brows knitting in confusion, Dahlia calmly continued her explanation. 

“The Count sent me here in place of the young lord.”  

Count Lorenheim sent Dahlia here?

The unexpected statement made Evelyn’s hand, which was holding the champagne flute, tremble slightly. Even though he had two sons who could have represented the family in Felix’s absence, he’d sent his adopted daughter instead… 

It was undoubtedly a calculated move to use Dahlia as a means to catch the Crown Prince’s eye. After all, the gathering was filled with women quietly vying for the position of crown princess. Of course, whether Dahlia had stepped into this den of foxes by choice or not, she couldn’t yet tell.

‘Just what kind of person is she?’

Evelyn couldn’t shake the feeling that the female lead might be hiding something. Whenever she looked at Dahlia, it felt like staring at a riddle with no clear answer.

While she was lost in thought, Dahlia subtly asked.

“Evelyn… did you come here with your fiancé?”

A quiet curiosity shimmered in the woman’s clear violet eyes.

‘Now that I think about it…’

She suddenly recalled what Dahlia had said at the charity gathering not long ago.

“Evelyn, would you introduce me to the Young Lord?”

At the time, she had brushed it off by saying she would ask Axion, but after that, the two never had a chance to meet.

Since his sigil had manifested, his focus had been fixed solely on the possibility of marrying another sigiled partner. The fact that his obsession with the female lead hadn’t begun yet was most likely because the story had already twisted off its original course.

Feeling her mouth go inexplicably dry, Evelyn moistened her lips with her tongue.  

“Yes, I came with my fiancé.”

At her reply, Dahlia’s eyes seemed to gleam even brighter.

“I see. Then perhaps I’ll be able to greet him this time.”

Seeing the woman’s innocent expression as she softly curved her lips into a smile, she drew in a quiet breath. If the story were to follow its original course, it was inevitable that these two would grow close…

‘Is it right to let her meet Axion like this?’

Evelyn couldn’t find a response and was biting her lower lip when Chloe, who had been watching her with a sidelong glance, slipped smoothly into the conversation.  

“Lady Lorenheim, you seem rather interested in Evelyn’s fiancé.”

“…Pardon?”

As Dahlia’s expression stiffened, surprise flickered across her face, and Chloe gave a small shrug.

“Isn’t that so? Why do you keep asking about someone else’s fiancé?”

Whether it was simple curiosity or a subtle jab at Dahlia’s behavior, Chloe’s words carried a meaningful tone, almost like a warning.

‘But didn’t her voice just rise a little?’

It seemed she wasn’t the only one to notice, as several nearby nobles had already turned their heads, their attention drawn to the sudden tension between the three women. As Dahlia’s gaze swept the watching crowd, a fleeting shadow crossed her face. Her expression seemed less one of embarrassment than irritation, as though the situation itself were a nuisance.

‘How did I not notice it before?’

Unlike the original female lead, every one of this woman’s actions felt unnatural.  

At that moment, cutting through the murmuring air, a low, resonant male voice echoed through the air.  

“Evelyn, what’s going on?”