Chapter 49

In an instant, her gaze was stolen.

Even Mikarin, whose standards had soared from being around the Delosif princes and Cleas every day, couldn’t help but stare.

But at that moment—

Right in the middle of all those staring eyes, she spotted a woman stepping up to the mysterious, handsome man.

‘…Nikaearsha?’

Pericle turned to Mikarin, who was frozen in place.

“So he’s not your guest, but the Lady of Delosif’s guest?”

“Uh, well…”

Mikarin managed a strained smile.

If things went on like this, all the nobles’ attention would turn to Nikaearsha. Today, it was supposed to be her who would be showing off her connections, surrounded by Cleas and Lucvan.

She had planned to use today’s attention as her chance to break into the heart of high society.

But now…

‘Why are you doing this, Sister?’

Why do you keep getting in my way?!

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

I could only stare in disbelief.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on a single spot, so I looked to see what was happening.

“This truly is a symbol of the alliance that anyone could recognize at a glance, at any time… Your Highness.”

Yeah, this man was the Grand Duke Akelos.

To be exact, it was his real body.

Up until now, the Grand Duke couldn’t move because of a curse, so he had been using Yusril’s body instead.

“You really are impossible to predict, my lady.”

“Me? Why’s that?”

“I figured you’d recognize me if you saw my eyes. But I never thought you’d know who I was just from my appearance, even from a distance.”

This was the first time the Grand Duke had shown me his real body. So, of course, he assumed I wouldn’t be able to recognize him from a distance. But the truth was, I’d already seen this face once before my regression.

“I was just as surprised as you.”

“By what?”

Before the regression, I saw his face in a gloomy underground prison. Even then, I could tell he was handsome, but I never imagined he’d be this absurdly good-looking.

‘But I can’t exactly say something like that.’

If I mentioned anything about regression, he’d probably think I was crazy and end our alliance on the spot. So, I just smiled and steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Oh, now that I think about it, I probably could’ve recognized you just by your eyes. They’re so clear and beautiful, like a lake.”

“….”

“What is it?”

“…It’s a weakness of 〈 Soul Transfer. 〉 When souls are switched, there’s always a mark left somewhere on the body. In my case, it was my eyes.”

Yusril’s eyes were a dark navy, while the Grand Duke’s eyes were a clear, bright blue. They were in the same color family, so unless you looked closely, it was hard to tell them apart.

“It’s fortunate it was just your eyes. But is it really okay for you to show up in a place like this?”

With a mysterious, handsome man suddenly appearing, rumors would spread like wildfire. Some curious people with sharp eyes might even try to hunt down his identity.

“Weren’t you the one who wanted proof of our alliance, my lady?”

“I didn’t realize the proof would be this dramatic.”

While I was making a sulky face, I heard a faint sound, like a breeze.

‘Did he just laugh?’

I narrowed my eyes at him and asked.

“That expression you just made. Isn’t this troublesome for you?”

The Grand Duke’s eyebrow twitched.

He looked at me as if to say, ‘What are you even talking about?’

“My maid told me that if someone is unbelievably beautiful, they must never smile.”

“…Why?”

“Because anyone who sees it will fall for you. And if you smile knowing that, you’re basically guilty. You’ll get love confessions from every direction, east, west, north, and south.”

Alice repeated that like a mantra every single day.

Then, I lifted my hands and flashed a big grin.

“But you don’t have to worry about me. There’s absolutely, positively, no way I’d ever fall for you. Not even if my life depended on it.”

‘See? That means I’m the perfect business partner, aren’t I?’

Feeling pretty smug, I flashed a triumphant grin, but the Grand Duke just pressed his temple and gave me a strange look.

“Talking with you often gives me a headache, my lady.”

“Oh? Maybe it’s because of the curse. You should probably see a doctor about that.”

“…No, I mean I really have a headache right now.”

The Grand Duke let out a sigh.

“Anyway, I’ve delivered your proof.”

He intended to send me back quickly before even more attention could gather.

“Sister!”

An unwelcome voice cut through the air.

“Who is this gentleman?”

Mikarin asked, blinking up at me with big, round eyes. She looked so sweet and harmless. Naturally, it was the very look that never failed to charm everyone who saw it.

“A friend? Oh my, how wonderful! If he’s your friend, I simply must introduce myself properly.”

Once she showed up, others began to approach her one by one as well. No one had dared interrupt the Lady of Delosif’s conversation, but Mikarin’s arrival created an opening. She exclaimed, ‘Oh my…!’ and covered her blushing cheeks with her small hands.

“I thought I knew all of your acquaintances, Sister! So meeting someone new like this makes me so happy…!”

Ever since I got to know Mikarin’s way of speaking, I had to admit that it was really impressive. She managed to point out, so sweetly, that ‘Nikaearsha Delosif doesn’t have many friends.’

To everyone else, she probably just seems like a total angel.

“I wonder if our brothers know, too? Did you tell them, Sister? Did you introduce him?”

She was really asking if this man even had a status worthy of being introduced to my brothers.

At her words, everyone leaned in with rapt curiosity, eyes darting between me and the Grand Duke. They were dying to uncover his identity.

‘This is turning into a hassle. I’ve got to get the Grand Duke out of here quickly.’

Otherwise, someone might figure out who he really was.

“Come on, Sister, please tell us. I’m just so curious…!”

“Mikarin, do you realize how rude you’re being?”

“Huh?”

Mikarin’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“Don’t you realize how impolite it is to ask about someone’s background before even exchanging greetings?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that… I’m sorry, Sister. I just got excited when I found out you had a new friend and got carried away…”

Cleas always used to say Mikarin had ‘doe-like eyes,’ and now those eyes were brimming with tears. She bit her lip, clearly holding back tears, and let out a nervous, awkward laugh that just made her look even more pitiful.

The stares from the people around me were getting really uncomfortable.

“I really, really just wanted to say… sniff…”

And just as Mikarin finally started to sniffle—

“That’s enough. Even if Lady Telsi went too far, you can’t say the Lady isn’t at least partly to blame.”

One of the young nobles, fired up with self-righteousness, stepped in, scowling. Then, a few more people started to take Mikarin’s side.

“With her reputation, of course, she’d be excited for the Lady to finally make a new friend. Everyone knows Lady Telsi cherishes the Lady like her own family.”

“More importantly, whose invitation did that person come with?”

“At these garden parties, only people invited by the hosting families are allowed to attend.”

“Not even the Grand Duchess of Delossif has the right to invite outsiders!”

“Even the Lady of Delosif can’t just invite anyone she wants.”

These garden parties, where all the young nobles gathered, were basically seen as matchmaking events. And now, out of nowhere, a ridiculously handsome guy had shown up. All the ladies’ attention was so completely stolen that the squids, no, the less handsome young men, couldn’t even get a word in, and you could tell they were seriously irritated.

It was obvious they wanted to get rid of the Grand Duke.

“Uh, please, everyone, don’t make a fuss… My sister was just giving me well-meaning advice… Wh-what do I do…”

Mikarin looked completely helpless, like a frightened deer. Even though it looked like she was trying to stop the argument, she was just encouraging them. The young lords got even louder, wanting to protect the innocent and frightened fawn.

At that moment, the Grand Duke finally spoke.

“I don’t listen to the words of someone hiding in the crowd. If you’ve got something to say, step forward and state your name.”

The loudest of the squids… no, the young lord with a face full of acne, shouted back.

“You think I’m scared to give my name? I’m Brandon of House Pellern, descendants of Eston Leo Pellern, who founded the Pellern Knights, with three hundred years of history! Now, who the hell are you?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the Grand Duke.