Chapter 1

“You have no idea how noisy it is outside, Young Lady. Even though it’s night, it’s as noisy as during the day.”

Amy, the maid, combed Adeline’s hair and chattered.

“Because it’s His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday festival. There is even a ball tomorrow.”

“A ball in the Imperial Palace! It’s been a while since we had an imperial ball, right? And it’s even a masquerade ball! I can’t wait to see how spectacular it will be. The Young Lady will stand out the most. We put so much effort into it!”

Unlike Amy, who was resolute, Adeline was infinitely calm. She just gave a pale smile and didn’t show the slightest anticipation for the imperial ball that was happening again after five years.

‘The day of the ball has come at last.’

Of course it did. Adeline knew the ending of all events.

It had already been eight years since she opened her eyes and possessed ‘Adeline Tien’ in the book. Adeline’s role, which she was now accustomed to, was none other than that of the ‘villainess’.

And she was a terrible villainess who was killed at the hands of the male protagonist while plotting to poison the female protagonist.

And tomorrow’s ball was the day that the male and female protagonists first met and fell in love with each other at first sight.

‘That’s right, if I can hold out for just three months from tomorrow…’

That meant that if she could endure it for three months from tomorrow, she would be able to die at the hands of the male protagonist and end this tiresome possession.

Others would be surprised by what was so refreshing about dying, but being trapped in a life that didn’t change no matter how hard she tried was more despairing than what she thought.

One small corsage, one big saving someone’s life.

Even if Adeline eagerly wanted it, if it went against the contents of the original work, it would never happen as she wished. So, a spectacular imperial ball? A secret masquerade ball? It was none of Adeline’s business.

‘Please let the two of them meet safely tomorrow and fall in love at first sight. Please!’

She had only one wish.

For the male and female protagonists to fall for each other without complications. That way, she would be able to say goodbye to Adeline Tien.

***

“Oh my, Young Lady, you are so beautiful.”

“That’s right. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen!”

“How can you be so pretty… It’s a shame you have to cover your face with a mask, Young Lady.”

The maids were in awe, expressing their admiration.

It wasn’t lip service or an overreaction. Adeline, who was decorated and dressed for the ball, was really beautiful.

Even her beautiful, wavy, blonde hair, which had been put up and adorned with jewels, her pale green eyes that shone brightly as if they were embedded with emeralds, and her red lips, which contrasted with her exceptionally white skin. Everything was dazzling.

On top of that, the sky-blue dress, which exposed her shoulders, also enhanced the elegant and graceful atmosphere that was unique to Adeline.

The problem was that Adeline wasn’t at all impressed, whether she was beautiful or not.

“Young Lady, are you sure you don’t want a flower decoration on your hair? Just two of these…”

“The jewelry right now is enough. This too is too much for me.”

“How can it be too much! The other ladies also have all kinds of flowers and jewels!”

“That’s enough. This much is enough.”

Adeline was very adamant. The main character of today’s ball was the female protagonist ‘Vanessa’ anyway, not Adeline. No matter what the other ladies did, including Adeline, Vanessa’s role was to get all the attention. That was the predetermined development.

‘It has never been different from the book…'

Her spectacular debutante, which was regarded as one of the best in the history of the empire, the process of becoming a social butterfly, and even the lining up of prospective marriage partners before the ball were all the same.

For a long time of eight years, there was nothing that went against it.

“Young Lady. The Marquis is waiting for you.”

“Alright. I’ll go right away.”

Adeline looked at her appearance for the last time, and then slowly stepped out into the hallway. She went down the white marble staircase calmly, and at the end, her brother, Marquis Enoch Tien, stood with a smile on his face.

“Dear heavens. It’s a pity that it’s a masquerade ball today, Adeline You’re too beautiful.”

“Please don’t make a big deal out of it too, Brother. Rather, it will be more comfortable wearing a mask, so that’s a relief.”

“What do you mean, a big deal! As I see it…”

“Let’s go, Brother.”

Enoch looked at Adeline as if it was unfair, but she didn’t pay him attention and climbed onto the carriage with a calm face, not feeling any excitement for the ball.

***

“It looks like all the nobles of the empire are gathered.”

Enoch’s words were not exaggerated. The huge hall of the imperial palace where the party was being held was filled with nobles who had already arrived.

As he was greeted by other nobles and moved away for a conversation, Adeline, who was left alone, naturally mingled with the madams and young ladies.

“Ah, it’s the daughter of Marquis Tien.”

“It’s been a long time, Duchess Flora.”

“Even with a mask, you can’t hide your beauty.”

“You flatter me.”

Even Duchess Flora, who was famous for being stingy with her compliments, was impressed by Adeline’s beauty, but Adeline was still consistent.

“Five years after the Empress’ death, and there’s another ball happening in this hall.”

“It took them a long time. His Imperial Majesty is pitiful too. He sent his wife away first, who he loved so much.”

“Still, the living should live. Isn’t that why he’s moving slowly now? Even His Highness’ national marriage can’t be postponed anymore.”

“That’s right. Probably today’s ball too… Ho ho. Old women like us don’t have a chance anymore, but the young ladies are really excited. Isn’t that right, Lady Tien?”

The other women that were next to the duchess laughed and spoke to Adeline. However, Adeline just looked at them with a light smile.

Nothing came into Adeline’s mind right now. Behind the half mask adorned with deep-blue feathers, her big, pale green eyes were busy looking for Vanessa.

“His Highness’ eyes must be moving busily. The young ladies are a bit fancy today. Look at the daughter of Count Felix, who just arrived.”

“Oh my.”

Just then, Vanessa came into the hall. Vanessa was a beautiful woman that everyone in the social world acknowledged.

Beautiful light brown hair, lovely light brown eyes that were the exact reproduction of that color, deep eyes that became a half-moon when she smiled, and to finish it, a perfectly sized and clear mouth shape that made a lovely smile.

The lady, who was beautiful even without dressing up, made a strong appearance today. The pink dress, which showed her slender body line, was full of frills and floral ornaments, and the numerous diamond accessories that covered her body also shone with the light of the hall.

‘Good. That’s a relief. That should be enough to grab the Grand Duke’s attention.’

Adeline let out a sigh of relief as she looked at Vanessa. As was the case with the contents of the book, Vanessa was under the spotlight today, attracting the attention of many.

‘… But why are there so many people staring at me today of all days? No one should be interested in me.’

She tried to move to a corner of the hall while taking advantage that all eyes were on Vanessa, but the back of her head prickled strangely.

Everyone in the hall should be looking only at Vanessa, but their eyes kept following Adeline too.

That was how beautiful Adeline was today. Although she was not aware of it at all, and had no intention to do so.

‘Now, it’s time for Grand Duke Inver…’

By the time she was thinking that the male protagonist, Grand Duke Kael Inver, only had to make his appearance, the atmosphere of the hall changed. This time, all eyes in the hall turned to one person.

Kael Inver. The Grand Duke, who ruled the northern part of the empire, was walking to the center of the hall in a navy uniform and a white mask.

The pitch-black hair, the blue-grey eyes that seemed like a rushing winter blizzard, and the tall and strong body that showed how long he has fought to protect the North.

Even though there were terrifying rumors that he even slaughtered people, he was so beautiful that all the ladies blushed in front of him.

“I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday, Your Highness.”

“Thank you for coming like this, Kael. I heard the North is very busy these days.”

Everyone in the hall watched Kael and the Crown Prince’s greeting.

Except for one person. Adeline.

Adeline concentrated on looking at Vanessa only. Her reaction was important. Fortunately, Vanessa was blushing shyly while looking at Kael.

‘Good. She likes him. Now they just need to dance together and fall in love. I have to let go of my anxiety.’

Adeline let out a sigh of relief and quietly headed for the corner of the hall. Kael and Vanessa just needed to dance together anyway.

She wasn’t inclined to dance as she was immersed in the mood of the party, and she was already exhausted from caring about the meeting between the two of them, so she just wanted to rest.

“Oh? Lady Tien! Why are you here! The dance is about to start!”

“Sorry? Ah, I felt dizzy for a moment…”

“Quickly! Hurry up and come here!”

When she had barely settled in the corner after walking for a while, the daughter of the duke’s family suddenly appeared, held Adeline’s hand, and led her.

‘I was avoiding it because the dance started!’

Eventually swallowing the words she couldn’t say, Adeline was dragged helplessly by the young lady.

‘Huh? The Crown Prince isn’t dancing alone first?’

As she approached the middle of the hall, she noticed that the Crown Prince was leading some of the close nobles around him together to the center. Of course, Kael was with him.

In the book, the Crown Prince clearly danced with one of the ladies he liked first, and when the dance was over, the nobles began to choose a partner.

That was when people got mixed up and Kael and Vanessa fell in love!

‘What is this? Why is it suddenly different?’

Adeline’s eyes shook. The flow was strange.

‘Hold on. That can’t be.’

The Crown Prince, who looked through the nobles surrounding the center of the hall, smiled and walked towards Vanessa.

Although there were many other young ladies there, it was clear he was walking towards Vanessa.

Adeline was busy searching around for Kael. He had to move quickly and hold Vanessa’s hand before the Crown Prince.

‘… What is this?’

However, Kael’s direction, whom she had desperately searched for, was strange.

At the end of his big strides was Adeline. Just like the Crown Prince was heading for Vanessa, Kael was clearly walking towards Adeline.

“Would you like to dance to a song?”

Surprised, Adeline looked at Kael in front of her, her mouth slightly open without her even realizing it.

It was a ridiculous development. Even if it went against the contents of the book, it was extremely different. Kael shouldn’t reach out to Adeline.

He had to unconditionally approach Vanessa and step on her foot once, and yet, fall in love at first sight while skillfully leading her.

‘What, what’s going on?’

Although it was a short moment, there were tens of thousands of thoughts in Adeline’s mind.

Thinking about how to solve this twisted situation, she suddenly took off her mask and revealed her bare face.

‘I’m not Vanessa! It’s another face! Go to Vanessa before it’s too late!’

He might have confused her with Vanessa because of the mask, so she thought she should show him that she wasn’t her.

But, somehow…

“… If you want to take off your mask and dance, feel free to do so.”

Kael perfectly misunderstood Adeline’s intentions and took off the white mask he was wearing, revealing his face.

As everyone covered their faces with their masks, only the cold blue-green eyes and the warm pale-green eyes looked at each other completely, without any obstacle.

The scene was so dramatic that all the eyes in the hall turned to Kael and Adeline. It was the advent of a huge story that would sweep the social world.

‘Is he crazy?’

Contrary to her apparent outside atmosphere, the owner of the pale green eyes was saying all kinds of curses.

Adeline looked at Kael’s hand, still stunned.

If it was the way it was supposed to be, Kael should not have even glanced at Adeline once. He had to treat all the women, including Adeline, strictly as if they were not there, and clung to Vanessa, courting her enthusiastically.

‘You’re not going to look at Vanessa right now, are you?’

But the situation right now was the complete opposite. It was absolute madness.

She urgently tried to search for Vanessa, but she was completely blocked by the Crown Prince, so she couldn’t see what was going on.

‘How… Alright. Let’s refuse the dance for now. That comes first.’

The other ladies would be cheering inwardly if Kael asked them for a dance, but not Adeline. The events taking place as they did in the original work was Adeline’s only goal.

“Your Grace, Grand Duke Inver, I… Ah!”

The moment she thought she had to get away from Kael and tried to refuse his request, the crowd at the place where Adeline was standing suddenly moved.

The densely packed crowd, which someone had to burrow through to come to the front, fluctuated somewhat raucously, and Adeline’s body was pushed forward in the process.

Although she was clearly going to refuse, she grabbed Kael’s hand on impulse while trying to regain her balance due to her body being pushed.

‘No, what is this! Who on earth!’

Whoever looked at it, it seemed that she had naturally accepted the request.

Adeline screamed inwardly, trying to find the mastermind behind the sudden commotion, but it was useless.

Kael led her to the center, bowing down to greet her.

It was the beginning of a full-fledged ball waltz. Now, Adeline could not refuse or escape as she wished.

Kael’s large hand wrapped around Adeline’s waist, and Adeline’s hand rested on his firm arm.

“Dear heavens!”

“Oh my, oh my.”

As their hands were held together and the distance between the two became shorter, exclamations were heard among the noblewomen who were watching.

Until now, Kael had never danced with a lady at a ball, giving all kinds of excuses, and above all, Kael and Adeline’s picture was great.

‘Ah…’

Adeline, who was sighing inwardly, looked up at Kael at the sudden thought that crossed her mind.

In the original work, Kael fell in love with Vanessa while dancing.

She was worried that her would fall for her because things weren’t going as they should.

‘That’s a relief. He doesn’t seem to like me or be interested in me. Phew.’

In the scene in the original work of Kael and Vanessa at the ball, it was written, ‘Everyone at the ball knew that they had fallen in love at first sight’.

However, she couldn’t feel the energy of someone who had fallen in love coming from Kael. His blue-grey eyes still felt cold, and the corners of his mouth weren’t rising.

The way Adeline saw it, it was a face without any special emotion. Only the end of his gaze was directed at Adeline.

But the moment she sighed, saying that it was a relief, something happened.

Adeline stepped on Kael’s foot because she had been distracted by her thoughts and missed the beat of the dance.

“Your Grace—”

“Shh.”

She pressed his foot with a high heel, so there was no way he was fine.

Adeline, who had come to her senses, quickly opened her mouth, but Kael stopped her with a relaxed, languid, low-pitched sound.

He did not frown once, as if he was really fine, but rather led Adeline more skillfully.

“I have a favor to ask you.”

“… To me?”

“When the dance is over, let’s come out and go to the garden for a moment. Get out of the hall.”

Doubting her ears, Adeline could not hide her shocked expression.

‘… Is he crazy?’

If they left and went to the garden alone after the dance, it would obviously look like a secret meeting.

“… Why me?”

“In exchange for forgetting the mistake a little while ago?”

“No. You don’t have to forget it. You can remember it for a long time. So I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it, Your Grace.”

Adeline refused, without giving him any possibility.

Kael, who didn’t know she would refuse so firmly, frowned slightly.

“If you stepped on His Highness’ feet, you would face a different level of consequences than when stepping on mine.”

“What?”

“If you dance in big shoes that don’t even fit on your feet, you have no choice but to step on someone’s feet. So the Lady will continue to step on men’s feet today, and the next person after me will be His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Adeline looked at Kael, her eyes widening in surprise.

She never expected him to realize that the shoes she was wearing were big. The maid had prepared bigger shoes by mistake, but she didn’t have time to change them because she had found out late.

She didn’t intend to dance in the first place, and it would not even be visible since she was wearing a long dress, so she just tied them with a strap and came out.

‘He saw it when I greeted him earlier.’

However, when she greeted him by raising the skirt of her dress before dancing the waltz, he noticed that she had a pair of shoes wrapped in white cloth.

‘How did he, in such a short moment… But what does he mean by the Crown Prince will be next?’

With a face still full of confusion, Adeline asked Kael another question.

“Did you say His Highness the Crown Prince will be next?”

“Because His Highness is still looking at the Lady, even now.”

When she glanced at the Crown Prince, thinking that it was impossible, Adeline swallowed an exclamation.

‘Oh my god.’

Kael was right. Although he was in the middle of dancing with Vanessa, the Crown Prince’s gaze was stuck on Adeline. Even though he was wearing a mask, it didn’t hide it in the slightest.

“I don’t intend to dance at the ball anymore today, and I think it would be better for the Lady to stop now than to step on His Highness’ feet.”

“…”

“Isn’t running away from this hall to the garden a pretty good proposition? If you go out alone, someone will follow you, but if we both get out, no one will follow.”

Kael raised one eyebrow slightly and spoke with a faint smile, and Adeline bit her lips slightly.

She was going to continue dancing because as long as Kael could dance with Vanessa in the next sequence, it didn’t matter whether she stepped on the Crown Prince’s feet or not, but Kael said he wasn’t going to dance anymore.

The Crown Prince was not that good of a human being.

Although it was crazy why Kael, who was supposed to be dancing happily with Vanessa’s hand, was doing this to Adeline, there was no need to make things big by adding the Crown Prince here.

The answer was not to associate with the Crown Prince as much as possible.

“I’ll ask you again. Will you come with me to the garden after the dance?”

As if convinced of the answer he would hear, Kael asked with an extremely relaxed voice and expression.

‘Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.’

After repeating a few times the curse her brother Leo, the Commander of the Knights, had taught her, Adeline sighed.

“… Alright.”

There was a reason for Kael’s ease. Adeline had no other options.

***

‘There should be a lot of rumors about him and Vanessa, not me… What the hell is going on…’

Adeline, who had followed Kael to the garden, chewed on her lips. It was a habit of hers that came out whenever she was troubled.

‘It felt like everyone in the hall was staring at me. Ah, I’m going crazy.’

As soon as the performance was over and the dance stopped, Kael escorted Adeline out of the hall, and, just as Adeline worried, all eyes in the hall clung to them.

Even if she didn’t know what kind of rumors would go around after the ball, it was obvious.

“The dance should be sort of organized in about 20 minutes. Just hold on until then.”

Unlike Adeline, whose head was about to burst, Kael was just fully calm and relaxed.

Adeline felt overwhelmed as she watched him. Why didn’t he dance with Vanessa and fall in love with her as the book said? It was crazy.

“Your Grace. Why did you dance with me?”

Adeline asked directly. She was frustrated, so she wanted to hear the reason from Kael’s mouth.

Kael was surprised for a moment, as if he didn’t expect her to ask why, but he casually told her the reason for reaching out to her.

“You were the only lady in that hall whose face didn’t show any expectation.”

It was a reason that Adeline didn’t expect at all.

“I asked for a dance because you were the only lady who wasn’t excited about this ball. You wouldn’t misunderstand me even if I asked you to dance, and you wouldn’t have any absurd expectations even if I asked to run away to the garden like this.”

“…”

“You seemed like one of the few people like me who didn’t like balls, so I felt like we could understand each other easily. Of course, I didn’t expect to be rejected so firmly.”

Without her even realizing it, Adeline opened her mouth slightly at the reason that she would never think of even in her dreams.

So what Kael was saying was that he held out his hand to her because it seemed like she wouldn’t be as excited as other ladies about his approach.

Thinking about it, his judgement was correct.

If it were the other ladies, they would have been shyly blushing by now and their hearts would have been palpitating about whether Kael would make a sweet offer or not, but Adeline wasn’t like that at all.

‘This is messed up.’

The reason Adeline could be so unexpectant and calm was because she knew the end of Kael and Vanessa.

So she was only waiting for the moment the two of them would fall in love at first sight with an emotionless face. But she seemed to have attracted Kael because of that, and it made her head hurt.

‘What can I do to make it go back to how it should be? Actually, since I know his pair is Vanessa, should I tell him to go inside the hall quickly and dance with her?’

There was a constant stream of question marks in Adeline’s head.

If things went on like this, Kael might only get involved with Adeline. It was the worst situation for her.

‘Let’s stop him from getting involved with me first. Vanessa comes after. I have to put him off.’

The more she thought about it, the more she felt like she had to cut off her relationship with Kael.

Adeline raised her head a little more and straightened her posture, then slowly opened her lips.

“So that means you reached out your hand because you thought I would be safe.”

Kael, who was staring at the glittering flowers under the moonlight, turned to face Adeline.

“Your Grace is right. Unlike other ladies, I am not the one to blush at your attention. And it won’t happen in the future either.”

“…”

“But don’t put me in the middle of such unnecessary rumors for that reason. Your Grace has reached out to me for being ‘safe’, and you will get the results you want without any particular incident, but what happened today will keep me in other people’s mouths.”

“…”

“The world isn’t as kind to me as it is to Your Grace. So if we meet each other like this again in the future, I hope that this will not happen. It’s very unpleasant.”

Adeline’s hands trembled a little as she quickly spat out her words.

Although she was desperate to make it go back to how the contents of the original work were, the person she was facing was Grand Duke Kael Inver.

The Grand Duke of the North, who had greater wealth than the imperial family and a greater and more powerful military strength than the imperial family, was the subject of everyone’s admiration and, at the same time, fear.

After seeing how he guarded the northern border, it was also said that he was a terrible person that no one dared to look at in the eyes.

‘He wouldn’t kill me, would he?’

Not even the Emperor and the Crown Prince could easily deal with him, so no one could have snapped back at him as Adeline did a moment ago.

Adeline glanced at Kael’s face at the fear that was rushing in.

‘… What’s wrong with him?’

She was planning to flee into the hall if she saw a sign of him being offended or angry, but Kael was staring at Adeline with twinkling eyes as if it were extremely amusing.

Anyone could tell that he was very interested.

“Well, then.”

A sense of dizziness rushed in. Adeline hurriedly tried to move into the hall.

“Wait.”

Why didn’t her anxious premonitions pass? Kael’s voice stopped Adeline as she was passing him.

“Do you perhaps have a prospective spouse or are you engaged?”

“… What?”

Adeline’s heartbeat accelerated as she stopped and turned her head back.

It wasn’t excitement. The anxiety that struck her made her tense up.

“I’ve been looking for a partner for a contract under the name of marriage.”

“…”

“I think I’ve found the right person.”

Adeline looked at Kael with an expression of incredulity.

It was the worst. This situation was the worst.

“Young Lady, it’s time to wake up… Oh my! Are you up already?”

The maid who had come to wake Adeline was startled and stopped. It was not common for Adeline, who slept in a lot, to be awake first.

Adeline couldn’t sleep a wink last night.

[… What did you say?]

[I asked if you didn’t want to sign a contract with me.]

[But the contract is a marriage?]

When she closed her eyes, and even when she opened her eyes, the moment when she was talking to Kael in the garden last night floated in front of her.

She tried to push Kael away by saying a lot of unpleasant things, but the words that followed were a proposal.

She tried to avoid the worst-case scenario, but a situation even worse than the worst-case scenario came to her.

[This should be a contract worth considering. There’s only one thing I want, and the gains the other person will get in return for that are infinite.]

Even though she almost blurted out why she would make such an unfair contract, Adeline thought hard for a moment.

Kael had to marry Vanessa no matter what.

After he fell in love with Vanessa, Adeline would act accordingly to the contents of the original work, and when the angry Kael killed Adeline, everyone would be happy.

Kael and Vanessa could live without the villainess disturbing them, and Adeline could end her long possession.

However, if Adeline and Kael got married, as he suggested, everything would go wrong.

At this rate, her possession might not end, and she may have to continue on.

She felt dizzy.

[If you have no prospective spouse and aren’t engaged…]

[I am. Engaged.]

With her mind in a hurry, she smoothly uttered a lie.

Adeline cut off Kael’s words before she could even listen to them and spat out that she had a fiancé.

She didn’t even have a prospective spouse, let alone a fiancé.

In fact, technically, she had prospective spouses lined up, but none of them could sit face to face with Adeline and talk to her because her oversolicitous older and younger brothers rejected them.

[So I’ll pretend I didn’t hear Your Grace’s words. Well, then.]

Adeline moved away from Kael at a pace faster than ever.

The alarm that she would get involved again if she spent even one more second with him hand rung out in her mind.

But in reality, when she got out, as if running away, and came home, she got worried.

‘He’s not going to investigate whether I have a fiancé or not, is he? Should I get a fake one just in case?’

With the question marks that followed one after the other, she couldn’t sleep a wink.

As the night passed and dawn broke, when the maid entered the room, she was still trapped in her thoughts.

“Young Lady. Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine. I’ll get ready to go down quickly.”

Adeline gave a faint smile at the maid who looked at her worriedly, then slowly got out of bed.

Nothing was solved, but now that the day had dawned, she had to fight the rumors that would swarm in because of last night.

“Ah…”

It was already an exhausting day.

***

“Simeon? You’re coming at such an early hour without giving notice? Rather than that, why do you all look so…”

When she finished getting ready and went downstairs, her brothers sat with extremely serious faces and greeted Adeline. Even her younger brother Simeon, who was supposed to be at the temple, was with them.

“Adeline.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“Did something happen last night when you were alone with Grand Duke Inver in the garden? I was wondering if he did anything rude to you.”

“What do you mean… No, nothing like that happened at all.”

Even if he made Adeline embarrassed, the ‘anything rude’ and the ‘something’ Enoch was saying didn’t happen.

Adeline frowned and looked at her brothers as if asking what they were suddenly talking about.

“Phew, that’s a relief. It was only this morning that I heard that you were alone with the Grand Duke!”

The brothers let out a sigh of relief after hearing her answer, and Enoch, who had gone to the ball with Adeline, had his eyes wet with tears.

After entering the ball venue yesterday, he had been surrounded by many nobles who wanted to build a friendship with the Tien family, so he knew nothing about Adeline’s dance or what happened in the garden.

He didn’t even know when they came home together, and it wasn’t until he heard the rumors in the morning and heard the story that his rushing younger brothers came to tell him that he realized the situation.

“I won’t stay still if something like that happens again. I should never have taken my eyes off you…”

“Brother. If you’re going to do it like that, leave Adeline’s escorting to me next time. I’ll go with her. Who will dare touch Adeline then? Who will dare to come at her when the Commander of the Fidel Knights is next to her?”

“Whether it’s Brother Enoch or Brother Leo, please pay attention. At this rate, how can I stay comfortably in the temple?”

While the three brothers each chipped in a word, Adeline sat indifferent with a tired look on her face.

Eight years ago, after Marquis and Marchioness Tien passed away, the four siblings stood together and relied on each other.

The three brothers protected the only female sibling among them, Adeline.

Not only Enoch, the eldest son that raised the reputation of the Tien family, which was already a prestigious family, but also Leo, the second son who made numerous achievements as the Commander of the Fidel Knights, and Simeon, the youngest of the family who was considered to become the next High Priest in the temple.

Seeing how extraordinary each of them was, no one dared to break through their overprotection and approach Adeline.

“Rather, Simeon. Did you come here at dawn because you heard the rumor that I was alone with Grand Duke Inver?”

“Sister. Hearing that story, how could I stand still in the temple…”

“So, are you saying that word spread so quickly that you heard about it even in a secluded place like the temple?”

If the rumor had reached the temple in the early hours, it meant that the entire capital was already aware of what happened with Kael and Adeline.

Adeline pressed her temples tightly at the incoming headache.

‘Things could get bigger than I thought. I knew that word would go around, but I didn’t expect it to spread so fast… The Grand Duke must know too, right? What if he really tries to get married using this?’

The rumors spread faster than she expected. The impact seemed to be stronger than Adeline thought.

“Why did Grand Duke Inver ask Adeline to dance? I’ve never seen nor heard of him dancing with a lady at a ball.”

“Exactly. I was surprised, too. What if he fell in love with her because she’s so beautiful?”

“It’s possible enough. Adeline is the most beautiful in the empire. But even if he’s Grand Duke Inver, I can’t just let him approach her.”

Leo, Simeon, and Enoch were busy adding a word one after the other, but Adeline was deep in trouble, not listening at all.

‘No matter how much I think about it, I think he’ll find out if I really have a fiancé.’

She didn’t think that Kael would stay still and let it go. She thought that she should prepare a fiancé just in case, even if he didn’t look into it.

“By any chance.”

As Adeline, who had been quiet all this time, let out a few words, the three pairs of eyes focused on her at once.

“Can I get a fiancé? Someone who is quick-witted and a good listener. Even if we break up the engagement in a few weeks or months, it would be better if he could step back immediately without making a fuss.”

The speaker was infinitely serious, but for the listeners, what she was saying was perplexing.

Enoch dropped his fork and knife, Leo opened his mouth wide, and Simeon’s hand, holding a cup, trembled sharply.

It didn’t matter. Because Adeline was determined.

***

[No way! You can’t get married yet! Not even if I die!]

“Why are they all so fastidious? It’s not that I’m going to get married, but I just need a fiancé.”

Adeline shook her head as she remembered Enoch, talking about marriage with veins popping out in his neck.

Just how much worse was the situation going to get? Even her brothers weren’t helping.

“Ah…”

Adeline let out a deep sigh and pressed her big hat down.

“No. Let’s not think about it here too. I came here to clear my head, take a breather.”

Dressing as a man, the place where she came to was the night battlegrounds.

Visiting this place was one of Adeline’s few hobbies.

Since the old days, the modest and noble things called the virtues of young ladies did not match with Adeline. It had been like that since she woke up to the possession, eight years ago.

Adeline, who thought that at this rate she would die of frustration and boredom before dying at the hands of Kael, happened to know the night battlegrounds, and often came to see the mercenaries duel if she wanted to clear her head or take a breather.

“It’s been a long time since you came here. Welcome.”

Adeline bowed slightly to the owner, who welcomed her as a regular guest, gave him the entrance fee, and took a seat.

The first match had already begun, and the mercenaries, eager to raise their values, were fiercely showing off their combat capabilities.

‘Hm. The long-haired mercenary will win easily. Nevertheless, they are both too sluggish.’

Adeline had watched Leo’s training from an early age, and she had keen eyes.

Not only did she know who would win, but she also realized at once which mercenaries had great potential.

So she watched the matches, and if there was a great mercenary, she would approach him quietly and hand him a recommendation card to take the Fidel Knights’ entrance exam.

The Fidel Knights, which were under the Tien family, were famous for easily recruiting outstanding soldiers, to which Adeline contributed greatly.

Of course, if her brothers knew, the whole household would be turned upside down, so she hid it thoroughly.

It had been five years since she had been doing something that she shouldn’t be caught doing, and luckily, until now, no one had discovered it.

“Today’s winner is Dafo, from the silver tower!”

Time passed in an instant, and the night’s final winner was determined.

There was a tremendous roar and shouts, and people quickly stuck to the winning mercenary to take him and started bidding.

Adeline, however, turned to another mercenary whom she had spotted in advance, without even giving the winner a glance.

He was wiping the blood off his lips, with no one around him.

Adeline approached the mercenary with a satisfied expression, and soon made eye contact.

As had been the case so far, winning him over was going to be a piece of cake.

“Excuse me.”

“No matter how much you give him, I’ll give five times more.”

The moment Adeline had spoken to him, a sudden voice stopped her conversation with the mercenary.

‘… No way.’

A relaxed, languid, low-pitched voice. It was a voice she could never forget once she heard it.

Adeline slowly turned her head, her eyes shaking more than the mercenary’s eyes, who had become the protagonist of a sudden competition.

‘That’s impossible.’

Adeline stiffened and stared at the owner of the voice.

“Unfortunately, I had already set my eyes on…”

The man, who was trying to quickly deal with his competitor, was speechless the moment he faced the pale green eyes.

“… Why are you here?”

The man was Kael. The person she had to avoid the most right now. Adeline ran into him in a place she had never imagined she would.

Adeline, who was wearing men’s clothes.