BGFV 97

Chapter 097

“Oh my! Hestia! I thought an angel was descending from the sky! Whose daughter is this to be so beautiful?”
“Oh, Dad, of course I’m beautiful because I’m your daughter, after all.”

Hestia smiled, pleased by the compliment.

Receiving such praise from Derrick, she awkwardly glanced around as she descended to the first floor.

“Luciard.”
“…Huh?”
“Aren’t you going to say something?”

He had been staring at her blankly without saying a word, making her feel embarrassed, so she playfully scolded him, making Luciard clench his fists unconsciously.

“…You look good.”

That was all he could manage to say after struggling to find the right words. He felt pathetic for being so tongue-tied. But to his surprise, Hestia’s eyes widened slightly before she smiled softly.

“Really? Then I guess I succeeded.”

As Luciard stood there, flustered, Hestia’s expression seemed to carry a slight blush—whether from makeup or something else.

Watching the two, Derrick suddenly felt as if his daughter was being taken away.

“Luciard.”

He placed a firm hand on Luciard’s shoulder.

“…Please take good care of my daughter.”

“Ah, yes. Don’t worry—”

“I trust that you’ll keep away any wolf-like men who might approach her.”

Luciard had thought Derrick was merely asking him to escort Hestia properly, but that wasn’t the case.

“Dad, what are you even saying? We’re late, so we’ll be going now.”

“Hestia! All men are wolves! No matter their rank, you must be cautious of anyone who approaches!”

“Mom tells me to bring a man home, and Dad tells me to be careful around them. Who am I supposed to listen to…?”

Ignoring her father’s dramatic warnings, Hestia pulled Luciard along and got into the carriage.

Once they were inside, both of them let out a deep sigh.

“Sorry about that. My dad can be a bit overprotective…”

“That’s just how parents with daughters are. He even made sure to warn me again just now.”

So that’s what they had been talking about earlier.

Hestia chuckled, finding it amusing.

Then, she glanced at Luciard and took a closer look at him.

“You look different like this.”

“Huh? Oh… uh…”

Luciard awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

Like Hestia, he was wearing a custom-made outfit from Byron.

His deep navy suit exuded a serious aura, adorned with gems that added a luxurious touch.

It was a different kind of elegance from Hestia’s dazzling dress.

His hair had also been styled, with his long bangs neatly swept back, revealing his clear forehead.

“This kind of reminds me of the first time we met, don’t you think?”

“…A little.”

Back then, Hestia had found him crying in the stairwell storage and had helped him participate in a wedding as a flower boy.

“And I remember fixing your hair back just like this. Who did it for you this time?”

“A maid did it.”

“Oh? She did a good job. Ah, a few strands are sticking out.”

Noticing some stray hairs falling forward, Hestia leaned in closer.

Luciard tensed as she suddenly moved toward him.

“Careful, you might fall.”

“It’ll just take a second. Stay still.”

As Hestia carefully fixed his hair, Luciard wasn’t sure where to look and ended up turning his gaze away.

She made sure his hair was neatly in place before nodding in satisfaction.

“There, all done.”

When she looked down at him, she hesitated for a moment.

Since Luciard was so tall, she was always looking up at him.

This was the first time she had looked down at him from this angle.

His flawless skin, sharp nose, and striking blue eyes stood out even more in the dim carriage.

As his gaze, which had been turned away, slowly rose to meet hers, Hestia suddenly felt a ticklish sensation in her chest.

“There’s still more to fix—”

Just as Luciard was about to question why she hadn’t sat back down yet…

Jolt!

The carriage hit a bump, shaking violently.

“Ahh!”

“Careful…!”

Hestia lost her balance, and Luciard instinctively reached out to catch her.

“My apologies, Lady Hestia, Sir Luciard! Are you both alright?!”

The coachman’s worried voice reached them, but neither of them could respond.

Hestia had fallen straight onto Luciard’s lap.

Their faces were so close, they were almost touching.

“Lady? Sir? Are you okay?”

The coachman called again, snapping Hestia out of her daze.

“Y-yeah! We’re fine! No one’s hurt!”

“I apologize. I’ll be more careful.”

The coachman focused on driving again while Hestia, still wide-eyed, awkwardly climbed off of Luciard.

“Uh… t-thanks. I almost fell.”

“I told you to be careful… Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…”

Both of them, unable to meet each other’s eyes, stared out of the carriage window instead.

An awkward silence filled the air.

Finally, Hestia cleared her throat and broke the tension.

“Ahem. You know today is the last day, so we need to make our relationship clear, right?”

Luciard, who had been avoiding her gaze, finally looked at her.

“Yeah, I remember.”

Earlier that day, they had shared information about the people who had approached them during the festival.

Most of them seemed curious about their next move, waiting for an opportunity to take advantage.

“They were all trying to figure out how they could benefit from us.”

“Yeah. Some were just waiting for the right moment to get involved.”

It was as if they didn’t care who became the Duke as long as they could gain something.

“But…”

Luciard hesitated.

“Gabriel felt a little different.”

“The Grand Duke of Florence?”

“He also offered his help, saying that if I wanted to be the duke, he’d support me. But… it felt more persistent.”

While others were subtly testing the waters, Gabriel’s approach had an air of certainty—like he was pushing Luciard to seize the opportunity.

“Now that you mention it, the Florence family was the only one to approach both of us.”

“Huh? They talked to you too? You didn’t mention them yesterday.”

“It wasn’t the Florence family directly, but someone connected to them.”

The Marchioness of Oz.

“Usually, people try to win me over or flatter me, but Oz’s wife was different.”

She was a bit aggressive with her questions but also tried to get close and be supportive. Hestia couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.

“We need to keep a close eye on the Oz family and the Florences. And at the party, we should make it clear that we’re not competing against each other.”

“Agreed. I’m sick of people trying to put us against each other.”

Luciard grumbled, looking forward to his freedom after tonight.

Hestia smiled at his unshaken resolve.

‘Good. I was worried he might be swayed by others, but he’s staying true to himself.’

As they talked, their carriage arrived at the palace.

The final party of the Milky Way Festival began.

Some people had already found love during the festival, while others, still searching, scanned the room like hawks.

Everyone gathered in groups, chatting and enjoying the night.

“Do you think they’ll show up today?”

“They weren’t at the daytime events either.”

“Maybe they already left the capital.”

“Aww, I really wanted to dance with Sir Luciard.”

“Lady Hestia… Does she not like parties?”

Amid the many conversations, two names kept coming up—Luciard and Hestia.

As the most talked-about figures in high society, both were highly desirable partners.

Hestia’s noble rank might be slightly lower, but she had enough wealth to make up for it. She had also proven her skills and abilities as Winston’s guardian.

On top of that, she was more beautiful than most young ladies.

At first, some men thought they could charm Hestia and improve their own status, but after just one conversation with her, they found themselves completely captivated, unable to escape from her charm.

And then there was Luciard.

He had the flaw of being an illegitimate child, but that didn’t change the fact that he was still a Winston. With the right opportunity, he could become a duke at any moment.

On top of that, as a top graduate from the swordsmanship academy, he had a strong, well-built body—unlike most noblemen. His good looks also made many young ladies blush just at the sight of him.

Hoping to dance with Luciard at least once, many noblewomen dressed up beautifully and attended every Milky Way Festival party.

But Luciard never showed up.

This time, neither he nor Hestia had attended the daytime events, leading people to speculate that the Winston and Frost families had already returned to the south.

“That’s what they’re saying. What do you think, brother?”

“What do you mean, what do I think? They might just not come.”

“Ugh, you’re so boring. Why do I have to be paired with you? I wanted a partner who’s handsome and well-built.”

“You’re annoying. Shut your mouth.”

As Chloe whined, Gabriel muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

Meanwhile, he flashed a bright smile at the young ladies shyly waving at him, making Chloe’s expression sour.

“You’re so good at acting, so why do you hate pairing up with other ladies? Because of you, I’m suffering too.”

“You can only have one partner, and if I’m not careful, I’ll get caught up in something annoying.”

“Well, yeah. That one lady you partnered with before started spreading rumors about an engagement. And there was that time when a fight broke out among the ladies.”

“Being this handsome really is a curse.”

Watching Gabriel praise himself with a dreamy look, Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Sir Luciad Winston and Lady Hestia Frost have arrived!”

Just then, the doorman announced two unexpected names.

The crowd buzzed in surprise, and Chloe and Gabriel also reacted.

“Oh? So they didn’t leave for the south yet?”

“Apparently not. And why are they suddenly attending the party?”

“Did they ever attend at the academy?”

“No. Even if they showed up, they’d disappear right away. This is a first…”

Gabriel, scoffing as he looked toward the entrance, suddenly froze.

The first thing he saw was Luciard, dressed in a deep blue formal suit.

When appropriately attired, he resembled Gabriel, the most attractive man in the empire, and appeared to be the ideal groom.

“…Wow.”

Even Chloe, standing beside him, couldn’t help but let out a quiet exclamation. But Gabriel’s gaze had already shifted elsewhere.

A woman with lush golden-brown hair swept into an elegant dress, her delicate neck and shoulders exposed, wearing a dress that seemed to capture the essence of the Milky Way itself.

His eyes wavered, unable to tear away from Hestia.