The grand ball hosted by House Argenta and House Allozé had finally come to an end.
And as expected, the rumors circulating among the nobles afterward hardly strayed from what the two houses had anticipated.
“I never thought Argenta and Allozé would reconcile.”
“Haven’t the two houses always had a bad relationship? Especially in this generation.”
“And yet, such a joyous event…”
Most people agreed on one thing.
“The engaged couple looked so in love with each other.”
“Has there ever been such a sweet couple in high society in recent years?”
What especially stirred excitement were the whispers and exchanges beneath the white veil.
No one knew what the two had said to each other, of course—those words hadn’t reached beyond the veil.
But the way they called each other’s names, embraced, and kissed from time to time had left a lasting impression on the social elite.
—Tap.
After the ball ended, Dielo Argenta returned to his office.
Of course, he had already personally escorted his ‘lovely’ fiancée back to her room.
The two were now officially engaged. It wouldn’t cause a scandal even if they stayed under the same roof for several days.
“The reaction from the social world is very enthusiastic about what you two showed tonight.”
The one personally attending to Dielo upon his return was Rick, the head of intelligence for House Argenta.
Dielo gave a small nod.
“It’s probably because she was much more forward than expected.”
Rick answered with a light tone.
“There are whispers that it was Lady Croa Allozé who was the assertive one… but most people are talking about you, my lord.”
Dielo glanced at Rick.
He might act light-hearted all the time, but when it came to House Argenta, Rick was fiercely loyal—more than anyone.
When their eyes met, Rick gave a short bow before continuing.
“You showed a very different side of yourself than what society is used to seeing.”
Dielo Argenta, always perceived as indecisive and weak-hearted.
And yet at the ball, even though the bride’s face was hidden behind a veil, he had shown unmistakable signs of possessiveness. It was enough to become the talk of the night.
Dielo nodded slightly.
“They must think we’re a very sweet couple.”
“Of course.”
“The more the rumor spreads, the better. Just make sure it doesn’t leave a trail.”
House Argenta’s influence stretched all the way to the borders of the empire.
Creating a rumor from scratch was nothing to them. Inflating an existing one and painting the couple as lovestruck newlyweds was child’s play.
“Yes, I’ll pass that along to the Argenta agents on the front lines.”
The Argenta on the front lines.
Here, “Argenta” didn’t just refer to blood relatives of the ducal house.
It referred to everyone connected to House Argenta—knights, servants, maids, even stable hands.
Anyone who had ties to Argenta and had not betrayed them was called an Argenta.
That had been the tradition since the founding of the house.
Our Argenta.
Everyone’s Argenta.
—Clack.
Once Rick left, Dielo leaned against his desk with both arms.
Sigh.
He looked down at the table and exhaled, loosening his necktie with a few tugs.
It wasn’t out of discomfort—it was because his thoughts were a mess.
It wasn’t the political changes their marriage might bring, nor the secondary effects.
It was…
‘You said you’d follow my lead.’
‘So go deeper. Boldly.’
He couldn’t stop thinking about Croa Allozé whispering those words beneath the veil.
‘Love me like you mean it.’
It wasn’t a confession, nor a seduction.
To him, it was a kind of provocation.
Croa Allozé probably had no idea.
She didn’t know what kind of man she was setting fire to with those words.
That was likely why she’d whispered them so daringly.
Though, to be fair, Dielo himself had orchestrated part of that act.
[The foolish and indecisive duke.
A man who doesn’t know how to act… tossed around between the three ducal families full of schemes and secret dealings.]
Those who had already formed their opinions of him had begun to drift away.
The ones who weren’t true Argenttas.
Those who could turn their backs at any moment must have thought they’d gain nothing from staying loyal to him—and so they’d started approaching the other two ducal houses.
They would soon pay the price for that.
‘You said you’d follow my lead.’
Dielo chuckled again at the bold words of his fiancée.
His hand, which had been rhythmically tapping the desk, stilled.
‘Haa…’
He remembered Croa Allozé rising on tiptoe and nestling into his arms.
Those violet eyes.
Her soft lips that had pressed against his when she thought he wouldn’t take the lead in a kiss.
‘Like this?’
He also remembered her gaze when he pulled her into a deeper kiss and whispered those words.
There had been unmistakable surprise in her eyes—her violet eyes clouded with breathless heat.
And when their kiss truly deepened, the very Croa Allozé who had said she would lead him—completely melted in his arms.
It was Dielo Argenta who held her steady when her legs gave out.
It was also him who continued to savor her lips beneath the veil until she was breathless.
‘…!’
Afterward, her eyes had gone wide like a startled rabbit as she stared at him in shock.
“Croa Allozé…”
He slowly resumed tapping his desk.
Surely, she had revised her opinion of Dielo Argenta by now.
From indecisive and weak—to a man who could be assertive when needed.
And as for Dielo—he had completely revised his view of Croa Allozé after that night.
The Croa Allozé known to society was an emotional woman. One who would fire or kill her subordinates on a whim.
The Allozé family was known as the most ruthless of the three houses when it came to taking lives.
And Croa Allozé seemed to enjoy that cruelty.
But the woman Dielo had seen was someone entirely different.
“So I wasn’t the only one acting.”
Croa Allozé—she seemed to be the same kind of person as him.
The persona she had shown until now was likely a facade to avoid suspicion from Duke Allozé, wary of his illegitimate daughter.
It was easy to tell, even after observing her for just a few days.
‘I’ll take the lead. Just follow me.’
That was her true self.
And the fact that she revealed that self to him so openly meant that she had staked everything on this.
“For Argenta, it’s all or nothing.”
To someone who lived by that principle, she was the perfect partner for this deal.
All or nothing.
He murmured it again with a smile.
She likely hadn’t realized what kind of card she was holding when she played it.
Too late for regrets.
She had already stepped into Argenta’s domain, and the deal was sealed.
Beneath that pure white veil at the ball.
It was a deal that could never be undone.
“…”
Dielo touched his lower lip—where she had kissed him—and slowly smiled.
His lips curved into a faint arc, laced with a strange emotion.
✦ ✦ ✦
After the ball, the Argenta mansion was abuzz with a strange sense of excitement.
What was odd was that even the head maid, stable hands, and every servant in the mansion seemed to share that same mood.
“Normally, even if the master of a house is getting married, the staff wouldn’t be this excited.”
After all, would their daily lives change just because their lord got married?
Especially when the bride was Croa Allozé—known among the servants as a dangerous noblewoman.
She was infamous for killing staff simply because they displeased her.
And yet, even though the staff had surely heard the same rumors, everyone surrounding Croa seemed unusually cheerful.
“Everyone seems happy about the engagement. That makes me happy, too.”
As I spoke, Pielle, who was assisting me with my bath, gave a soft smile.
“It seems expectations are high after what you two showed at the ball.”
“Because we looked like such a sweet, loving couple?”
—Splash!
I slapped the water’s surface and looked back at Pielle.
She gave a small nod.
Once I confirmed we were alone in the bath, I whispered to her.
“You know the truth, don’t you, Pielle?”
At my whisper, Pielle froze.
She clearly hadn’t expected me to bring it up directly.
More than that, she hadn’t realized I knew that she knew this was a contract marriage.
“What did you think of the engagement ceremony?”
To those unaware of the truth, it must’ve looked like a scene from a fairytale.
But I needed to know what it looked like to someone who did know the truth.
After all, the ones we needed to fool weren’t just the nobles of high society—but also Duke Allozé himself.
The one who sent me to Argenta under false pretenses.
[You must seduce Dielo Argenta.
Take away the Duke of Argenta’s potential.]
That was his command.
I had to deceive him.
I needed it to seem like Dielo had fallen for me completely.
“It was very convincing.”
Pielle hesitated only briefly.
Then she set down the bottle of bath oil and smiled.
“Even I almost believed it was real.”
She didn’t seem to be lying. It looked like our performance had been a success.
As I exchanged a smile with her—
“Emergency!”
A frantic voice rang out from beyond the bath, accompanied by hurried footsteps.
