Episode 27
From early dawn, the Rohan mansion was bustling with activity.
Servants got up earlier than usual and cleaned every corner until not a speck of dust remained.
“Windows?”
“They’re like mirrors.”
“The floors?”
“So clean the Grand Duke could slip on them.”
Their expressions were not just serious — they looked like they were preparing for battle, not welcoming a guest.
The Rohan family knights were no different. They appeared in full armor, swords at their waists, whispering among themselves about “defeating the Grand Duke.”
While everyone was busy, Laria was the only one with free time.
She tried to dress nicely for the guest, but her family kept interfering.
“You mustn’t look too pretty.”
“What if the Grand Duke falls for you again?”
What kind of nonsense was that? Laria didn’t understand why they were acting this way.
She had planned to wear the dress Zenox sent as a gift, but her family annoyed her so much that she ended up putting on something casual. Honestly, it didn’t feel much different from pajamas, but even that displeased them.
“Don’t you have something… less beautiful?”
“…Should I just go out in pajamas then?”
At her words, all three family members jumped in alarm, saying that showing him something so private would give him “the wrong idea.”
They tried to find a way to make Laria look unattractive, but failed.
“Our baby fox would look lovely even in a sack…”
“Being born pretty is the problem.”
Her parents shook their heads. Her brother Herdin, standing with arms crossed, made a suggestion:
“You like robes, right? Wear one of those.”
When Laria glared at him, he shut his mouth. But he didn’t give up — he came back with a huge, ridiculous hat and got thrown out of her room.
Everyone except Laria kept busy, and time flew by. The sun rose high, and when the clock struck exactly noon, the entire household — family and servants — gathered at the front entrance.
‘How did it come to this…?’ Laria shot a secret glare at Herdin. It was all his fault.
“To apologize properly, I’d like to invite him to the Rohan estate,” he had said.
It was sudden and unplanned, but Zenox accepted without hesitation.
Laria thought her parents would scold Herdin, but instead they nodded approvingly.
“That time was too chaotic to talk properly. Your father even fainted.”
They thought it was only natural to introduce him to the family if she was seriously seeing him. Laria had no argument — if it were Herdin dating someone, she’d want to meet that person too… just to see what on earth they were thinking.
The atmosphere grew quiet until a sharp-eyed hawk beastman knight spoke:
“They’re coming.”
The tone was so serious it made everyone tense. Laria unconsciously clenched her fists.
After a while, even she saw the carriage in the distance — but it looked… strange. It was so big it was like a small house was approaching, and there were three of them.
“They must have brought many people.”
“As expected…” Count Rodit nodded.
“Today, we will not back down.”
His wife patted his shoulder. Anyone watching would think they were about to fight a duel.
It seemed the family had called Zenox here to find fault with him. Laria wondered if they had actually summoned him just to break the engagement.
The carriages, bearing the crest of House Craseum, stopped at the entrance. Everyone swallowed nervously.
The coachman of the first carriage opened the door, and a long, elegant hand appeared, gripping it. Zenox stepped out like a great wolf, sunlight blazing on him. Holding a bouquet in one hand, he scanned the Rohan family — and finally looked at Laria, smiling slightly.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
Even his charming smile only made the family look more hostile. The Count, seeing Zenox for the first time, trembled so much his wife had to pull him behind her protectively — though since he was so tall, it was like a snake hiding behind a fox.
“Welcome, Your Grace,” the Countess greeted without a trace of a smile.
“And the other carriages?”
“Ah.” Zenox glanced back and signaled the coachman.
“I couldn’t come empty-handed, so I brought a few gifts.”
Servants began unloading boxes from the carriages — so many they formed a wall. Laria gaped.
‘All of that is… gifts?’
The Craseum butler, Berdo, handed the Countess a scroll.
“The list of gifts.”
It unrolled all the way to the floor. The Countess’s face hardened as she read.
“Perte wine…?”
Perte was the most fertile land in the Empire, and wine from its grapes was worth more than gold by weight. Almost all of it went to the Imperial Palace.
“And 30 years old?” she muttered — such a vintage was so rare there might be none left in the world.
The Count, peeking from behind, shouted:
“Immortality herb!” — a rare plant found only on the highest mountains.
Laria thought, ‘Did he rob the Imperial treasury?’
It wasn’t just quantity — each gift was priceless.
“I hope you’ll like them,” Zenox said politely. The family exchanged glances. They hadn’t expected him to try and overwhelm them with wealth.
The Countess finally said, “We’re grateful, but please take them back when you leave.”
“You don’t like them?”
“They’re too much for us to accept.”
Zenox scratched his cheek, looking troubled.
“You invited me; I can’t arrive empty-handed like some shameless man.”
“Then we’ll accept just one gift,” she said, planning to pick the cheapest.
Zenox smiled in relief.
“Then I’ll give you this one.”
He handed her a paper.
“I already transferred the ownership.”
The Countess opened it — it was the deed to a villa in a southern resort town.
“I thought your family could use it as a vacation home.”
Laria held her forehead.
‘Who gives a house as a guest gift…’
Leaving the stunned family behind, Zenox approached Laria and handed her the bouquet.
“Laria, you look beautiful today too.”
The rich scent filled her senses. Her nerves suddenly spiked — until now she had been watching from the side, but now she had to act like a loving fiancée in front of her family.
But… how exactly does one do that? She had never dated before.
After a moment of thought, she decided she needed to do something bold. She looked straight into Zenox’s eyes.
“Thank you, Zenox.”
And then she hugged him. His body instantly stiffened.
She looked up at him with a bright smile.
“You really are the only one for me.”
Everyone watching was utterly shocked.
