Chapter 9
As expected, the invitation was tucked away in a remote corner, far from reach.
After completely tearing apart the bedroom, I finally found the invitation and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. Holding up the violet envelope with both hands, I read the golden-embossed name slowly:
“Deborah Princess Vasto.”
Princess of the Bastia Empire, the only legitimate heir, and also the villainess in the novel.
Unlike typical villainesses, she wasn’t romantically entangled with the protagonists.
Deborah’s one-sided hatred and harassment of Seren stemmed entirely from her brother, Iberk. More precisely, because her pride had been thoroughly crushed because of him.
‘Well, I guess anyone would be bitter after being rejected by someone they don’t even like for years.’
It all began when the previous Duke and Duchess of Raphael suddenly passed away.
The Emperor at the time saw it as the perfect opportunity to take control of the powerful Raphael Duchy, known for its unmatched military might.
He tried to marry his daughter to the young Iberk, but Iberk rejected the offer again and again—for four years straight.
The Emperor didn’t give up either. Using Iberk’s age as an excuse, he tried to suppress the power of the duchy and force his hand.
On the day Iberk turned nineteen, the Emperor finally gave him two choices:
Marriage with Deborah—or being sent to the North.
Most people would’ve chosen marriage to avoid the constant danger of the North, but not Iberk.
He knew that if he married Deborah, his sister would be subjected to the whims of the imperial family. Knowing little Seren would be dragged through the mud, he chose the North without hesitation.
“I guess that’s what you’d call a real siscon.”
I let the invitation fall limply from my hands.
I wanted to think about what to do next, but my mind refused to work. The relief of finally finding the letter made me feel even more tired.
I didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.
Eventually, I couldn’t resist the drowsiness and blinked my eyes shut for just a moment…
“Yawn. It’s already morning?”
Somehow, darkness had passed and morning had come.
“Good morning, my lady.”
“Mm. Good morning.”
As usual, the day began with Daisy’s cheerful morning greeting.
She began pulling the curtains open one by one, letting warm sunlight flood the bedroom. Feeling the gentle warmth on my skin, I couldn’t help but smile.
“It looks like there’s quite a bit to clean up today. You didn’t let me help you yesterday and went searching for something. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yeah. I was looking for the invitation to the imperial banquet. I found it. It’s in four days.”
“What?!”
Daisy grabbed a nearby curtain like it was her lifeline.
“Most of the decent dresses must be sold out by now. I’ll have to rework one of the old ones I have…”
“No way!”
Rip!
This time, Daisy tore the curtain down completely.
Was it really that big of a deal?
I leaned back comfortably against the headboard and scratched the bridge of my nose.
“It’s the first banquet I’m attending in months, and it’s hosted by the imperial family. Aah, what do we do…”
Daisy gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.
Honestly, I didn’t care what I wore, since I had no intention of standing out at the banquet. But Daisy clearly thought otherwise.
She insisted so persistently I almost ran away from her.
“That’d be like smearing mud on my face!”
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
In the end, I surrendered to Daisy’s pressure.
As if she’d been waiting for that response, Daisy immediately stopped cleaning and even asked another maid to take her place—something very unlike her.
She said she had somewhere urgent to take me.
“Where exactly are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there. Just trust me!”
Had she planned everything in that short time?
The carriage set off quickly down familiar roads, and I initially thought we were heading toward the plaza.
But then the carriage suddenly turned in another direction.
‘Don’t tell me…’
A different, yet equally familiar, street appeared before my eyes.
The carriage came to a stop with a clunk in front of a large, grey mansion I visited almost as often as my own home.
“Daisy! I thought we were going to the shops!”
“This is better. Especially since Lady Seren will be attending the banquet too. You two are about the same size, and she must have prepared several dresses. Let’s just ask her! I’m sure she’ll gladly lend one!”
Visiting the Raphael mansion again in less than a day…
But since I was already here, I couldn’t exactly turn back empty-handed.
And Daisy wasn’t entirely wrong. It was a lot easier to borrow a dress from a friend than to roam the plaza all night searching for something decent.
“Where’s Seren?”
“She’s in the dressing room trying on clothes right now.”
I asked around and found my way to the dressing room where Seren was.
Knock knock—I knocked a few times but heard no response. She must’ve been too busy coordinating her dress with shoes and accessories.
I grabbed the doorknob without hesitation.
“Seren, it’s me.”
And opened the door.
The inside looked like a bustling market.
Dresses were hanging everywhere and piled like mountains. Jewelry boxes and shoes filled every available surface.
And standing alone in the middle of the room was someone I hadn’t expected.
“……”
It was Iberk Raphael.
If this had been a normal situation, I would’ve casually called for Seren like I always did.
But seeing Iberk in such an unexpected place left me frozen. I couldn’t even think of a simple greeting.
As I blinked blankly…
Swish.
“Dianta? It’s you, right?”
“Seren!”
White curtains on the far wall parted, revealing Seren in a sky-blue dress, standing on a small round platform.
Her tired face lit up as soon as she saw me.
She hurried down and grabbed my hands.
“You came at the perfect time! I was in such a bind! I’ve finally chosen the dress, but I still haven’t picked the accessories. Everyone’s so into it, their opinions keep clashing… You have a good eye—can you help me decide?”
“…You must’ve had a rough time, huh?”
“Mm-hmm.”
I’d never seen Seren talk so fast in one breath.
Too many cooks spoil the broth, they say. Everyone must’ve gotten too excited that Seren was finally invited to a banquet after so long, making it hard to decide.
Well then—maybe it’s time to show off a bit?
“So I can choose from these?”
I examined every jewelry box in the room carefully, trying to find something that would suit Seren as if I were choosing my own accessories.
That’s when a set on a side table caught my eye.
“Um, would you be willing to help pick one too, Sir?”
“…Would it be alright for me to choose?”
“Of course. The more opinions, the better.”
They were talking just nearby.
I quietly stepped closer so as not to interrupt and studied the accessory in detail.
It was a short choker necklace, lavishly decorated with thick platinum and blue diamonds. The earrings were matching teardrops.
They would complement the dress—and Seren’s eyes—perfectly.
“Seren, I choose this one!”
“I think this one’s best too—”
Just as I reached for the jewelry box, another hand landed on top of mine.
It wasn’t as startling as before, but his hand was still colder than most. I shivered slightly and tried to pull away.
But I couldn’t.
“Sir?”
“……”
He tightened his grip so I couldn’t escape.
Maybe he didn’t even realize.
When I looked up slightly, I saw Iberk quietly staring at our hands. His pupils trembled faintly.
Then he finally whispered two syllables:
“As expected.”
He barely moved his lips for the rest of the sentence, like he was talking to himself.
‘I don’t want to let go.’
I read his unspoken words clearly.
I knew he acted that way because of his illness, but others didn’t. Especially Seren, who was watching us directly—her gaze was the most piercing.
I pressed my now-blushing cheeks with my free hand and turned to Seren.
“Sir seems to like this one too. I guess it really does suit you best.”
I silently wished Iberk would release my hand.
“Right, Sir?”
“…Yes. I like it.”
“Then please give it to Seren yourself.”
“Very well.”
Thankfully, his grip loosened.
Iberk let go of my hand and picked up the jewelry box. He was so composed it was hard to believe he’d just been staring at our hands moments ago.
It almost made me feel embarrassed for reacting.
Thankfully, now that he was acting normal again, everyone else’s attention shifted to the blue gemstone accessories.
Seren too.
“Wow! No wonder—it’s perfect since you two picked it.”
“But just a minute ago, you said there were too many blue tones and you didn’t like it.”
“What? I never said that! Oh, Julia…”
She chatted with her maids as they held the necklace up to her neck in different ways.
In the meantime, I quietly created more distance between me and Iberk. He furrowed his brows slightly, watching me with unreadable eyes…
But I didn’t stop.
Once I had moved far enough not to be noticed, I relaxed and looked toward Seren.
“Hmm?”
Then I spotted something odd.
“Please scold our young lady a little.”
Daisy was standing beside Seren before I even noticed.
“Why?”
“Because she suddenly said she wants to go to the banquet!”
“Dianta’s going to the banquet?”
