* * *

A few days after returning to the capital, an unusual rumor spread through the empire’s high society.

The rumor was that the Howard Ducal Family had formally proposed an engagement to the Efilia Family.

The marriage alliance between these two prestigious houses, both possessing immense wealth and honor, became the talk of not just high society but even commoners who loved gossip.

It felt as impactful as the announcement of an engagement between the heirs of conglomerates in the modern world.

“Milady, no matter how upset you are, you can’t just lock yourself in your room and refuse to eat for days! Please, at least open the door. Please?”

Outside the door, Twitty knocked fervently, her voice pleading.

I lay listlessly on the bed, turning over.

Today marked the third day of my performance as the “young lady refusing to eat because she didn’t want to get engaged.”

Ber, who was lounging beside me, let out a wide yawn and spoke.

“Seriously, is it okay for you to keep this up for three days? What if the engagement really falls through? It’s not like that prideful duke is going to bend first…”

“No, he will. Do you know how much the Duke Carlotte stands to gain from this engagement? It’s also a chance for the Efilia Family to supply magical artifacts to the Mage Tower.”

I couldn’t be more grateful that the imperial family was playing it safe.

It made sense; marriage was a one-time-use political card in noble society.

If the imperial family had approached the Duke Carlotte before the Howards, he’d have surely chosen them instead.

Admiration for Jerome’s decisiveness and execution surfaced, only to be quelled when his words echoed in my mind.

“I’m different from you. I don’t feel any romantic sentiments you might expect. My feelings toward you are more akin to desire, possessiveness, or, at best, intrigue.”

Jerome’s mindset was certainly unlike that of an ordinary human.

Trying to understand him with common sense was impossible.

My head knew I should be relieved that Jerome felt any attachment toward me at all.

Yet, I kept feeling this foreign, unrecognizable emotion.

‘What is this feeling?’

Why did I feel so uneasy when everything was working in my favor?

As I drifted deeper into thought, someone knocked on the door.

“Milady, the duke is requesting your presence.”

The head maid’s voice filtered through from the other side. With a groan, I slowly got up.

‘It’s finally time.’

The duke, seeing my pale and worn-out appearance, cleared his throat uncomfortably.

It seemed he was feeling at least a shred of guilt.

After a long silence, he turned back to his stack of documents.

“If there’s something you want, speak.”

“….”

“Anything you ask for.”

Despite having bragged to Ber, I found this a bit unexpected.

Knowing the duke’s usual personality, I thought he’d proceed with the engagement regardless of whether his adopted daughter was starving herself.

Scribbling a random figure onto a piece of paper, I slid it across to the Duke Carlotte.

He glanced at the amount, then pushed the paper back toward me.

“What do you need such a large sum of money for?”

Need it?

Well, isn’t it obvious that a girl like me needs retirement funds to live quietly once I leave society?

Instead of answering, I slumped with a tired expression.

The duke clicked his tongue and waved his hand dismissively.

“Fine. But you must attend every family gathering from now on. You may leave.”

I had written down an astronomical sum, yet he didn’t even flinch.

It gave me a rough idea of just how wealthy he was.

Bowing politely, I left the office and couldn’t help the smile spreading across my face.

I could easily imagine Carlisle’s reaction upon hearing about Jeanne’s engagement rumors.

‘Now there’s no need to pretend to be Carlisle’s lover. I’ll secure the retirement funds, block the engagement from proceeding as it did in the original plot, and everything will be perfect.’

Not killing Jerome but keeping him around had proven to be a stroke of genius.

Who would’ve thought he’d end up shielding me like this?

My confident strides slowed.

I stopped in a shadowed hallway, away from the sunlight, words slipping from my lips unconsciously.

“But… I feel disappointed.”

I paused, stunned.

It was my true feelings, which I’d been trying to avoid.

When I’d asked if he liked me, I had secretly hoped Jerome would say yes.

I’d vowed to rescue him from hell, yet to him, I was nothing more than a replaceable, intriguing object.

I had brushed it off at the time, but the more I dwelled on it, the more it hurt my pride and left me feeling wronged.

‘Should I just give up? It feels like I’m losing out too much.’

I felt a wave of exhaustion.

Realizing that my feelings were not reciprocated equally hurt more than I expected.

There was only one way to avoid getting hurt in relationships: to feel as little as the other person did.

Or to be calculative and only give back as much as received.

‘No, but…’

Clenching my fists, I hardened my wavering heart.

‘At least when it comes to love, I don’t want to be so calculating.’

Taking a deep breath, I pushed away the negative thoughts. Jerome’s feelings were his own; I just had to follow my emotions.

And who knew?

Just as I had brought some excitement into Jerome’s monotonous life, perhaps one day he’d develop a special affection for me.

Shaking off my lingering disappointment, I smiled confidently and resumed walking.

“Just wait, Jerome. I’ll make sure to create a romantic situation that gets your heart racing.”

✽ ✽ ✽

During my absence in the North, I’d temporarily put Cedrick in charge of running the guild.

It had taken a lot of convincing, with him complaining, “Why should I, of all people, help you when I’m already so busy?”

In reality, it wasn’t a difficult task; I just needed someone to keep an eye out for troublemakers harassing the Rabbit Brothers, like last time.

I had only asked for a simple favor…

Scratching my cheek, I looked at the unbelievable scene before me.

The guildhouse had become even more extravagant and spacious, and noble ladies and gentlemen were mingling cheerfully at café tables set up around it.

I stood there, dumbfounded, until I made eye contact with one of the ladies.

“Lady Jeanne!”

“Welcome back from the North, Lady Jeanne!”

The young noblewomen, blushing, swarmed toward me.

These were the same people who used to glare at me or gossip behind my back.

The sudden change left me frozen.

The crowd of ladies, faces flushed with excitement, bombarded me with questions.

“We heard from the guild members that you played a major role in sealing the Pharak in the North?”

“Is the engagement rumor with Lord Jerome true?”

“The guildhouse is so beautiful. Is the Luna Guild no longer accepting new members?”

Let me remind you, Eunsoo (me) knew nothing about dealing with women.

Whenever they surrounded me, my mind would go blank, and I’d act overly dramatic.

Although I wished I could charm these lovely young ladies as smoothly as Jerome or Carlisle, the only thing that came out of my mouth was…

“Get… get out of my way! Don’t crowd around me!”

It was the kind of harsh remark only a troublemaker would make.

With my face bright red, I sped up my pace, but the young ladies followed, undeterred.

Some even tried to give me gifts.

Afraid that getting too close might reveal my secret—my true identity as a man—I kept a stony expression.

“Your skin is so flawless up close! It’s so clear and radiant.”

“Your hair is stunning! How do you care for it? Is there a special northern hair treatment?”

“Would you join the social gathering I’m hosting this weekend?”

Even though I remained unresponsive, heated questions bombarded me from every direction.

Perhaps frustrated by my lack of answers, one of the ladies grabbed my arm.

My hair stood on end, and without even realizing it, I swatted her hand away.

The lively atmosphere immediately turned cold.

The lady whose hand I had smacked held onto it, her head lowering in embarrassment.

Reflexively, I leaned in and met her gaze.

“Let me see—did you get hurt?”

I asked, worried her hand might have gotten scratched.

At the sound of my concerned voice, the lady, who had gone pale, began to blush.

Realizing too late that I’d made a mistake, I hurriedly turned to leave, not wanting to hear the conversations that now drifted clearly to my ears.

“Oh my god, that cold-blooded expression of his—it’s to die for.”

“With such a beautiful face, ruling the back alleys isn’t enough, and now he’s sealed his magical beast? I wish I could be as strong as Lord Jeanne.”

“And being from the Sacre—that’s so unique and cool, isn’t it?”

Although my image as the villainess seemed intact, somehow, it felt like I had become an object of admiration.

Once inside the guild house, I slammed the door shut.

“Cedrick, that bastard. What on earth did you do while I was gone…?”

“Nothing major. Just turned the Luna Guild house into a bit of a landmark.”

“……”

“After all, we need to recruit more members if we want to expand the guild’s influence.”

I spun around at the familiar voice.

There, sprawled on the sofa with a book, was Cedrick, along with the Rabbit Twins.

Despite having previously thrown a fit about not wanting to manage the guild, he now looked rather content.

The Rabbit Twins ran over to me, each clinging to one of my arms.

“The tea leaves from the Luna Guild garden have become famous, and now everyone stops by the terrace for a tasting and buys the tea leaves as a souvenir. The guild’s tea leaf products have been selling out!”

“Thanks to Jeanne and Jerome’s successes in the North, we’ve received a flood of membership applications too!”

The Rabbit Twins beamed, but I still felt uneasy.

I never intended for things to get this successful.

The guild that had once been on the brink of ruin was suddenly a rising star, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it.

Cedrick put his book down and approached me.

“By the way, while you were gone—”

Bang!

The door burst open with a loud noise, and Jerome stumbled in, looking thoroughly drained.

He seemed to have struggled as much as I did to escape the ladies’ attention.

Jerome scanned the room, smiling as he spoke.

“Huh? Looks like it’s not just Jeanne here today.”

The Rabbit Twins’ eyes widened in disbelief.

* * *