Ixion immediately returned to the capital with the Knights of Feltron after Crown Prince Raymon in charge to the authority of Artise.
Of course, it was surprising that Elsia, who he had expected to be in the capital, went down to Marquis, but Mela had no idea he would return so soon.
‘I was going to meet you right away and propose to you as soon as I got here—’
Ixion was surprised that he thought it was a shame.
‘I don’t like postponing things. It’s because I’m uncomfortable because the work I was trying to complete right away has been delayed.’
In his mind, he considered a reason for regret.
‘What’s more, it’s unexpected. Because I don’t like it when something unexpected happens.’
In any case, he had more work to do in the capital.
He had to enter the palace and complete various reports, as well as reorganize the Knights Corps, which had been severely disrupted during the war.
While Ixion was summoned to the palace, Aiden quickly returned to the “favorite of the social world” and began gathering various rumors.
Young Lady Irene Geoffrey and the Duke of Ridan Roziad stood out among them.
‘Young Lady Irene Geoffrey with a fiery temper, and Duke Ridan, an adult child….’
In particular, Ridan was not an easy-going person.
‘Both of them are not easygoing; approaching them, let alone getting them on the same side, would have been difficult.’
He thought, rolling his round green eyes.
Rumor has it that Elsia, for all intents and purposes, has helped them considerably.
‘If you were locked up in the Imperial Palace, perhaps the one who really needed our Prince could be—”
He wanted to talk to Ridan, but when he mentioned Elsia, his face hardened and his mouth shut.
Because Aiden had the opposite personality, he found it difficult to get along with him.
Unlike Aiden, the knight, Ridan preferred books to swords and despised Aiden’s hobby, which specialized in dating counseling and bringing together all kinds of gossip in society.
Ridan had always been devoted to theology, a discipline that was uninterested in worldly matters and had little practical application.
He eventually decided to approach Young Lady Irene Geoffrey, another opponent.
‘But he will be our Prince’s wife. I need as much information as possible. After all, why did you go down to the Marquis? In the capital, there is a Marquis Mansion—.’
Making an appointment with Irene, who was busy running a new clothing business, was difficult, but he already knew how to open Irene’s mouth.
******
“Elsia?”
Irene’s tongue was twisted as she looked at Aiden.
Aiden was drinking wine with Irene while visiting Duke Geoffrey.
Regardless of how much she drank, the table was littered with empty wine bottles.
Aiden focused on Irene’s words, trying to make out the blur.
It was difficult to get Irene, who was known for her excellent drinking, but she answered the questions well when she became tipsy.
“Sigh— She’s so brilliant, bold, and cool!” Irene excitedly knocked on the table and said.
She was obviously a big fan of Elsia already.
“In fact, I’ve been in love with her ever since that banquet. All of that was forgotten the moment I saw her steps!”
“It was very impressive.”
Aiden agreed with a nod.
“My weak mentality frequently enters me when I think about the scene when my mind is struggling.”
“In reality, no matter how much unrequited love there is, it all boils down to sending a letter.”
Irene opened the bottle of new wine, poured it into the glass, drank it in one gulp, and then continued, stealing the corners of her mouth.
“But, finally, the desire to dance again, the purity— self-directedness that is true to one’s feelings!”
“Hmm,”
“It’s amazing that she left quietly after that. It breaks my heart as a friend.”
“Did she leave quietly? What exactly do you mean?”
Aiden tried to gather his thoughts after wondering why Elsia had gone down to Marquis.
“If Prince Ixion return—”
Irene’s eyes filled with tears.
“It’s obvious that he’ll marry now, but if she stays in the capital, it’ll be difficult to forget—”
Aiden rushes over a tissue to Irene, who has begun to sniffle.
“There’s no way she could have succeeded the war hero, Prince of Ixion, when there’s so much hatred toward the Kingdom of Artise. The Prince must now take a full-fledged political step—she knew everything.”
“S-she was only trapped inside the Imperial palace, but she guessed it up there.”
Aiden felt a tingle inside.
Elsia had to have had the same thought.
“How calm and quick-witted is our Elsia.”
Irene sipped her nose, almost wailing, and gulped down.
“She couldn’t even cling to the idea of staying in the capital because of that feeling. She was a friend I really wanted to keep and get along with.”
With a thump, Irene finally knocked her head over the table.
“Don’t worry.”
Irene, who is already unconscious, will not hear it, but Aiden shook his head and said.
“Lady Elsia will be glad to be back in the capital.”
Aiden, who was barely conscious, managed to ring the bell to summon the maid.
“Bring the Young Lady with you. She’s completely drunk.”
He felt relieved as he staggered out of the Duke’s mansion, as if he had once again confirmed Elsia’s innocence.
Even if he gave up his right to succeed to the throne in order to marry Elsia and become Commander of the Knight, even if the decision was somewhat unfavorable to him.
Ixion’s choice is Elsia, so if the two are happy—.
Aiden was concerned about the location and format of the wedding ceremony, despite falling in a carriage and returning to Count Gibeth.
“Regardless of how bad the pink dress was—”
He murmured, recalling the last image he had of Elsia.
“Let me suggest a slightly different style through Young Lady Irene.”
******
I had been having a very peaceful day.
I imagined it would be ideal to live this long and then die.
My room was clean without having to lift a finger, and when the time came, they cooked a delicious meal for me.
In the morning, I learned this and that from the Marquis’s attached family teachers, and in the afternoon, I went for a walk and went around or did yoga.
“The trouble in the capital is worthwhile.”
Life gave me a lot of satisfaction. But every time I turned around, I could feel someone’s eyes on me.
Because of Dalton’s surveillance, Niel couldn’t even talk to me properly.
I could feel his presence, and when I returned my gaze, he would stand awkwardly, pretending to be surprised.
“Master, please! Don’t pay attention to Lady!”
“Dalton! That’s not the type of attention I’m looking for. I mean, I’m not trash enough to flirt with my step-sister. It’s just to hold hands and check on Mana—”
“Don’t tell a lie. I know what you say to the maids of the Marquis every day: ‘I’m not that much trash.’”
“I’m good at lying, but not this time. I spend half my life telling the truth!”
“Then you’re good at lying, and it’s a lie that you aren’t this time. It’s only half done.”
Because of Dalton’s use of evil, I could only face Niel at dinner.
Niel couldn’t tell me his nonsense because I had a lot of eyes for dinner.
Everyone will look at him like Dalton if he says my mana is strange or that he wants to hold my hand.
The Marchioness was also always present at the meal.
Dalton, I, and even Niel agree that we cannot add to the Marchioness’s already-overburdened and exhausted schedule.
“What’s the matter with you?”
The Marchioness sighed and said one day.
“You’re sitting quietly on the Marquis. Are you not going to Wizard Tower?”
“I’ve been struggling for a while.”
Niel responded cheerfully.
“Because the Lord of Wizard Tower is currently absent, it will be difficult to get in and out at all.”
The Marchioness didn’t ask why because she wasn’t interested, but I couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t enter the tower if he went out, so I stared blankly at his face.
‘It appears so, but I’ve heard he’s a great wizard and the next owner of Wizard Tower.’
He read my mind, grinned, and went on.
“I’ve been dating couple of first-floor lab wizard girls. Everyone was surprised to learn that I had a fiancee. He’ll attack me from the first floor if the Lord of the Wizard Tower isn’t here.”
I could understand why the Marchioness didn’t ask.
It was a woman’s problem if anything happened to him.
I can also figure out why Dalton is so cautious.
“And, as my mother wishes, I’ll be going somewhere soon. A harvest banquet will be held by Count Recesil.”
The Marchioness didn’t respond to Niel’s remarks. Since the fall of the Marquis last summer, Marchioness had not held all of the banquets.
“That’s why.”
Niel spoke naturally.
“Why don’t we bring Elsia?”
‘Me?’
“In any case, we should introduce them to the South at least once. We brought her in as an adopted daughter, and when she doesn’t socialize like this, people think she’s weird.”
‘I don’t care if people think it’s strange.’
I tried to say it was fine, but I looked at Marchioness’s expression.
Because, as much as I don’t care, it may not be for the Marchioness.
Suddenly, I was living the life of a jobless person, and she was willing to provide me with a bare minimum of social activities if necessary.
No matter how free my soul was after taking liberal arts classes here, I couldn’t help but think that basic things should be done.
I can’t fly around like a foal in front of someone whose child’s farm has been destroyed and whose husband has fallen.
“—Don’t let others think you’re strange. It’s better not to be held responsible for the time being. The Artise occupation will take some time to settle—”
‘What does Artise have to do with the blame?’
It was my first time becoming a noble, so I nodded, thinking there might be something I didn’t know about.
“Then who will be the escort—”
“Of course I will do it.” Niel opened his eyes round and said.
“If her older brother doesn’t escort, who will?”
That was my first social schedule.
Dalton was heartbroken, but there was nothing he could do with the Marchioness’ permission.
He was constantly nagging me not to fall for Niel.
I was tired of saying the same thing over and over again, no matter how much it didn’t happen, and eventually I just nodded half-heartedly.
And it was the night before the harvest banquet that Ixion’s proposal arrived, with blue pressed flowers attached to it..