The next day.

I woke up early in the morning and busied myself with preparations.

There was so much to do.

By afternoon, I even had to prepare for the banquet.

Lady Rita’s dress arrived that morning.

The parts stained with ink yesterday were perfectly clean, not a single mark left.

‘They must have painstakingly cut out the inked parts and carefully reattached them.’

Conrad, whom I saw dressed up, said,

“You look very splendid today.”

“Because I’m a noble lady.”

I smugly lifted my chin, and he let out a pleased laugh.

“Yes, you look like a splendid noble lady.”

“Thanks for the dress.”

“Not at all.”

Conrad told me what I needed to know about the party.

“The party is divided into two parts.”

The first part is a meal in the dining hall, and the second part is a light drinking party in the hall.

“I’m assigned to the first part.”

When I said that, Conrad nodded.

“Yes. Miss Liantin is also assigned to the first part.”

Then he added with a worried look,

“You only need to greet and then you can come out right away. You’re still young.”

“Yes.”

I nodded obediently.

‘He seems worried because of Liantin.’

Conrad witnessed the ink bottle incident yesterday, so his concern was understandable.

At last, the sun set, and the dining hall was lit.

The birthday banquet had begun.

When I entered the dining hall, my eyes grew wide.

‘Amazing...’

The polished black marble floor.

Columns adorned with golden attachments winding like ivy vines.

Right behind the head table, water cascaded like a refreshing waterfall.

As I looked around the dining hall, all eyes focused on me.

Because if a noble young lady small enough to fit an arm existed, there was only one.

“Good evening, Miss Erilot Astra.”

People who recognized me began to gather one by one.

“I’m Stein of the Marquis Moro family.”

“Honored to meet you. I’m Gildas of the Jobert family.”

I spread my skirt wide and lightly bent my knees.

“I am Erilot Astra.”

Seeing me speak so smartly, people smiled.

Of course, not all the looks were kind.

“They say she’s illegitimate.”

“They say the fontanelle opened and she manifested a Blessing. Is that even possible? I heard rumors she’s a mutant...”

From afar, I saw Conrad’s expression harden.

He looked worried I might be hurt, but I wasn’t.

I wasn’t unprepared for such reactions.

If anything, this was milder than I expected. And above all—

‘This is a gold mine! A gold mine!’

If I made plenty of connections here, it would surely help me in the future.

I cheerfully greeted people as I went around.

They admired me for bravely attending the party alone without parents.

“She’s cute, isn’t she?”

“My daughter was like that too.”

Just then—

“Count Moro!”

A cheerful voice called out.

“Oh, Miss Liantin.”

“It’s really been a long time.”

“Yes, about four months, I think.”

“Thank you for inviting me last time. I told ‘Grandpa’ how wonderful your garden was.”

“Speaking of the Duke!”

The man’s eyes sparkled.

Liantin laughed lightly.

“Yes. I like telling Grandpa all sorts of things.”

“It seems the Duke makes time for Miss Liantin...!”

“Well, among the main branch, he talks to me the most. Right, Dad?”

Liantin looked back.

A chubby brown-haired man appeared.

‘That’s my uncle.’

He was Decons, the Duke’s third son.

“Yes. Our Liantin is always kind to Father.”

“Dad said Grandpa seems soft on me. Isn’t that right?”

“Of course. He’s unusually fond of you.”

Uncle chuckled heartily.

The attention in the banquet hall suddenly centered on Liantin.

Duke Astra was known as a cold old man with no blood or tears.

Rumored to have killed his rebellious son with his own hands.

Not someone who easily let others get close—there was no way to approach him.

If his granddaughter was someone he adored, it would be advantageous to befriend her.

“The garden at my estate is equally beautiful, Miss Liantin.”

“My daughter and you are the same age. Please visit my castle sometime...”

In an instant, Liantin became the center of the banquet hall.

She laughed lightly.

“I’m busy with my studies, so it’s hard to find time, but since you all ask...”

Then—

“His Grace, Duke Astra, has arrived.”

The banquet hall fell silent instantly.

As if on cue, people parted, and soon he entered through the door.

The bearer of golden fragrance.

King of the most vast and prosperous western territories.

The center of the empire’s underworld.

— Duke Astra.

“Your Grace.”

“Your Grace.”

Grandpa passed through the crowd and headed toward the head table.

One by one, people gathered around the large table.

When Grandpa sat, they all took their seats.

The seat right next to Grandpa belonged to Uncle and his wife and Liantin. I sat next to Liantin.

Champagne was passed around each seat. In front of Liantin and me was orange juice.

Uncle Decons stood and shouted,

“To the eternal glory of Astra!”

“To eternal glory—!”

“To eternal glory—!”

The loud voices echoed.

The banquet mood was quite good.

It couldn’t be bad.

Everyone was desperate to look good in front of Grandpa.

By the time about half of the course meal was served, Uncle Decons spoke.

“Father, Liantin has prepared a gift to celebrate your birthday.”

Grandpa’s gaze turned toward Liantin.

She smiled shyly.

Uncle Decons chuckled and placed his hand on his daughter’s shoulder.

“She worked so hard preparing the gift, she really brought something special. Ha ha ha! Now, Liantin.”

Liantin gestured toward a servant.

The servant soon brought a small box. The box itself was quite luxurious.

Liantin blinked and said to Grandpa,

“It was really hard to get. After countless trials, I only just got it yesterday.”

“......”

“I really, really worked hard because I wanted Grandpa to be happy......”

People gasped, “Ooh.”

It seemed the main branch of Astra was intrigued by the item that had been so difficult to obtain.

Liantin pursed her lips and said, “Please open it.”

Grandpa slowly opened the box.

Meanwhile, Liantin and I exchanged glances.

Tsk,

Liantin smirked at me with a clear sneer.

Then she shrugged toward Grandpa who was opening the box.

“You can take it now. The effect will show immediately.”

“What is it?”

“That. The one I gave you—”

Grandpa pulled out a medicine bottle from the box with a blank expression.

It was covered in mold, a liquid that obviously no one could ever drink.

“......!!”

Liantin’s face stiffened.

I barely lifted the corner of my mouth.

‘Why, did you think you stole the real thing?’

Liantin glared at me.

“What the...”

I pointed at the medicine bottle Grandpa held.

“Ebi, jijya!” (No, it’s no good!)

So, that’s how things happened.

Before Liantin came into my room, I hid the real medicine just in case.

And put something else inside.

‘Fake body rejuvenation potion.’

What Liantin took was a failed version of the body rejuvenation potion.

Erilot was the first to start making the potion at Ice.Black.Hand.

But it failed.

When first ingested, tooth pain seemed to subside, but after three days, worse pain came.

And even when the potion was made with great effort, its shelf life was less than a day.

After 24 hours, it was just rotten liquid.

‘The real body rejuvenation potion is the improved formula with green lavender added.’

Last night, when I returned to my room, I noticed the drawer in my desk was empty.

That meant Liantin had taken the fake potion.

Uncle Decons looked flustered and stared at Liantin.

“What happened? Is that really the gift you prepared? Is that medicine even safe to take?”

“Well... um...”

Liantin turned bright red.

‘She must not know what to do.’

If she insisted it was safe without knowing anything and Grandpa took it, things would be irreversible.

People whispered.

Because Liantin bragged so much before opening the gift, the situation looked even more ridiculous.

“Well, Miss Liantin is a bit...”

“Yes. She tends to talk before thinking.”

“To give something rotten as a birthday gift... It’s an embarrassment to the Duke.”

Uncle Decons was very flustered, and Liantin trembled with her hands. She looked utterly humiliated.

The banquet atmosphere became ridiculous in an instant.

Grandpa said nothing but his eyes sank deeply.

Marquis Debussy spoke to lighten the mood.

“By the way, Miss Erilot Astra also said she prepared a gift.”

“Yes.”

“Please show us.”

I stood up suddenly and received the item from Hilda, who had been waiting by the wall.

Marquis Debussy spoke with a smile.

“What kind of gift is that?”

I rustled something from the envelope Hilda had wrapped.

Then, ta-da! I held it up.

“Oh?”

“That is...”

Ha ha ha.

Laughter erupted in the banquet hall.

Because what I had prepared was chocolate.

The reason I was so busy this morning was because of this.

I made the chocolates with the maids.

And when they weren’t watching...

‘I put medicine inside the chocolates.’

I went through all this trouble because there was no way a three-year-old would just take medicine prepared by a three-year-old.

What did I put inside?

People’s reactions were surely like that.

The nobles in the banquet hall burst out laughing.

They thought it was cute since it was something a child could prepare.

I hurried to Grandpa and offered him the chocolates.

“Here, sir.”

As I held them out, people were embarrassed.

“Miss, you...”

One of the nobles hurried to stop me.

Who would give food like that to Duke Astra?

But Marquis Debussy intervened to prevent the awkward mood.

“This is a gift Miss Erilot prepared diligently. How about tasting it?”

“......”

Grandpa glanced at me.

Then he put the chocolate in his mouth.

People watched Grandpa with excited expressions.

Marquis Debussy also raised his eyebrows and asked,

“How is it?”

“Not a bad taste.”

“Ha ha, I’m curious now.”

The banquet hall grew warm again.

Since I gave the chocolate, others also began presenting gifts to Grandpa.

A talking bird from a foreign land.

A fist-sized, multicolored diamond.

All were incredible items.

The kitchen also served magnificent dishes to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday.

A whole roasted {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} calf.

The meat was probably tender but harder to chew than vegetables.

Still, Grandpa ate without showing any expression, as usual.

Then—

“......”

Grandpa, chewing the meat, suddenly paused.

As he stiffened, people who had been watching him stirred, wondering what was wrong.

“Your Grace?”

Marquis Debussy asked.

But Grandpa stared at the meat without answering.

Seizing the moment, I went to him and whispered,

“You don’t hurt now, do you?”

“...What?”

“Grandpa, it hurts. But if you eat chocolate, it doesn’t hurt. There’s medicine that makes it not hurt!”

Grandpa’s eyes widened.

He looked like he wondered how I knew about the toothache and the medicine.

But he didn’t say anything else. People were watching us.

Grandpa glanced around briefly, then closed his mouth.

It seemed he postponed questions for later, so I returned to my seat.

Grandpa ate again.

As if checking whether it truly didn’t hurt.

And he showed no discomfort all along.

‘He finished the whole plate.’

Well, he usually had a good appetite but couldn’t eat due to his teeth.

He must have been hungry until now.

Near the end of the banquet,

Marquis Debussy said,

“So many excellent gifts have been brought. Now, which gift pleases you the most?”

People in the banquet hall looked expectantly.

It seemed they knew Grandpa would reward the one whose gift pleased him most.

Grandpa glanced at the precious gifts piled along the edge of the hall.

Then he slowly opened his mouth.

“Erilot’s gift... pleases me the most.”

“......!”

“......!”

“......!”

Among the tremendous gifts, my chocolate must have seemed the most insignificant.

So,

“The Duke seems to like Miss Erilot quite a bit...”

“Yes, he seems to adore her more than Miss Liantin.”

“Come to think of it, they did seem very close.”

It was understandable why people reacted like that.

Conrad, standing far away, gave me a thumbs-up.

Marquis Debussy burst out laughing heartily.

The musicians filled the banquet hall with lively melodies.

Meanwhile, Liantin’s face had turned pale.

Of course, Uncle Decons didn’t look happy either.

Liantin and her father barely spoke a proper word throughout the banquet.

Grandpa stood up.

That meant the banquet was over.

‘After a short rest, the second part will begin.’

The nobles all stood as well.

Some followed Grandpa to the door to greet him.

‘Greetings, greetings.’

I hurried to stand up, but Liantin was quicker.

She suddenly stood up roughly, and I lost my balance.

I nearly fell and instinctively grabbed the table, causing a juice glass to fall.

Clang—!

A sharp smashing sound echoed.

“Eek!”

Liantin shouted.

Uncle Decons, who had been following Grandpa, rushed over.

“Are you okay?”

“I think I got cut by glass shards.”

Seeing his daughter’s crying face, Uncle’s expression twisted fiercely as he looked at me.

Without asking what happened, he snapped,

“How could you be so careless!”

It was unfair.

‘I was pushed by Liantin.’

He didn’t seem to want to hear my side at all.

Uncle Decons had a reputation as the least competent of Grandpa’s children.

Hot-tempered, thoughtless, and violent.

He glared at me fiercely and said,

“Apologize immediately.”

“......”

“Can’t you hear me!”

People started paying attention to us.

Just as Grandpa looked over,

“You still make the sound of a pig being slaughtered, Decons.”

A stranger’s voice rang out as someone strode into the banquet hall.

A tempting golden blonde with a dangerous aura.

A sharp jawline that flowed smoothly.

Delicate features set in the right places.

Tall stature with battle-hardened lean muscles.

And red eyes like mine.

A man whose beauty drew gasps here and there.