Chapter 10
“Don’t feel pressured. Just go in. It’s fine.”
Lana’s mother retied the ribbon on my dress.
It was a dress with almost no decoration, yet she still carefully checked every part of it.
Looking at the duchess so carefully fixing my outfit, I thought—a mother really is a mother.
“Now they will call my name,” I said.
All the other young ladies had already entered.
I answered calmly.
Until yesterday, I was nervous that I might make a mistake.
But even if I tripped while dancing and used the hall floor to clean my dress… as an extra, there was no pressure.
At most, I would be teased for about a week.
And maybe it would even become a good chance to break off my engagement with Belthanio.
I had already given up about half of the engagement and debutante situation.
I smiled at my mother.
It wasn’t a smile meant to reassure her. I just thought it would make me look like the usual gentle Lana.
“Go on. Don’t be nervous.”
“Yes. If I can come see you in the middle, I’ll come here.”
“Yes. Show them everything you prepared.”
I nodded and stepped forward.
A loud voice echoed through the hall, announcing that a daughter of House Demierd would enter.
Now.
I walked in with light, practiced steps.
“…It’s as expected.”
Just by looking at everyone’s clothing inside the hall, I understood.
My role here was to have a weak presence.
They didn’t even give me time to go to a jewelry store. How miserable.
Ever had kept me locked in the mansion while I prepared for the debutante.
I didn’t even have time to bring in a jeweler, so I carefully picked the only accessories I could find.
Lana, who wasn’t interested in fashion, had again bought no necklace, saying it was “saving money.”
I didn’t understand why noble ladies in romance stories acted like they were doing a thrift movement… but seeing the well-dressed ladies with strong presence made me feel small.
After greeting a few people briefly, I moved to a spot near the entrance.
Will Celine come? The news about the exploration stone hasn’t come out yet. Has the paternity test already been done? Or is Harriet busy because of that?
I wondered whether Celine and Harriet would appear.
Even if Harriet had fallen for Celine in the original story, I didn’t feel sad anymore.
While Harriet had not contacted me, I had sorted out my thoughts.
Even if there were changes in what I knew, maybe this current situation was just an important part of the original story I hadn’t noticed.
But still…
“Wow—so that’s her!”
The moment Celine appeared, I realized my mental preparation was pointless.
Just seeing her made me feel inferior to someone I could never reach.
Ah…
Celine wore a deep pink dress and looked completely different from before.
Her walk was slightly awkward, showing she wasn’t used to noble society.
But someone born to attract attention naturally drew every eye.
Harriet’s kind face flashed through my mind.
“Are you okay? I called people already! Are you conscious?”
“Is your injury from yesterday okay?”
“Then where do I fit in?”
I sincerely respected Lana Demierd.
Was it because she only saw him as a friend that she could endure a future so cruel?
Because it was something she could not change by effort?
I stepped back slowly.
One step.
Then another.
I tried to leave as if I would disappear from this place.
At that moment, the hall went silent.
I knew Kelient was about to appear.
He would walk through the crowd, see Celine, and then—
But someone else appeared instead.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Celine… you resemble the late Count Beriker.”
It was Belthanio who approached her.
My chest tightened painfully.
It felt like everything I knew was breaking apart.
The quiet tension turned awkward.
And then the hall erupted.
“Wow, His Highness seems interested in that lady!”
“She is beautiful. I was shocked too.”
“Celine? If she’s from House Beriker, she’s not a bad match.”
“What about the engagement with House Demierd?”
Unlike me, frozen in place, everyone started talking loudly.
The noise filled my ears. I couldn’t think of where to go or what to do.
Where is Kelient? Why is Belthanio going to Celine?
Everything became confusing. I felt like all the voices were rolling through the hall like snowballs.
Then—
“Be careful.”
A voice came from above my head.
It was Harriet.
Relief flooded in as soon as I heard him. My legs almost gave out.
Only then did I realize—I needed someone familiar here.
I barely steadied myself and turned to look up at him.
He tapped my cheek with his finger and asked,
“Why?”
“…You’re late.”
“Yeah. I was hoping the lady I wanted would pick me as her partner, so I was late.”
He smiled playfully.
My emotions almost burst, but I bit my lip and shook my head.
“No. You can’t change it now.”
“So you were considering it.”
“No. I wasn’t.”
“It’s warm today. Your face is red. Let’s go outside for a bit?”
I nodded.
We had things to talk about anyway.
We went out to the terrace in a corner of the hall.
Fortunately, no one was there.
Standing side by side, we breathed the air.
I had many questions.
Was everything resolved? Why wasn’t he escorting Celine?
But Harriet just spoke casually.
“You look pretty today.”
“This?”
I needed to be careful of his habitual compliments.
I seriously suspected him.
Even finding me among so many people was strange, since I was barely noticeable today.
“Yeah. I only see you.”
“Don’t joke.”
I avoided his eyes.
Then I asked quietly,
“Did things with the trading company get resolved?”
“Yes.”
“Ah… I see. I just asked because I saw that lady from there.”
Harriet answered calmly.
“Oh, Celine Swen? I went there after your request, but His Highness Belthanio suddenly came with me.”
“…Suddenly?”
In the original story, only Harriet was mentioned.
“He said there was something to fix. The Retric Trading Company was a ghost company. It seemed useful, so I went with him.”
“I see.”
How did that man even find out?
Was he interested in this area?
“Legally, within a week you can recall half the sales rights. But as soon as we arrived, he called her ‘Celine Beriker.’”
I gave up thinking.
This was not the story I knew.
I could only laugh weakly.
“But she seemed to know him. She asked why we came. After that, we negotiated and recovered the sales rights like you said.”
“…I see.”
“Yeah. I was busy, so I couldn’t contact you. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t really care.”
I nodded half-heartedly.
At least it wasn’t my mistake that caused things to change.
But Harriet didn’t let me stay lost in thought.
“Lana. I need to ask you something.”
“…What?”
He stayed silent for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
“Why did you buy those rough stones? You’re not interested in decorations.”
“……”
“Did you know they weren’t normal? No, that’s not it.”
“I just thought they were pretty…”
“Lana.”
“What.”
“You met a broker in the capital, didn’t you?”
My fingers turned cold.
Harriet pulled my hand.
He traced the back of my gloved hand with his thumb.
“You were trying to buy a house in the capital.”
“Just… the estate is too far if I enter society.”
I gave a weak excuse.
Harriet smiled.
“Raymoon territory is close to the capital.”
What is this? Why is he suddenly talking about it?
It was true, but it still irritated me a little.
As the daughter of House Demierd, whose land wasn’t in a good position, it was slightly annoying.
I narrowed my eyes.
“I’m jealous. But what can I do? I can’t live in your house.”
Give me a room or something.
I tried to end it as a joke—
But Harriet pulled my hand.
And I was drawn into his chest.
He held me close, hiding my face so I couldn’t see his expression.
“Why can’t you live there?”
He sounded genuinely confused.
“……”
“You’re old enough to get married now.”
