The day of the ball arrived in no time.

I tried to refrain from doing any field work, nevertheless, my cuticles no longer had their beautiful shape. Not to mention, my fingers were still a little rough. With the sunburn, my skin was also slightly red.

For the time being, I tried to nourish my skin as much as I could, but one week was just not enough time.

Inside the carriage headed for the royal capital, I, who was still anxious about various things, sighed many times.

Fortunately, Alves accompanied the carriage on horseback. Had he heard me sighing, he’d think I was having a second thoughts about attending the ball.

In fact, I was looking forward to the ball so much, I couldn’t help but worry about my skin and hands.

Phil knew the real me. He’d laugh and forgive whatever I did.

Therefore, I’d like to enjoy dancing as much as I could. I had only danced seriously with my brother.

At first, I felt alright.

Then, I suddenly lost confidence.

“…This is Phil’s house?”

The carriage stopped before a magnificent mansion.

It didn’t seem to be as large as the mansions owned by high-ranking aristocrats in the royal capital. It was also much smaller than the mansion of Count Orfels.

There was no sense of luxury to compare. The mansion also appeared a little shabby, and slightly plain.

However, it was definitely bigger and better than the current house of Viscount Ragulen.

“It appears that his mother was the previous owner. Now, it’s Phil’s. However, he barely stays here. What a shame.” Alves laughed.

…Is that so?

Phil would often come to the Ragulen family house for a few nights.

Even though he had such a magnificent mansion, he’d rather sleep on the floor of my house.

What an odd person…

“Viscount Ragulen, Lucia, it’s been a long time.’

As I alighted from the carriage, I was stunned by Tiana who greeted us with a smile.

However, her smile also carried a hint of urgency.

I decided to quietly obey.

We had some tea in leisure.

Afterwards, I was guided into a room with a very gorgeous dress on display.

“This dress has been prepared for you. What do you think?”

“…How wonderful.”

Tiana asked me in with a concerned tone. I could only muster that as an answer.

The dress was pale green with a slight bluish tinge. It was finely embroidered with a small flower motif. The dress used to belong to Phil’s mother for the shape was a little different from the dresses that were currently trending.

However, it looked very beautiful to me, probably because of the old-fashioned design. It enchanted my heart precisely because it resembled the dresses worn by princesses in picture books.

“These are the accessories that are to be worn along with the dress.”

I was also shown a necklace and a pair of earrings.

Is it because we’re going to dance?

Both accessories seemed lighter than the ones I had been borrowed before. The jewels were also smaller.

Regardless, they looked expensive.

“…I’ll entrust everything to Tiana.”

“Understood.”

Tiana, who understood my personality, smiled.

Then, she suddenly turned to Alves.

“Would the Viscount of Ragulen like me to prepare something for him?”

“No, it wouldn’t make sense for me to dress up. I’ll attend as I am. I’ll be appealing to various faces, so it’d be preferable if the difference isn’t too big.”

“I see, then I’ll take care of it.”

Tiana said that and took my brother’s bag.

Alves and I returned to the room we first passed through, the one where we had a cup of tea.

I drank tea with a different scent than before and exhaled.

The inside of the mansion was a little old-fashioned. The same went for its appearance.

Much of the interior seems to have been fashionable back in the day. Some where shaped similar to those laughed at as outdated by the family of Count Orfels.

“Nothing has changed.”

My brother was also staring at the interior.

Feeling my gaze, he then pointed to the curtain.

“Almost ten years ago, I stayed here for the first time. The curtain is still the same as that day. I confirmed it earlier, traces of our mischief remains on the back side. Back then, his mother only laughed and forgave us.”

…Brother, what on earth did you do in someone else’s mansion?

Despite my disappointment, Alves had a nostalgic expression. However, his expression suddenly became gloomy.

“It’s been six years since she died… no, seven. However, the mansion hasn’t changed at all. Phil refuses to change anything. Even though sometimes, remembering is painful.”

“Phil… hasn’t changed anything since then?”

When I dared myself to ask, Alves contemplated for a moment and then slowly opened his mouth.

“Did you hear something from those knights?”

“…I just heard that Phil’s mother was poisoned, and then his father collapsed.”

“…His father died three years ago. A lot has happened.”

There must had been many more difficult things that I didn’t know about.

When I thought about it now, Phil indeed would come to our house with gloomy eyes.

“What a shame. At this rate, even if he gets married, he won’t live in this place. I wonder if this house will be left unattended until he retires due to old age.”

Did he perhaps have other mansions?

…Phil, you are an amazing aristocrat…

“If I were rich, I’d rent this place. It’s convenient for getting in and out of the royal palace, and it’s also a place to trade with merchants. It’s really a nice house.”

‘I wish I had more money.’—tweeted my brother in morose.

…After all, round trips between the royal capital and our house were difficult.

It’d be nice if I could rent that house with my dowry, but it shouldn’t be possible…

For a while, the two of us were in deep thought.

Tiana, who came back to tell us that dinner was ready, heavily furrowed her eyebrows.

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***T/N: Alves, what if you just marry your sister to Phil–just sayin’.

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