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Chapter 50

Rahan's mood had been low since morning, having been beaten to the punch by Rebecca.

'I haven't even been able to say a single word to her today. I wanted to at least offer some encouragement.'

He didn't know if she'd realize it, but this was also Lexi's first social debut in its own way.

The place where Lexi was gathered was also full of barons and nobles from branch families.

However, given her status, it was inevitably a disadvantageous position for Lexi.

And while everyone was here with Rahan, only Haulo was with her there, which made him worry more.

"Duke of Rohambriga, it's been a long time."

"Good to see you."

He smoothly handled the nobles who clung to him with meaningless greetings.

From empty-suited business proposers to young ladies who, despite having partners, openly made advances.

The ladies who whispered about his escort with Adren, then, upon seeing his ring, requested introductions to Vinet.

Nobles trying to ride the wave of this opportunity, and those trying to gauge the intentions of Count Nordic and Rahan.

Among them was Cardela, the instigator who had been chirping useless rumors, but none of them got past Rahan's wall to reach Vinet.

The process was tiring, but Rahan fulfilled his role.

'She seemed nervous… but I'm glad she looks happy.'

Through the curtains fluttering in the breeze, he could see two women chatting.

Vinet had already done her part just by being here.

Now, blocking any unwelcome attention toward her was his job.

Lexi's request—"Please take good care of our Lady Vinet"—also gave him strength despite his fatigue.

However, that didn't last long before it was disrupted.

"Your sister is nowhere to be seen."

"I believe she's resting for a moment."

"Do you know where she is?"

"She didn't inform me of her whereabouts, so I apologize."

Damian, who had arrived earlier than usual, was looking for Vinet.

If she hadn't disclosed her whereabouts despite it being her debut and having her partner and brother present, it meant she didn't want to be found—it was her private time.

The problem was that Damian, who usually showed no interest in his surroundings, was unusually fixated on Vinet.

"If you find her, send her to me."

"She's still an inexperienced child—I'm worried she might inadvertently offend Your Highness."

"She didn't seem that clumsy when I saw her. Don't worry—I won't blame her."

Around this time, Rahan realized that the person Damian was looking for wasn't Vinet, but Lexi.

'It's fortunate… but the situation isn't good.'

Of all people, she'd caught Damian's attention.

Damian, with his rotten personality, was quick to punish or dismiss servants for even the slightest mistake.

Who knew what he'd do to Lexi?

"His Highness Heald will be arriving soon. By then, Vinet should be back."

Damian didn't want to cross paths with Heald.

He always kept his distance even in the same space, so he'd never approach if Heald was around.

"…Tch. Fine. Let me ask one thing. Is your sister always like that? It was strange."

Even Damian couldn't be completely rude to Duke Rahan without overstepping.

He explained the woman who saw ghosts indirectly.

"Her uniqueness is part of her charm."

'Strange'—Rahan bristled at the word that belittled her charm.

Damian's distorted disgust was clear, as if he'd seen something truly peculiar, but Rahan didn't care.

"…I'll be going."

"Come to think of it, Captain Lambert was looking for Your Highness."

"He was…?"

"Yes, though he wasn't in attendance today…."

With a composed lie, Rahan held Damian back.

The meaningless conversation ended with the appearance of a servant.

"Duke of Rohambriga, Sir Haulo is looking for you."

Damian, who had been trapped in the conversational ant pit, left with a look of disgust. Rahan spoke to Adren, who stood steadfastly like a guardian knight.

"Vinet, please."

"Yes, go ahead."

Leaving the reliable Adren behind, Rahan met Haulo and heard about the rudeness of Seitron and Engcloman.

Lexi had handled it well, and he also heard Haulo's rare personal opinion that she'd be fine on her own.

He thought that was the end of it.

"Marr Elr! I have a favor to ask!"

"Huh? A favor? What happened?"

After polite greetings, Vinet suddenly clasped Marr Elr's hands and whispered quietly.

Rebecca, standing behind her, also looked grim.

The conversation, close enough to be clearly heard, ended with Lexi's name.

"…So, I think we need to hide Lexi before His Highness finds her, but I can't leave my position."

Just then, an unwelcome figure interjected.

"Don't worry. I came to see Lady Lexi, so I'll tell her if I meet her."

"…What? Sir Rikael?"

Why was Rikael looking for Lexi? Even while conversing with Heald, Rahan's attention was fixed on that conversation.

"Yes, Lady Lexi called me."

"Lexi… called you? Why…?"

Rikael wasn't the type to come just because someone called him—what had she done now? Vinet's eyes trembled uncontrollably.

Rahan, too, focused on the fact that she had called Rikael.

Had Lexi ever called Rahan?

'No.'

It was always Rahan who approached first or made an excuse to call her.

His already low mood hit rock bottom.

"That's a secret. She told me not to tell anyone. It's a promise between Lady Lexi and me. I'm sorry I can't answer your curiosity."

Rikael, being a poor liar, honestly stated the truth as it was, but Rahan, receiving it, distorted it and entertained various assumptions.

At the unfolding situation on both sides, Heald smirked playfully and leaned toward Marr Elr.

"The conversation carries all the way here. You might want to be a little more careful."

"Ah…! I'm sorry, Heald."

"I'm… sorry."

As Marr Elr and Vinet, who had forgotten Lady Boreita's lessons, blushed, Heald waved his hands to soothe them.

"Between us, it's fine. Don't worry too much. More importantly… it seems you need help."

Rikael had already offered to help, but Heald muttered, excluding him.

"Wouldn't it be natural for the mistress to go to her own lady-in-waiting?"

Heald nudged the stiff Rahan.

A drop of wine from his glass fell onto the hem of Rahan's white shirt, asserting its presence.

"Oh, sorry."

Heald's blatant intentions were clear in his apology.

Heald would surely milk this incident for all it was worth, which was already tiring to think about, but he had no intention of rejecting the opportunity he'd been given.

"Alright, Your Highness. May I be excused for a moment?"

"Yes, go clean that up. I really do apologize."

He pretended not to notice the laughter hidden in those words.

"Priest Rikael, where were you supposed to meet Lexi?"

"You just need to follow me, but… weren't you going to clean your clothes?"

At the innocent priest's question, Rahan was momentarily speechless, but Marr Elr, as if used to this, stepped in and gently pushed Rikael's back.

"Just go."

"Ah, yes."

Heald, experiencing the most amusingly maddening situation of his life, laughed silently to himself.

---

"I stopped by because I was worried about you."

As I was agonizing over how to start, Rahan fortunately revealed his reason for coming first.

"…Me?"

"Yes, I heard from Haulo about the unpleasant incident."

"Well… there was a little something, but it wasn't a big deal."

Thanks to Haulo stepping in, at least none of the nobles there would look down on me or cause trouble.

"That's a relief. More importantly… who is he?"

He showed interest in Jarten, who was bowing his head.

"Someone I just got to know here."

Rahan acknowledged Jarten's greeting.

"You seem to make friends easily with anyone."

His somewhat sharp tone bothered me, but not knowing why, I answered honestly.

"That's my specialty."

"Then why am I…."

"What?"

"No, nothing."

He frowned, muttered something to himself, ran a hand over his face, and let out a deep sigh.

"More importantly, Lexi, did you say anything to Prince Damian?"

"Excuse me? No? Ah."

"Looks like you did."

"It wasn't so much that I said something… A large bird had landed on the window. I was startled and stared at it, and His Highness suddenly turned pale and grabbed me. After that, as you know, you came and helped me escape. But why are you suddenly asking about that?"

Rikael cautiously added.

"Lady Lexi, Lady Vinet asked me to tell you to be careful of His Highness. It seems he's been looking for you since earlier."

"…Me?"

I only meant to brush it off lightly, but it seems I've been properly recognized.

"Yes. It seems His Highness has misunderstood something."

Fortunately, Rahan, who knew Damian's past, nodded in understanding.

"Will I… be okay?"

"Don't worry too much. Just clear up the misunderstanding."

"Exactly! Don't worry too much. A faithful person like His Highness Damian wouldn't cause a big problem!"

The problem with Rikael was that he believed anything as long as it involved Sehem.

Could someone who trusts so blindly really become the next High Priest?

'Can a mask really solve that problem?'

I brushed aside the passing thought.

'Marr Elr is the saintess, so she'll handle it.'

"Then that's a relief."

I rolled my eyes.

How could I get Rahan to leave? Glancing over, Jarten also seemed uncomfortable with Rahan's presence but couldn't bring himself to leave first.

'He's someone who can read the room perfectly, so why is he acting like this?'

Left with no choice, I had to ask for permission myself.

"Sir Rahan, I have something to tell you…."

I deliberately called him over, creating distance from Rikael and Jarten.

"Speak."

"I… need to step away for a moment…."

"More importantly, Lexi. Do you know this?"

Rahan asked me with a fresh smile.

"…What?"

"Large birds can't exist in the imperial palace. The palace is well-guarded to prevent large animals from entering and potentially harming members of the imperial family. There's a magic circle, so any hypotheticals are meaningless."

His pinpointing of my lie made my mind go blank for a moment.

"Is… that so?"

"Yes, though it's not something a layperson would know without being in charge of security."

Meaning Rahan knew because he was Rahan.

My opponent was just too good.

"You should make your lies more convincing. If you don't know, it's better to be vague. Or you could just honestly say 'I can't tell you.'"

His words, spoken calmly, surprisingly held no disappointment.

'Rather, worry? Advice? Or is it disappointment?'

Rahan drove the final nail into my guess.

"If you need help, you can ask me, just like you did with Rikael. You listen well to what I say and use it well. I hope you remember this too."

Having said his piece, Rahan stepped back with a relieved expression.

"Then I'll take my leave. I hope you have a good time."

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