Chapter 3

In the blink of an eye, the day of the Princess’s engagement party arrived.

“Are you listening, Agnes? You must make the son of the Viscounty Bree take a liking to you at all costs!”

“The other party has already been briefed on this, right?”

“Y-yes, of course… the talks have been held.”

My mother’s words lacked conviction. This meant they had likely sent a proposal but hadn’t actually received a formal response yet.

It was the usual reckless demand.

To order someone like me to capture a man’s heart without any support whatsoever—the lack of strategy was almost laughable. Though, my stomach was actually starting to ache.

The House of Eventail was already shunned by other nobles for being stiff and outdated as it was.

Once we successfully arrived at the palace, my mother dropped a bombshell.

“I will join your father when he arrives later to make our rounds and give greetings, but you are to go and speak properly with the gentlemen, do you hear?”

At this bolt from the blue, I instinctively clung to her.

“What?! Mother! Please don’t leave me alone. This is a palace party! It’s not unheard of for a lady to move solo, but usually, one has an escort…”

“A daughter of the House of Eventail… seventeen years old and still relying on her parents! Get to the Great Hall at once!!”

“Noooo…”

God, the pressure was heavy, the dress was heavy, and I just wanted to go home.

But my family would never allow such a thing.

“If I run away, Father and Mother will never let me hear the end of it.”

My mother’s nagging was one thing, but I desperately wanted to avoid my father’s high-powered slaps.

The last time he sent me flying, the swelling didn’t go down for ages. For a man who insists his daughter “catch a groom,” swelling her face is a complete contradiction in terms.

Dragging my hazel dress—which radiated a distinct “antique” aura—I made my way toward the Great Hall with leaden steps.

The hall was decorated with light-blue fabric to match the color of the Princess’s eyes, and the white tables were lined with bite-sized dishes designed to appeal to ladies.

A vast number of nobles had already gathered, and people of all sorts were socializing everywhere I looked.

“Sigh… I feel so helpless.”

Feeling dejected, I headed for a corner of the room. Finding the Bree son in this massive crowd was going to be impossible. Since it was a celebration for the Princess’s engagement, there were just too many people.

Wanting to avoid any negative attention, I decided to retreat to the shadows as quickly as possible, but—

“Kyaah!”

My dress got snagged on a table decoration along the way.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake…!”

My already gloomy mood grew even heavier. I never wanted to come to a place like this to begin with.

Irritated, I tried to untangle the dress myself when…

“Are you alright?”

A beautiful voice called out from right beside me.

“Huh…?”

I turned around to find an impossibly stunning young man looking at me with concern.

He had well-groomed, crimson hair and amber eyes that were as clear as they were beautiful. With a straight bridge to his nose and lips as alluring as a woman’s, his features were so perfectly sculpted they were almost intimidating.

Judging by his impeccable attire and bearing, it was clear he was a high-ranking noble.

“Yes, I’m fine. My dress just got caught on something.”

As I hurriedly tried to tug at the hem, the young man stepped closer to the table.

“Wait a moment.”

He leaned down slightly and skillfully unhooked the fabric.

“There. All better. Your dress is unharmed, too.”

“O-oh, thank you very much…!”

There is absolutely no benefit for a man to speak to a “Potato Lady” like me. He could have easily pretended not to see me, yet he was so kind.

As I expressed my heartfelt gratitude, the beautiful youth gave me a gentle smile and walked away.

What a wonderful person.

Whoever gets to marry a man like that must be a lucky woman indeed. Since it was blindingly obvious he was far out of my reach, I made sure not to harbor any pointless hopes.

While I was privately soaking in that pleasant feeling, I overheard the voices of some nearby nobles.

“My, why on earth is he in a place like this?”

“He’s supposed to be the guest of honor today. And yet, to call out to someone like that Potato Lady…”

My ears didn’t miss a single word of their conversation.

The guests of honor at this gathering should be Her Royal Highness the Princess and her fiancé. If that were the case, then that kind noble youth was the Princess’s betrothed.

The Princess’s fiancé hadn’t been officially announced yet, but among certain circles, it was rumored that Nazelbert, the second son of a Ducal house, was the top candidate.

As I thought, I realized that the beautiful young man exuding such an extraordinary aura of elegance was indeed a “flower on a high peak.”

“By the way, have you heard the rumors about Her Royal Highness?”

“Ah, surprisingly, it seems the stories aren’t just mere gossip.”

“They say Princess Mia is infatuated with Lord Robin, the illegitimate son of a Baron. Lord Nazelbert, the son of the Duke and the prime fiancé candidate, must be worried sick.”

“Supposedly, the free-spirited Princess grew tired of Lord Nazelbert’s earnest nature, and things between them have turned ice-cold. There are even rumors that he has been bullying Lord Robin.”

“Oh dear, I wonder if that’s true? But then, it is a political marriage. Even if she’s playing around, it will likely end with today’s party.”

“True. I doubt she would abandon her duties as a member of the royalty and nobility.”

A short while later, accompanied by a grand musical performance, the rumored Princess appeared on the dais at the front. Enveloped in a soft, white dress, she looked as beautiful as a fairy. Her blonde hair was studded with matching white gemstones.

“Wow, she’s gorgeous.”

Standing beside Lord Nazelbert, they would surely look like a scene from a painting.

From here, the two leads should step out into the center for the grand announcement of their engagement. Interested, I decided to watch the announcement from a slight distance.

However, immediately after, something completely unexpected happened.

To everyone’s shock, the Princess took the hand of a man who was not Lord Nazelbert and stepped out into the center of the room. The party venue erupted into a total uproar.