Chapter 48
The goal of the party—to select a Grand Duchess—was, in truth, effectively withdrawn. From the first day, the Grand Duke did not attend, and due to a disgraceful incident involving a noble on that same day, Teia showed a skeptical attitude toward engagement.
The attempted drugging incident was cleverly inflated and spread as “an excessive conflict among nobles vying for the position of Grand Duchess.” Teia was upset, wondering whether, no matter how important the position was, it was really necessary to incite such distrust and competition among the nobility.
Having barely overcome the grief of separation, Teia was deeply shocked by yet another scandalous event.
A medical expert warned that if they pushed him any further, he might develop a complete aversion to the idea of marriage itself. As a result, the courtship party was instantly transformed into a place of transactions and social exchange.
The Duchy had little interaction with other kingdoms besides the Empire, and even within the Empire, it only traded with a few specific territories. Because the Duchy was operated in such a closed manner, its specialty products carried a high premium.
In particular, luxury items like the gems produced from a unique mine found only in the Duchy, and the works crafted by the top guild of artisans, were highly coveted by nobles across all nations.
The nobles attending the party seized this opportunity to try opening new trade routes of their own, and a subtle battle of wits began.
To apologize for canceling the courtship party, the Grand Duke granted special permission for the Duchy’s famous merchant groups and artisans to access the party venue during the event.
Now, the party has become a competitive battleground for attracting new business partners and vendors.
Just as the party reached its peak, a new face arrived at the castle. Unlike other guests, this one was in a category of their own: a celebrity.
A writer had come. Among those with any interest in literature, this person was so renowned that their name had been heard at least once by all. This great literary figure held more honor than an average minor noble of a regular kingdom.
Compared to their fame, almost nothing was known about their nationality or family background, which only added to their air of mystery.
“Who did you say arrived?”
“They go by the name Hecate. Famous as both a writer and a bard.”
“It’s strange seeing a name I recently read come to life like this.”
“What should we do?”
“If there were no issues during inspection, let them in. A name of that caliber gives us no reason to refuse.”
Still, could this really be a coincidence? For some reason, the name Hecate rubbed him the wrong way. Rather than avoiding it unseen, it was better to confirm the reason directly.
The news that Hecate had arrived caused even more buzz around the party. From the host’s perspective, it was a beneficial development.
***
Lilith had ended her life as a rabbit and returned to her role as the exclusive caretaker of the pet rabbit. She passed off her injuries with a lie about falling down the stairs.
Since the servants didn’t know exactly where the pet rabbit had been hurt, they didn’t question her story and instead pitied her, warning her to be careful.
With both the rabbit and the rabbit’s caretaker injured, hardly anyone summoned them anymore. The rabbit’s private playroom had essentially become Lilith’s recovery room.
Only Teia would come by under the pretense of checking on the rabbit’s condition, only to end up indulging himself in the ailing rabbit.
Thanks to this, Cesar—who knew the secret of Lilith and Lily—somehow ended up acting as something like Lilith’s nanny. When Teia was busy, he would relay messages, and he also took on the role of monitoring and reporting whether Lilith was staying out of trouble and behaving properly.
As a result, Cesar was lately tormented with a headache, unsure of how to define the strange relationship between these two. Teia hadn’t even shown his face on the first day of the party because he was looking for Lilith, and soon after, he canceled the courtship entirely.
Judging from the atmosphere, it even seemed they were having regular s****l relations. At this point, it would be natural to assume they were “lovers.”
<You’re asking if I’m dating Lilith? No.>
But when he casually brought it up, Teia’s answer was a sharp “No.” It made a certain amount of sense. Cesar, who already knew Teia’s character well, thought it was perfectly believable that Teia was just enjoying himself.
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