Chapter 28
“Ughhh…”
I’m doomed.
It felt like my soul had half-burned away and was about to leave my body.
“What are you so worried about?”
“How can I not worry? It’s Nanael we’re talking about! She probably hated me already, and now I’ve practically poured oil on the fire—”
While I babbled in a panic, Alperen tilted his head slightly to meet my gaze.
In his clear blue eyes, there wasn’t the slightest hint of concern.
“Deli. Why worry when you have me?”
“…Huh?”
“I won’t let the princess so much as touch a single hair on your head.”
It sounded like something a fiancé would say: I won’t even let water wet your hands.
The gentle smile he gave me melted away my fear.
“…Really?”
When I stared blankly at him, he nodded and held out the ring once more.
“Mm. All you need to do is wear this. I’ll handle everything else.”
And so… I ended up accepting it.
Now, I glared at the blue velvet case sitting on the table in front of me.
Alperen had pressed it into my hands with those weighty words:
“If you wear it on the day of the rowing tournament, I’ll take that as your answer. But if you refuse…”
He hadn’t finished the sentence, but I knew what it meant.
The annulment he’d won after eight years could crumble in less than a month.
The rowing tournament was this weekend.
Which meant I had to make a decision before then. My head felt like it might split open.
“You really do whatever you want, don’t you?”
I propped my chin in my hand, fiddling with the ring.
Even at a glance, anyone could see it was expensive.
I held it up toward the ceiling, letting the light catch on it. The shimmering hues almost tempted me to slip it on.
“Come on—it was you who broke the original story first. And it’s so pretty! Are you really not going to wear it?”
“…It is pretty.”
The style was exactly to my taste, so much so that it already felt like it belonged to me.
But just because something was pretty didn’t mean I could keep it without consequences.
Besides, Summer will be here soon.
Even if Nanael wasn’t an issue, I didn’t want Summer misunderstanding.
But if I refuse this fake relationship, won’t the annulment just get reversed anyway?
Annulment or fake romance—which was worse?
I mulled it over for a long while.
Ugh, forget it. Future me can deal with this.
For now, I slipped the ring onto a chain and wore it like a necklace, tucked close to my chest.
I’d decide what to do when the moment came.
Just then, May came in carrying luggage, blinking curiously.
“Oh my, what’s that, my lady?”
“It’s nothing.”
I quickly shoved the ring case into a drawer and acted nonchalant, ignoring her suspicious gaze.
“Did you finish packing?”
“Of course! This time, I didn’t forget a single thing—May is perfectly prepared!”
My personal maid, who somehow managed to forget something every single time, puffed up proudly.
Remembering the mess she caused at the last gathering, I gave her a sharp warning.
“If you cause trouble again, I’m taking Rey instead of you. You remember how I nearly got in trouble with the princess because of you, right?”
“Hmm? From what May saw, it looked like the princess was the one who got flustered by our lady.”
“Anyway! This time, you have to behave. The people we’re meeting are important.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll be as quiet as a ghost!”
May answered half-heartedly and ushered me into the carriage.
Mazia Club had been founded just last year. It was a small society for magical flora and fauna enthusiasts—a hideout for eccentric scholars obsessed with strange creatures and plants.
Unlike practical combat magic, this field was closer to pure magical studies, which meant… it made no money.
Most nobles who dabbled in magical plants did so only as a hobby, collecting a few rare specimens.
But Mazia was serious.
Last year, they had even emptied their coffers to buy a fairybloom—a legendary plant said to birth fairies—at auction.
Because of that, the club was now drowning in debt.
They could barely scrape together enough for next month’s rent on their clubhouse.
Then, out of nowhere, a bombshell application landed in their hands.
Glaster, the club’s secretary, adjusted his glasses nervously.
“Leader… isn’t this some kind of mistake? Or maybe—maybe it’s finally a sign that Mazia’s about to get its first big-name member?”
Despite his words of doubt, his flushed face betrayed his excitement.
But Sierra, the leader, only shook her head skeptically.
“Don’t you remember, Glaster? Every year around this time, half the applicants quit within a month.”
“T-true, but still… this is Ferris we’re talking about. I heard even Zenus tried to recruit her directly. And yet she submitted an application here, to us! Maybe we’ll finally get out of this ratty old place!”
Glaster actually shivered with hope.
After months in this shabby hideout, he looked like a shadow of his former self.
The place was filthy, soundproofing was nonexistent, and even sunlight barely reached in. Their precious fairybloom looked like it might wither any day now.
Sierra gave him a weak smile. She couldn’t bear to crush his hopes.
And really, he wasn’t wrong.
For Lady Ferris, daughter of a duke, to skip Barnard’s top-tier club Zenus and join a tiny society hidden away in a back alley—that was extraordinary.
Maybe that’s exactly why it’s so hard to believe.
Sierra glanced around at the crumbling clubhouse.
They paid a heavy rent just to keep this dump.
What began as a passionate academic pursuit had become a battle for survival.
In that context, the arrival of someone like Lady Ferris could be salvation—or disaster.
“…Maybe she’s genuinely interested in magical studies?” Glaster suggested hopefully.
“Glaster, her family is famous for swordsmanship.”
“Well, swordsmanship and magic go well together, don’t they? Maybe she just wants to support her brother!”
“…Don’t get your hopes too high. Honestly, the moment she sees this place, she might run for the hills.”
Knock, knock.
A polite knock sounded at the door just then, followed by a small voice.
Arriving at Mazia’s clubhouse, May whispered nervously,
“My lady, I think we’ve got the wrong address.”
“It’s the right one.”
I replied flatly and stepped inside.
May trailed after me, her eyes darting around warily.
She wasn’t wrong—the building hardly looked like a place where noble ladies held gatherings.
Dimly lit and grim, it looked more like the kind of spot where crimes happened unnoticed.
Guess the rumors about their financial troubles were true. Still, it’s not quite as creepy as I imagined from the novel…
Most clubs had their houses in the city center.
The old shopping district was noisy and dangerous at night, so it was rare to find clubs there.
Yet Mazia’s hideout was buried deep within it.
For May, who was used to grand noble estates, this was a nightmare.
“Let’s see… they said the fifth floor, right?”
“Well, at least being on the top floor means it might be nicer up there—”
Her voice trailed off.
May’s expression darkened as she scanned the surroundings.
At last, she seemed to realize the truth.
She dropped the bags she was carrying with a thud and muttered weakly,
“D-don’t tell me… we actually have to climb up there?”
“Of course. I told you to wear comfortable shoes.”
Already knowing there was no elevator, I smugly showed off my loafers.
May, who had chosen tall heels today, forced a weak smile.
“…Shall we just go home?”
The moment she turned to leave, I grabbed her.
“And where do you think you’re going? You’re not planning to make me carry all this luggage alone, are you? My loyal, beloved May?”
