~Chapter 32~
The next morning, Aveline woke up feeling completely refreshed.
“Wow.”
She was amazed she had actually succeeded.
Not only did Theron not appear in her dream, but she slept deeply with no dreams at all.
“So this is what a good night’s sleep feels like.”
Because of being mixed up with Theron, she had forgotten this refreshing feeling for a long time.
It almost felt unfair.
She hurried to get ready and went downstairs to the dining room. Her father and Ares were already there.
But for some reason, their faces didn’t look happy.
They looked like people who were staring at something unpleasant.
“Why is this here?”
Ares pointed at a vase of flowers on the table with a dissatisfied look when Aveline sat down.
The flowers looked familiar.
‘Those are the flowers Duke Ribes sent yesterday.’
Seeing Theron’s presence again made Aveline sweat nervously as she looked around.
Whoosh.
‘Here, too.’
Whoosh.
‘And there, too.’
Wherever she turned, the house was decorated with flowers Theron sent.
Yesterday, she had told Yoni to get rid of them, but it seemed like Yoni had just filled the vases in the mansion with them instead.
“Ahem.”
Count Herolds also seemed bothered by the flowers decorating the mansion.
Aveline, distracted by the flowers, finally looked at her father.
“Father, are you feeling any bet—…”
She trailed off, remembering what she’d done yesterday.
Now that the swelling had gone down, she could see a small dent where she hit his forehead with a stone.
She really had given her father a dented forehead.
At least it was only the skin, but Aveline still felt guilty.
Just then, the butler came up.
“Sir, you have a letter.”
Count Herolds took the letter and opened it to read right away.
“There’s going to be a party at Marquis Nor’s mansion this evening.”
“Tonight? Isn’t that too sudden?”
Ares was surprised, poking the flowers in the vase with his fork.
Normally, invitations were sent out days in advance.
“I knew about the party but forgot with everything going on. I guess the marquis figured that out and sent another letter as a reminder.”
So the letter wasn’t a last-minute invitation, but more of a friendly reminder.
‘He’s considerate.’
Usually, someone like Marquis Nor would just send the invitation and leave the rest to the guests.
Remembering to remind them wasn’t really necessary, so Aveline got curious about him.
‘He also helped me last time.’
He seemed too kind to be just an ordinary person.
“The party tonight might be smaller than the imperial one, but it’ll still be a big event. Lots of people will come, from all different groups. And probably…”
Count Herolds’s vision seemed to blur for a second.
“Probably, His Highness the Crown Prince will come, too.”
He said this quietly and looked solemn.
He was clearly still bothered by the Crown Prince asking about Aveline yesterday.
“And Duke Ribes will probably come as well,”
Ares added.
“Maybe I should say I’m sick and stay home?”
Aveline blurted out, feeling overwhelmed by all the important people who would be there.
But the reply was not what she hoped for.
“You just returned to society—this is your chance to establish yourself.”
Her father’s casual answer made her heart sink, and she felt like she’d made a mistake.
Before, this kind of reaction would have made her want to hide, but now it was different.
She remembered what Melina Srun told her.
‘Father doesn’t hate me.’
If he really hated her, he wouldn’t have done so much for her.
Thinking about this gave Aveline a sense of strength, like having a pillar to hold on to.
Even if it was a weak pillar, it was something she wanted to cling to—she always wanted her father’s recognition and love.
“I’ll keep the Crown Prince with me at the party, so don’t go near him. I know it would be hard for you to deal with him yourself.”
Hearing her father care for her, Aveline’s heart felt light again.
“Okay!”
She tried to hide her smile as she turned to her plate.
“…?”
While she wasn’t looking, most of the salmon on her plate had disappeared.
“Mmm, this is good.”
Ares was eating the salmon.
“Excuse me, I’ll go now.”
Maybe that was the last bite—Ares stood up quickly.
Aveline got up, too, following the salmon thief.
“I’ll go get ready for the party as well.”
Before leaving, she turned back.
“And… make sure to use the ointment.”
She still felt guilty about her father’s dented forehead.
After saying what she needed, Aveline left to find Ares.
“Where did he go!”
But he had already disappeared.
She didn’t see Ares again until they were in the carriage.
“Salmon thief.”
Ares looked startled to see Aveline already inside.
But he quickly recovered and answered confidently.
“I thought you weren’t hungry.”
“I was saving it!”
“Why save good food? You should eat it first.”
Ares shook his head like he couldn’t understand.
“People would think I starve you two, the way you fight over salmon,”
Count Herolds said as he got in.
Soon the carriage was rolling toward the party.
The party was at Marquis Nor’s mansion.
“Wow, there are a lot of people,”
Ares said, looking around.
There was a long line of carriages waiting to enter.
As the Emperor’s right-hand man, Marquis Nor’s party was a big deal.
Before they went inside, Count Herolds turned to Aveline.
“Ahem. That dress suits you well.”
“Thank you—”
“Of course, it’s one of Lyria’s.”
Lyria was Count Herolds’s pet name for his wife, Lyrina.
Aveline hadn’t had new dresses made yet, so she was wearing one that belonged to her mother before marriage.
Aveline had even asked to be styled just like her mother when she was young.
—“You look just like the madam did in the old days!”
Everyone around her gave positive feedback.
Half-tied hair with a ribbon, a pale blue dress, and a pearl necklace around her neck—all were her mother’s things.
Other than having different hair color from her mother, Aveline looked a lot like her.
“Thank you, Father.”
Aveline wasn’t hurt at all by his words.
Instead, it felt good, like she had gotten her father’s approval.
‘If Father thinks I look like Mother, others will think so even more.’
Now that she was fully prepared, only the real event was left.
‘I have to catch everyone’s attention from the moment I enter.’
Based on all the novels she’d read, society was about appearances.
One look could be more powerful than a hundred words.
“Can I enter with you today, Father?”
Last time, she went in with Ares—this time, it was her father’s turn.
‘I need to show that I’m not an outsider in my own family.’
Society didn’t welcome outsiders.
When you thought of outsiders, someone like Theron Ribes came to mind.
But Theron had the status and power to do whatever he wanted—Aveline didn’t.
“I don’t mind,”
Count Herolds said, a little surprised but agreeing right away.
“I want to make my place in society quickly, like you said.”
Aveline didn’t try to be humble—she wanted her effort to be recognized.
“Looks like you’ve matured,”
Count Herolds nodded, satisfied.
As they walked in together, Aveline could feel all eyes turning to her.
“Wow, I thought it was Lady Lyrina for a second.”
“It’s surprising to see Count Herolds enter with his daughter. I thought she was out of favor.”
“Didn’t you see her at the last party? With that dazzling appearance, it’s obvious he cares for her, even if he doesn’t say it.”
Just as Aveline wanted, people whispered about how much her father cared for her.
‘Keep talking, keep spreading it!’
Hearing those rumors, Aveline couldn’t help but feel happy, even though this was her plan.
“Oh, Count Herolds!”
At that moment, Marquis Nor approached them with a friendly smile.
