Chapter 3~
Watching Dmitri raise the cocktail to his lips, Cecilia stamped her feet in panic.
Don’t drink it! I have to take the glass away! But how? What excuse can I use? Right—maybe I should just drink it myself!
Without hesitation, Cecilia reached out toward the tilting glass.
Whoosh—
But the cocktail vanished from her fingertips in an instant.
Her blue eyes widened in shock. Everyone’s gaze turned toward Theros.
“I was thirsty. I’ll excuse myself first.”
True to his complete lack of manners, he snatched the drink his older brother was about to have and downed it in one go.
Cecilia, startled, felt a chill spread from her fingertips through her entire body as she carefully watched Theros’s reaction.
“Ugh!”
After gulping it down, his expression darkened, as if the taste was off—he looked like he might retch. But with surprising restraint, he swallowed it anyway.
“What kind of taste is that? Tch!”
Throwing a glare at his brother, he gruffly voiced his displeasure and left his seat.
Applause filled the banquet hall.
The two stars of the engagement stood on the stage, greeting their guests.
The yellow dress Roséin wore complemented her red hair beautifully. The tiny pearls adorning the dress shimmered softly, giving off an air of elegance.
But more than the dress, what made her shine was Dmitri beside her, beaming brightly.
His gentle smile matched his soft brown hair—warm like spring sunlight.
Dmitri was popular not only with Cecilia but with many noble ladies. Well-versed in literature, he wrote beautiful poetry, and his verses were widely admired among high-born young women.
Even Cecilia’s reading club had once discussed his poetry collection.
“I come to you with the stillness of dawn, and remain until darkness falls.”
It was the line that had struck her most when she first read his work. Cecilia had read it aloud, then repeated it over and over in her heart, savoring it. Even as she lay in bed, the sentence lingered in her mind, as if she could feel the pure soul hidden within the words.
That had been the moment her feelings for Dmitri first began to bloom.
Now, it was nothing more than an embarrassing memory.
As the strings filled the hall with lively music, guests began to enjoy the banquet—some gathered at tables to eat, others took to the floor to dance.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, but Cecilia couldn’t focus on the festivities at all.
Theros had drunk the potion. They needed a solution.
She grabbed Asen and whispered urgently.
“Miss Asen, Theros definitely drank the potion, right? What do we do now?”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t expect this to happen. But he doesn’t seem to be reacting to it, does he?”
At her words, Cecilia turned to look at Theros.
He had changed into formal attire suitable for the banquet. The blood that had stained his cheek earlier was completely gone. Now that she looked at him, he seemed entirely different from before.
He appeared completely uninterested in the party, standing by a table and piling food high onto his plate.
The sheer amount surprised her—but also reassured her.
Right now, he seemed far more interested in food than in women.
The potion must not be working.
Asen Odik was notorious for her poor magical ability. A potion she made on her own, without her family’s help, was unlikely to be effective.
“Miss Asen, it seems like the potion hasn’t affected him at all.”
A small smile formed on Cecilia’s lips. It would be a disaster if Theros actually fell in love with her because of it.
At her words, Asen shrank her shoulders, looking dejected. The irrational excitement she’d shown earlier had faded, and her eyes were calm again.
“I failed again… No, actually, it’s a relief for your sake, Cecilia. I said it was for you, but honestly… I think I just wanted to test the potion. I’m really sorry.”
Cecilia was angry at herself too—for even entertaining such a foolish idea.
It was a blessing that Asen’s magic had failed.
“That was extremely dangerous. It’s not even approved by the Empire. Don’t ever do something like that again!”
After firmly scolding her, Cecilia decided to put the matter aside and enjoy the party. She wanted to shake off the exhaustion from Roséin and the potion.
She led Asen toward the food table.
Roast duck glazed with olive oil, braised cod in wine, pudding topped with rare fruits…
Everything looked delicious—she couldn’t decide what to try first.
Really, what is happiness if not eating good food like this and admiring it?
With a bright smile, Cecilia reached for the serving tongs.
“Ahem!”
A sudden cough right beside her startled her, and she quickly pulled her hand back.
Turning her head, she found Theros standing right next to her.
“What a wonderful banquet, Lord Theros.”
She offered a polite greeting, as one would to a member of the host family.
Theros said nothing—he simply looked down at her.
She wanted to ask what he wanted, but she couldn’t be rude. Turning her gaze back to the table, she searched for something to say.
“An engagement ceremony at Staini Castle… how romantic.”
She knew this kind of conversation probably didn’t interest him, but she said it anyway to break the awkward silence.
“I’m not just saying this because she’s my friend, but Roséin is beautiful, and Lord Dmitri is—”
“What did you say your name was?”
Cecilia’s eyes widened at the abrupt interruption—and the sudden informality.
Seeing her expression, Theros realized his mistake and hurriedly corrected himself.
“No, I mean—what is your name, miss…?”
He awkwardly searched for the proper phrasing, then scratched his head with a sigh, as if this kind of politeness didn’t suit him at all.
Startled by his rough gesture, Cecilia quickly answered.
“I’m Cecilia Serin.”
“Serin? I’ve heard that name before… Ah, the daughter of Count Serin.”
“Yes. My father is Count Otmin Serin.”
“The Count supplies military goods, doesn’t he? Products from your family are quite popular among our knights.”
“I’m glad to hear that. We have more blacksmiths than farmland in our territory.”
Theros continued the conversation, awkwardly trying to maintain a polite tone. Still, as expected of a noble, the topics flowed naturally enough.
Though the conversation was brief, Cecilia sensed something oddly similar to Dmitri in him.
In truth, the two brothers were complete opposites—both in appearance and personality.
Dmitri was sociable, often seen at gatherings and balls, with refined speech and writing skills. He even handled diplomatic affairs at the imperial palace.
Theros, on the other hand, acted on impulse rather than etiquette or formality. The only things he cared about were swordsmanship and knightly training.
Though eccentric for a noble, his competitive nature had earned him achievements in war, winning him border lands and the title of marquis from the Emperor.
Despite their differences, there was something similar about their eyes when they smiled.
Theros rarely smiled, but during their conversation, Cecilia caught fleeting glimpses of it.
In those brief moments, his expression overlapped with Dmitri’s, stirring an inexplicable sense of familiarity within her.
Just as her guard began to lower—
Theros suddenly spoke.
“A territory full of blacksmiths… sounds impressive.”
He hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully, then asked:
“May I visit sometime?”
Was he always this sociable?
It sounded almost like he wanted to meet her again.
Cecilia was briefly puzzled but assumed it was just polite small talk. She smiled calmly in return.
“Of course. Please visit sometime.”
Though who knew when that “sometime” would be.
“How about next week?”
His tone changed suddenly—low, almost like a whisper from a cave. It felt dangerous.
And again—informal.
He must be teasing me.
But when she looked at him—
She froze.
His expression was far too serious.
He even looked a little anxious.
Like a cow awaiting slaughter, he stared intently at her, waiting for her answer.
Oh no!
This had to be the potion’s effect.
Staggering backward, Cecilia grabbed Asen and hurriedly fled.
Behind her, Theros watched her retreating figure with an intense gaze.
Cecilia and Asen returned to the terrace.
“Miss Asen! You saw that just now, didn’t you? That was definitely—”
“Yes! Yes, I saw it clearly!”
Asen exclaimed, her voice a strange mix of worry and excitement.
Leaning against the railing, Cecilia slowly sank to the floor.
Because of her selfish desire to win over her friend’s fiancé, she had ended up harming an entirely different person.
This wasn’t the time to sit around.
Gripping the railing, she forced herself to stand on trembling legs. Then she grabbed Asen’s shoulders tightly.
“Is there an antidote? Please tell me there is!”
Only then did panic begin to show in Asen’s eyes. The initial excitement of success had faded, replaced by guilt and regret.
“Th-the antidote… doesn’t exist.”
At her answer, Cecilia collapsed back to the floor.
Asen sat down beside her, holding her arm comfortingly.
“B-but! When I made the potion, I set a duration of six months. If it really works, Lord Theros will return to normal after half a year!”
Six months.
The thought made Cecilia’s head throb.
Anger surged up, clenching her jaw.
“Y-you… this ridiculous nonsense!”
“I-I’m sorry, Cecilia…”
Asen began to tear up.
“What are you talking about?”
A low voice suddenly came from behind them.
Startled, both girls flinched.
Suppressing the rising dread, Cecilia slowly turned around.
Theros stood there, glaring down at the two of them with cold contempt.
