* * *

Whether Antes thought or said so, Luna was overwhelmed by the new mansion.

It wasn’t just because of the contract and the move.

“We need to announce that the mansion has a new owner. I mean, a party. Such a beautiful mansion, everyone will surely be jealous.”

The one who suggested this was Rosemary. After they met again to sign the contract, she said this to Luna.

“A party…”

That’s something you do when you have people to invite.

Unfortunately, Luna had no friends. Well, she did, but she had just severed ties with them due to a lawsuit a few days ago.

If there were any, it would be just Rosemary. But throwing a party for just one person, Rosemary, seemed a bit silly.

Unable to hide her discomfort at the idea, Rosemary, who was adept at handling rumors, opened her mouth with a chuckle.

“Don’t worry. I’ll introduce you to my friends at the party.”

“Your friends?”

Invite strangers? Luna disliked that idea even more. Noticing Luna’s concern, Rosemary hurriedly replied:

“They’re all kind and considerate people. They can judge by reality, not by rumors. It’ll be a fun party. I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Looking as if they were siblings, Rosemary smiled prettier than the roses in the garden. Luna was smitten by that smile.

“If you would do that for me, I’d be grateful. But organizing a party might be quite bothersome for you, are you sure?”

“Bothersome? I’m only looking forward to introducing you to my friends!”

Rosemary said confidently, thinking her friends would definitely like Luna.

Right. Birds of a feather flock together. Rosemary’s friends would surely be as kind and pure-hearted as her.

Living in isolation like this was not sustainable. It was a good opportunity to shake off the old rumors and be reborn as a new person.

Luna should have been the one begging Rosemary to invite her friends to the party.

“Thank you. Let’s do that.”

“I’ll send the invitations. My, it’s been so long since I had a party. I’m so excited.”

And Luna began to feel excited as well. She didn’t know how to throw a formal party since she had only ever had small gatherings with family.

“I’ll need your help. I really don’t know how to throw a party.”

Rosemary’s heart swelled at this somewhat pitiful response, and she took Luna’s hand, reassuring her.

“We’ll make it the grandest party on the continent. Let the word spread everywhere.”

Although it felt a bit pressuring, Luna smiled softly, seeing the sincerity in Rosemary’s eyes. She really is a kind person, Luna thought.

As the warm atmosphere flowed, someone abruptly interrupted their conversation.

“Excuse me… if your conversation is over, may we proceed with the contract?”

It was the lawyer. He spoke awkwardly, as if he couldn’t hold back any longer. Luna checked the time and replied:

“Ah, we must have chatted for too long.”

Yes, it’s been three hours. It was a bit much to endure that as a mere escort.

“It’s fine. You can continue talking.”

The Viscount Clea said, smiling gently, to which the lawyer was taken aback.

This kid! When someone finally speaks up! There’s more to life than just looking out for yourself! You should take sides when needed!

However, the Viscount had already handed over the contract.

Rosemary, with a stern look, as if their mood was ruined because of him, replied:

“…Right. We should finalize the contract first. That’s what we came here for. Meeting young lady Luna must have excited me too much. I was careless.”

She wasn’t like this when she was younger. Ageing, she seemed more and more like Antes.

The exasperated lawyer sent a pleading look to Luna, as if asking for help. Fortunately, Luna understood his intentions.

“We should finalize the contract first as the lawyer said. In fact, after finishing the contract, I thought it would be nice to walk around the mansion with Lady Rosemary and hear the remaining explanations. If you’re not too busy.”

“I’m! Busy!? I cleared my entire day thinking I’d be with you until dinner!”

That wasn’t Luna’s intention.

But not wanting to decline as Rosemary seemed too excited, Luna decided to give up on the idea of leaving early.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

She’d just have to pretend it was getting late and leave at an appropriate time.

…Or so she thought, but if things always went as planned, there’d be no such thing as disappointment.

* * *

“I really didn’t expect you to guide me around the mansion until this late.”

A nearly fainting Luna lay back in her carriage seat as they returned to the mansion. Across from her, the lawyer also looked exhausted.

“Exactly. I thought you’d be busy with the successor’s lessons, but I never dreamt you’d be with Lady Luna until past nine.”

They met in the morning and spent a whopping ten hours together. They should’ve just continued their conversation.

To Luna’s surprise, she widened her eyes and asked:

“A lesson for the successor? Lady Rosemary?”

“Ah, yes. That has been the case ever since young master Antes turned his back to the family name.”

Royer explained in detail that it was not something to brag about, but it wasn’t really a secret either. It was all because of the problematic eldest son.

“From a young age, he was exceptional and had no shortcomings as the family head. It’s better to have a direct descendant than to adopt from outside. There are also rare cases where a woman becomes the family head, you know.”

The surprise wasn’t because of the gender. Anyway, it was said that Rosemary was the rightful heir.

In the original work, Antes as the heir tormented Fersen and did terrible things…

But he’s not the heir now? Could he reclaim the heir’s position later?

“If young lord Antes comes back to the capital now, will the heir change?”

“Well, Lady Rosemary is already performing her role adequately, so probably not. Antes never seemed interested in that either.”

Then what is it…? Why did the original work proceed like that? No, Fersen definitely mentioned this to comfort Seira.

Then Luna suddenly stopped, struck by a thought.

“Lady Luna?”

Royer’s questioning voice sounded, but she couldn’t reply. An unbelievable conclusion had been reached.

‘Why am I still believing their conversations and thoughts? Was it all a delusion? Like about me too?’

It was a novel where Fersen and Seira were the protagonists, so it was highly possible.

Even more so, the story was from Seira’s perspective. The probability was 99%.

‘Did I misunderstand the past events? Was he actually naive and kind, but misunderstood because of Fersen and Seira?’

Luna then asked Royear:

“Did the young lord ever lose his temper and hit people without reason when he was young?”

“No. He did that without reason.”

“Ah, I see.”

Her question seemed meaningless in light of Royer’s firm answer.

“Little Antes was like a mad dog. He was not normal.”

“…”

“There was a reason why the Marquis allowed a 12-year-old boy to go back to his hometown alone.”

“…I see.”

Royer continued talking despite Luna’s silence.

“It must have been hard for you.”

“Yes. That’s why I couldn’t understand why you are in a relationship with such a wretch, or rather, Antes. I thought maybe he had some sort of leverage over you.”

She didn’t understand it either; it just happened to be that way. As previously said, the world didn’t go as one would think. Otherwise, there would be no misunderstandings. Luna swallowed her tears.

“But in the short time, I realized that young master Antes is good to both you and the Baron. It’s not leverage, but true love.”

No! Luna closed her eyes tightly. She couldn’t deny what wasn’t true, and it was infuriating.

She ended the conversation quickly before any more nonsense could be spoken.

“…Thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.”

Luna resolved never to ask Royer anything again.

* * *

After finishing the contract, the move was really quick. There wasn’t even time to look at the contract and be happy about it.

“My goodness! Miss, is this really the mansion you bought?”

Emma, who got off the carriage, looked around the mansion with wide eyes and asked. Unlike Laura, who had been here before, it was Emma’s first visit to the mansion.

“Nice, isn’t it? This is now our mansion.”

Luna, who followed her out of the carriage, agreed, and as if to back her up, the servants rushed out and bowed to greet their new owner.

Then a middle-aged man came up, bowing deeply near Luna, and introduced himself.

“I apologize for the late greeting. My name is Carlton, the butler of the Rose Mansion. From now on, myself and the rest of the mansion’s servants will serve you, the honorable young lady Luna Peils, with the utmost sincerity.”

The man, with neatly combed black hair and a wrinkle-free suit, looked very meticulous. He was the spitting image of a capable butler you’d read about in books.

“Nice to meet you. From today, my name is Luna Peils. This is Laura, this is Emma, and this is the lawyer, Royer.”

Upon Luna’s introduction, Laura and Emma hurriedly bowed. Unlike the well-trained mansion servants, their gestures were a bit clumsy.

There was a brief awkward silence, but Luna brushed it off lightly and explained their roles.

“Laura will be my personal maid, and Emma will be the head chef. There might already be a chef, but I really like Emma’s cooking. So, I’d like all meals to be prepared by Emma.”

“Understood.”

Luna had worried that this might be a sensitive issue, but it seemed to have been accepted without problems. Relieved, Luna grabbed Laura and Emma’s hands.

“I’ll be introducing others gradually. Even if they all introduce themselves now, I won’t remember them. So, let me show Laura and Emma to their rooms.”

“Oh, if it’s about the servants’ rooms, we’ve prepared some. I had a few spaces set aside, knowing you would bring them. I’ll show you later.”

The butler said he would take care of it, but Luna had no intention of letting the two, who were like family to her, stay in servants’ rooms.

“It’s okay. I’ve already chosen rooms for them while exploring the mansion. They’ll use those rooms.”

“Understood. I need to know which rooms, so I’ll come with you.”

“Please do so.”

With Luna’s permission, the butler followed them.

As soon as Luna disappeared, the serious-faced servants exchanged glances silently.

Royer, watching from a distance, frowned. He had a bad feeling.