Upon hearing Antes’s name, Luna’s gaze automatically followed him.

After all, ever since they had arrived at the jewelry store, she had been busy dealing with other people and hadn’t paid attention to what he was doing

 He seemed the type to be fine on his own, but she should have taken care of him since she had been with him all morning. Even if they couldn’t stick together, she thought she should help make sure he could enjoy the opening ceremony without any awkwardness.

That’s why she had turned to look for him when she realized-

‘A woman…?’

Antes was talking to a woman. She couldn’t see her face because her back was turned, but their conversation seemed pleasant.

‘What’s this…? Why do I feel this way?’

Actually, it shouldn’t have mattered to her if he was talking to a woman. After all, there was a time when she had wished for him to quickly find someone good so they could break up.

Yet, she couldn’t take her eyes off them.

The good mood she was in just a moment ago had suddenly turned sour.

Why am I feeling like this just seeing two people converse?

‘Come on, hormones! Don’t do this to me! I’m not a kindergartener trying to steal a friend! Don’t make me this petty!’

With these thoughts in her head, Luna, against her better judgment, excused herself to the people around her.

“Excuse me, may I leave for a moment?”

“Ah! Of course. Please go ahead.”

“We’ll just look around for a bit.”

Naturally, the people who saw the same scene understood Luna’s feelings and urged her to go ahead.

Although it was a gathering with many people and it was normal to converse with various individuals, it was still somewhat bothersome to see two people of the opposite gender talking privately.

With everyone’s support, Luna quickly headed toward Antes.

She could’ve walked slowly as she wasn’t running away, but for some reason, she hastened her steps.

‘But what should I say when I get there? Should I just start with a casual greeting? Would it be weird to ask, ‘Who are you? What are you talking about?’

Although she had decided to approach, she was still unsure about what to say.

‘Ah, I don’t know. I should just thank him for coming and start with a greeting.’

Thinking this, Luna approached Antes and the woman. When she got close and saw the woman’s face, she was taken aback and couldn’t react for a moment.

“…! “

* * *

Following the servant’s advice, Deborah headed to the downtown area for shopping. Not necessarily because she wanted to buy anything, but because she wanted a moment away from the mansion.

“…Shopping?”

Upon hearing about her sudden outing, the butler frowned momentarily. He then recalled she had made such a request when she had negotiated with the Duke.

The butler, having prior engagements, couldn’t accompany her. Even though he was reluctant, thinking of the scream Deborah let out earlier, he couldn’t refuse.

“Make sure to return quickly and wear a hat to cover your face.”

Reluctantly, the butler instructed Deborah to cover her face as much as possible and even provided her with an escort.

With a servant and the escort, Deborah left the Duke’s mansion and on their way to the downtown, inside the carriage, Deborah cautiously spoke to the servant.

“Excuse me… may I ask your name?”

It was to know the name of the servant who was helping her. It felt awkward to keep calling him without knowing his name.

Perhaps it was an unexpected question, but after a brief moment, the servant slowly replied.

“Please call me Beth.”

“Ah, yes, Beth.”

“Just call me Beth.”

“Alright. Then, please call me Deborah comfortably.”

“Understood.”

Beth, it was a cuter name than expected. After exchanging names, silence enveloped the carriage once more. Fortunately, since the driver didn’t want to share the space with the woman who once begged on the streets, he sat beside the coachman, leaving only the two of them inside.

“Ah, speaking of which… how is she doing?”

Worried her voice might be overheard, Deborah whispered. She was asking about her mother.

Noting her eager look, Beth nodded and replied in a hushed tone.

“I will try to arrange a meeting when the opportunity arises.”

If circumstances improved and the Duke and the butler let their guard down, there would be a chance. Even if they couldn’t meet for long, seeing her face would reassure Deborah.

As they continued their conversation, they soon arrived at their destination. Stepping out of the carriage without any escort, Deborah’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of the lavish building.

“It’s a jewelry store. They just opened today.”

Beth explained, producing an invitation from her belongings. Due to Luna’s instructions to give all the invitations to all the nobles residing in the capital, an invitation had also reached the Duke’s house.

Beth had also brought it with the permission of the Duke for Deborah.

“You can purchase as you like. As I told you, the more you buy, the more likely they are to let their guard down.”

The maid’s voice was very low, so she had to strain to hear, but Deborah nodded as she had mentioned this several times before.

Acting like a woman obsessed with wealth was the best way to catch the opponent off guard.

From the beginning, the Duke had expected such behavior from Deborah.

“I’ll stay here.”

Thinking so and about to step into the jewelry store, the knight assigned to watch Deborah opened his mouth with an annoyed expression.

In fact, he felt humiliated, being a formally employed knight of the Duke, to be tasked with simply guarding a wandering woman from the streets.

“They probably placed separate guards inside.”

Therefore, at the knight’s words suggesting there was no need for him to join and make things more complicated, Beth nodded.

While not exactly for pleasant reasons, it was more desirable for Deborah and Beth if he was absent.

Thus, Deborah and Beth entered the jewelry store alone.

The interior of the jewelry store, chosen as a means to escape the mansion, was so opulent it felt almost sinful.

‘I can’t even tell what’s jewelry. Are all jewelry stores like this? The boutique I visited last time wasn’t this extravagant. Why is everything so beautiful?’

So, she swallowed her slightly embarrassing feelings and was admiring the dazzling interior when an unexpected figure caught her eye.

“…Uh?”

It was none other than Antes, whom she had seen during her previous visit to the boutique. Even from the other side of the window, his beauty had amazed her. Seeing him up close now, she was naturally drawn to him.

How can there be such a picturesque person in the world? Without realizing it, Deborah walked towards Antes.

“…?!”

Surprised, Beth hurriedly followed, but it was already too late.

Focused solely on Antes, Deborah didn’t notice someone passing by and bumped into them, losing her balance.

“…!”

“Are you alright?”

Unexpectedly, it was Antes who had grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling.

“I’m, I’m, I’m, fine…!”

It was so hard for her to say she was okay. Deborah tried multiple times to give a proper response.

But how could she, in front of someone as radiant as Antes?

To make matters worse, Antes, slightly surprised, couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Deborah’s face started turning red as if it was about to explode.

Still, Antes, with a slight frown, didn’t let go of her arm, so Beth, who had momentarily been out of it, quickly recovered and checked on Deborah.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes, yes…!”

Only then did Antes release Deborah’s arm, although his gaze still lingered on her.

“I’m glad you’re alright. My name is Antes Vincent.”

Suddenly receiving attention from Antes, Deborah replied hesitantly.

“My name is Deborah…”

Despite not mentioning her last name, and surprisingly, bowing in introduction, he didn’t press further.

Of course, he didn’t just gloss over it. For a moment, his eyes seemed to wander, as if in deep thought.

“You came to buy jewelry, I presume?”

“Oh, yes…!”

“I wonder if you’ve found a piece that you like?”

“Oh, not yet..! I just arrived and haven’t looked around yet…”

“I see.”

It seemed Antes didn’t just want to help and move on, he kept engaging Deborah in conversation.

She didn’t understand the situation, but thanks to it, Deborah’s eyes were spinning, and her heart began to race.

Beside her, Beth couldn’t hide her anxiety, pacing back and forth. She knew who he was and probably why he was talking to Deborah.

So, even though he was a noble, she couldn’t wait any longer and made an excuse to take Deborah away. But before she could, an unexpected person interrupted the conversation.

“What… What are you doing now…?”