‘He’s openly challenging Kabir.’

Inviting an engaged woman as his partner, knowing she’s engaged, was a bold move.

Was this Irmin’s way of helping me break off my engagement with Kabir—by stirring things up like this? Expecting common sense from an assassin was my mistake.

The chat, usually quiet, was buzzing as expected.

[Stress: Wow! A love triangle drama!]

[Something: This is what broadcasting is all about]

[Gold2: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: This is too much fun ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

The angels, always in pursuit of high stimulation, were clearly excited. Anyone would think a festival was being celebrated.

“…What are you going to do?”

“And Kabir?”

“He probably doesn’t know yet. Probably…”

Finley’s voice lacked certainty.

I took the envelope from Finley and patted his shoulder as a sign of thanks.

“I’ll figure something out for the aftermath. Don’t worry.”

“How can I not worry…”

Finley, who had no trust in me, looked as gloomy as if his family had just met its doom. It was understandable, given his sister was caught up in a conflict between the crown prince and the duke.

I sent Finley away for now. I needed time to think too.

After slamming the door shut, I looked at the chat window.

“…We’re doomed.”

[Ian: Yep, good luck]

The main cause of this situation was reacting so coolly, which only irritated me more.

 

First, I should meet Kabir and see his reaction. Depending on whether Kabir knew about this or not, the way I handled the situation would change.

* * *

Dinner time.

“……”

“……”

The silence was usual.

But the problem was Kabir’s expression. It was very grim.

[Isaac: Seems like he knows]

[LLoading: Definitely]

[NyamNyamoo: lol…]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Stay strong, sister…]

It was certain that Finley had come to me right after receiving the letter, but where did Kabir hear about it?

I tried to smile and said,

“Being popular has its downsides. Ha ha.”

“……”

Kabir remained silent, just glaring at me. I meekly looked down.

Kabir, focusing only on his meal, finally spoke.

“What exactly did you talk about with Irmin?”

“…What did I…?”

“I know he often does strange things, but he used to have boundaries. And now, you’ve made him do something like this.”

Though I feigned ignorance, Kabir wasn’t buying it.

Kabir put his fork down and looked at me with cold, sunken eyes.

“…What exactly is your relationship with him?”

It was understandable for Kabir to be angry from his perspective.

I showed my open palms in a gesture meant to calm Kabir down.

“Just made a deal, that’s all.”

“What?”

Then I casually stood up.

“I’m done eating. I’ll be going now!”

“Anais!”

Kabir called after me, but I just dashed off. It seemed like Kabir didn’t feel like chasing after me.

I couldn’t explain in detail. It would reveal too much. Plus, I didn’t plan to in the first place.

But being invited to the birthday banquet was a problem in itself.

‘I’d hate to be the crown princess even more.’

If the crown prince personally invited me, the rumor must have already spread.

The crown prince was at the prime age for marriage. I didn’t know his exact age, but he was friends with Kabir, so they must be similar in age.

The social circles would be buzzing with gossip. The crown prince, yet without a partner, and maybe for the first time, a dance partner at his birthday banquet.

‘But actually, it was naturally supposed to be my place.’

Being from the high-ranking Erpeso ducal family, I should have been by the crown prince’s side since childhood at every ball.

But Anais was famously not called because of her reckless behavior.

Since I’m going anyway, I might as well show the social circles that Anais has reformed. I didn’t want a repeat of what happened during Selena’s debutante ball.

‘…Will this royal banquet be alright?’

Even as I hurried along, I couldn’t help but worry.

* * *

Time flew, and the day of the banquet arrived.

We had to arrive at the palace the day before the banquet to prepare, so we reached the palace the day before.

Finley and Selena, who came with me, wanted to explore the palace, but I declined and went to the room assigned to me. Despite using teleportation scrolls midway, the long journey was still exhausting. Moving from carriage to carriage with teleportation scrolls was a task in itself.

‘Nothing special about the royal palace.’

Perhaps I had become too accustomed to the grandeur of the duke’s mansion, but the palace didn’t evoke any particular feelings.

Still, the guest room was definitely better than the one at the duke’s mansion.

As I lay sprawled on the bed, the chat window was buzzing.

[Isaac: Since we’re here, let’s tour the palace]

[Gold2: Go go go go]

[OnlyFinley: Curious lol]

“I’ll rest a bit first…”

It felt like the viewers were asking too much of someone without much stamina.

Seeing that I had no intention of going out, the viewers started using other methods.

[AsparagusCharm has donated 1,000 points!]

– Let’s go

“Alright, I’ll go.”

These people knew me too well, that was the problem.

[Ian: Can’t you let her rest a bit?]

[LLoading: Yay―!]

I promptly got up and headed outside.

As expected, the manager was there.

“Lord Bates, may I go out for a bit?”

“What?”

The manager looked at me.

“I’m thinking of looking around the palace.”

“Why bother? It’s all the same everywhere, isn’t it?”

It seems he’s not even trying to act anymore. Ignoring him, I took the lead. Naturally, the manager followed behind me.

Since it was pointless to wander around without knowing anything, I stopped a passing maid.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Miss.”

As expected, the maid replied kindly. I too smiled slightly and asked her,

“Is there anything beautiful to see around here?”

“The garden is lovely, and the lakeside is absolutely beautiful. The central library is also accessible to guests, so I recommend it. I can guide you there if you wish.”

It sounded like she had answered this question more than a few times before.

Having strolled through the garden several times already, I thought it might be nice to visit the library for a change.

“Could you please guide me to the library then?”

“Yes, follow me, please.”

Since there wasn’t much to do here, it seemed wise to borrow some books to read. I moved towards the library with the maid.

After escorting me to the library, the maid went elsewhere. I didn’t forget to thank her one last time.

“The library’s facilities are impressive.”

I hadn’t seen the Grand Duke’s library, but the palace’s library was quite extensive. It was the central library, after all, so it was understandably large.

It was big enough to have its own separate building.

According to the explanation I heard on the way, both the central library and the central garden were accessible to outsiders, regardless of their status.

Perhaps that’s why there were quite a few people in the library. Their attire was varied.

‘I could spend a whole day just exploring here.’

That’s how spacious it was inside.

It seemed so vast that even with many people around, it would be hard to run into someone.

…Just as I thought that, I spotted a familiar face.

“……”

It was Finley and Selena. I knew they would wander around together since I didn’t join the tour, but it seemed they had decided to have a date.

The two stood in front of a bookshelf, each holding a book and whispering and laughing together.

I didn’t know what they were talking about, but judging by the atmosphere, they already seemed like a couple.

The manager and I squinted our eyes and watched the scene.

“…What are you doing?”

“……!”

Startled by my voice, both of them jumped away.

“Si-sister…?”

“Sis, when did you get here…?”

Clearly, both were extremely flustered, behaving as if they were caught in a secret rendezvous.

“Are you two dating?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Stop talking nonsense!”

“That’s not it at all!”

Sigh…

I could only sigh.

[OnlyFinley has donated 3,000 points!]

– That’s my Finley!!!

[AsparagusCharm: They look good together―ㅋㅋ]

[Isaac: While they’re making progress, what are you doing?]

[Gold2: You’re right there, go for it ㄱㄱ]

[Woongcha: What do you mean ㄱㄱ LOL]

It seemed the viewers were expecting something, but the manager had no clue how to proceed or even begin to flirt.

Meanwhile, Finley took Selena’s wrist and led her away.

“Let’s go, Selena.”

“Have a good date.”

“Be quiet!”

I waved my hand, but Finley ignored me completely. Only Selena smiled awkwardly and bowed slightly to me.

After the two disappeared, I glanced subtly at the manager. The manager, with the face of Bates, was just expressionless.

“Does Sir Bates have a type?”

It felt like I had asked a similar question before. I wondered why I kept asking about people’s ideal types. It was all because of the viewers who were serious about love.

“I don’t.”

I stealthily stepped on the manager’s foot and glared at him.

Finally realizing, the manager corrected his answer.

“…I don’t set a specific type. I tend to naturally develop feelings.”

“So, you’ve had that experience before.”

“Of course, I haven’t been completely devoid of romantic experiences.”

Whether he was answering as a manager or as Bates, it was an interesting subject.

“Is there a common trait among your ex-partners?”

The manager pondered for a moment before answering.

“…Being human?”

Seriously, this guy.

That had to be the manager’s own personality slipping out.

But the fact that he had dated a human was surprising. Don’t angels usually date other angels?

Curiosity surged within me, and not just me, the chat was going wild too.

But in this situation, I couldn’t continue the conversation with the manager. Unless I turned off the live broadcast.

“We should be quiet since it’s a library. I’ll turn it back on later, goodbye!”

Unable to contain my curiosity, I ended the broadcast.

The chat was filled with complaints, but I ignored them and turned it off immediately. I could always apologize later.

After confirming the broadcast was off, I looked at the manager.

“So, you’ve dated humans before?”