Before we could say anything, the woman approached us quickly.

“Hello, I’m Hazel!”

She introduced herself first.

The manager asked warily,

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, I lost my earring. I’ve been searching hard but can’t seem to find it…”

The woman’s expression was on the verge of tears. It was hard to just walk away from that face.

Judging from her attire, she seemed to be a noblewoman. And the desperate way she was searching for the earring suggested it was something very important.

The manager, seemingly thinking the same, asked the woman,

“Is it something important?”

“Yes, it was a gift from my fiancé…”

The woman answered dejectedly.

To treasure a gift from her fiancé so dearly, their relationship must be strong.

But searching this thicket alone would be too much.

“…”

The manager and I reluctantly decided to join in.

We helped the woman comb through the bushes. Anyway, we had nothing to do until the entrance, so we thought it’d be nice to lend a hand with goodwill.

At that moment,

“Hazel!”

A man’s voice calling the woman’s name was heard.

The three of us looked in that direction. There stood a well-dressed nobleman.

The man went straight to the woman and checked on her.

“I was worried when I couldn’t find you. What are you doing here?”

“I lost my earring…”

“That’s no big deal. I can buy you another one. I was worried sick, and it was just because of that?”

“It’s important to me!”

The sweet atmosphere between the two made the manager and I grimace. We weren’t used to such a scene.

It was then the man noticed us.

His eyes widened when he saw me.

“Oh, could it be… Lady Anais Erpeso?”

How did he recognize me right away?

We must have crossed paths when I attended social events before.

“It’s been a while!”

But he seemed too familiar, considering that.

As I looked confused, the man smiled awkwardly.

“…Don’t you remember me?”

“…?”

“I’m Van Daemon, the eldest son of the Count Daemon.”

“Ah.”

He was the son of Count Daemon, the host of this ball.

Given that Count Daemon and the Duke of Erpeso were old friends, it made sense that Anais and this man would have met during their childhood.

That explained why he approached me so familiarly. I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

So, this woman must be his fiancée.

The woman too seemed surprised at the revelation.

“You’re Lady Anais Erpeso? My goodness!”

It was understandable for her to be surprised, having involved a lady in the search for her earring. Clearly, the woman didn’t know what to do.

“I’m so sorry! I had no idea that…”

“It’s fine.”

The manager replied on my behalf.

The woman, having been staring intently at the manager, brightened up.

“Then, is this gentleman your fiancé?”

It seemed like the news had already reached her, being from the count’s house.

The woman clapped her hands together with a beaming smile.

“It’s somehow comforting to meet another commoner! We should keep in touch.”

She even knew about being a commoner. No wonder the manager was smiling thinly. Being treated less than human was one thing, but being seen as a commoner must have been particularly irksome.

It seemed unusual that the fiancée of the noble house’s heir was also from a common background. I wondered if this was common.

The woman, curious, kept asking questions.

“Do you plan to arrange a separate venue for the engagement ceremony?”

A separate venue when there’s already a ballroom? That seemed unnecessary.

Seeing my puzzled look, the man said with a smile,

“It’s quite trendy among the ladies these days. Renting a separate venue for the engagement ceremony.”

“Oh…”

There really was a trend for everything. Perhaps renting a separate venue for the engagement ceremony was in vogue for its novelty.

Seeing my interest, the woman eagerly said,

“If you’re interested, I can help you make a reservation!”

“Haven’t we already filled our engagement schedule until next year?”

“I know someone! Especially for a lady like you, they would definitely prioritize you.”

It seemed connections were everything, even in the noble world. But the following comment made it clear that status was supreme.

“How about it?”

The woman looked at me with sparkling eyes.

I blinked and casually responded,

“Well, sure… I’d appreciate it.”

“What?”

“Understood!”

The manager gave me a look, but I pretended not to notice.

“Then we’ll head back in! See you inside the hall!”

The couple, arm in arm, happily made their way to the ballroom.

That left me and the manager alone in the garden.

“Hey.”

Finally, the manager called me in his usual way. I looked at him.

“Why would you agree to reserve an engagement venue?”

“Just because?”

Thanks to the kind-hearted future count and countess, an engagement ceremony was set in motion. It was too late now to say we didn’t want to make a reservation.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. They offered, so I accepted.

“It can’t be helped.”

I declared with determination,

“Let’s get engaged!”

“Why does it end up like that!”

“At least we can earn twelve million points.”

“Then I’d have to reveal I was Bates! Absolutely not!”

Our opinions were distinctly divided.

I continued brazenly,

“Ultimately, it was the manager who interfered in my broadcast without permission, wasn’t it? You should take some responsibility for that.”

“…”

The manager couldn’t argue with that. Regardless of his concern for me, the fact that he intervened in my broadcast uninvited was undeniable.

“Fine, let’s compromise. We’ll try to keep the engagement a secret.”

“…Do you think that will hold?”

“We’ll have to try.”

If it doesn’t work, no loss to me. I had nothing to lose anyway.

The manager seemed baffled by my attitude.

“You broke off the engagement with Kabir because you didn’t want to be tied to any man, and now you’re pushing for this? What are you thinking?”

That was true. I had deliberated over the engagement with Kabir for the sake of the broadcast content, but eventually gave it up, and now I was the one driving this forward. It made sense for him to find it strange.

“I just felt like it.”

“Like what?”

“Getting engaged to you, manager. It seemed fun.”

There were ways to call off an engagement if needed. I just wanted to experience it once.

At my words, the manager was speechless and then flicked my forehead lightly.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m serious.”

“It’s all nonsense.”

He seemed determined to dismiss my words as nonsense. I clicked my tongue in response.

* * *

Not long after that day, Hazel visited our estate.

It was rare for Finley to bring a friend home, and she seemed very curious. After finally shooing Finley, who was loitering around the reception room, I had a conversation with Hazel alone.

“I’ve got the dates! You can coordinate from your end now.”

As expected, she had come to inform us about the reservation for the engagement venue.

It had only been a few days since the ball. She was quick with her tasks.

Hazel handed me a document with the available dates. It was meticulously prepared with detailed introductions and dates for the engagement venue.

It was clear she had organized it herself. A lot of effort was put into it.

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble… Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing! I’m happy to help.”

Hazel grinned. She had a charming smile.

“But how did you and Hans meet?”

It was natural to be curious about the meeting of a commoner and a lady.

Moreover, since Hazel was also from a commoner background, her curiosity seemed heightened.

While it wasn’t difficult to share such a story,

The problem was that I couldn’t tell the truth and had to fabricate something on the spot.

“We met by chance during the Crown Prince’s birthday festival.”

Fortunately, the manager had made up a vague story.

But Hazel, not satisfied with just that, kept pressing with sparkling eyes.

“So, what happened after you met?”

“Um…”

I hadn’t thought about what happened next. I hadn’t anticipated someone would dig this deep.

“…”

I hesitated for a long time, unable to answer. I was never good at thinking on my feet.

“…Do you two actually like each other?”

Hazel seemed to have caught onto something, even without any response from me. She was unusually perceptive.

Realizing her question might have been inappropriate after saying it, she covered her mouth with both hands.

“I’m sorry! It’s a professional hazard…”

What kind of job leads to such a ‘professional hazard,’ I wondered.

But upon reflection, it was a good question.

The manager and I weren’t exactly in that kind of relationship, but there was a sense of trust and comfort between us.

Comfortable enough to be around each other.

“We do like each other.”

Even if not in that particular way, I did like the manager.

I even thought, if I were to get engaged, the manager wouldn’t be a bad choice.

“…”

Hazel smiled broadly at my response.

“It seems like you two will be very happy together.”

I wasn’t sure if it was just politeness or sincerity.

But it was a pleasant thing to hear.

Just then, there was a knock on the reception room door.

Hazel and I turned our gaze in that direction.

The manager was standing beyond the opened door.

“What’s up?”

“I have something to tell you.”

The manager cut the conversation short. It seemed he was mindful of Hazel.

“I’m sorry, I need to have a conversation for a moment.”

“No, it’s okay! I just came to deliver this anyway. I’ll take my leave now. Have your talk.”

Hazel excused herself first. She was very courteous.

After seeing Hazel off, I looked at the manager.

“What is it?”

In response to my question, the manager spoke indifferently.

“Selena has arrived.”