Selena here?

Selena was supposed to be at the archduke’s mansion. It was supposed to be just Finley and me who came here. Why she came all the way here was a mystery.

Since Selena had come, I had to go see her. The manager, not wanting to go, stayed behind, so I headed to Selena’s room alone. It seemed she had already arrived and even unpacked her things while I was talking with Hazel. Since she came unannounced, I couldn’t greet her properly.

I stopped in front of the room. I had been here before.

Back then, it was my first day in this body. The first time I met Selena.

‘We’ve become quite close since then.’

There was a time when Selena was scared just by seeing me. Now, she talks more and seems comfortable around me. It was a significant improvement.

Right before I knocked, a familiar voice came from beside me.

“Lady?”

It was Eric.

It felt like it had been a long time since I saw him. As Selena’s knight, it made sense for him to follow her here.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“It’s a bit sudden…”

Exchanging greetings with Eric seemed to make him awkward.

“Is Selena inside?”

“Yes, but…”

Eric hesitated before speaking.

“Her mood is quite disturbed at the moment. It might be better to talk to her later.”

“…?”

A disturbed Selena was hard to imagine. She was always smiling around me.

While I was contemplating Eric’s advice, the door suddenly burst open.

“Sister!”

Selena greeted me cheerfully.

What about the low pressure? She seemed the same as usual. Confused, I glanced at Eric, who also looked bewildered.

“I had something to tell you! Please, come in quickly!”

Selena pulled my arm. I was involuntarily dragged into the room.

As soon as I entered, Selena slammed the door shut.

Somehow, despite her smiling, there was an eerie feeling. I was scared of Selena at that moment.

“What brings you here?”

I asked first, trying to gauge the situation. Selena then seemed to remember why she came.

“I missed you, sister, and I heard some news.”

“News?”

“Yes! About you getting engaged?”

Had the rumor spread to the archduke’s mansion already? News traveled incredibly fast.

“How did you find out?”

“Finley told me.”

So they were in touch. It was quite a significant matter, so it made sense for Finley to tell Selena.

“That’s how it turned out.”

Selena, upon seeing that the engagement venue was booked and the Duke of Erpeso was pushing for it, understood that the news of the engagement was bound to spread. So, I didn’t bother to hide it.

“So unlike when you were promised to the Archduke, you are really getting engaged this time?”

“Yes, we’ll set a date soon.”

“…”

Selena’s expression turned sour for a moment, but it returned to normal quickly.

“It feels a bit sad…”

“What part?”

“Presumably, if you get a fiancé, the time you spend with me will decrease.”

Selena genuinely looked disheartened.

Why does she care about me so much? It’s like when a bad person does something good, and the effect is notably significant. Perhaps Selena developed a strange attachment after the previously tormenting Anais apologized.

I lifted my hand and gently stroked Selena’s hair.

“Don’t worry about that. It’s just an engagement, and I’ll continue to live at the duke’s mansion. You’ll be returning to the duke’s mansion soon too, so our encounters will be just like before.”

I speculated that they wouldn’t make me move out just because of an engagement.

Now, Kabir doesn’t necessarily need to get engaged to someone from our family. Thanks to his social appearances, he must be buried under proposals by now. It was quite obvious.

The Duke of Erpeso, if he had any affection, wouldn’t drive Selena away. We would continue living together at the duke’s mansion as before.

“That’s reassuring then…”

However, Selena still didn’t seem entirely convinced.

Understandably, since there wasn’t much to do at the archduke’s mansion, she always hung out only with me. Compared to those times, our shared time would indeed decrease.

I asked, just in case.

“Did you come here because you were worried about that?”

“…”

Selena slightly averted her gaze from my question. It seemed my guess was right.

“That, and I also wanted to meet your fiancé.”

“Ah.”

It made sense to introduce them at some point. Now wasn’t a bad time.

The manager would likely be resting in his room anyway.

“Want to go see him? He’s just in his room.”

“Yes!”

Selena eagerly responded.

Together with Selena, and also Eric as an escort, we headed to the manager’s room.

Upon knocking, the manager appeared, looking quite fatigued.

“Why.”

He started off brusquely as usual but changed his demeanor upon noticing the two people behind me.

“What brings you here, Lady?”

It was almost comical how quickly he could switch attitudes.

That’s a skill in its own right, I thought, letting out a chuckle.

“Selena wanted to see you. Selena, this is Hans, my fiancé.”

“Hello! My name is Selena.”

Selena greeted with a sunny smile, and the manager reciprocated with a smile of his own.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from the Lady. It seems she holds you in high regard.”

“Really? Is that so?”

Pleased by the manager’s sweet talk, Selena laughed cheerfully. He really had a knack for social interactions.

Selena and the manager exchanged pleasantries for a while.

“Oh, I’ve been summoned by the Duke. I must go.”

The manager excused himself, leaving us wondering if he was telling the truth or just finding an elegant way to exit.

After the manager left, there was a moment of silence, then both individuals spoke up.

“He seems like a good person.”

“He does seem nice.”

Both Selena and Eric sequentially remarked.

As with his encounter with the Duke of Erpeso, a brief conversation had clearly won them over.

That’s some skill, I thought. Despite the manager’s usually intimidating demeanor, he managed to garner such a response. His eloquence was indeed commendable.

“I’m relieved. I was quite worried…”

“He might appear gruff, but there are more good points to him once you get to know him.”

The manager might be terse, but he was a good person, his abruptness itself being a part of his charm.

“You seem to like him a lot.”

I smiled at Selena’s comment.

“It’s comfortable being with him.”

For me, that was the most significant advantage. Someone who provided me respite. Where else could I find someone like that?

That’s why I didn’t want to part ways with the manager. Unlike when I accepted Kabir’s proposal, I was more proactive about this engagement, perhaps for this reason.

Watching me, Eric spoke with a smile.

“It’s good to see you happy.”

His words seemed sincerely heartfelt. I looked at Eric and smiled brightly.

* * *

With the engagement confirmed, my restrictions on going out were also lifted. It seemed the Duke of Erpeso was reassured now that I wasn’t likely to get into trouble.

This also meant I could meet Kabir if I wanted to…

“What are you thinking about?”

The manager asked, noticing my deep thought. An invitation to the engagement ceremony lay in front of me.

“Thinking about Kabir.”

“Thinking about another man in front of your fiancé?”

“That’s so creepy, why would you say that?”

His remark made my skin crawl as if he were an actual boyfriend teasing me.

The manager, clearly joking, sat down across from me, still smiling.

“Planning to send an invitation to Kabir?”

“That’s what I’m pondering.”

I had rejected Kabir’s proposal due to not wanting restrictions on my actions, and now, not long after, here I was, hosting an engagement ceremony.

“…”

It was a truly awkward situation.

The thought of facing Kabir was unbearable.

“But if Selena knows about your engagement, wouldn’t Kabir already know?”

“…”

Right, it was already too late.

What could Kabir be thinking? He must have been bewildered, to say the least.

“So, will you send it?”

“I definitely can’t deliver it in person…”

The idea of facing Kabir was too daunting. It was likely I wouldn’t end up sending it.

“First, give one to Hazel, then to the Count’s family, and also…”

As I was listing my sparse connections, I suddenly hesitated at the thought of someone.

“…”

“Why?”

“…Should I send one to Irmin?”

Considering our somewhat personal acquaintance, I wondered if I should send him an invite.

As soon as I mentioned Irmin, the manager’s expression soured.

“Why bother with him?”

“He did help us in some ways.”

“Even though it’s not clear whether he’s an assassin or not. Don’t get too close to him.”

Fair enough, Irmin claimed innocence, but the suspicions hadn’t been entirely cleared. The manager still seemed doubtful of him.

We weren’t close enough to warrant a personal delivery. It seemed unnecessary. I quickly dropped the idea.

“I’ll show the invite to Selena too. She was curious.”

“Alright.”

The manager didn’t bother to get up but sent me off with a nod.

I examined the wedding invitation meant for Selena as I walked.

The design turned out pretty nice. Seeing it made the engagement feel more real.

While I was looking at the invitation, I sensed someone nearby.

Before I could react, someone tripped me.

“…!”

Right before I fell, someone by my side caught me.

My heart raced from the shock. I stiffly turned my head to see the person beside me.

“Hello.”

It was a face I hadn’t seen before, but there was only one person who would make an entrance like this. I let out a dry laugh.

“…Didn’t you say you don’t casually intrude on someone’s residence?”

“But today, there’s a special reason―”

Irmin spoke nonchalantly, dragging out his words.

A special reason?

Though I doubted it was anything significant, I looked at Irmin curiously.