Chapter 1: Prologue
How boring.
Claudia Ragley, Countâs daughter, stifled a yawn behind her open fan.
She had attended the evening party as her brotherâs partner, but he had quickly left her behind to make his rounds of greetings.
He had repeatedly insisted that she must remain inside the venue and not wander about, so she was currently standing alone like a wallflower.
“I wish my brother would hurry up and choose a fiancĂŠe already.”
If he did, then since a partner would be mandatory, she would no longer be dragged along to parties and balls as his partner.
In other words, she would be able to stay cooped up in her territory as much as she liked.
Even Claudia, who usually shut herself away in her domain, did have a few friends.
However, it seemed none of them were attending today, and there were no relatives nearby who could serve as conversation partners.
No one approached Claudia to speak to her either.
As a result, she stood alone like a wallflower, bored.
That said, it wasnât as if she particularly wanted to talk to anyone.
Well, since she was here anyway.
She decided to pass the time and gather information by observing various things.
Though, it wasnât people she intended to observe.
Rather, it was dresses and accessories.
If possible, she would also like to see and taste the food, but it would be better to do that together with her brother.
She glanced around carefully so as not to appear rude, observing her surroundings.
That ladyâs hair ornament has a slightly unusual design, but itâs elegant and lovely.
That manâs pin brooch is quite flashy.
I wonder if the gemstone is a ruby.
But with his platinum hair and bright yellow-green eyes, heâs quite striking himself, so it suits him well.
Oh my, the embroidery on that manâs jacketâlooking closely, itâs very intricate.
From a distance it appears bold, but itâs actually delicate, with fine threads and subtle color variations.
Amazing.
Oh, that young ladyâs dressâŚ
Claudia lowered her gaze to her own dress.
Her crimson dress featured gold thread embroidery along the neckline and hem.
The neckline revealed just a slight glimpse of cleavage, and it had short sleeves.
It narrowed neatly at the waist, and the skirt flared out softly.
As an outfit for an evening party, it was rather modest.
She lifted her gaze back to the young lady she had noticed earlier.
The fabric looked exactly the same.
It too had gold thread embroidery along the neckline and hem, with a very similar design.
The other dress sparkled more, likely because it used gemstones or beads.
It also narrowed at the waist and flared out into a soft skirt.
However, that one had a boldly open neckline and no sleeves.
They were very similar dresses.
With that realization, she lost interest.
The necklace, earrings, and hair ornament the lady wore were nothing particularly eye-catching either.
She turned her gaze around the hall again and resumed observing others.
As she passed the time like that while gathering information, her brother finally returned.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Claudia.”
She snapped her fan shut and glared lightly at him.
“âSorry to keep you waitingâ is hardly sufficient. Leaving me alone for this long disqualifies you as a partner. Arenât you concerned about your little sister?”
“Hmm. Did anyone approach you?”
“No.”
“Did you dance with anyone?”
“Since no one approached me, there was no opportunity to dance.”
At that, her brother hung his head.
“At least⌠was there anyone who caught your interest?”
“I have no interest.”
Why did he look so disappointed?
To begin with, there was no way anyone would approach her.
“You know the rumors about me, donât you, Brother? Thereâs no way anyone would come speak to me.”
“Someone might see you in person and think, âOh?â”
“Thatâs impossible. Rather than worrying about me, shouldnât you find a partner for yourself first?”
“Donât say that.”
“You, who donât even have a single fiancĂŠe, have no right to comment on me.”
“If I donât find a fiancĂŠ for my dear little sister, I canât focus on my own matters.”
How utterly insincere.
She opened the fan she had just closed.
“Your unworthy little sister will quietly spend her days in the territory so as not to trouble you. So please, donât concern yourself with me and do find yourself a fiancĂŠe.”
“No, that wouldnât change anything from before.”
“Fufu, Iâve already given up on marriage. If Iâm such an eyesore, Iâll retire to a remote corner of the territory.”
“You say that with such a humble attitude, but thatâs what you want, isnât it? I wonât allow it. If youâre staying in the territory, youâll remain in the main residence.”
“Fufu, as you wish.”
She smiled behind her fan, only to be glared at.
Most likely, he had hoped that at this evening party, someone might take a liking to Claudia.
Even though it should have been obvious from the start that such a plan would fail.
Her brother was quite stubborn.
Claudia quietly closed her fan.
“Brother, I would like to try some of the food.”
“âŚVery well. After that, weâll dance a little.”
“If you intend to invite someone else, please donât mind me.”
“Of course I mean with you.”
“Why? I donât see any need to dance.”
“If you dance, someone might take notice.”
Unfortunatelyâtruly unfortunatelyâClaudia was actually quite skilled at dancing.
If that led to her being asked to dance by someone, it would be troublesome.
“I donât think so. Please give up.”
“Youâre the one who should give up. Iâll let you eat a little first, as you wished.”
She let out an exaggerated sigh, but it had no effect on her brother.
He escorted her as they headed toward the table lined with food.
As they walked, her brother briefly glanced around.
Is he looking for someone?
At the very least, it didnât seem like a wary glance.
“Still working, huh. If he were here, I was thinking Iâd have him dance.”
The words he muttered softly were drowned out by the music and did not reach Claudia.