Chapter 66

Patrick's—extremely reasonable—shout made the three of them widen their eyes and look up at the clock hanging on the wall of the dining room. They realized that a considerable amount of time had passed, and it was about time to start preparing.

"Well, it's about time we start getting ready, too," Mary said.

"Yes, that's right," Adi agreed.

As Mary stood up and tidied up the things on the table, Adi followed suit and got to his feet. Then, Patrick, looking unusually delighted, patted Adi on the shoulder.

His dazzling smile was so radiant that any young lady who saw it would likely blush and some might even faint from its brilliance. However, Mary and Adi, who were immune to Patrick's charm and knew that nothing good ever came when he wore that smile, looked at him with puzzled expressions.

"…Lord Patrick?"

"Adi, do your best today."

"Ah, yes… of course."

"Everyone is watching you… no, the mysterious fiancé chosen by Mary Albert, who could potentially turn the nobility upside down!"

Adi's cheek twitched at Patrick's cheerful laughter.

"After all, this is the man chosen by Mary, who had rejected all proposals since breaking her engagement with me. The entire nobility and scholars have been talking about nothing else recently."

As Patrick spoke matter-of-factly, Adi's face turned pale.

But it was the truth. People had already gathered, eager to learn about the fiancé before the official announcement. They all had plausible excuses like "We want to talk to him before the party starts" or "We want to help," but they were really just looking around the mansion for any sign of the man. Some even approached the Albert family's maids and servants, offering money to find out.

Given the attention, it was no wonder Adi was turning pale. A former servant, he was about to be the center of attention in the noble world, and not just as any noble, but as someone who could potentially turn the nobility upside down.

With a pale face, Adi listened as Patrick, still smiling brightly, added:

"Oh, right. It's not just domestic attention. Guests from other countries are coming too."

This only made Adi even paler, and he finally said:

"I'm going back home!"

"You can't, Adi! Your home is just nearby! You can come back, and your whole family is already here!"

"Adi, it's fine. I'm managing as a princess now. The attention will only last for a while!"

"By the way, the student council members from the high school are coming. They've been talking about nothing but 'Who did that Mary choose?' recently."

"Don't pile on, you bully! Adi, come out from under the serving table! The head chef is glaring at you!"

Reluctantly, Adi emerged as Mary tried to reassure him. He glared at Patrick and said, "Thank you for the wonderful wedding," with a tone full of resentment.

Patrick, still smiling, replied, "You're welcome," which made Mary and Alicia roll their eyes.

It was Patrick's way of celebrating, and Adi's chuckling suggested that male friendship was sometimes like that.

"You're so stubborn."

"Really, Lady Mary, are you saying that?"

Alicia's small laugh made Mary's eyes widen in surprise, and she glared at her, saying, "You've started saying that now."

---

As the two main characters began their preparations, it was a well-known fact that women took longer to get ready than men, especially for a wedding announcement.

Adi, who finished his preparations first, wandered around the mansion, feeling restless. He turned at the sound of a familiar voice calling his name. It was the former student council members from Carelia Academy's high school, the "targets" of Mary's strategy, as she would say.

Dressed in formal attire with their family crests, they walked towards him in a group, drawing sighs and cheers from the young ladies around them.

"Thank you for coming today."

Adi bowed deeply, and they responded with a single hand. They didn't continue with "Thank you for the invitation" because Adi was a servant of the Albert family.

Would their attitude change after the announcement? As he thought about this, he instinctively offered them refreshments. Realizing his ingrained servant spirit, he smiled wryly.

"We heard Patrick is already here."

"Yes, Lord Patrick is currently talking with the master."

"What about Miss Mary?"

"Miss Mary is preparing in the salon."

"Is that so… By the way, Adi—"

"Yes?"

Adi tilted his head in confusion, and the former student council members grinned mischievously. The vice president grabbed his shoulder, which only made Adi feel uneasy.

"Of course you know who Miss Mary's fiancé is, right?"

"…Eh?"

"It's hard to imagine that even you, Adi, would be kept in the dark by Miss Mary."

"Well, I do know… but—"

"Of course. So, who is it? We won't tell anyone, and we'll be good until the announcement."

Adi hesitated, unsure how to respond. They were genuinely curious, wanting to know who Mary Albert had chosen, especially after she had once rejected them and used Patrick in her refusals. They wouldn't spread the information or try to ingratiate themselves. They would wait quietly until the announcement if he promised.

But even knowing this, Adi couldn't bring himself to tell them. As he tried to dodge the question, a familiar voice interrupted.

"Is that so, Patrick. We were just about to get it out of him."

They all turned to see Patrick, and the student council members shifted their attention to him. The vice president released Adi's shoulder, and he let out a small sigh of relief.

"Ah, it's just Patrick. We were so close."

"You were trying to get the information out of Adi, weren't you?"

Patrick's reprimand made him look like the student council president again, contrary to the "bully" Mary had called him earlier.

"We thought Patrick wouldn't tell us, so we asked Adi."

"I figured you would. Adi, you didn't tell them, did you?"

"Of course not."

Adi shook his head to assert his innocence, and Patrick nodded in satisfaction. The former student council members, disappointed at not getting the information, looked at each other with frustrated expressions. Despite their disappointment, their good looks remained intact, and they were still called "cute" by the young ladies.

"But, the way you've kept this a secret, it must be someone really unexpected."

"Unexpected?"

Patrick echoed the vice president's words, and everyone looked at him in surprise. They all thought it was someone unexpected, and Patrick's reaction seemed out of place.

"Of course, it's Miss Mary's choice. And no credible rumors have surfaced until the announcement. Everyone is saying it must be someone really unexpected. Didn't you, Patrick, also find it surprising when you heard?"

"Surprised? Me? No way."

Patrick shrugged and laughed. Everyone looked at him in shock.

After all, he was the former fiancé, someone who had been considered a perfect match since childhood.

"But, Patrick, you were always expected to marry Miss Mary. For you not to be surprised…"

"Everyone just said we were a perfect match. I always thought Mary only had eyes for one person."

Patrick's chuckling and cheerful tone left everyone puzzled. No one could think of who he was talking about, even knowing that Mary and Adi were always together. Patrick's smile grew wider, and Adi sighed, smiling wryly.

Seeing the two of them, one looking amused and the other exasperated, the former student council members gave up and left to greet the Albert family's lady.

After they left, Adi let out a sigh of relief.

"…Lord Patrick, are you enjoying this?"

"Of course, what else would I enjoy?"

"What a bad character… No wonder the young ladies idolize you. If they knew the real you, half of them would run away."

"As long as Alicia is here, I'm fine."

"Thank you for the meal."

"By the way, even though the young ladies idolize you, the only one who never showed any interest was your one and only young lady."

Patrick grinned and glanced at Adi, who blushed in surprise and cleared his throat to cover it up.

He took a deep breath and turned to face Patrick, who was still chuckling.

The ideal prince, admired by all—though not by Mary—Patrick, with his blue hair and eyes, asked, "What's wrong?"

Adi looked at the man who, despite his charm and authority, had chosen a country girl and even left his home for her.

"Seeing you and Alicia so happy together, I couldn't control my desire. I didn't want to give her to anyone… I wanted her by my side, even though I had long given up on it. I started to feel strongly about it again."

"…Adi."

"Thank you, Lord Patrick."

Patrick, who had always sought love over political alliances, had chosen Alicia, and his happiness had reignited Adi's long-abandoned desire. He no longer wanted to give her to anyone, and he believed it might be possible.

If this moment was connected to that, he couldn't help but be grateful to Patrick.

Hearing Adi's honest words, Patrick scratched his head, embarrassed.

"Don't worry, I've been helped by you many times."

"Lord Patrick…"

"Besides,"

Patrick patted Adi's shoulder and grinned mischievously, not the calm prince everyone admired.

"I'm the captain of the 'Adi Support Team.'"

Adi's eyes widened in surprise, and Patrick chuckled, saying, "Congratulations," as a friend.