Chapter 7

Aurelia decided that in her fourth life, she would avoid her engagement to Raul and live as she wanted.

Her brother, Reinhardt, respected her feelings and decided to take her to a party where young nobles of his age would gather in half a month.

"The people gathering this time are young noblemen and noblewomen in their early teens who don't have fiancés yet. ...Well, I'm not interested, but this way, both I and Rea can participate."

Reinhardt, who said this, is truly reliable and wonderful. Reinhardt, who has been Aurelia's playmate since childhood, has always been there to listen to her and go out with her, is her pride.

(I can understand why my sister-in-law fell in love with my brother...)

But this time, she decided to take her brother to the party for her own selfish reasons. Of course, Aurelia has the goal of finding a fiancé, but she also decided to keep an eye on her brother so that he wouldn't be approached by strange women.

And so, at the party half a month later.

"Rea, this is your first time at such a place. You're one of the youngest here, so don't stray too far from me or Natalie."

"Yes, brother."

Aurelia, wearing a cute yellow dress prepared by her parents for the occasion, nodded firmly at Reinhardt's words.

The venue was the garden of a powerful duke's family within the kingdom. The main purpose of the duke was to find a fiancé for his ten-year-old son, and as a secondary goal, to provide a place for the exchange of other noble children.

This time, Aurelia and Reinhardt attended without their parents, but they brought soldiers and Natalie instead. Even if they had to act separately, Natalie would always be by Aurelia's side, so she could rely on her if anything happened.

(In my second life, I interacted with many people... but it would be better to make connections with such people as soon as possible.)

However, Aurelia couldn't suddenly become sociable, so she thought she would hide behind her brother and Natalie while making greetings and enjoying delicious pastries and juices.

"Ah, Rea. The person over there is Lord Raul from the Gertrude family."

"..."

Aurelia thought she had done well enough not to say "yuck."

Her brother, who had given her a fruit drink, pointed to a group of boys around his age who were chatting. Reinhardt said, "The one with black hair over there," but Aurelia had seen Raul in his youth many times before, even without the explanation.

Among the boys of his generation, Raul had a very handsome face, and his composed profile was indeed the kind that made the first-life Aurelia fall in love at first sight.

...But.

(Now that I know his plan to marry for the viscount's wealth and then break the engagement when he no longer needs it, I can't feel anything...)

The noble girls around them were whispering to each other, "Which one is the best?" and some were clearly targeting Raul.

(But everyone here will have fiancés in eight years...)

Aurelia was in a hurry, but she felt guilty about taking a fiancé who was supposed to have one with someone else.

(Ideally, I would like to find someone who didn't have a fiancé at the time I met them in my second life... but there aren't many of those.)

In any case, she wanted to stay away from Raul, so Aurelia quickly hid behind Reinhardt. Her brother glanced at her but didn't say anything more and led her to the next place.

Eventually, Reinhardt seemed to have found a friend and gently tapped Aurelia's shoulder.

"Rea, can I talk to my friend for a bit?"

"Sure. I'll stay with Natalie."

"Okay. I know you want to try, so you can talk to the other guests, but don't leave Natalie and always follow her instructions."

"Yes."

Aurelia nodded, not wanting to make her brother uncomfortable. Reinhardt smiled and said, "Take care of Rea," to Natalie before heading towards his friends.

(Since I've been so selfish, I should give my brother some time to relax.)

"Natalie, I want to eat some delicious pastries."

"As you wish. Let's go over there, then."

Natalie, who has taken care of Aurelia since childhood, saw the moment of her awakening in her fourth life.

But she seemed to take it positively, saying, "I'm glad you're feeling better, Miss," and supported Aurelia when she said she wanted to find a fiancé at ten years old.

(Since Natalie is supposed to marry and leave in five years, I need to work hard so she can leave with peace of mind!)

Since it was a garden party, the guests were served by the staff and enjoyed the food in a standing position. Aurelia had Natalie fetch sweet cakes and bread, and with the plate in hand, she moved to a slightly different location.

(But who could be a suitable fiancé?)

While savoring a small, beautifully gem-like cake, Aurelia thought.

(Still, it would be best to find someone who is confirmed to have no fiancé in eight years. But most of those people had their own reasons...)

Even if they were younger sons and thus at a disadvantage in the marriage market, many of them had gambling habits, criminal records, or bad reputations with women.

Hmm, while pondering, Aurelia finished the food on her plate and headed to the table for more.

(...Ah! There's one more of that delicious cake from earlier!)

A small cake with plenty of berry sauce was so delicious that she wanted to take it home and share it with her parents. Since that wasn't possible, she at least wanted to share it with Reinhardt later.

"Natalie, that pink one—"

"…Huh?"

Just as she was about to ask Natalie, a silver serving spoon flashed in front of Aurelia, and the cake she was aiming for was quickly picked up.

Surprised, she looked and saw a slightly older boy holding the spoon. With his wavy blonde hair and clear blue eyes, he was dressed in a neat children's formal outfit, clearly a guest and not a servant.

Aurelia was taken aback, not expecting a noble child to take a cake, but the boy, after comparing the cake he had picked up with Aurelia, smiled kindly.

"Sorry. Miss, did you want this cake?"

"U... No, it's okay..."

"You don't look like you're okay. Here, please. I haven't taken a bite yet."

He placed the pink cake on the plate Natalie was holding. Natalie was also surprised, but the boy shook his head with a smile.

"I don't have to eat this, you know."

"Thank you... I'm Aurelia, from the Pelle family."

Aurelia bowed slightly, stepping back a bit from Natalie. This was the first time she had introduced herself alone today, as she had always been behind her brother.

(I don't know who this person is...)

Deciding to at least get his name, the boy bowed with a smile.

"Aurelia Pelle, nice to meet you. I'm Yuris, the nephew of Duke Schnieder. Pleased to meet you."

(Yuris... Schnieder!?)

Aurelia tried to smile despite her shock.

"Nice to meet you, Yuris. I hope we can get along."

"Yes, I hope so too. ...Would you like to eat over there together?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to."

Unable to refuse the invitation from a noble of higher status, Aurelia nodded and instructed Natalie to fetch more pastries.

...While doing so, Aurelia was quite anxious.

(Yuris Schnieder... isn't he that notorious 'womanizer knight'!?)