Chapter 23

At the party hosted by Philip, powerful nobles from all over the country gathered.

Of course, the Duke of Belclain was among them.

He was supposed to be attending the party with no connection to Jil, but...

"Hey, Philip. It's been a while. I'm glad you invited me today. I also need to start thinking about getting married, you know."

"Oh, oh, Your Grace, you must have many suitors. There's no need to worry—"

"That's right. Lord Jade is so handsome, he can get married right away."

"Hmm? Jil? Isn't she getting a bit too close to Your Grace?"

"Yes, Jil admires Lord Jade—"

"Ha ha ha ha! You two make a good couple! Let's enjoy the party today!"

There it is... Jil's bad habit.

That girl is never good at hiding things.

She has often revealed her true feelings and cried to get away with it.

The Duke of Belclain, of course, has ordered her to act so that their relationship remains a secret, and Jil has agreed.

But right now, Jil is probably focused on how to appear cute in front of the person she likes.

His strained face—apparently, he had misjudged Jil's true nature.

It's not just the Duke of Belclain. Eric and even I, her own family, had not considered Jil's true character.

"Leia, is your sister okay? I'm a bit taken aback."

"It's clear that she's more infatuated with the Duke of Belclain than I thought. Right now, she only wants to be seen as cute."

"No, if this ruins the plan, the Duke of Belclain will be angry, right?"

"No, she fundamentally believes that she deserves to be loved. I misjudged her too. Thinking about it, Jil is not the type to harm herself—she believes that crying will make everything forgiven."

Seeing Jil, who was supposed to act as if she didn't know the Duke of Belclain, being so friendly to him, Eric was whispering in surprise at her natural behavior.

I, too, had almost forgotten in the midst of the tension of being targeted, but I remembered how my sister's engagement was broken off because of her behavior.

The Duke of Belclain must be anxious and regretting underestimating Jil as a simple girl.

"Eh, Prince Eric, I'm glad you could make it today. ...Leia, yes. Thank you for coming. I'm sorry for everything."

"Ah, thank you for inviting us, Philip."

"I don't hold any grudges. You don't need to feel guilty, Philip."

Philip, as expected, seemed uncomfortable with us, but since we are using him, I felt guilty.

I will have to apologize after this matter is resolved...

"Big Sister Leia, I'm so glad you came. The party can't start without you."

"Jil... Congratulations on your engagement. Preparing for a new life with Philip must be challenging, but I hope you get used to it soon."

"Yes! I'm looking forward to my new life with... Jade, I mean, Philip."

"..."

Well, this girl really seems to be floating on cloud nine.

Probably, the Duke of Belclain told her that he would welcome her as his wife in the future, but calling him by the wrong name at this moment is the worst timing.

"Hey, Jil. Did you just say Jade?"

Naturally, Philip confronts Jil.

This is a problem. It would be unnatural to cover for her, but above all, we must pretend not to know about her relationship with the Duke of Belclain...

"Jil Westeria...! How dare you get your fiancé's name wrong! You might be unhappy about your engagement to Philip, but this is a public event, and your attitude is a serious breach of etiquette!"

"Ah...!"

"From the start, I didn't like your attitude when we met before! Listen! The purpose of this party is—!"

Eric suddenly starts loudly criticizing Jil, right next to Philip, who looks suspicious.

His intensity makes her tear up immediately, and Philip, overwhelmed by Eric's presence, watches in shock.

"Your Highness! Prince Eric! Please stop! Jil is just nervous! Please overlook such a minor mistake!"

"Sniff, sniff... Mother... Prince Eric is... being mean to Jil..."

Then, her stepmother, Ekaterina, rushes over to defend Jil from Eric.

Jil is crying like a child, tears streaming down her face, and the surroundings are in an uproar.

"Mrs. Westeria! I am angry for my friend, for Philip! Come on, Philip! You can't forgive this, right!?"

"Eh? W-well, Jil is reflecting, so I won't hold it against her."

When Eric turns to Philip, he stops further comments.

Philip, rather than pursuing Jil's slip of the tongue, is trying to avoid upsetting the Crown Prince Eric...

"I didn't expect you to pretend to be angry to get through it..."

"Hmm? Well, I was a bit genuinely angry. Really..."

It seems Eric was a little genuinely angry.

Well, an unexpected problem has arisen, but from here on, we need to stay focused and corner the Duke of Belclain—.