[Baron Allan of Talamand and Baroness Odelia. I invite you two to a banquet at the villa, and I hope you will brighten up the place together...]
It's a very colorful social season every year, but this year was exceptionally special. This was because there was a Grand Duchess who hosted the first banquet of the social season every year. It was a banquet commemorating the 70th birthday of the Grand Duchess, and it was quite meaningful.
"This year will be exceptionally gorgeous."
Odelia looked down at the invitation and whispered softly. Each finely pressed word tightened her heart. Her gaze brushed over her reflection in the glass window.
It was different from last year's self. Now, as the Baroness and the owner of the Talamand.
'I've got along well, I have to prove myself.'
What was to be shown at this banquet was not just a greeting or a smile. She had to imprint on the world that Talamand was no longer a ruin and that she was unshakable as the owner of the place.
"Odelia."
Allan smiled as he lightly wrapped his hand around her shoulder.
"Alright. Leave it to me from now on. I’m going to be the best ‘devoted husband’ of this season."
"...A devoted husband?"
Odelia opened her eyes wide in confusion, and Allan chuckled.
"So that my wife doesn't have to worry. I'll try to act perfectly enough to make everyone envious."
His eyes were a mixture of mischievous playfulness and sincerity.
"So don't worry, just smile brightly next to me, Ma'am."
Allan's words eased Odelia's tension a little. But even in that smile, her heart was still beating fast.
At such a banquet, the Emperor is bound to attend. The fact that Calix, whom she had never seen since coming to Talamand, was in the banquet hall shook her mind in a complicated way.
***
The Grand Duchess's mansion was already crowded even before the banquet. Every time the carriage arrived, one after another, the attendants lined up at the entrance greeted them one after another with colorful dresses and robes.
Soft music, the scent of flowers, and the curious gaze of the nobles who covered their faces with fans filled the banquet hall.
The wide door slowly opened, revealing Odelia and Allan.
The two of them were like a painting.
Odelia's ivory dress shone softly in the chandelier, and Allan's neat and elegant uniform perfectly supported her.
The sight of the two of them touching their fingertips slightly symbolized the 'perfect couple' in itself.
A few people around them exchanged glances behind the fan and whispered carefully.
"Those two... Talamand's new owner and wife, right?"
"They can't eat and live well like that in an abandoned territory. When I saw that face, it didn't make them suffer, but they shone even brighter."
"What? I heard Young Master Allan was a scoundrel... but why is the way he looks at his wife so sweet? Isn't he a total doting husband?"
Odelia tried to ignore the chatter, quietly grabbing Allan's arm and turning her gaze straight ahead.
In the distance, a woman with neatly tied silver hair slowly approached.
People's eyes naturally turned in that direction. It was the Grand Duchess.
She had a gentle and noble smile as usual. She opened her arms straight to Odelia and said softly, as if welcoming her own granddaughter, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
"The main character of this season has arrived."
"You are too kind. You are the true protagonist. Congratulations."
In an instant, the air in the banquet hall became warm. Holding the Grand Duchess in her arms, Odelia smiled brightly and hugged her slightly.
At the end of the short but deep hug, Odelia took a step back and politely bowed by gently putting her mouth on the back of the Grand Duchess's hand. At this sight, the Grand Duchess's eyes became even softer.
It was a smile of pride as she confirmed that the seeds she had planted had grown wonderfully.
"I heard that you haven't been feeling well for a few months."
Obelia spoke cautiously with a worried expression.
"I should have visited you earlier, but I apologize for not being able to. Are you feeling better now?"
"They are merely natural phenomena that an old person experiences as they grow old. Don't worry too much about it."
Her voice was still soft and flexible, but it bore a slight weight of time.
"Rather, it is more regrettable that I could not visit Talamand in person."
"It still needs much more development. I will definitely invite you once it is fully completed. As of now, it seems there is no time to accommodate someone as distinguished as you..."
The Grand Duchess smiled lightly and patted Odelia's hand.
"Unfortunately, I probably don't have much time left, so you'll have to hurry until then."
There was a strange sincerity in the words tossed out like a joke. Just then, the Grand Duchess's gaze turned to the man next to Odelia.
"And you are... that very Allan Bardo."
Allan smiled broadly and bent slightly at the waist.
"It is Allan Talamand now."
A playful smile spread across the corners of his mouth.
"Thanks to my wife, I was granted a new land, so I am living a new life."
Several nobles around the banquet hall held their breath. The Grand Duchess's eyes widened for a moment, then she chuckled as if finding it interesting.
"Hoho, you have quite the way with words. I like it."
Allan smiled slyly and gently lifted the back of the Grand Duchess's hand with one hand.
The nobles in the banquet hall held their breath in secret. Was the Grand Duchess’s expression as she welcomed the couple not far gentler than expected? The fact that the Grand Duchess was welcoming them was also intriguing to the nobles, most of whom were merely standing by to save face.
Just as their gazes were about to focus on the two of them, a sharp, tearing cry cut through the center of the banquet hall.
"Waaah!"
The air froze in an instant. The people in the banquet hall simultaneously turned their gaze toward the source of the sound. There stood Fabiana, holding a newborn baby wrapped in a dazzling silk cloth.
Fabiana, adorned with splendid jewels, looked as if she were holding a single expensive piece of jewelry, even though she was holding a child.
She didn't even give the child a single glance. Even when the child cried out, she didn't make an effort to soothe him.
Instead, she merely furrowed her brows slightly, glared, and signaled the attendant to take care of the child.
As the servant hurriedly approached and took the child, Fabiana smiled perfectly again, as if the crying from just moments ago had never happened.
And standing beside her was Calix, wearing a red cloak, with an indifferent expression.
His gaze pierced straight through not Fabiana, nor the child who could not stop crying, but the innermost part of the banquet hall.
As their eyes met, Odelia caught her breath for a moment. Her heart pounded a beat late.
‘...Calix.’
Odelia's fingertips trembled without her realizing it.
The whispers emanating from various parts of the banquet hall grew louder.
"That child is the Prince..."
Fabiana has really solidified her position.
"The child is crying like that..."
Odelia took a deep breath inwardly and struggled to push away all the sounds.
However, the sound of the baby crying still lingered in her ears, and Calix's gaze overlapped it.
"Ah, the Talamand lord, Baroness."
Fabiana's voice flowed softly, like fine silk. However, hidden beneath it was a sharp intention, like a shallow dagger.
"Have you been doing well? Since you are far from the Imperial Palace, I was worried that you might have suffered a great deal on your long journey."
On the surface, it sounded like a friendly greeting, but the true intention was obvious.
Fabiana wondered how Odelia would manage to survive in such a desolate frontier, but to think she could show her face at a banquet like this.
Before Odelia could even answer, Calix slowly opened his mouth.
"It seems my worries were unfounded. Talamand has changed brilliantly over the past season."
His voice was low and firm, changing the surrounding atmosphere in an instant. At the same time, Fabiana's eyes changed dramatically.
"Right now, it is comparable to any territory in the Empire. Of course, you would only know its true value by setting foot there yourself."
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