“Carl.. Was the banquet until today?”

“..but your Majesty won’t allow it.”

“It’s my birthday party, but it doesn’t make sense for the person herself to be left out.””

Carl’s expression hardened at my question. The maid caught me and stopped me, but I was not the one to listen.

She had to go to the banquet today. Fortunately, the timing was right. It’s her birthday and the last banquet day.

Yeah, she might see him there.

“Get ready. I’m going now.”

“But Princess.”

“Do you want me to say it twice?”

The maid shook her head at the words. She got up from her seat, brought clothes to wear for the banquet, and left the room, saying she would bring in the maids.

Carl sat down and looked at her. His eyes looked exceptionally red today.

“Carl, what are you doing? Go and wait.”

“Do you have to go?”

“You are arrogant because I didn’t say much these days.”

Not only was it cold, but a frozen voice quietly rang in the room. She got up from her seat silently and stood in front of Carl, who stared at her.

Phat.

She raised her hand and slapped Carl. Without any resistance, his head turned sideways.

Her hands were throbbing again. A red scar remained on Carl’s cheek. She had been lying in bed for several days, so her nails were quite long, and blood dripped down his cheeks.

“Don’t be arrogant. You just have to follow me.”

Her heart has been trembling. The area around his eyes was invariably red, and he calmly accepted the smashing touch.

It was Carl who was hit, but when she saw him, it was more painful than that.

Don’t have any expectations or vague hopes. This is all she can do for Carl. May it be remembered as a bad memory and forgotten.

May he be happy to meet the person he loves.

“I’ll take your order.”

Carl bowed his head to her without shaking. He acted as if he knew his position well and that what he was worried about would not happen.

It was not until he left that he sighed.

The maids who came in immediately looked at her. She sat in a chair and nodded. At the touch of the maid, he left and she looked blankly in the mirror. Somehow, she felt like she lost more weight than she did in the beginning.

The blue dress was vaguely reflected by the light and sparkled every time it moved. The brightness kept drawing her attention.

Moreover, she liked it, not red. She wore light outerwear and came outside.

She headed to the banquet hall with Carl. As the place neared, exciting music came to her ears.

It was the first time she was in front of people since she became Mary.

“Carl, is Gray here?”

“He came every day.”

“Really?”

He must have been curious if she was dead. He’d be in trouble if she died even before he got engaged. She entered the banquet hall under Carl’s escort.

Everyone stopped being surprised by her who suddenly appeared. The young girls swallowed dry saliva and looked at her.

One by one, they greeted her politely. She just nodded and didn’t give a look. Her father looked at her and ran to her in one step and looked at her.

“Mary, are you okay?”

“It’s okay. A party without a main character. Isn’t it boring?”

“Yeah. It’s perfect for you to come. But you shouldn’t overdo it.”

Her father looked at her saying he was still worried. But he didn’t say anything else, perhaps because he knew her stubbornness.

He just asked Carl to keep an eye on her.

She sat down and looked away at the people. Oh, she saw the unlucky Gray over there. She pretended she didn’t see him and looked straight at another place.

She could see Gray approaching herself. She rolled her eyes quickly to find him.

“It’s over there.”

She quickly got up from her seat. Gray stopped walking because he thought she was coming.

She immediately approached the man tilting a glass of wine with a mean look at the banquet hall.

Neither her father nor Gray saw her. Passing through Gray, she stopped in front of Grand Duke Arthur Douglas.

Grand Duke Arthur looked at her and put down the wine glass. It wasn’t revealed on his face, but he looked a little embarrassed. He looked at her still, turning his expression back.

‘Grand Duke Arthur Douglas. This guy is perfect.’

The Grand Duke had his own land. He was powerful enough to be envied by others and to keep her father in check. Perhaps that’s why bad rumors continued to spread around him in the empire.

However, it was only a rumor and nothing was confirmed. The land he ruled was such a closed and secret place.

‘But not a single person has left the territory.’

She shouldn’t judge people just by the rumors, but she rather liked the rumor about him.

They seem to match each other well. There’s no need to find it from afar. In addition, she doesn’t think he’ll care about whether she dies or what she does, and she thinks it’ll be a clean relationship.