The end of the party was wretched and miserable.

In the end, I couldn’t find Nine, and I became the lady of a ducal household who came as a pair but left alone after losing her partner.

The one fortune was that the marriage announcement was upturned.

However, this was not because of my actions or because they decided to take my opinions into consideration. It was because Ian had fallen in love with Yuri. It seemed he was enough of a trash to announce his marriage after having fallen in love with another woman.

No, he was always shitty towards Melissa in particular. Even then, he was the sweet character within the novel.

In any case, it went just the way Ian wanted it to. It felt as if all my effort had been turned fruitless. I became dejected.

‘Still…… Since it’s going the direction of the novel, if I wait just over half a year, Ian would start talking about breaking up the engagement.’

If I agreed pleasantly then, that was the end of that. That is, if I don’t become so irritated that I crack open Ian’s head within that long period. Then, let’s push back the request for breaking up.

I let out a deep sigh and threw my body onto the sofa. Right now, I didn’t feel like doing anything.

When I thought of Nine, I concurrently thought of Cinderella who fled, leaving behind a shoe, and I felt like I was becoming the grimy prince who went around the entire country looking for the owner of the shoe, or like an ex-boyfriend who kept hanging on and asking for the reason why, so I decided to quit thinking about him.

Of course, I cursed. How dare he pay kindness with humiliation.

“Let’s see if I ever trust men a second time…….”

I muttered as I hugged my head.

Yona’s mocking giggling could be heard so I lifted my head to glare at Yona with not just any stony face, but a fucking stony face.

“……Irritating.”

At last I started to punch the sofa cushions.

***

Nine stopped his breath.

He didn’t imagine that ‘they’ would appear at the parties held by humans. If ‘they’ found him then he feared the lady who held his hand would fall into danger, so he had hurriedly run away.

The lady’s face wavered in front of him, but Nine gritted his teeth and threw his body towards a sanctuary. First, let’s escape their sights. Then, he’ll go back to ask for an apology.

However, fate was never by Nine’s side.

Nine glared at the familiar dark shadows that blocked his path.

“Wow, look who this is.”

The mocking voice. It was tiresome, but the dangerous growling made Nine’s hairs stand on end.

“Isn’t it that blue guy?”

The red eyes shone.

He gave a full-toothed smile that showed off the sharp canines.

“Why aren’t you dead and still crawling on the floor, Nine Forton.”

As the hateful last name was heard, Nine squeezed his eyes tight.

Just like last time, he had to flee with all his power. That way he won’t die.

The sound of sharp claws breaking Nine’s air could be heard.

“….y! Milady!”

I rested my chin on my arm and looked outside of the window.

“Sigh……. Milady, please come to your senses!”

Slap

Only after tasting the bitter taste of Martha’s slap as she smashed her hand into her back, did I come back to my senses and looked at Martha who was sitting next to me.

“Oh my! …….Martha? When did you arrive? No, before that I’m already a lady who is eighteen but is it alright for you to smash my back.”

“I’ve been calling milady before I hit you, you know? What have you been thinking that you’d just stare blankly into the air?”

Like the nanny who’s taken care of me, Martha leisurely interrupted my sentence. My nanny Martha who had rushed over at the news of my marriage announcement had received permission from the Duke to reside at the Fordebrandt Estate for the moment.

I giggled and awkwardly scratched my cheek.

“That’s…….”

“Oh, is it because his Highness, the Crown Prince, didn’t announce the marriage earlier? I suppose that’s possible as milady must have been very expectant. I was a little disappointed as well but please perk up. I’m sure he’ll find a date to announce the marriage soon.