As soon as my healthy appearance has been revealed, the choice is now up to me.

With that, her mother’s eyes seemed to be sparkling.

But I can’t pick one of the people who haven’t even seen my face properly.

The guys at the party who was dragged by their parents to come along, disappears on the spot as soon as I move.

‘Those guys don’t even have the guts.’

Of course, if there was a guy who met my criteria, I would probably approach him first…

But I couldn’t even remember those guys now.

Because the moment I saw Jeff, the previous thoughts in my head was now completely gone.

“There was no one I liked.”

Her mother’s complexion darkened at her stern answer.

Her father, on the other hand, lifted his wary expression and showed a smile.

“If it’s our daughter, her eyes should be like that.”

Her mom criticized her dad, saying they shouldn’t take this matter easy so they rushed into an emergency meeting.

“I heard that the Imperial party is going to be held around this time, so why don’t we go there instead?”

“There are suitable guys there.”

I watch my parents’ out-of-the-box fight as I cut and eat the finest steak in front of me.

Dad, with a grim expression, was about to bring all the best grooms to me.

“Why not? The capital has the princes… Oh, I heard that the fifth prince was born this time, and many says he was very handsome.”

The baby who’s still sucking his thumb is handsome. Yeah right.

Her mother let out a bewildered expression while cutting her own steak.

“Do you think someone ten years younger would be suitable?”

“Then the 2nd and 3rd princes wouldn’t match Frill’s age at all.”

Mom added one more word to their ridiculous conversation with such a serious face.

“It came from the Empress, but it won’t be involved with the succession battle. Let’s think about this.”

I don’t think we should count the chicken before it even hatch?

Of course, there’s still a possibility that the little prince will fall in love with me first sight.

“First of all, Frill’s opinion is the most important. What kind of person do you like, Frill?”

Two pairs of eyes were fixed on me.

As I said, I like the modest and sly type, who loses during the day but a winner at night.

But now, there’s one more added.

‘A beautiful man……!!’

I decided to swallow the words that filled my throat for now.

For my poor father, who will search the whole empire day and night just to find that kind of person.

Also, for my mother who will cry when she sees such a father.

For that sake, she replied with a smile to her father, who would cut down a dragon if he couldn’t get a star.

“Someone like Father!”

Of course, the high-level wall of this daughter-fool father, which had been strengthened throughout his entire life, could not help but be crushed by his daughter.

Dad immediately held me with a mushy smile on his face.

Mom looked at me and Dad with worried eyes.

* * *

My parents had been very busy these days.

When I found the continental pass in their room, I was really surprised and almost pass out.

‘Are you really going to another empire just to find a marriage partner for me?’

Fortunately, my parents weren’t that irrational, and they said it was because of the trade.

Some of the fabrics that my mother showed me a while ago became a huge hit.

It was just the result of adding some touches from her past life, but her mother, who didn’t know about it, praised her until her mouth went dry.

Not only as a mother, but also as the head of Eustis, she can’t believe that these senses were from her ten-year-old daughter.

It was evident just by asking for my opinion every time a product came in.

This time again, my parents regretted that they had to leave me, but it was something for me to celebrate.

It means the workload in Eustis has increased.

Of course, if I could follow along, it would be of great help to my parents……

But my parents strongly didn’t encourage that, saying that the schedule was difficult to handle for a young child.

I had no choice but to follow that decision.

After seeing off my parents who left me with a kiss and proceeded to their procession towards Eustis, I hurried to the hideout.

As usual, my self-proclaimed ‘secret operation’ was carried out there.

In the sketchbook, several sheets of Jeff’s portraits were seated in a suit in various poses.

As I look at it, I suddenly wondered.

Where the hell is my muse?

Whenever my parents were away, I would often wander too look around for Jeff’s address.

It was not difficult because it was located close to the Atelier.

The Southern Eustis wasn’t too narrow, but it wasn’t a big city either.

It means that you can expect enough chances of accidental encounter.

But that kind of thing only happens in movies and TV shows, and that was the kind of luck that I didn’t have.

So, not long ago, I just stormed straight to his house.

It hurts my pride a little, but it was okay.

There are so many things you can get if you throw that away.

But the moment I entered the open door, I was greeted by the cool air.

The place was so bleak that it wouldn’t be strange to mistook it as a setting for a horror movie.

It was an abandoned house where there’s not a trace of warmth, let alone Jeff.

The address on the employment brochure was incorrect.

I even carry everyday the banknotes Jeff gave me just in case…

When I thought that we might never see each other again, a feeling of depression came over and I closed my sketchbook.

Why is the sound of the waves so heartbreaking today?

As we went outside, for some reason, Cayman looked at me with worried eyes.

After visiting Jeff’s house, Cayman showed up frequently in front of me.

He seems to forgot the basics of being an escort.

It is a fundamental for an escort not to show up unless their owner called for them, or if there’s any threat around their owner’s life.

As such, he played the role of a shadow, with his specialty of not standing out.

Long story short, this great man was wasting manpower here today.

Though I’m glad because of that…

As we got into the carriage, the horseshoes headed home as usual.

Seeing several shadows moving outside the window, it seemed that there were more knights shadowing me.

They will only be away for a month, but it seems that Dad added more escorts for me.

Well, it’s not bad. Rather, it actually felt nice.

I’ve never had a real family, so this kind of warmth has always been my dream.

In my previous life, I can only wish for this.

She struggled to escape from the shadow of her parents, whom all they passed down was poverty and violence upon her.

Love was considered a luxury for her, so she did not make friends either.

Because I’m full of work, I didn’t even had enough time to feel lonely.

But now I can clearly see it, how lonely I must’ve been back then.

People pass by quickly as I gaze at the scenery from the carriage window with a handful of thoughts.

As the carriage entered the alley, a familiar voice whispered past her ear.

“Let go of me!”

Wait a minute… No way?

“Stop the carriage.”

The carriage stopped and I hurriedly jumped down.

It gets darker and darker as I walked towards the place where the sound had come a while ago.

But I’m not scared.

After all, Cayman is chasing after me.

The moment I reached the end of the alley, it was indeed the place where the sound came from.

* * *

The ugliness of the young children who knows how to spit a fake laugh just to please the adults, was just revealed in front of me.

They always pick the weak-looking ones.

When caught by the crowd, they quickly became a prey, and preys can’t easily escape the fate of being a toy.

She hasn’t step foot in the social world yet, but she was familiar with this.

This is not something you have to experience to know.

‘Who must have been their victim today?’

That someone was probably a kid I knew… And I was right.

‘Jeff…!!’

The moment I saw Jeff, I was filled with mixed emotions.

I really want to know why he’s here, but I’m glad I found him anyway.

I wonder what I would have done if I hadn’t found him.

But……

Whatever it is, a group of people harassing one kid?

Their faces, when they turned their heads, were no doubt familiar.

They are the young masters in the portraits my mother brought for my prospective engagement, so how could I not know them.

These guys here couldn’t have known me either.

I didn’t expect to see people here who never showed their faces at my mother’s party.

I was lucky to have good parents, but nobles usually taught themselves that they’re above the law.

Their education was a rotten way of giving them the upper hand by any means.

Incorrect education is bound to make monsters.

The children in front of me were still ‘fledglings’, at the stage before they fully became monsters.

Even if they are all aristocrats, not all nobles are the same.

They were surprised to see me, a higher predator, so they unintentionally flinched.

The children with their heads down on the ground glanced at me.

“Young Lady…… of Brentio?”