Damia and Louise’s bad relationship had a very long history.

In the beginning, Louise didn’t like Cesare. Like Damia, her first love was Kael Roysten. If other vital facts were different, perhaps they could have been good friends sharing memories of having the same first unrequited love.

But Louise was spoiled, born with a gold spoon in her mouth; she was the famous daughter of Count Ferria and did not know nor what to share her things with others.

In her eyes, Damia, who had been close to Kael and his neighbor since childhood, was a thorn in her eyes.

So when Kael was 11 years old, Louise stole his favorite collection of exotic glass beads. Taking them as hostages, she demanded that he break his friendship with Damia. Whenever Kael refused, she broke the glass beads one by one in front of him.

Kael, a sensitive boy, was shocked by Louise’s brutality. After witnessing the scene, the Marquis came forward and protested to Louise’s parents to take care of their daughter properly. She was forced to stay away from Kael.

Since then, Kael who cherished his last remaining glass bead as treasure, gave it to Damia and in exchange took her heart.

‘But I never thought Louise’s next target would be Cesare.’

This was bound to be bad. Louise had always marked Damia as her rival. She even tried to steal her friend Cecil by forcing Cecil to visit her at her mansion.

‘Of course, Cecil hated it.’

Damia’s eyes fell to hide his displeasure. She was used to fending off Louise’s quarrels. She opened her mouth with a painted smile.

“I don’t know why you are taking out your anger on me, Miss Louise. I don’t know what you have heard, but it wasn’t because of me that my brother Cesare left the mansion.”

“It’s not because of you? You’re lying! Then what?”

Louise, with her arms crossed, glanced over Damie with a look of blatant distrust. Louise, a non-family member, had no right to demand this kind of thing; she didn’t understand proper boundaries.

Thanks to that, Damia became quite irritated. After staying out for two days in a row, she was pretty tired.

‘I want to go in and take a rest right away, but instead, I have to fight with Lousie because of Cesare?!’

“As you know, we, Count Primula, are in the business of replenishing the supplies necessary for temples. Brother Cesare was just following to see and learn in person from my father. Why is that because of me? I don’t know why you think it is because of me.”

Of course, Damia assumed all Louise had was speculation, with that premise in mind, she spoke her lie calmly as if this was true.

Louise looked at her with a slightly dubious face. She studied Damia’s elegant eyebrows, her shiny blue eyes, and from her well-shaped lips was a clear and firm voice.

Then, even Louise, who hated Damia, was shaken, becoming convinced of her lie.

“……But Cesare was very bad that day. He didn’t make it obvious— but I can tell! –I’ve always been watching Cesare.”

If you could easily understand him and his subtle cues, then why do you act like someone with tourette’s and ignore everyone else’s signals?

Louise, who was worried for a moment, bit her lips. She decided to take her favorite Cesare’s side and began to berate Damia.

“How the hell can Damia walk away with a new man so easily? Was it always like that? Thanks to that, the face of my brother who introduced Sir Akkard fell! I’m ashamed of you as a northern noblewoman.”

Damia dumbfounded, so she blankly looked at Louise for a moment.

I knew what I did that day was a pretty noticeable act. I knew the truth. Even I was surprised I had managed to leave the party with Akkard, the most famous person in the conservative northern society.

But I had no regrets.

Damia hoped that Cesare and Kael, who said, “Meet someone else quickly” knew this. And it was even better if other mean-hearted spirits who were ready to pounce on her heard it early and fell away.

But when Louise attacked her with a disrespectful tone, she grew irate. She didn’t really like Akkard, but she was strangely proud of herself.

“By the way, Miss Louise.”

Damia’s thread of patience had snapped, she laughed a little and asked back in a sweet tone, lowering her lashes.

“You were so envious of me?”

“…..I beg your pardon?”

Louise frowned as if she heard nonsense and couldn’t comprehend it.

However, Damia was the type that became stronger as she got angry. She smiled calmly despite Louise’s glares of contempt.

“What I did that night—it’s actually what you wanted to do that night— isn’t it? With my brother?”

***