Dami was afraid of what might happen to Cecil. She was not the type to have light and shallow friendships with everyone. One of the only people she could trust and open her heart to was Cecil, who was very precious to her.

Now her childhood friend and long-time unrequited love, Kael, had already left so if she lost Cecil too…… Damia couldn’t breathe, just imagining it.

Fortunately, Noella didn’t notice Damia’s pale complexion and was busy wiping Leon’s chin full of leaking food. Without much thought, she took Damia’s words at face value and started to speak.

“Yeah, Cesare is smart and capable, so he’ll be okay. He’ll be right back home as soon as he finishes his work in Daeshin. There’s also a saying that no news is good news. Right?

“Ahahhahaha!””

Instead of Damia responding, Leon burst into crystal laughter in response. The child with blue eyes and blonde hair was as cute as an angel. So Dami was able to let go of her worries for a short moment.

“……….Yes, everything will be fine, Mother.”

Damia spit out insincere words and held back a sigh.

Noella was definitely a good person for a stepmother. Maybe she actually thought Damia as her family when it came down to it.

But Damia knew for certain that it wasn’t the case for Cesare. He obviously treated Damia as a woman, not a sister, so Damia was not about to consider him as family.

‘So I’ll choose Cecil.’

She felt sorry for her stepmother, Noella, but she was determined to stop Cesare by any means necessary.

For the sake of her friend Cecil, and for the future of Count Primula.

After dinner, Dami went up to her bedroom. In a familiar and cozy bedroom, her heart became calm.

The cool breeze of the summer night blew over the slightly open window. Damia, who was breathing in pleasantly, suddenly smelled a subtle lilac scent mixed with the wind.

‘That’s weird. It’s not the season for lilacs.’

Damia looked out the window into the garden but couldn’t see any lilacs either. But somewhere in her room, there was definitely a scent.

Damia’s eyes searched her room. Suddenly, she saw a bunch of dried lilac flowers hanging between the lovely canopy decorations by the bedside. It was a bouquet of flowers that she had somehow missed.

“This..….”

Damia frowned when she recalled the identity of the bouquet. It was a bouquet that Akkard gave her on the day he had first visited the mansion.

After receiving it, she put it down somewhere and completely forgot about it. But why is this bouquet hanging by her bedside? And so carefully dried?

As she wondered, Damia finally decided to call a maid and ask her. Fortunately, the maid in charge of Damia’s bedroom knew the answer.

“Oh, the bouquet was ordered by Mrs. Noella, so I put it back, miss.”

“Mother? Why?”

“Well, I don’t know… ..sorry.

The maid, who tilted her head as if she was puzzled, smiled awkwardly. While looking at this, Damia suddenly realized Noella’s thoughts. She dried the bouquet her adopted daughter received from the man with a girlish romantic attitude and brought it back to commemorate it. Perhaps she wanted it to remain a good memory for Damia.

She appreciated Noella’s thoughtfulness, but it made life difficult for her. Damia didn’t even want to see Akkard Valerian’s face. Considering that his face was probably the best in the whole kingdom or perhaps the best in the world was a testament to how much Damia’s mind had turned against him.

However, she couldn’t throw away the bouquet that Noella had prepared for her with so much care. Especially in front of the maid.

“Thank you for letting me know. You can go now.”

After sighing, Damia finally decided to ignore the bouquet. Just like when she turned away from Akkard in the hallway that day.

“Yes, miss. Have a good night.”

The servant girl who knew nothing left the room with a polite bow. Damia, who was left alone, lay on the bed with a throbbing head.

She was very exhausted from both Akkard Valerian and Cesare.