Diana sat on the outdoor terrace and sipped the fragrant black tea. Then she thought about the man she had just seen.

‘His name was Aser? He definitely said there was an item he needed to retrieve.’

There was some kind of contract formed between the two that Diana was unaware of. And what the Duke demanded in this deal was to be her guardian during her study abroad period.

Study abroad? In her past life, he was someone who tried to sell his pregnant daughter to a man from the Eastern Continent.

He had no problem telling her to leave without any explanation before, so why was he suddenly concerned now?

It made her uncomfortable when her father acted like a proper father.

Why was he trying to clear his conscience this way after being ready to abandon her without any qualms? Why? Could it be that he was really doing this for her sake?

Just then, there was a knocking sound outside the door from a maid.

“Young lady, Sir Aser has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

The door opened and a dashing man appeared through it. The sound of his footsteps approached and soon the man came close to the tea table.

“I apologize for the wait. May I join you?”

“Of course. Please have a seat.”

He smiled while scrutinizing her innocent face. Looking at him again, his appearance was not bad either.

Even though he seemed ordinary, his sharp, upturned eyes and innocent-looking pupils were not common.

‘He has excellent features.’

Diana put down her cup and spoke.

“There are a few things I’d like to ask.”

“Go ahead. I will answer faithfully.”

“First, I’m curious about the details of the contract you made with my father. What kind of deal did you make to become my guardian… I’d like to know.”

He gently rubbed the handle of the teacup with his fingers and grinned.

“Let me first correct the term guardian. I am not your guardian. You should know that a debutante partner is a fiancé.”

“But my father said guardian…”

“It’s just a foolish provocation. Isn’t he trying to get what he wants by provoking me? He probably wants me, his proxy, to bow down to him.”

“So this engagement is an exchange between families under the pretext of marriage. Is that what you mean?”

“Something like that. Although what I want to gain is a bit different.”

‘Of course it is.’

Diana nodded her head in dismay and asked.

“You’re referring to the item you want to retrieve, right?”

He leisurely leaned his upper body forward and lifted the corners of his mouth.

“That’s right. That item is a family heirloom.”

“A family heirloom? How did my father come to possess such an important item…”

“I’d say it was taken from me. If you bring the heirloom, I have no choice but to accept you as my bride.”

“Oh my… So it was an engagement you didn’t want either? I had no idea.”

“At first, yes. But not anymore.”

Aser deeply leaned his upper body forward and whispered close to Diana’s ear.

“I’m fond of you. Sincerely.”

His low and sticky voice tickled her hair. Diana was startled and jumped up from her chair.

‘What the! What’s with this man!’

It was the first time she had experienced such aggressive flirting. Rather than a ticklish and affectionate feeling, a creepy sensation swept through her whole body.

Diana held her ear and glared at Aser.

‘He likes me after only meeting for a day? How shallow can he be?’

While Diana turned red and huffed in anger, Aser bit his lip tightly to hold back his laughter.

‘Ah… This is fun. It’s been so long since I’ve met such an amusing woman.’

Aser had been bowing his head deeply and shaking his shoulders, but he finally lifted his head and met Diana’s eyes.

She was trying hard to calm down. The way she clenched her hands to her chest and gritted her teeth was just like an angry puppy.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

To think the Duke’s daughter was this cute. If he had known, he would have come to get her much sooner.

The face of the noblewoman who had arrogantly lifted her nose to prove she was a suitable match for him flashed through his mind.

It had been a really long time since he had seen such an innocent reaction.

‘I definitely need to make her my bride.’

About a week had passed since then.

Diana looked at the man standing next to her after successfully completing her debutante.

The man who had captured everyone’s attention offered her one of his arms and soon bowed.

“You are beautiful.”

‘Please, just stop already…’

Diana had not the slightest thought of leaving for the Eastern Continent with Aser.

The contract between her father and Aser only had value when she was the offspring of an influential family.

‘If our family falls into ruin, my very existence will become a burden to Aser. He may escort me to the empire or in the worst case, he may even kill me.’

There was no way she could live like that.

Whether he knew Diana’s feelings or not, Aser had other thoughts.

‘She’s like a duck.’

He could have compared her to a swan, but he likened her to a more foolish animal.

With her hair tied up to reveal the nape of her neck and wearing a debutante dress, she shone brightly even from a distance.

The square neck dress that exposed her white neckline, the diamond-carved hair ornament, and even the white gloves. She looked like an angel descended from heaven.

However, despite this perfect appearance, her actions were clumsy.

‘She can’t blend in.’

She often staggered in her high heels and frequently flailed her hands, not knowing when to join or leave a conversation.

In crude terms, she looked clueless.

In fact, Diana was currently walking while leaning on Aser’s arm, completely drained of energy.

‘I don’t know how to behave in crowded places. I wanted to hide in a corner as much as possible and then come out, but I ended up dancing three times.’

Aser never left Diana alone for a moment.

When they were spinning around on the center stage, her head felt dizzy from the flashy snaps, almost to the point of nausea.

And that’s not all? He was so incredibly popular!

Diana glared at the dazzling Aser resentfully and pouted her lips.

‘Ridiculous appearance-obsessed people! They say black hair is ominous, but why do they call it mysterious on Aser?’

She was unaware that Aser was a nine-tailed fox and could thus enchant the opposite sex.

She was just bitter that this popular man was her fiancé.

Until just now, she had to endure the glares from countless young ladies and noblewomen.

They all glared at her so sharply that sweat trickled down her back.

The debutante was supposed to be an event for young ladies, but this man didn’t care at all about the status of his fiancée. Instead, he drew people’s attention and dragged Diana around everywhere.

The modest man she had seen in the drawing room was gone, and he was nothing but a fox.

He flashed such coy smiles that she wanted to pin the corners of his eyes with clothespins.

‘I’m tired… So very tired… Why did I even attend this…’

Right. It was because of her father’s whim.

Diana let out a silent scream at the Duke in her imagination, then slowly left the ballroom.

She heard Aser following her out.

“You can stay longer. I’m tired, so I’m going to the powder room.”

“The official schedule is over, so let’s leave now. I came here to spend time with you, so it would be troublesome if the main character disappears.”

‘…You’re the main character, I suppose. You were having a great time until now, and now you’re trying to take care of me.’

His very existence was the talk of the town. This man was the de facto manager of the most lucrative Eastern Continent trade business these days.

Just based on his qualifications, he was the top candidate for a groom, and with his handsome appearance on top of that, who wouldn’t covet him? Even knowing he had a fiancée, noblewomen pushed their daughters toward Aser.

Every time, Diana, who stood next to him, had to bear unwarranted resentment.

There was a clear disdain in the way they looked her up and down.

‘Our daughter is much better, isn’t she?’

She wanted to stretch their smirking lips like flour dough. Pulling them until they ripped apart!

Diana ground her teeth as she glared at Aser.

‘This is ridiculous! What’s wrong with me! It’s the problem that this man is unnecessarily too good, not that I’m lacking! In the first place, what kind of attitude is this when you have a fiancée? Did everyone leave their manners at home?’

Aser, who had been looking down at the huffing Diana, pulled his arm to close the distance between them.

Diana, who had been hanging onto his arm, staggered and bumped her head against his firm arm.

“What, what is it? You startled me by pulling suddenly.”

Following Aser’s gaze, she turned her head and saw the carriage that had come to pick them up.

“Oh, the carriage… I didn’t see it. Let’s get in quickly!”

As Aser escorted Diana, he said,

“Let’s go a bit later today. Do you like the opera?”

Opera?

The opera house located in the capital was bustling with well-dressed people.

“Wait a moment… I don’t think we should go in with these outfits.”

Aser covered Diana’s flashy dress, which could look too classic and potentially outdated, with his jacket.

“Is this good enough?”

“Ah… Yes.”

The jacket draped over her shoulders smelled of ink and paper. He must have come straight from work before meeting her.

The two headed to the balcony seats of the opera house.

As if it was a planned date from the beginning, there was even an opera glass inside the jacket. Diana became immersed in the performance as she listened to the man’s explanations.

The opera began from the point where a fallen nobleman who had lost his title and estate became the leader of a group of bandits.

Since the opera did not kindly explain the content, Aser, who leaned his body, continuously explained the progress of the story.

Thanks to the curtain drawn at the back, only the two of them were in the balcony seats.

“The sound of the horn trumpet is tragic.”

Diana chewed her lips, absorbed in the male protagonist of the story.

Just as love was about to be fulfilled, the trumpet of promise sounded, and the male protagonist made an extreme choice.

She pouted her lips as if she was about to cry. Aser tightly held back his laughter, finding her reaction adorable.

“What is it? Why are you laughing…”

“You caught me. I thought I hid it well.”

Diana turned her head to look at Aser. He was shaking his shoulders while leaning his body towards her.

No matter how she thought about it, giggling while watching a tragic work was not normal.

The laughter subsided, and it seemed like the playfulness was over. But Aser, unable to come to his senses, grabbed Diana’s cheek and stretched it.

“What the! Are you crazy?”

“There’s no fat on your cheeks, but how do they stretch so well?”

“Let go of me!”

“Let go? I refuse. It’s the privilege of a fiancé.”

“I don’t acknowledge that! Let go, you crazy man!”

“There’s no need for you to acknowledge it. I’ll make you acknowledge it soon enough.”

This man had not an ounce of courtesy! Raoul always treats her preciously! Diana recalled the large hands that fidgeted restlessly in front of her.

She missed the pure and trembling touch and the kind eyes that tried to approach her but hesitated even more today.

“Get away from me!”

And even at this point, Diana had no idea.

Just how incredibly popular this man was.

“What is this?”

The next day, Diana woke up in the capital residence and trembled in shock.

The image of the two sitting face to face in the balcony seat, watching the opera, was prominently featured on the front page of the newspaper!