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On Elliot’s desk, the reply to the invitation he sent a while ago was piled up like a mountain. However, only one sheet with a golden seal was left alone in the middle. Daniel, who opened it, let go of his tense expression and smiled.
“To think that the main character of the ball would personally lead us all the way here.”
Or being caught in a trap. Daniel quietly added, placing a luxurious stationery in front of Elliot.
“With this, half of the operation is completed.”
The story about Elliot’s operation to stop the royal family’s shady plot to target a holy relic that did not exist was proceeding without a hitch. But even that did not reach his ears. On the letters spread out on the desk, instead of writing, a strange face floated.
What the hell was that woman? He was curious about her and just followed and observed her. But all he could see were things he never expected. A smile and hum that seemed to have melted in the warm spring sunlight, and emerald eyes looking at him through rain-soaked, trembling eyelashes. Why did something like this flicker in front of his eyes?
Elliot brushed his feverish face and sighed. It may be true that witches seduce people.
* * *
On a sunny day in June, something unexpected happened in the Grand Duke’s residence.
After the sudden death of the former Grand Duke and his wife, the ballroom of the Grand Duke’s family, which had never been used, was finally crowded with his guests for the first time in several years.
“Your Highness, they will be arriving soon.”
When the butler told him that the most ‘important’ guest had arrived in front of the mansion, Elliot and Daniel headed for the entrance of the mansion. Unlike the guests who passed them with excited faces, it seemed that war clouds were brewing between the two. After descending the magnificent white marble stairs and standing in front of a plaza with a large fountain, the two of them glared at the end of the garden where the carriage would soon appear. The voices of the guests poured out from the wide open windows of the ballroom not far away.
“My God, the Grand Duke is throwing a ball.”
She was just surprised.
“At least, it was too late.”
When other guests were talking, it meant the time to chat. The reason for the party was that the Grand Duke was looking for a suitable marriage partner.
She was sorry to the noble ladies gathered from all over the empire, but that’s a lie. The real reason for holding the ball, which had not been held well for safety, was elsewhere.
“Although this prom is just a trap for a more fundamental safety
”
Daniel stood next to Elliot and muttered something only he could hear.
“Let’s seriously look for a young lady to send a suit for.”
Then, Daniel said that he would recommend the daughter of the Duke of Monette, and recited the reasons one by one. It was a story that Elliot already knew.
“Don’t forget this is also a chance to put an end to the impure and inaccurate rumors about the witch.”
At that moment, Elliot’s heart felt uncomfortable.
Grand Duke Blaine and his nanny were secret lovers. That was the rumor.
He would never have thought that a beautiful witch wearing a nanny outfit that was not like a nanny and her whispers at New Year’s Eve would have caused such a misunderstanding in the social world.
“If the rumors settle, it will take a big blow to the wedding. So, on this occasion, you must clearly deny it in front of the nobles.”
“I know.”
After he cut off his words brusquely, Daniel glanced sideways at him and winked at him as if to look somewhere. He followed his gaze and saw a nanny standing in the middle of the garden overlooking the ballroom, shouting something. She seemed to be preparing a fireworks display for the night with the servants.
“During the party, you should stay away from witches as much as possible.”
“I will do it even if you don’t say it.”
Elliot wasn’t foolish enough to ruin his family’s future with unfounded rumors.
“Ah, the carriage is coming.”
But Elliot’s gaze was on the woman in the middle of the garden, not on the wagon slowly beginning to appear at the end of her garden.
“Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“Do I look that old?”
“Pardon?”
Daniel made a puzzled face at his sudden question.
“The day I first went to the witch’s hut to find her younger siblings
”
The witch said this to him.
“Are you the father of the children?”
To be called their father
 Did he look that old? He asked again, and Daniel answered only after staring at him for a long time with his eyes narrowed.
“At that time, you looked a few years older than me. You always frowned fiercely, and couldn’t eat or sleep, so it was hard to see with his eyes open.”
“Was I hard to see with your eyes open?”
Daniel put an end to the ominous conversation by glaring suspiciously at Elliot.
“Since it’s not now, you should be able to easily arrange marriage talks with the young ladies. It annoys me to say these things out of my mouth, but it’s true that you’re annoyingly handsome.”
As soon as Daniel briefly returned from being the captain of the guards to being a friend, a splendid and huge carriage stopped in front of the two of them. The butler approached and opened the door, and the most important guest of the day, whom the two had been waiting for, appeared.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, it’s an honor to have you here in this distant place. You make my party shine.”
Elliot greeted him formally, and Gerald got out of the carriage and smiled, raising the tip of his chin arrogantly.
“Grand Duke, I came a long way for you in one month. Isn’t it said that a family living farther away is a better family?”
The proverb wasn’t like that and did not mean that. Gerald said something nonsensical and turned around triumphantly as if to take a good look at the thick book slung by his side.
It was a philosophical book. He heard that a small commotion at the New Year’s banquet spread to the rumor that the Crown Prince was an idiot, and these days, whenever nobles gather, they wear difficult books and talk about what they have memorized. The more he did, the more he ended up throwing firewood at rumors himself.
“Everyone is waiting for Your Highness.”
Elliot led Gerald to the ballroom, recalling a maxim appropriate to the moment.
Since a stupid enemy is like an ally. His stupid foe has finally walked into the trap.
June was the right time for trapping. The prince must have forgotten what he told the witch about the holy relic last January. In other words, this party was an operation to root out raids that were taking place because of a sacred object that did not exist.
* * *
“Ah, it’s time to have dinner.”
Shee was completely distracted after watching the installation of only bringing the magic powder for the fireworks to the servants. It was when she hurriedly entered the mansion to feed the children.
“Witch, stand there.”
She was about to climb the stairs when someone called her in a stern tone. She turned around and saw a group of aristocratic ladies who looked like Cinderella’s stepsisters, arms crossed, looking at her disapprovingly.
“Did you say your name was Hazel?”
“By the way.”
The tall woman in the front winked at the skinny woman on the edge of hers.
“Here, Edna is a saint, so you better not mess with us.”
Cinderella Stepsister canceled. Now that she saw them, they looked like scary older sisters stealing money from back alleys.
“What are you doing?”
Since she was the Grand Duke’s guest, she felt confident to do it for the moment and asked. Then, a large woman suddenly shouted and rebuked her.
“Wicked witch, I don’t know what you’re up to, but you dare approach the Grand Duke.”
“Yes?”
“A witch cannot be a Grand Duchess.”
“Yes?”
Someone helped, and someone else whispered a little.
“That position belongs to Miss Bella of the Duke of Monette.”
At that moment, all the young ladies nodded. In the middle of the group, only a blonde beauty stood tall like a white rose, shyly covering her face with a fan.
‘Is that lady Bella from the Duke of Monette? She is pretty.’
What would it look like to draw the personification of innocence? If she had been asked to draw a princess who was repeatedly kidnapped by villains in fairy tales, she would have drawn someone like that young lady.
While she was admiring her, the young ladies around her began to get even more energetic.
“So don’t even dream of becoming the Grand Duchess.”
“Don’t do that.”
The daughter of the Monette family whispered quietly from behind the fan.
“Ms. Bella is too generous. But we are worried. Won’t you use a love potion to deceive the Grand Duke?”
What were they talking about?
“You seem to be misunderstanding, but I have never approached Your Highness, nor have I ever tried to become a Grand Duchess?”
The slander must also have a basis.
“During the New Year’s banquet, it wasn’t enough to get close to the Grand Duke, so you whispered in his ear desperately, even though everyone watched him, are you ready to pretend?”
“Ah, that’s just because I liked the food Your Highness was eating, so I tried to steal it, right?”
“Ugh, gross.”
“I feel sorry for the girls who don’t know the fantastic taste of giblets.”
The big girl, who was staring at her with disgusting eyes, suddenly pointed at her and shouted.
“And those clothes! The clothes are the problem.”
She looked down at her clothes. An emerald dress with frills and lace and a white apron

“How dare you?”
“How dare a nanny wear the clothes of a rich girl!”
“Your Highness bought this for me.”
At that moment, the girls opened their mouths wide in amazement.
‘My God! Here it is, here! There are so many people whose Highness needs to keep their mouths shut while shouting the rules!’
In the middle of it, the face of a young lady named Bella was turning pale.
“Uh, wherever your plan is, how do you dare, witch?”
The big lady was still pointing at her, stuttering like a broken robot. But why was it her fault again?
“But if you misunderstood because Your Highness bought me expensive and pretty clothes, shouldn’t you be arguing with Your Highness? It means that Your Highness has feelings for me, not me having feelings for him.”
At that moment, Miss Bella’s face went from pale to contemplative. As if the noble lady would pass out.
“Actually, this dress is just a misunderstanding of the order by the head maid. Isn’t it pretty? Haha.”
She gave her own explanation, left the seat, and looked back.
“Oh, and pointing is bad.”
The moment she snapped her hand, the finger that was pointing at her sharpened.