When My Enemies Began to Regret

Cecil was a maid who always did her job neatly. She tied her hair when her master told her to, even put on gloves if her master commanded her. However, it didn’t mean she should bite more than she could chew.

“You don’t have to change it.”

Fanora remained consistent with her attitude that as if she had nothing to do with her, then Cecil took out a few words more carefully.

“It’s Lady’s birthday banquet, but I don’t think Lady seems happy.”

She almost immediately responded to her words.

Fortunately, her screw wasn’t loose enough to spit out what she thought.

“It’s just… I’m nervous because I’m not used to the banquets.”

She gave a plausible excuse and got up from her seat.

Today, as usual, Fanora was a quiet master who neither criticized nor praised her servants.

“Lady.”

But only Cecil’s behavior was different from my daily routine. Her dedicated maid spoke carefully as if she had to burst out what she had been holding back in silence.

“Lady look so beautiful today.”

“…”

Cecil widened her eyes and tensed as if she had made a big mistake. In contrast, Fanora only nodded with an expressionless face.

Fanora came out of her room with a familiar sound of hinges and went down the stairs to avoid being late for her birthday banquet in the garden.  At the same time, when she found a silver mirror among the numerous ornaments in the hallway, she looked sideways at it. Fanora looked the same as before. But she was starting to like the dress a little bit, which seemed to be ridiculous.

Fanora hurried her steps past the mirror. Her brief thoughts didn’t last long.

* * *

Fanora eventually arrived at the banquet hall in the garden. It was only a simple banquet, unlike her younger brother’s birthday, which they prepare grandly every winter.

But something was more surprising than the size of her birthday banquet.

“Butler, is there a separate list of guests attending?”

“Ah, Lady Fanora, you’re here. If that’s the case, here…”

“Let me see it for a moment.”

Clearly, Fanora’s birthday banquet was a modest event featuring a few young ladies and young esteemed sons from the Count family and a few vassals of Count Celsius. It was because her parents didn’t put much effort into inviting the guests. However…

“Are all these people really coming?”

“They are already filling the guest seats. The banquet will begin shortly, so please wait while chatting with them.”

The list of participants this time was different. Not only Aloken Jalier was participating, but there were quite a few key figures which she had heard of their name in society.

It wasn’t difficult to guess why this could happen. But the real tiring thing would start from now on.

“Thank you all for attending the birthday banquet of Lady Fanora Celsius. Before the banquet begins, there’s an important announcement…”

At Fanora’s birthday banquet, it would be announced that she would become Aloken’s fiancée. So, all the people were flocked to the little Duke. Even though the performance of the banquet started, his side was so crowded.

Fanora skillfully greeted people with good grace. However, as she was surrounded by fake laughter, she felt tired.

“I’ve been really curious about your face since Lady has never accepted the invitation to my tea party. I was amazed that you were so beautiful in person!”

“After all, Lady is Count Bael Celsius’s daughter. Even at such a young age, you’re already elegant…”

Fanora was tormented by their compliments and tried to get out of her seat with the excuse to eat.

“Ouch.”

“Where are you going? You have to see your fiancé’s face.”

But then, as soon as Fanora left the crowd, someone grabbed her waist. Contrary to his cultured way of speaking, he was a person who didn’t show consideration for others.

“…Lord Aloken.”

“Let’s skip the honorifics. This is my last piece of advice.”

Aloken Jalier. He appeared in a coat of the same color as the green dress Fanora was wearing. Even from a hundred steps away, they looked like a couple. 

“The banquet is smaller than I thought. If I knew this would happen, I would hold it at my villa.”

“It’s a virtue to prepare a birthday celebration at home without getting helped by someone else.”

“You’ve never had a celebration like that in the past 15 years, but to draw a line like that…”

At those words, Fanora was slightly surprised. “Did you do a background check on me?”

Aloken responded with a calm look contrary to her, “A background check… I think it’s natural to wonder what kind of person my fiancée is like.”

“Even you already said that you don’t have any interest in me…”

“To be honest, I did dig a little bit to see if there was anything harmful. But the results were meaningless.”

He turned his gaze away, touching the tip of his cane with his index finger. The voice that came out afterward was so small that it could easily be buried in the laughter of party-goers.

“The abandoned daughter of house Celsius named Fanora. There was testimony that she was a little strange lady. I can understand why those rumors were going around.”

“…”

“Your debutante is right around the corner, so your first birthday party is to announce your survival. Besides, Hanar Celsius acted like all she had to do was reap even though your fiancé suddenly changed. But as long as I will be the Duke, everything will be fine.”

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“I like you because you’re being despised by your family at home.”

Aloken’s expression changed when Fanora looked at him, who was wary that her partner had begun to dig up her family affairs.

“I’m relieved to know that the Celsius family is not behind you. Betrayal is possible only with power.” 

“Are you saying you like me? Because I don’t have any power?”

Aloken, who leaned lightly with his weight on his cane, loosened his cold expression and raised the corners of his lips. “Normally, you have compassion for people who are like you. You’re not the only one in this world who has a family like that.”

“…”

At Aloken’s meaningful words, Fanora looked into his eyes for a moment. But her action didn’t last long. Because a familiar voice called for her.

“Lady Fanora!”

“!”

Red hair like a burning flame, and likewise red eyes. A boy with an innocent smile that didn’t suit the thin ice of the social world ran over here.

“Is that…Carl Andras?”

“…”

“Did you two know each other, Fanora?”

Fanorar tilted her head as she saw the guest’s face who appeared out of nowhere. 

“Lady Fanora, happy birthday!”

“Thank you.”

“This is a birthday present. I bought a parasol because your skin looks so pale, but I don’t know if you will like it or not.”

The already noisy banquet hall became even noisier. The third son of the Andras family. In the future… No, we don’t have to go in a few years later, even now, a man called a beast and a jerk appeared in front of her. Fanora wasn’t too taken aback by his appearance, but her doubts remained, so she asked a few questions.

“I don’t think my mother would have sent an invitation to the Marquis family. How did you get here?”

“The invitation? I received it. It was me who said that I wanted to come first.”

“Did you know it was my birthday?”

“Ah, that’s it. That…”

Carl Andras was wearing a red overcoat as if to represent his family today. Despite the intense color, his behavior was modest.

“I’m worried that Lady Fanora might have forgotten about our promise since you hadn’t contacted me. I’ve been looking into what Lady had been up to lately, but when I heard you were having a birthday banquet…”

So what this boy tried to say was that she had left him alone, so he came by himself to her.

In fact, Fanora was deliberately taking time for it slowly. It was because she watched how he would come out in a situation where Shuteri died after dueling with him and how he took responsibility for it. But she didn’t expect him to visit her in person. The timing was bad too.

“…promise? Are the two of you close enough to even make a promise with each other?”

“Lord Aloken, that’s…”

“As far as I know, there is no relationship between Celsius and Andras’ family.”

Fanora’s fiancé, Aloken Jalier, stood by her side. It emotionally didn’t matter because their contract would break later anyway. But the useless doubts coming from Aloken were very cumbersome. 

Fanora recalled the fear she had felt before. A cold sweat burst out of fear that everything would be revealed. It would be strange if she came to him now and shut Carl’s mouth or urgently sent him back.

“How did you two become friends?”

“Ah, about that.”

However, the words followed by Carl were unexpected. “Because we love animals! We got to know each other while talking about dogs before.”

“Dogs…?”

“Yes. Maybe one day we will join an animal rights group together. Ah! I said that next time I would show her my family head’s horse as well. Our promise was to come to my family to see the horses.”

Carl Andras, surprisingly, was able to lie skillfully with such an innocent face.

“Will Lord join us to come to my house and see the horses too? If Lord sparring with me just once, you can get the horse for free.”

“N-No. I’m busy with my schedule these days. Right? Lady Celsius also knows about it.”

“Yes?”

It was good that the topic of conversation changed naturally, like flowing water, but Aloken’s reaction was strange. It was as if he hated Carl’s invitation.

“Yes, well, he must be busy. He’s gonna have to deal with his work…” Fanora calmly helped Aloken, then continued her words with courtesy. “Carl Andras, I will make an appointment with you soon. I will call you after today’s banquet, so please wait. Actually, I’ve been busy preparing for my birthday banquet these days.”

“I understand.”

Fortunately, the encounter with Carl did not last long. When Fanora explained the future schedule roundabout, Carl got away from there by himself.

After taking revenge on Shuteri, Fanora didn’t communicate with Carl Andras. It was an act of concern that some evidence would be left that could blame her. Now, the case where the apprentice knight has been neatly closed, she thought she should contact him slowly.

“Do you like animals?” Soon, Aloken, watching Carl move away, asked that question.

Fanora nodded her head roughly. “Yes, I liked them.”

It wasn’t a lie. I loved insects, and insects also belonged to animals.