The familiar voice greeting me was unexpected.
I turned my head—and was instantly met with a face I hadn’t anticipated.
“Ah…”
I unconsciously raised my hand, caught somewhere between surprise and hesitation.
Before I could do anything with it, Raynan reached out and took it, as if refusing to acknowledge the woman before us.
Without sparing her a glance, he turned and started leading me away.
But she stepped in front of us, blocking our path with a smile.
“You’ve certainly been at the center of attention lately. It’s even more delightful to see you here.”
“Ah… It’s nice to see you too.”
Before I could even finish my polite greeting, Raynan yanked my hand out of her grasp.
“You’re still as rude as ever, Bella Kraus.”
“And you’re as charming as ever, Grand Duke.” She smiled sweetly. “But I’m not here for you—I wanted to greet your lovely fiancée.”
She made her intentions very clear, stepping closer to me instead.
Of course, Raynan wasn’t about to let that happen.
He immediately moved in front of me, blocking her advance.
For a moment, Bella’s expression hardened, but she quickly recovered, plastering on another dazzling smile.
“You must be so fond of her,” she mused. “But you, of all people, should know that making your affections this obvious is… unwise.”
“You must have a lot of free time,” Raynan replied smoothly. “I didn’t think you’d have the luxury of standing around here.”
For the first time, Bella’s mask cracked.
Her smile vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp look.
“Oh, but you certainly made sure my family had plenty of free time—after suddenly cutting off all trade with us,” she said icily. “And now, here you are, engaged to a mere maid?”
…Wait, what?
I blinked in confusion, struggling to follow the conversation.
I tilted my head slightly, just enough to get a clearer view of Bella’s face.
Now that Raynan wasn’t entirely blocking my sight, I could see her expression clearly.
“Because of some lowly maid, I’ve been made a fool.”
Some lowly maid?
I wasn’t sure which was worse—the fact that she had said it in front of me or the way she had said it so effortlessly, as if it wasn’t even an insult but a fact.
Of course, I wasn’t about to argue with her.
Instead, I settled for the smallest act of defiance—I pursed my lips in irritation.
Bella smirked, her sharp eyes locked onto mine.
Her gaze was mocking, almost predatory.
And I knew—if I looked away now, she’d take it as victory.
“Stop staring,” Raynan said.
Bella scoffed.
“How sweet.”
“When did you start attending street festivals, Bella?” Raynan’s voice remained calm, but his words were cutting. “Don’t start something you can’t handle. Walk away—unless you want to be humiliated further.”
“And when did you start enjoying festivals?” she shot back. “You barely tolerate noble gatherings, let alone this.”
Neither of them were backing down.
The tension between them was thick, sharp—so much so that the people nearby were starting to notice.
And yet, the two continued glaring at each other.
So, before the moment could spiral further, I blurted out,
“Then why don’t we just explore together?”
Both Raynan and Bella snapped their heads toward me.
The sheer bewilderment on their faces was almost comical.
I didn’t even have time to feel awkward under their stares—I had to keep talking before the air turned suffocating again.
“I mean, we already ran into each other. No doubt rumors will spread about this anyway.”
“And?” Bella arched a brow.
Raynan looked like he was seconds away from saying something sharp, so I cut in quickly.
“So why not just… make it a friendly outing? It’d be better for both of you.”
Bella’s lips curled into a smirk.
Oh?
I didn’t need her to say it.
Her expression said everything.
“So this is how she reeled Raynan in? Interesting. I wonder what other tricks she has.”
She wasn’t even trying to hide her disdain.
It felt like she was watching a trained monkey perform—waiting to see what else I could do.
Her arrogance was infuriating.
She truly didn’t think I was worth anything.
Of course, from her perspective, it made sense.
She had been a candidate for Raynan’s fiancée.
And yet, instead of her, it was me—someone she clearly saw as beneath her—who stood by his side.
I understood her resentment.
But understanding didn’t mean I liked being treated like dirt.
For a brief moment, I considered matching her attitude—giving her the same cold, mocking treatment.
But no.
I had spent far too much time around Raynan.
I had learned how to maintain a pleasant, unwavering mask.
So instead, I smiled.
Brightly.
Purely.
As if I didn’t understand anything.
Bella hesitated—just for a second.
But then, she let out a dry laugh, shaking her head as if I were pathetic.
“Alright then. Why not?”
“Absolutely not,” Raynan cut in, his voice firm. “She’d only be a nuisance.”
Bella twitched.
For the first time, real anger flickered across her face.
I swallowed.
This wasn’t going anywhere.
Neither of them planned to leave.
Neither of them planned to back down.
And the longer they stood here, the higher the chance someone would recognize them.
“Well, Amelia and Roman have been with us this whole time,” I pointed out. “So having one more person wouldn’t hurt, right?”
I had meant it as an easy, reasonable suggestion.
But the moment the words left my mouth, Raynan smirked—and Bella scowled.
This…
This was going to be a long night.
…What is going on?
Raynan was shaking with laughter.
Amelia was barely holding it in, her hands pressed against her mouth.
And Roman… Even the ever-serious Roman had turned his head away, shoulders trembling slightly.
What exactly did I say to cause this?
I stood frozen, staring blankly at the group of people now openly laughing at my expense.
“Uh…?”
“Ah… Seriously…”
Raynan wiped at the corner of his eye, his voice still unsteady with amusement.
“Together with Amelia and Roman,” he muttered under his breath.
Oh.
Oh…
So that’s what this is about.
They’re laughing at what I said earlier.
When I suggested that having Bella join us wouldn’t be much different from having Amelia and Roman around.
…I did say that, didn’t I?
I did compare those three.
Bella—who was fuming with rage just moments ago.
Amelia—who was currently gasping for air from laughing too hard.
And Roman—who now seemed to be actively avoiding my gaze, as if embarrassed on my behalf.
The moment I realized, my shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Was it that funny?” I muttered, looking up at Raynan.
He didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he smirked, that same irritatingly amused expression still playing on his lips.
“Very.”
His voice was steady now, but the laughter still hadn’t left his eyes.
It was almost maddening.
I sighed, glancing over at Amelia, who had finally regained some semblance of composure.
“I wasn’t wrong, was I?”
Amelia, ever the loyal knight, immediately betrayed me.
“Oh, absolutely wrong, my lady,” she said with a grin.
“…I see.”
The betrayal cut deep.
Even Roman, who had remained mostly quiet, let out a tiny chuckle under his breath.
“Not you too, Roman…” I murmured.
But he simply nodded, as if unable to deny it.
I sighed again, rubbing my temples.
Fine.
Fine.
If they were going to laugh, I might as well let them.
After all, at least this was better than dealing with Bella’s glaring and insults.
“…Can we at least go back to where it isn’t so dark and ominous?” I asked.
I had already been feeling unsettled before the laughter.
Now that it was quieting down, the silence of this place felt even more eerie.
Raynan raised a brow, but nodded.
“Alright.”
He reached for my hand again—this time, not forcefully, but naturally.
And, without thinking, I let him.
The warmth of his hand was oddly reassuring.
“…You’re still laughing,” I grumbled.
“I will be for a while.”
“…Of course you will.”
I sighed, letting him lead the way back toward the lights of the festival.
