Numerous noble families attended the banquet.
Everyone mingled across the hall in fine attire that accentuated their elegance, yet their true curiosity lay elsewhere.
Anasta Winterlit, the prospective bride of the dying son.
The rumors surrounding her were endless.
Some claimed she was deformed; others whispered that she was simple-minded and meek, or impoverished and vulgar, among countless other tales.
At the same time, talk circulated that the Soltaire ducal house, having taken in such a woman, was surely past its prime.
“So, what do you think?”
asked one of the friends standing beside Duran.
“About what?”
“You must have seen the star of all those rumors. Well, your brother’s wife, to be precise.”
Duran took a sip of wine and swallowed his words before replying.
“She’s not my sister-in-law yet. They aren’t married.”
“Really? Then tell us, what is she like?”
“Hmm.”
Duran pretended to ponder, offering a knowing smile.
The lively banquet, the noble scions gathered around him, and friends he had not seen in a long time.
The bustling atmosphere was pleasant, but what piqued his curiosity most was how Anasta would make her entrance.
The maids from the main residence had said she was undergoing strict etiquette training, but still…
Could etiquette really be mastered in a single week?
“Duran, tell us!”
“She’s pretty.”
“How pretty?”
“Flawlessly pretty?”
“Does she really have no defects?”
“Hmm. Let’s see. She seemed rather interesting.”
“Interesting?”
At Duran’s words, his friends’ eyes gleamed with curiosity.
At that moment, a sudden stir rippled through the entrance.
The guests fell quiet and turned their gazes toward the doors.
Before long, the woman they had all been waiting for stepped inside.
A woman with a flawless figure and an enchanting face, looking as though she had walked straight out of legend.
The young woman entered the banquet hall with impeccable, faultless steps, natural grace, and a serene countenance, unperturbed by the sea of eyes upon her—as if attending such grand gatherings had long been her routine.
Everyone in the hall watched for the slightest misstep, but Anasta offered an elegant curtsy and smiled with gentle composure.
“Allow me to introduce Anasta Winterlit, Ryan’s fiancée.”
The Duchess, hostess of the banquet, spoke as she noted the guests’ rapt attention.
“Goodness, is that the young lady?”
“She is breathtaking.”
Beholding Anasta’s immaculate appearance, those present forgot every scandal and rumor that had hovered over her name.
Meanwhile, Duran, who had been watching her every movement, stood astounded and swept his gaze over her legs.
Only a few days ago, she had been unable to walk properly and relied on a cane, yet now she walked with utter poise.
Not only that, but her etiquette was so flawless it was hard to believe she did not belong to the imperial family itself.
“Truly, wow! Didn’t you say she was the daughter of a ruined count’s house?”
Duran’s friend remarked, unable to pull his eyes away from Anasta.
“It seems she hasn’t attended banquets often, has she? Had she shown herself regularly, her name and fame would have spread far and wide. She certainly would have caught the eyes of highborn ladies searching eagerly for a daughter-in-law.”
“If that had been the case, she never would have married into the Soltaire family.”
“She’s quite clever. Rather than wearing out her presence in society, she stayed hidden until she landed the Soltaire house.”
Duran’s friends chatted animatedly about Anasta while raising their wine glasses.
“In any case, after today, all the scandals surrounding your brother and his fiancée will be wiped clean. Hey, are you listening, Duran?”
“Of course.”
Duran nodded, then sipped from the wine glass he had been lazily swirling.
“It’s certainly a waste for her to stay by my brother’s side.”
Seeing Duran’s languid smile, his friends were taken aback, and one asked suspiciously, “What’s with that look? That’s hardly an innocent expression for someone looking at his future sister-in-law.”
“I told you, she’s interesting.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“Besides, I’ve never once thought of that woman as a sister-in-law.”
“Then what, do you intend to steal her?”
Duran’s friends laughed, taking it as a joke.
“Yes.”
Duran’s reply was crisp and direct.
“I’ll seduce her myself.”
“Whoa… really?”
“Have you ever seen me say something and not follow through?”
“No.”
Confronted with Duran’s unshakeable confidence, his friends marveled, shaking their heads.
“Shall we make a wager?”
Duran was the first to propose it to his still-doubtful friends.
“Will Anasta Winterlit marry my hopeless brother, or will she cross over to me?”
“You really are crazy.”
“Well, are you in or not?”
“Hmm.”
The friends looked back toward Anasta and considered it seriously.
“Thirty gold coins. I bet she marries Ryan.”
“Me too, thirty gold coins.”
“Ten gold coins for me.”
“You disappoint me, gentlemen. Do you truly believe I can’t seduce a single woman?”
“Who knows? We just wish peace upon the Soltaire family.”
The corners of Duran’s mouth curled upward as he set his wine glass on the table.
“Then I’ll wager fifty gold coins.”
· · ·
“If she doesn’t come over to me, I’ll pay each of you fifty gold coins. On top of that, I’ll give you the thoroughbreds from Belfimer you’ve been eyeing, plus VIP seats at the Chellin Opera House.”
“Are you serious?”
Duran nodded at his friends’ startled tone.
“I am always serious.”
Especially when it came to stripping his brother of what belonged to him.
He recalled attending a banquet with Ryan when he was sixteen.
Ryan, with his razor-sharp intellect and taller stature, had commanded the admiration of every woman.
Fashion, fragrances—whatever Ryan touched became the trend, and nobles crowded around him merely for a chance to exchange a single word.
In contrast, Duran was the son of a mistress who had not set foot in the ducal residence until the former duchess passed away.
No matter what he did, he could never surpass Ryan.
When Ryan fell ill, Duran felt only fleeting pity, overshadowed by a freedom he had never known before.
From that point on, all the attention that had once belonged to Ryan became his.
Not just the attention, but the heir’s seat, the Soltaire ducal estate, and everything Ryan once possessed had fallen into his hands.
He thought Ryan’s entire world was his now, yet what was this? Another possession of Ryan’s had appeared in his absence.
At first, it was mere curiosity, but that was no longer the case.
I must have her.
Since everything of Ryan’s had become mine, this woman ought to be mine as well.
Let us take her.
I will make her mine.
Not a simple seduction and abandonment; I will claim her so thoroughly that Ryan will never dare think of her again.
Duran smirked as he pictured Ryan’s despairing face.
Just as Anasta had anticipated, the banquet was not all that difficult.
She made not a single misstep and did nothing to tarnish the Soltaire family name, fulfilling the Duchess’s wishes.
The Duchess was pleased with her, yet what satisfied her most was her own keen eye for unearthing such a hidden gem.
“The family rumors sparked by Ryan will vanish entirely by tomorrow. Well done, Anasta.”
Although this was the first praise she had received, Anasta could feel no joy.
Even if the rumors faded now, the moment she departed the ducal residence in a few days, fresh whispers would swirl around the estate and Ryan once more.
“Hold your ground properly, and once the attention dies down, find an acceptable pretext to return to the annex. Can you do that?”
“You need not worry in the least.”
“I expect nothing less.”
Content with Anasta’s answer, the Duchess moved elsewhere.
Left alone, the gazes directed at Anasta only multiplied.
‘It seems I won’t be able to slip away so quickly.’
Anasta took a sip of wine, maintaining her guarded poise.
“Excuse me.”
Just then, someone approached Anasta.
It was a man accompanied by a woman in a pink dress.
“It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time.”
The gentleman greeted her with a gentle smile.
Anasta inclined her head slightly in return.
“The pleasure is mine. My name is Anasta Winterlit.”
“I am Alex, a fellow cadet of Ryan’s from the Military Academy. And this is my younger sister—”
“My name is Scarlett.”
Scarlett offered a radiant, sunlit smile and curtsied with refined elegance.
“I used to be very close with Sir Ryan.”
“…Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“At any rate, I heard the news. They say you are Sir Ryan’s fiancée? Is that truly so? The news came as quite a shock.”
“Scarlett.”
Alex cut his sister off and stepped closer to Anasta.
“Please forgive my sister’s forwardness, Lady Anasta. The truth is, we came out of curiosity, hoping to see how Ryan has been.”
· · ·
“We were quite close. But ever since he fell ill, all communication ceased. I tried visiting the ducal estate several times, yet Ryan refused to see me.”
“He is doing well.”
“In that case, may I see Ryan?”
Anasta hesitated slightly before replying, “…I believe that will take time.”
“Time?”
“Yes. I cannot say how much time it will require, but wouldn't a meeting only be possible once he chooses to reach out first?”
Alex nodded in understanding, though he let out a complicated sigh.
“I had no idea Ryan was so unwell. He was an extraordinary friend and an exceptional cadet. A steadfast, composed man who feared nothing, handling every matter to perfection.”
“Indeed, Sir Ryan was truly wonderful. And even now, I have no doubt of his greatness.”
Scarlett chimed in the moment Alex finished speaking.
END
