At a time when the Barco family was still the talk of the town, Rihanna Dmitri made her appearance at a social gathering after a long while.
“Oh my, you’ve come!”
“I’ve been waiting for you to arrive!”
With her entrance, the ladies from the northeastern region, who had gathered in small groups, all stood up with bright smiles.
This gathering was hosted by Helena of the Melroc family.
Known for her close ties to the Dmitri family, she quickly organized the meeting after the fall of the Barco family, which had caused the status of the Dmitri family to rise.
It was a kind of display, a show of strength to indicate that the northeastern region would soon be dominated by the Dmitri family.
However, there were also new faces among the attendees, ladies who were more aligned with the Barco family than the Dmitri family, greeting Rihanna with feigned smiles.
“Oh my, you seem to be getting prettier by the day.”
“Rihanna, I’ve prepared a special wine just for you. Please enjoy it as a token of my heart.”
Their intentions were clear.
With the downfall of Barco, the ladies of the fallen noble family were eager to attach themselves to the Dmitri family, putting aside their pride.
They visited Helena of the Melroc family daily to build connections and begged for a chance to meet Rihanna Dmitri, even if just once.
Rihanna had received a heads-up about this situation.
Although she wasn’t particularly fond of such awkward conversations, she knew how to act in this moment.
“Thank you.” She smiled, accepting the warm welcome and gifts around her.
People often misunderstood the rise of the Dmitri family, thinking it was solely due to the wealth of Baron Romero.
Yet, behind that success lay the dedication of Rihanna Dmitri.
She had drawn in the ladies of the northeastern region to build her own influence.
This was a political skill that Baron Romero lacked, and the ladies who usually mingled with Rihanna formed a close-knit group around the Dmitri family.
Had she not laid the groundwork in this way, the Dmitri family might have crumbled under the pressure from Barco before they could even establish themselves.
The ladies of the Dmitri family had orchestrated this gathering, naturally demonstrating the changed status of the Dmitri family within their small society.
“Thank you all for attending this gathering. The reason we have come together is not for any special purpose, but because I believe we need time to understand and get to know each other as people living in the same region. Of course, we haven’t all been looking in the same direction until now. But given the changed circumstances, a change in our reality is necessary.”
Her words held weight.
Rihanna subtly poked at those who had been aligned with Barco while also showing her willingness to accept them.
As a result, the ladies who left the gathering would return to their families, saying they needed to treat the Dmitri family well.
It was a small yet significant difference.
Rihanna knew from her experiences that bringing the Barco ladies into her fold and showing the potential for cooperation would yield great results later.
With Rihanna’s support, the Dmitri family became a powerful force in the northeastern region.
To outsiders, it might seem like the ladies were merely gathering to chat and enjoy tea, but this would only solidify the power of the Dmitri family further.
Thus, they spent a long time enjoying snacks and engaging in trivial conversations.
As they sipped their tea and inquired about each other’s well-being, they soon began to focus on a single topic of interest.
“Rihanna, what do you think of our Veronica? She seems like a perfect match for Roman.”
Helena’s words caused the expressions of the ladies to stiffen.
Political marriages were quite common in the world of nobility.
But where did such arrangements begin? Right here, at the gatherings of the ladies.
Regardless of how others reacted, Helena, who had brought up the idea of a political marriage, quickly added,
“Roman is already twenty-five. For the sake of his bright future, I think he needs to find a wise wife soon and start a family. And though it may be embarrassing to say this about my own daughter, I believe someone like Veronica would suit Roman well. Am I being too presumptuous? Hohoho.”
Helena laughed, covering her mouth.
The atmosphere turned strangely cold.
Six years ago, Roman Dmitri had been seen as a mere pawn in the noble world.
The Dmitri family was desirable, but the fact that he was the second son who could not inherit the family name held him back.
Back then, Helena had clearly said,
“Veronica is still too young to be a match for Roman. Let’s reconsider when she’s a bit older.”
Even she, who was close to the Dmitri family, had hesitated about a political marriage with Roman.
Yet now, there was no family that welcomed him, even as they subtly mentioned marriages with the second son.
Others felt similarly.
Those who had shown attitudes like Helena’s now displayed discomfort at her words.
“Ah, isn’t it a bit much to pair Veronica with Roman? I heard she was recently involved in a political marriage with another family’s heir. Helena, I understand your ambition, but Roman is too much.”
Lady 1, who had once been scolded harshly by Rihanna for speaking ill of Roman, now held him in high regard.
“Indeed. Rihanna, Roman’s marriage must be chosen carefully. It’s better not to limit his options and to meet a variety of people. In that sense, please visit our family sometime. I hadn’t mentioned it before, but my child has taken a liking to Roman at first sight.”
Lady 2, who had once shunned Roman, now readily recommended her precious daughter as a potential bride for him.
A commotion ensued.
Helena had ignited a fierce competition.
The ladies at the social gathering began to show their desires for Roman.
This was not limited to those with daughters; even those without daughters mentioned cousins to stake their claim on Roman.
It was quite an amusing sight.
The incident with Barco had caused Roman’s value to skyrocket.
It was only natural.
Roman had proven his potential as a four-star knight by defeating Homeros.
This signified a bright future, and if he were to inherit the Dmitri family, there would be no better son-in-law.
It was the moment he transformed from a mere pawn into the man of all.
Just a short while ago, the broken engagement with Lawrence had left a significant mark, but now, the atmosphere was such that no one cared about that blemish.
Instead, they felt relieved that Lawrence had not been able to snatch Roman away.
“Ah.”
“I’m glad everyone thinks highly of my son.” Rihanna set down her teacup.
The current atmosphere wasn’t bad.
However, she had no intention of using her son for political gain.
“Roman recently went through a great pain. He was promised in marriage to the Lawrence family, but had to break the engagement for unfortunate reasons. At that time, I thought to myself, I must not let Roman, who has experienced pain from love, suffer the same again. So, talking about political marriage with me holds no meaning. I hope Roman meets someone he truly loves, someone who loves him in return. That’s all I wish for him as his mother.”
She clearly drew the line.
There would be no political marriage.
The problem was that her statement only fueled the competitive spirit among the ladies.
‘What that means is, whoever claims Roman first, regardless of conditions, is the winner, right?’
The expressions of the noble ladies shifted ominously with their desires for the man of all, Roman.
After the war, Flora locked herself in her room.
Fortunately, Lawrence had managed to escape the crisis of extinction, but the experiences from the battlefield had left her in shock.
‘To survive in this world, one needs strength.’
Lawrence and Barco.
It was essentially a battle that Lawrence had lost.
He could not withstand the flare prepared by Barco or Homeros.
The knowledge she had read in books suggested that if they could hold out until winter, they would have a chance, but in the face of harsh reality, there was little Lawrence could do.
The sense of powerlessness at that time was beyond words.
Watching the enemy swarm like ants, Flora felt her mind completely crumble.
But Roman was different.
His individual strength had toppled Barco and secured victory in a seemingly hopeless battle.
‘How can one become that strong?’
It was impressive.
It wasn’t just about personal strength.
Roman had shown the audacity to lead a small force and attack Barco’s rear, even declaring he would face the renowned ranker Homeros.
It was truly remarkable courage.
That was the confidence of someone strong, and at that moment, Roman appeared different to her.
Once upon a time, she had a dream of an ideal type.
The confident figure she had imagined began to overlap with Roman little by little.
She shook her head.
“No.”
She rejected the very idea of Roman.
He was selfish and only cared for his own interests; she could not consider him her ideal type.
However, she did have a desire to understand him a little better.
How could he be so strong? What kind of person was Roman?
The problem was that their relationship had already been severed with the broken engagement, and Flora had no way to meet Roman again.
‘For now, let’s focus on my reality.’
She shifted her gaze to the book.
She wanted to become strong, like Roman.
She wished for the power to solve problems in any situation.
That was why she had locked herself in her room even after the war ended, and books piled up around her like mountains.
Books wouldn’t provide perfect solutions.
But at the very least, she wanted to alleviate the feeling of being lost in a maze.
Days passed like that.
When she finally stepped outside for some fresh air, she encountered an unexpected visitor.
“Sister, it’s been a while!”
“Silvia…?”
It was a familiar face.
A woman with sky-blue hair and typical beautiful features.
It was her cousin, Silvia.
‘What is she doing here?’
It was surprising.
Silvia’s father was the brother of Baron Lawrence, but having given his title to his elder brother, he had settled in the capital as a merchant.
Perhaps because she had spent her childhood in the capital, Silvia despised coming back to her hometown of Lawrence.
Like Flora, she inherited the blood of Lawrence and possessed a pretty appearance, but she was known for her irritable and picky nature, earning her the nickname “the witch of Lawrence.”
To see her appear in Lawrence was unexpected.
Knowing how much Silvia hated the place, Flora couldn’t help but be taken aback by her sudden arrival.
“What brings you to Lawrence? And…”
She scanned Silvia from head to toe.
She looked beautiful.
Observing her lovely dress, it seemed she hadn’t come for ordinary reasons.
“What’s with that outfit?”
“What do you mean? They say there’s going to be a grand party for the eldest son of the Dmitri family. My uncle contacted me, saying that I should brighten up the occasion with my beauty, so I rushed over. But sister, is Roman Dmitri really such a remarkable and handsome man? Everyone has been bragging about him, and I’m dying to know.”
Silvia exclaimed excitedly.
Flora felt a slight discomfort at her display of vanity.
“... A party for the eldest son of the Dmitri family?”
That was no small news.
It was something she should have known.
If Silvia had come all the way to Lawrence, it was only right for her to be preparing for the party by now.
But, ‘Why am I just hearing about this now?’
The Dmitri party.
Flora realized she had no knowledge of it at all.