‘What should I say to my mother when she asks how it went?’

She was the one most looking forward to my debut in society…

But I can’t just honestly say that I’m mentally drained by the unexpectedly challenging aristocratic society.

“I’m not feeling well, so I need a moment…”

Ah, I wish I could hide my face. Seeing that there was no one to welcome me, or even pretend to, it was embarrassing to even mutter to myself. Just as I turned towards the balcony to cool off the rising fever.

“My, my body!”

Someone grabbed my clothes.

It was a surprisingly strong grip. I was about to frown at the rude gesture of grabbing my collar.

But considering that people were already keeping their distance, frowning would only make them avoid me more. I tried to smooth out my furrowed brow and looked at the person who had grabbed me.

“Are you, are you very unwell?!”

…Isn’t this Isaac, the one who had snubbed my greeting earlier?

“Please, use my handkerchief if you’re okay!”

I would have been surprised if a stranger offered me a handkerchief out of concern, but I wouldn’t have been as shocked.

This whole situation was because of him.

It was Isaac’s refusal to acknowledge my greeting that made me feel so embarrassed I had to pretend to cough and leave.

And now, Isaac himself was offering help, which left me speechless. Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, Isaac just stood there with his large frame, hesitantly holding out the handkerchief.

‘Why offer a handkerchief when he’s uncomfortable even receiving my greeting?’

The sight of his large, rough, thug-like hand holding a tiny handkerchief was peculiar. But that wasn’t the only reason I was so taken aback.

‘From what I know, this would be considered quite unusual in this world, wouldn’t it?’

I realized the situation was becoming even more perplexing.

In the kingdom, handkerchiefs were imbued with special significance. This was a cultural aspect brought over from the Thaddeus Empire, not native to Solaris.

Long ago, it was said that fabric was precious in the Thaddeus Empire. Thus, the act of passing fabric between men and women was seen as a gesture of wanting to be of great help to the other.

Especially significant was the offering of a handkerchief emblazoned with one’s family crest, a symbol of oneself. It was a way of saying, “This is who I am,” and also a subtle invitation to meet again, as the precious handkerchief must be returned.

‘Why would you offer this to me?’

Isaac was now extending a handkerchief to me, not just any handkerchief but one marked with his family’s crest.

As I pondered the motive behind this gesture, especially from a man who had just deliberately ignored my greeting, another voice cut through my confusion.

“I have one too, in case you need more…”

A strange, high-pitched voice reached my ears. Blinking in surprise, I looked around but saw no one in my immediate view.

Could it be from below? Lowering my gaze, I spotted a small, round-faced girl shyly offering another handkerchief to me.

“Are you… offering this to me?”

My irritation towards Isaac softened, but I couldn’t hide my bafflement at the unexpected offer of handkerchiefs.

As I unwittingly questioned her, the young woman lifted her head.

‘She’s just a girl.’

While she might be considered a young woman here, by my standards, she was still a child. The youthful girl’s face froze in a stare the moment our eyes met. When I addressed her as “Lady,” she suddenly fluttered like a bird, visibly startled.

Then, with her eyes tightly shut, she thrust a handkerchief at me and exclaimed,

“I thought you might need it!”

But why offer it to me when we’re not even acquainted?

The handkerchief she extended also bore a family crest, identifying it as belonging to the Willow Viscountcy.

‘But seriously, why?’

I knew I should respond in some way after receiving it, but I was so flustered that I couldn’t find the words.

Was there any connection between the Willow Viscountcy and my family? As far as I knew from the books, the Serpentine family didn’t have any particularly close ties with others. So, this must be a purely friendly gesture.

As I was mulling over these thoughts, another handkerchief was suddenly offered to me.

The woman who offered this new handkerchief had a very cold demeanor.

“Don’t you need mine? Please, use it.”

She insisted quite forcefully… with a handkerchief?

Despite her cool tone, the handkerchief was offered with kindness. As I slowly opened my mouth to respond, I realized this was just the beginning.

“If you need it, please take it.”

“Are you feeling very unwell? Then, please, take this…”

Suddenly, people began to crowd around me, each offering their handkerchief as if they had been waiting for the opportunity.

‘They said it was something significant.’

I remember hearing repeatedly that in both the Teddeus Empire and the Solaris Kingdom, handkerchiefs were not given lightly.

‘Could I have misunderstood something?’

Even as I pondered, the number of handkerchiefs being offered to me steadily increased. Seeing how easily people, even those without any particular affection for me, were offering their handkerchiefs, I must have misunderstood something.

Yes. It seems the significance of handkerchiefs has changed lately.

Indeed, the Serpentine family does bring in books from the outside periodically, but a book is just a book. Perhaps I had been reading too many classics.

“Ah.”

Now, the sheer number of people looking at me was becoming uncomfortable.

People were still offering me handkerchiefs. The moment I felt the intense gaze and various eyes on me, I felt suffocated. The urge to escape was overwhelming.

‘Why are they looking at me with such expectation?’

Is this because it’s almost the first time in my life I’m surrounded by so many people? The perfume surrounding me was making my head throb.

I wanted to leave, to lean somewhere and rest, but it was already too late. For some reason, the number of nobles extending handkerchiefs in front of me kept increasing. Desperate to escape from these strange and overly kind nobles, I stood up and spoke politely.

“Thank you for your kindness.”

I want to cough, I feel dizzy, and I want to lean on something.

“I’m sorry, but I am too unworthy to accept such precious gifts. I’ll just take your kind intentions.”

It’s time to escape.

I smiled as I subtly stepped back. I wonder if I managed a proper smile. Honestly, I’m not sure.

Fortunately, no one insisted further. I turned and made my way to the balcony right next to me.

‘When did it get so crowded…’

As I escaped the throng, it became clear that most of the nobility at the banquet had congregated in this area. Even those who hadn’t approached me were looking this way from afar.

Their gazes were uniformly intense and burdensome. Why are they looking so intently, almost frighteningly? I gave up on finding my mother and quickly slipped through the curtains into the balcony.

“Sigh.”

Just stepping out among the bustling crowd made me feel alive again. Perhaps due to the release of tension, my body felt weak and unresponsive. I eventually leaned against the railing, slumped down, and closed my eyes.

‘These nobles are truly odd.’

There were more than a couple of oddities.

Even if customs had changed, the significance of handkerchiefs couldn’t have completely faded away. It was strange that everyone rushed to offer me a handkerchief just because I coughed a bit.

Of course, nobles do consider a kind demeanor to be a virtue. But how could those who hold kindness in such high regard all reject my greeting?

‘I might not give off the best impression for them to want to accept my greeting… but why did everyone give me their handkerchiefs? Has the meaning of the handkerchief really faded? Or is this some new form of harassment?’

I was still reeling from the shock. All I had tried to do was offer a greeting, yet people hesitated and stepped back as if on cue.

They didn’t even respond, let alone take a step back when I spoke.

It’s truly embarrassing. The “miracle of Moses” I had experienced kept coming back to me, making my ears burn. I fiddled with my ear and then hung my head low.

‘But still… I thought I was a decent person.’

Was I too confident? I thought of myself as someone who could at least be moderately liked, if not adored.

It’s all because of my mother, who dotes on me like I’m her little hedgehog. At home, with my mother’s constant adoration, I never had the chance to see myself objectively. But even so, I didn’t expect everyone to avoid me like the plague.

Then, possibly due to the cold wind, I started coughing again. I quickly chewed on some medicine I pulled from my pocket.

As the cool herb flavor circulated in my mouth, the nauseous feeling seemed to subside…

“Cough, cough.”

What’s this now?