I suppose if I had a mouth stitched shut with such a ghastly bandage, soaked in blood, and then wrapped around my body, even a non-existent heart would throb wildly at the thought.

I didn’t want to wrap the bandages, but as long as the Duke and Mother were in the mansion, I had no choice.

The Duke is truly fascinating. This plant, because of its bizarre appearance, has been extinct for quite some time, but how did he manage to find it and turn it into this kind of sorcery? Of course, considering the long history of the Ducal family, it’s likely he inherited it.

“I’ll make it quick.”

That was the extent of my idle thoughts. I started to slowly wrap the bandages around Zachary’s outstretched legs. A few of the mouths on the bandages remained closed, embedded like patterns, while others, well-fed on chicken blood, simply drooled at the sight of Zachary’s neck, not daring to bite into his flesh.

But why does Zachary’s body grow every single day? As I meticulously wrapped his long legs and arms with the bandage, I pondered this question. It wasn’t just his height. He didn’t secretly exercise, yet why did his limbs grow so thick?

“Hmm, shall we go?”

I hurried as much as I could, knowing Zachary disliked it. After wrapping all the bandages, I stood up and asked him, and Zachary naturally extended his hand to help me.

“Yes, Young Master.”

I wish he would drop that title.

I sighed briefly and looked up, seeing only flapping cloth. Zachary matched his stride to mine and opened the door. The familiar, now weary, corridor came into view.

Today, it was just Mother and me for the meal.

The Duke had business and had left for another territory early in the morning, and Mother, waiting for me in the dining room, began the meal as soon as I entered.

Amid the morning sunlight that seemed to slice between us, she finished her meal with unadorned elegance and then detained me.

“Let’s have a chat. Shall we have tea together?”

It seemed that in the Duke’s absence today, Mother wanted to have tea time with me.

“Yes. The sunlight is quite harsh today, so how about we have it here?”

“I’d love that.”

My birthday was at the tail end of spring.

Now, as summer approached, Mother looked particularly languid today.

“Warm weather only serves to indulge my laziness, not scold it.”

Normally, she wouldn’t suggest having tea right after a meal.

Of course, I preferred this spot too. On days like today, when the sunlight was especially strong, I’d rather not venture into the sunshine.

“What are you doing? Prepare the tea set in front of us and then you may leave.”

Upon Mother’s instruction, the servants moved swiftly to action.

Zachary, of course, was an exception. While most servants left after setting up the tea table, Zachary remained standing in a corner of the dining room. Mother’s gaze briefly lingered on Zachary, but she no longer regarded him with the same wariness as before.

She must have been satisfied seeing him constantly by my side, attending to every need. Certainly, since Zachary’s arrival, my health had improved,

“Have a pleasant tea time.”

Soon, a simple tea set and refreshments were prepared on the table, and a speaking servant greeted us before leaving. As the door closed with a thud, Mother gazed out the window at the lush greenery.

Zachary stood alone in that corner, watching us. Though not far, it was questionable if our conversation could be heard, but Mother, undisturbed, opened her lips to speak.

“Oscar.”

Mother quietly reached for the teacup handle and called my name. As my gaze shifted away from Zachary, she smiled as if she had been waiting.

“I have something for you.”

I blinked, looking at her. The only thing that came to mind was my birthday. But she had never given me a birthday gift before due to my temperament… so it couldn’t be that.

“Mary, bring it here.”

What could she be giving me?

After receiving an invitation yesterday, I couldn’t shake off a sense of foreboding.

As I nervously watched her, something was placed in front of Mother. It was a bundle of papers tied together. She immediately handed it to me. I caught a glimpse of the black letters written in rows. Hesitating to take it, Mother burst into laughter.

“Why are you always so faint-hearted?”

“It’s not that… Stop teasing me.”

Mother was gearing up to tease me.

“That’s what’s cute about you.”

“But what is this?”

“Avoiding the question, I see.”

She’s really mischievous. I took the papers with a feigned cough and tilted my head. Not understanding what these papers, just a list of dates and locations, were for, I looked up. Mother explained calmly.

“These are the balls you’re expected to attend.”

As I feared, my ominous feeling was right. This was a list of balls I was supposed to attend.

‘This is the worst.’

But Mother was looking at me with such eager expectation that I couldn’t voice my true feelings.

I slowly started flipping through the papers. The more pages I turned, the more appalled I became.

The nobles of this kingdom must be incredibly lavish. So many balls in just two months?

“So many?”

I wondered if I had been reincarnated as a celebrity. Or perhaps Mother was trying to raise me as a party person. After flipping through the list for a while, I asked her.

“So, I just need to attend one royal ball and choose one from this list?”

“What are you talking about? As long as your health permits, you should attend as many as you can.”

My ears doubted what they heard, thinking I only had to attend the royal ball sent by the palace, to be held later.

“If I attend all these, I might get sick again…”

Thanks to the secret exercises I did to build stamina for my nightly escapades through the snake passages, I was a bit healthier than before.

But I still suffered from a chronic cough and had severe bouts at times. Even though I had grown a bit stronger, my stamina was far behind that of ordinary people.

“Child, compared to my time, this isn’t much at all. If only you were born a bit earlier, you could have made a splendid debut at the spring balls. But back then, you were adamant about not attending, and now, after these reminders have come…”

Back then, of course, I was entirely focused on Zachary…

Unable to respond truthfully, I tried to laugh it off, but she was adamant.

“Everyone else parades around with their grown sons, and here I am, unable to show off my beautiful child. Of course, there’s Erhan, but he’s always cooped up, never matching my pace, and then there’s you.”

Mother seemed deeply frustrated.

She vented to me as if she had been waiting for this moment, her sorrow and frustration palpable. I couldn’t say anything more.

After all, Mother always wanted to attend the balls with me. Seeing other noble offspring fawning over her, she often said how much she missed me.

“These are carefully selected events. Not just any run-of-the-mill gatherings.”

Only then did I understand why Mother looked so tired and languid today. She must have spent all night selecting the perfect events for my successful debut into society.

“It must have been bothersome. I could have done it myself.”

I appreciated her effort, but this was too much. When I expressed my gratitude, Mother excitedly replied,

“Oh, this is precisely why I play the role of the hostess!”

She seemed genuinely delighted. Seeing her so cheerfully uplifted, I wondered if I should have entered the social scene earlier.

Smiling brightly, I diverted my gaze from Mother and went back to reading the list. Some events were underlined in red, clearly the ones she deemed essential for me to attend.

“You really put a lot of thought into this…”

Of course, the problem was the excessive number of red underlines. Just a quick glance, and I had already spotted eight.

If I attended all of them, I could see a future of collapsing from overwork. My head began to throb at the thought, and I suddenly craved something sweet. I instinctively reached for a snack.

“These events might be where you meet your future spouse. Did you think I’d choose them carelessly?”

“Ah, of course…”

I was about to nod in agreement when I suddenly realized what she said and my eyes widened in shock.

“Excuse me?”

Wait a minute. Did I hear that right?

“What did you just say?”

It sounded like Mother had just mentioned marriage.

But unlike my dumbstruck face, Mother elegantly picked up her teacup. She sipped her tea with an even more graceful demeanor, then gently placed the cup down and smiled.

“I wonder who the lady will be to become your spouse. I hope she’s not as pretty as me.”

She had the last word with a smirk.