A map quickly formed in my mind.

The Raven family’s hunting ground bordering the Empire. Of course, since it was a border, security would be tight, but…

‘Can’t I just send Zachary to the Empire?’

If it was an opportunity, it was an opportunity.

I traced the Raven family’s raven seal with my fingertips. However, while thinking it was a good opportunity, there was one thing that bothered me.

‘As far as I know, the Raven family doesn’t have a good relationship with the Serpentine family. I wonder if it’s okay for me to go.’

Our family, despite being of the same Duke rank, had almost no exchanges with the Raven family. As one could tell from our symbolic animals being a snake and a bird, we were incompatible with each other from start to finish.

Unlike the long-established Serpentine family, the Raven family was granted the title of Duke for their great achievements in war. They were a newly emerging family that had grown through various trade businesses since then.

Not only the history of the families but also the fundamental values of the two families were very different. The Raven family liked flashy and shiny things, valuing money and exchanges, but the Serpentine family was not like that at all. Rather, we were reclusive, gloomy, and even practiced sorcery.

‘Since they were both uncomfortable with that…’

The two families had never directly clashed, but it was true that they intuitively sensed they weren’t compatible with each other and avoided it. It was like a relationship between water and oil. As a result, the nobles who associated with each other were also different, and this sometimes seemed like a form of factions centered around the two families.

Therefore, Mother probably wouldn’t attend this banquet either. Erhan, the heir, even more so.

‘But why did they send an invitation?’

If the Serpentine family held a banquet, the Raven family would never come either. They didn’t seem to like that we used sorcery.

Finding it strange, I took out the letter enclosed with the portrait and read it again, and there was a suggestion to have a good meeting. The motive was simply suspicious.

‘They saw me?’

On the back page, it was written that their eldest daughter, who had the opportunity to see me by chance, wanted to have a proper meeting, but the more I read, the more questions arose. I sneaked a glance at Mother. When I glanced at her while holding the invitation sent by the Ravens, she smiled silently.

How could Mother, who had carried me in her womb for ten months, not know me? She must have already guessed that I would refuse for various reasons. It must have been simply a playful intention to bring this invitation.

“I…”

But even if it was a joke to Mother, it was an opportunity for me.

I had to go to this banquet no matter what. There was no guarantee that such an opportunity would come again.

‘There’s no place closer to the border than here.’

Even if there was, what were the chances of me being able to go there on my own? As I hesitated and spoke, Erhan, who had been staring at me intently, and the Duke, who had been pretending not to be interested and looking elsewhere, also looked at me.

What should I say? Simply saying I wanted to go to the banquet wasn’t enough. I had to show a stronger will than that.

I slightly lifted the invitation so that everyone could see it. When Mother and the Duke, who saw the invitation with a large raven seal stamped on it, widened their eyes in surprise…

“I like the young lady from the Raven family.”

To avoid being caught lying, I smiled more nonchalantly and said.

“May I go and meet her?”

At that moment, Mother slowly opened her mouth.

“What?”

Erhan asked as if I had gone crazy, and the Duke also widened his eyes. However, the one showing the most intense reaction was none other than our Mother.

“The Ravens? How on earth did that end up in your hands, Oscar?”

Contrary to my expectations, it seemed she had no intention of showing me the invitation at all. Even while meticulously sorting through them, there were so many envelopes that she probably thought it had been slipped in by mistake.

“This is really strange. I’m sure I set that one aside…”

Mother seemed utterly perplexed by the situation unfolding before her eyes. With a face of complete incomprehension, Mother sighed and said.

“Any other banquet is fine, but not the Ravens.”

I understood the reason why Mother, who had told me to do as I wished, spoke so strongly. How absurd would it look if I went to a banquet held by a rival family? Even if I wasn’t the heir.

Seeing Mother, who was more resolute than I thought, I was worried about how to persuade her when the person who opened up the opportunity was unexpectedly the Duke.

“Do you want to foster a friendship with the Raven family, Oscar?”

The Duke seemed slightly surprised when I chose the Raven family but didn’t appear to have any particular thoughts.

By the way, friendship? I had no interest in friendship at all.

Above all, I thought I would never get involved with the Raven family in my lifetime, so my knowledge about them was also limited. However, the fact that the hunting competition they were holding was adjacent to the border was too important to me.

“Yes.”

To do that, I had no choice but to ask them to send me to the banquet under the pretext of friendship.

After answering, I sneaked a glance at their reactions. Mother, after a moment of surprise, soon stared at me as if it was strange, and the Duke still had a puzzled look on his face.

And Erhan, who was sitting next to me, had been glaring at me for some reason since earlier. His gaze on my cheek was hot enough to burn.

The moment I turned my head to avoid his gaze, I flinched.

‘Why are you…?’

While all the other servants were looking at the floor, only Zachary was staring straight at me. At that point, didn’t he want to let everyone here know that the brainwashing had been undone?

He stood out with his large build, a head taller compared to the other servants, but fortunately, the gazes of the Serpentine family members were all focused on me.

“You can go. Have a nice trip.”

At that moment, the Duke spoke. I sneakily gauged his reaction, but he remained silent.

His reaction was not just quiet but bland, even though his second son said he was going to attend a banquet held by the rival Raven family.

“Father!”

Rather, Erhan was making a fuss.

“Knowing the relationship between our family and the Ravens, how can you…?”

“How dare you raise your voice, Erhan.”

The Duke rebuked him coldly.

“In the first place, the invitation didn’t come to us, but to Oscar. You’re overstepping your bounds.”

His tone was as cold as ice. As if trying to refute further, Erhan opened his mouth but tightly closed it in a straight line due to the Duke’s chilling aura.

The atmosphere froze over and became awkward. I also felt regret, wondering if I had been stubborn for nothing. But if not now, when would I have the chance to go near the border? If it were my original personality, I should have backed down at this point, but I tried to pretend not to notice and turned my head.

Mother, who had not yet expressed a definite opinion, was staring solely at me in this strange atmosphere. After wearing a surprised expression, as soon as our eyes met, she gave me an incomprehensible smile. Then, after staring intently at the Raven family’s invitation in my hand, she said.

“That’s how I met your dad too.”

…Pardon?

Mother’s eyes crinkled as if she found it amusing. It was a strange smile, as if she saw her past self in me, absurd but understandable. The words she had just uttered contained content that I had no choice but to be mindful of the Duke’s presence.

‘Is it appropriate to talk about your ex-husband in front of your current husband…?’

I couldn’t even look in that direction because I couldn’t gauge what kind of expression the Duke would have.

“Do as you wish.”

I was the most surprised by the permission that came more readily than expected. I thought that the Serpentine family, which I had always known to be reclusive and gloomy, might actually be a very open-minded family. Of course, that would be thanks to Mother’s remarks.

While I was standing there with a dumbfounded face, Mother smiled widely again. Unlike earlier, her attitude was warm. Fortunately, her anger seemed to have subsided while talking to me.

“When is the date you were invited?”

“In three weeks.”

“You’ll need to take good care of your health.”

…No. I think there’s a hidden meaning behind her words.

Seeing me awkwardly smiling, Mother gave a smile mixed with a sigh. It was an expression of not being able to win against me.

“By the way, Oscar. There’s something I want to ask you.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“What did you like so much about that young lady?”

I froze, naturally stopping in the posture of trying to drink tea.

“No, that’s not it. When have you ever said you liked someone? Seeing you react like this right away, it seems like you two have met before. What kind of charm does she have?”

“That’s…”

At those words, I tried to rack my brain.

The lady from the Raven family who sent this invitation said she had seen me, but I couldn’t even remember.

‘To begin with, I don’t remember most of the people I met at banquets.’

It was partly because every moment felt like a crisis at the two banquets I had attended.

However, I couldn’t just stay silent, and I had to make up some excuse.

Fidgeting, I kept touching the empty envelope. It was embarrassing with everyone watching me. Having nowhere to focus my gaze, I lowered my head and saw the portrait of the Raven family’s daughter that I had taken out earlier.

“Oh my.”

At that moment, Mother exclaimed in surprise, covering her mouth.

“Oscar, did you just look at that lady’s picture again?”

“…Pardon?”

“My goodness. This is the first time in my life I’ve seen you show interest in a portrait.”

I stared at Mother with my mouth wide open. I thought she was joking, but this time, she seemed sincere. I was also startled by Mother’s greatly surprised reaction.

“Our Oscar was weaker to beauty than I thought. Indeed, how important is appearance? Whose blood do you carry?”

“No, that’s not it!”

Mother was about to cross the line again in front of the Duke. However, my voice, slightly trembling from embarrassment, didn’t seem to add strength to my argument even to my own ears. It sounded like a voice embarrassed at being caught with hidden feelings for the young lady of the Raven family.

“I just…”

Say something. Saying anything is better…

I hurriedly scanned the letter from the Raven family with my eyes. However, there was nothing special in the letter, and in the end, all that caught my eye was the portrait.

The long black hair cascading like a waterfall, and the round eyes that looked intelligent—as I quickly scanned them, Mother parted her lips as if to speak again.

With the thought that I had to stop that disastrous mouth, words suddenly spilled out without going through my brain.

“I’m a bit drawn to appearances.”

“…What?”

I squeezed my eyes shut.