The next day, a servant from the Krollot mansion arrived at the orphanage.

Rayna was enjoying tea time with Maya at an outdoor table.

“His Lordship the Count requests the presence of Milady at the mansion.”

Rayna looked at the servant, who seemed more anxious than she.

“For what reason?”

“A distinguished guest is looking for the Young Lady.”

Rayna nodded.

Only then did the servant sigh in relief, but she continued sipping her tea.

“Th-the esteemed guest is waiting…”

“He came without an appointment, so he’ll have to wait. Why should I hurry?”

She didn’t need to accommodate herself to someone who showed up uninvited.

‘…It’s what the original Rayna would have thought.’

As she expected, the servant couldn’t argue any further and gave up with a defeated expression.

He seemed to know well that if he upset Rayna, he would only make things more difficult for himself.

Rayna calmly finished her tea and then got into the carriage with Maya.

Despite putting on a face that said, “Who cares about that so-called important guest?” She felt her mouth going dry.

Who could this distinguished guest be?

‘Probably Lucius.’

Even though she was mentally prepared, she still felt tense.

‘How much does Lucius know?’

On the day she left Calyx at the orphanage and returned alone, she pondered the story Jonathan told.

According to what he said, Jonathan had concealed Calyx’ presence throughout their journey.

He entrusted only a handful of trustworthy servants at the mansion and generously rewarded them with money in exchange for their silence.

Rayna was impressed by how thorough Jonathan was, wondering if he might know Calyx’ true identity.

“If you tell me what you did to that child, I’ll make sure to handle everything perfectly so that you won’t be in danger.”

After reviewing that promise, Rayna finally realized.

Jonathan originally brought Calyx as a toy for Rayna, anticipating potential issues if she played too roughly with Calyx.

‘I won’t ever tell him what I did with Calyx.’

Since he didn’t hear anything until he went to the naval academy, Jonathan eventually gave up trying to get an answer.

“If something happens, contact me immediately. I’ll come to help, even if I have to run away.”

Rayna couldn’t help but admire his love for his younger sister, even if it was shown in a somewhat misguided way.

‘But if Lucius found a decisive clue.’

It was clear that the situation wouldn’t unfold as smoothly as Rayna had hoped.

‘Before deceiving Lucius in earnest, I need to figure out how much he knows.’

Rayna clenched and unclenched her fist, feeling the tension slowly turn her cold hands warm.

Soon, the carriage arrived at Krollot Mansion.

As Rayna stepped down, the mansion’s maids rushed to surround her.

‘What’s going on?’

The maids looked at her up and down with serious expressions.

“You just need to brush your hair; there is no need for extra care.”

“And you must change your dress.”

“Your nails need a bit of grooming for a polished look.”

“We’re short on time, Milady. Hurry.”

The maids urged Rayna.

“Isn’t a guest waiting for me?”

Rayna asked, puzzled by the mention of dressing up.

“It’s a special request from His Lordship. He wants Milady to appear in perfect shape.”

“Are you curious about who the guest is?”

The maids seemed oddly excited.

“It’s none other than Grand Duke Lucius Ingerson!”

One maid enthusiastically exclaimed; her voice sounded as if it would scream “Ta-dah~!” at any moment.

However, she was a little taken aback when Rayna only made an uneasy face.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“…Why?”

‘Gasp! Should I have been surprised? Even the renowned Rayna had to fear Lucius?’

In her confusion in the interpretation of Rayna’s character, the maid spoke again.

“Well, Milady has always wanted to meet him since you were little.”

“…Me?”

“Yes! Among all the weakling men of the empire, he’s the only one worth considering!”

Rayna was left dumbfounded.

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

* * *

After submitting to the maids’ extensive preparations, Rayna was finally able to head to the drawing room.

Count and Countess Krollot were visibly delighted upon Rayna’’s arrival.

“Our lovely daughter!”

“You’ve become even more beautiful since we last saw you.”

The couple showered her with compliments.

“A distinguished guest has come to see you.”

“Yes, yes. You should hurry and greet him.”

The count and countess led Rayna to Lucius.

Lucius had been standing still with his back to her and now turned to look at Rayna.

Her eyes widened slightly.

“Oh…”

“Nice to see you again.”

Rayna clasped her hands together and slightly lowered her head.

“Oh my. It seems like it’s not the first meeting between the grand duke and our child.”

“We haven’t formally exchanged greetings.”

The count quickly stepped between the two and spoke.

“Grand Duke Lucius Ingerson. This is our second daughter, Rayna Krollot, of the Krollot Count Family.”

The count looked at Rayna with affectionate, gentle eyes.

“Rayna. This is Grand Duke Lucius Ingerson from the Ingerson Grand Dukedom.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Rayna grabbed the hem of her skirt and slightly bent her knees.

“The pleasure is mine.”

His voice was calm, but there was no warmth in his gaze.

Rayna could feel the sharp aura emanating from him, almost as if she could sense it on her skin.

The count and countess either couldn’t sense it or chose to feign ignorance, but they remained unaffected.

“How did you come to know our Rayna?”

The countess inquired, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“I would like to speak with Lady Rayna for a moment.”

Despite him blatantly ignoring the question and stating his intentions, the countess graciously came to her own understanding of the situation.

Driven by the desire to be alone with Rayna, Lucius might not have had the luxury of being polite.

“Of course! Feel free to have a pleasant conversation.”

The countess said as she exited the drawing room with the count.

“Please, have a seat.”

Lucius suggested, and Rayna settled onto the sofa opposite him.

“What brings you here to meet me?”

“I have some questions about Jonathan Krollot.”

“My brother is currently at the Naval Academy. Is there an issue?”

“I heard that Young Master Krollot recently took a vacation and returned to the estate.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“According to Count Krollot, only Lady Rayna was at the mansion on the day he returned.”

He fixed his gaze on Rayna while taking something from his pocket.

Rayna’s eyes involuntarily focused on the gloves he wore.

Gloves she hadn’t seen in their first and second meetings.

On the black gloves was embroidered a golden snake, symbolizing the Ingerson family.

‘Looks like this is an official meeting.’

Lucius took a piece of paper from his chest pocket and unfolded it on the table.

It was a portrait of Calyx.

“Has he ever mentioned seeing this child?”

Rayna’s heart raced. She was convinced that Lucius knew Jonathan had taken Calyx.

Lucius not only came to find Rayna in person but also showed her a portrait of Calyx.

To Lucius, Jonathan was not just one of the many people to investigate in the southern region.

Rather, he was a prime suspect who needed immediate attention.

‘Stay calm.’

She made an effort to calm her trembling heart.

Showing any sign of astonishment here could ruin everything.

‘Now is the perfect time to use Lucius’ suspicions to my advantage.’

With that thought in mind, Rayna tried to hone her expression even more delicately.

She looked at Calyx’ portrait as if she were looking at an unfamiliar child for the first time.

Though the child in the portrait looked younger than Calyx now, the melancholic gaze remained.

Rayna carefully observed the portrait, making sure not to look away too quickly.

“I can’t hastily conclude that this is the child, but—”

Rayna raised her gaze and spoke to Lucius.

“My older brother mentioned that, before returning to the mansion, he saw a wandering orphan near the southern coast.”

Near the southern coast.

The hospice where Calyx had stayed was located there.

Lucius’ gaze fell on Rayna.

“What did the child look like?”

“He just said the boy was very skinny, with ruby-colored eyes.”

As if double-checking, Rayna looked at the portrait of Calyx again.

“A child who makes you feel sorry for…”

She paused for a moment, smoothing her voice.

It had to be composed and natural because, from now on…

“Elder Brother said he helped that child.”

She might say something that would fuel Lucius’ suspicions.