Why do you seem like you’re not the bride?

Kalandria returned to Riverside Manor to find a group of people crowded at the gate.

She ignored the bowing and scraping sycophants around her.

Her gaze passed straight through the crowd, landing on the elaborately dressed noble young master in the center.

The moment their eyes met, the other party seemed to have had a fuse lit, and immediately turned around angrily, striding towards her.

“You you you! You must be Kalandria!”

The voice was shrill and somewhat grating.

Kalandria had never had much patience for such obviously rhetorical openings.

She looked the other party up and down.

That face, slightly distorted by anger, was not pleasing to the eye.

Her interest vanished instantly.

She only deigned to let out a “Humph” from her nostrils as a response.

‘What an attitude!’

Mosolen was already holding back a bellyful of anger, and now he felt his molars grinding.

However, being offended by a noble of the same rank was ultimately different from being rebuked by a servant.

As the legitimate son of the Holy Sword Family, if he got angry and lashed out over this little thing, wouldn’t it seem too petty?

He forcibly suppressed his surging anger and cleared his throat.

“Ahem, excuse me, Miss Kalandria. I have come all this way specifically to visit you. Please allow me to introduce myself—”

“The Knight King’s brother, the second son of the Holy Sword Family, the young master of the Ignivel Family, right?”

Kalandria casually flicked a strand of bright silver hair behind her ear, her peripheral vision sweeping over him.

“I know who you are.”

“You—”

Very good, his teeth were probably really broken now.

What came out of her mouth were a string of cold labels. She didn’t mention his name at all.

The syllables “Mosolen” seemed non-existent.

He was like a coat rack full of identity tags.

As for what material the coat rack itself was made of, or what shape it was in, no one cared.

“Miss Kalandria, I came to visit with respect…”

Mosolen felt his face twitching slightly.

“I’m also talking to you out of basic courtesy.”

Kalandria’s tone was calm, as if she were saying something commonplace.

“Anyone else who barged in unannounced and made such a big commotion would already be practicing underwater swimming in the river by now.”

Mosolen was speechless.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t find words to refute her.

But he couldn’t imagine that such an arrogantly self-righteous woman could exist in this world.

Her neglect didn’t seem to stem solely from the opposition of their identities.

It was more like she naturally considered herself to be standing at the apex of all Florence, scorning everyone beneath her feet with an almost equal arrogance.

“Fine, now that you’re here, come in.”

Kalandria stopped looking at him, took her own steps, and walked straight to the ornate iron gate of the manor.

The Ignivel attendants, although somewhat dazed by the previous exchange, instinctively and quickly made way, bowing their heads respectfully.

She was alone, without any attendants.

Yet that invisible aura easily overwhelmed the Holy Sword Family’s young master, who was surrounded by a group of people.

This indescribable sense of oppression made Mosolen’s entourage feel both respectful and fearful, and they couldn’t help but secretly peek at her back.

Watching his own attendants’ useless appearance, Mosolen finally found an outlet for his anger.

He glared fiercely at the bowing heads before reluctantly following Kalandria’s footsteps.

They passed through the courtyard and entered the villa.

Without Kalandria’s permission, Mosolen’s attendants were ordered to stay outside the villa, guarding it like door gods.

In the spacious living room, only Kalandria and Mosolen were left.

The air seemed to have become somewhat stagnant because of it.

“Speak. What did you come all this way for?”

Kalandria sat down on the soft sofa, her posture casual but commanding. She got straight to the point, with no patience for pleasantries.

“If it’s about the engagement ceremony, your Ignivel family can arrange it as you see fit. There’s no need to specifically seek my opinion.”

Mosolen’s facial muscles were almost contorted.

What did she mean by “your family?”

You were the one who proposed the marriage. Why did it sound like you weren’t the bride?

He used all the noble etiquette that his etiquette teacher had taught him to barely squeeze out a stiff smile.

“But, Miss Kalandria, if I remember correctly, this engagement was only set in motion under your renewed proposal.

Since you actively expressed your desire, we should naturally fully respect your opinion on related matters—my mother instructed me as such.”

“Oh… is that so.”

Kalandria nodded lightly.

Her expression didn’t seem to be sincere agreement, but more like she barely remembered it was the case after being reminded.

“So, what are you here to discuss?”

Her tone was still calm, without any awareness that she was about to discuss her own marriage.

“Naturally, it’s about publicly announcing the marriage…”

Seeing her finally steer the conversation onto the right track, Mosolen felt that his mental strength was almost exhausted.

“You suddenly proposed fulfilling the engagement and expressed a desire for the wedding to be as soon as possible—although my mother was happy to see this happen, it ultimately seems too rushed.

In any case, before the official ceremony is held, we should first announce it to the outside world. That’s the proper procedure.”

“Mm…”

Kalandria thought for a moment, lost in thought.

She had found the marriage agreement between the Levincite and Ignivel families from the old papers not long ago.

Back then, to escape this marriage with an unknown partner, she had run away from home to become an adventurer, too lazy to even ask which family her fiancé was from.

Now that she knew her partner was the one before her, Kalandria was even more certain of how brilliant her decision to run away three years ago had been.

That’s right, it was her who put the marriage back on the table.

But all of this was just a play for Loya’s benefit.

Actually getting engaged?

That was absolutely impossible.

But the play had to be realistic, at least enough to convince those clueless outsiders.

Otherwise, how could she bring Loya in?

“Then how do you want to announce it?”

Kalandria looked up at him.

Mosolen tapped the sofa armrest, laying out his pre-arranged plan.

“Regarding this matter, my mother has already considered it thoroughly.

The day after tomorrow, at the ‘Gift of Westay’ restaurant, a banquet and ball will be held jointly in the name of the Ignivel and Levincite families.

At that time, the two of us will go on stage together to formally announce our marriage to all the young talents from all walks of life in Florence.”

“Heh…”

Hearing the words “our marriage,”

Kalandria’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly with a hint of disdain.