Before long, the Asterians officially announced Tielâs existenceâalong with the results of the templeâs paternity test.
The nobles immediately latched onto the news, eagerly gossiping about the "long-lost" youngest daughter of Asterian and the mysterious light that had recently shone over Asterian territory.
"So⦠does that mean the Marchioness is alive too?"
"I heard the Marchioness really did die that day! Only the child survived."
"Then⦠could that mysterious light from Asterianâs territory have been because of the youngest daughter?"
"A light ability? I thought it was just a legend! Who wouldâve thought such an ability truly existed?"
The Asterians had deliberately kept silent about their youngest daughter's ability.
But the nobles had already convinced themselves that the "light" that illuminated Asterianâs territory had belonged to none other than the newly revealed daughter.
After all, the announcement had conveniently come right after that mysterious light had appeared.
As a result, interest in "the youngest daughter of the Asterian family" skyrocketed.
Since she had never officially appeared in public, curiosity about Tiel naturally surged.
On top of that, rumors spread that even the famously cold-blooded men of the Asterian family were completely doting on their youngest.
Nobles began scrambling to establish a connection with Tiel, desperate to form ties with her.
Dozens of party invitations flooded into the Asterian estate. Every single one was addressed to Tiel Asterian, the youngest daughter of the Asterian family.
Tiel stared at the mountain of invitations, her eyes rolling in disbelief.
"All of these⦠are invitations for me?"
"Yes."
Karsus answered, sounding thoroughly uninterested. He casually picked up the topmost invitation, opened it, then tossed it aside as if it were a nuisance.
"Of course, you donât have to go if you donât want to. Butâ¦"
"But?"
"You should at least have some dresses tailored. With no women in the house, we haven't been paying attention to that."
Tiel tilted her head at Karsusâs words.
Dresses? She already had so many that her wardrobe was practically overflowing.
Ian had gifted her several, and Karsus had even had some custom-made for her.
So why would she need more?
"Youâll have to attend official events from now on. Itâs better to have dresses prepared for such occasions."
Ferdi spoke as he picked out a few invitations from the pile and threw them straight into the fireplace.
Ludian, who was prodding the burning invitations with a fire poker to make them burn faster, chimed in.
"Yeah! We need to get you the most expensive, most glamorous dresses in the empire, Tiel! Youâre the youngest of the Asterian familyâthereâs no way you can just wear anything!"
Tiel wanted to ask her brothers, Why are you burning the invitations? But she held back. Instead, she decided to ask something else.
"Arenât the dresses I have already enough? Ian-nim even gifted me some."
"Itâs best to get new ones every season. Fashion trends change constantly."
Of course, not every noble lady ordered a brand-new dress for every single party.
A single dress designed by a renowned couturier often cost as much as the annual budget of an entire estate.
But this was Asterian.
If she wanted, she could have a new dress tailored every day from dozens of ateliers without a second thought.
Ferdi recalled the dresses Ian had previously gifted Tiel.
He needed to have her fitted for something even betterâso that she wouldnât even think about pulling out Ianâs dresses.
A plan formed in Ferdiâs mind, and the corners of his lips curled up.
"There are a few famous ateliers in the capital. We should select some and visit them together. Or we could summon them to the mansion."
Ferdi glanced at Karsus for approval. Karsus seemed to ponder the matter briefly before nodding.
"Yes, that would be best. Also, we should call Olivier to the mansion. Itâs likely that girls her age would know more about these things."
At the familiar name, Tiel lifted her head.
When she first arrived at the Asterian mansion, Ria had dressed her in nightwear and given her a room, saying that it belonged to Lady Olivier.
She had wondered back thenâwho exactly was this Olivier?
Would she finally get to meet her?
At that moment, Ludian scrunched his face in disgust. Even Ferdiâs normally composed expression showed mild discomfort.
"Olivier? Are you serious, Father?"@@novelbin@@
"I can take Tiel to get her dresses myself. Thereâs no need to involve Olivier."
Ludian was the first to protest, followed by Ferdi.
But Karsus remained firm.
"A man's eye has its limits. Girls know best what other girls like. And since I just received a message from Etienne, this would be a good opportunity to introduce you to Olivier."
Karsus finished speaking and turned his gaze to Tiel. She nodded slightly before asking,
"But⦠who is Olivier?"
"Your cousin. Etienne is your aunt."
"â¦Cousin?"
Unconsciously, Tiel thought of Cornelia and Rowen, and her expression tensed slightly.
Since Olivier was part of the Asterian family, they would obviously be different from Cornelia and Rowenâ¦
But the years of being locked in a small room and enduring abuse had made it difficult for her to think beyond her past experiences.
She had improved a lot since coming to the Asterian mansion, but there was still a long way to go. Tiel swallowed nervously.
"Tiel, if you donât want to meet her, you donât have to. Aunt wouldnât force you either."
And Ferdi seized the perfect opportunity. He lightly tickled Tielâs small palm.
"Our Tiel is still shy around new people⦠Wouldnât it be better to go dress shopping with just your brother instead of a cousin youâve never met before?"
"Why just the two of you? Youâre leaving me out completely now?"
"Oh no, here we go againâ¦"
"What do you even know about dresses? The best you can do is judge the sharpness of a blade. If you come along, youâll just be in the way."
"Stop fighting!"
Tiel suddenly reached out and covered Ferdiâs mouth.
Then, realizing what she had just done, she quickly pulled her hand away, looking startled.
"Ahâ um, I mean, that was, uhâ¦"
Why did I do that?! Tiel had never covered anyoneâs mouth before!
Ferdi, Ludian, and even Karsus stared at her in surprise. A brief silence filled the room.
Then Ferdi burst into laughter. Tielâs face flushed bright red.
"Pfft, Tiel. Did you cover my mouth because you didnât want us to fight? Alright, I wonât fight."
"See! Ferdi, itâs your fault! You kept provoking him, so Tiel had to shut you up!"
Ferdi ignored Ludian completely and instead pulled Tiel onto his lap.
Etienne and Olivier were already long forgotten in the minds of the three children.
Meanwhile, the invitations from the "less desirable families," which Ferdi and Ludian had carefully selected, continued to burn in the fireplace.
***
A royal carriage pulled up in front of the Asterian mansion.
The Asterian servants no longer looked surprised at this frequent visitor and led Ian Dross to the parlor.
"Ian-niimâ!"
As soon as Tiel heard of Ianâs arrival, she ran out with a bright smile, her small steps quick and excited.
In her rush, her hair had become a mess.
Ian raised an eyebrow and casually reached out, smoothing down her bangs.
Moments later, her personal maid appeared, carrying a comb. She looked flustered upon realizing that the Crown Prince himself had been tending to Tielâs hair.
"I apologize, Your Highness. The young lady ran out in such a hurryâ¦"
Ian simply raised his palm, signaling that it was fine, before tilting his hand slightly.
Ria instantly understood what he wanted and placed the comb in his hand.
"Donât run like that again. What if you hurt yourself?"
"Hehe, but I was excited when I heard you were hereâ¦"
Tiel blushed as she clasped her hands together.
Ian sighed, as if exasperated.
He gently combed through her tangled hair.
"Even so, donât run. Alright? If you get hurt, your brothers will throw a fit."
He placed the comb back onto Riaâs outstretched palm with a curt motion.
"Donât worry! I wonât run anymore."
Tiel had also learned how to properly guide Ian inside now.
As she held his hand and led him toward the parlor, Ian caught his reflection in the glass window and let out a small chuckle.
At first, she had been too afraid to even step into his homeâ¦
Feeling oddly proud, he ruffled the round top of her head.
The hair he had just carefully brushed was immediately tousled again.
At that moment, as she walked ahead with her usual cheerful stride, Tiel suddenly stopped and spun around.
"â¦â¦!"