Baldwin slowly scanned Anais from head to toe.
Her wavy hair cascading down her neck, her pale skin, and her hands clenched tightly in tension.
She looked completely different from how she had been at the hotel restaurant two days ago.
That contrast only made him recall that day even more vividly.
The reason he deliberately changed the meeting place was because he didn’t want Anais to think about Egbert at all.
To consider her feelings? That wasn’t it.
It was to show off, like a peacock spreading its feathers.
He wanted her to know that if she needed help, it would be better to come to Baldwin rather than Egbert.
He had to show her that he was bigger than the marquis’s estate, and possessed far more than Egbert ever could.
That was all there was to it.
‘How petty and despicable.’
He felt pathetic. He couldn’t understand why he was doing something like this.
Fortunately, Anais seemed completely captivated by the flowers blooming around the mansion, oblivious to Baldwin’s thoughts.
At just the right moment, the butler brought out refreshments.
He waited for Anais and her secretary to wet their throats before getting down to business.
[I’d like to hear Graham Bank’s stance first.]
“Ah.”
Stars seemed to sparkle in Anais’s eyes.
For a moment, he had the illusion that her pupils were truly shining.
For some reason, this woman seemed to genuinely love Graham Bank and the work she did with it.
He had always known she put her all into her responsibilities, but…
‘Why is that, I wonder.’
Anais opened her lips.
“Then please take a look at these documents first, Your Grace.”
Baldwin quickly skimmed through the documents handed to him by Heres, her secretary.
Anais maintained her calm demeanor until he finished reading.
‘…Deposit money?’
He almost burst out laughing.
When he looked up after confirming that part, Anais was staring at him with a slightly flushed face.
Her cheeks were blooming red like trumpet creepers.
“Did you see the special terms section with our requests?”
Baldwin set the documents down, signaling he had finished reading.
“I understand the strong ties between Hedges and Constantine. However, Graham Bank can also provide sufficient satisfaction—”
[I will do it.]
Baldwin decisively wrote his approval and showed it to her, a pleasant smile tugging at his lips.
It wasn’t Egbert. It was him.
She had come to him for help.
This was practically a distress signal from Anais.
Various factors that were driving Graham Bank to the edge must have pushed her to this decision.
It bothered him a little that she came to him only after Egbert,
but ultimately, it was Baldwin’s hand she chose to hold, and that pleased him.
He felt relieved that, unlike before, he hadn’t let go of her hand without even trying.
That was enough.
[I will deposit one-third of Constantine’s assets currently held in Graham Bank.]
A smile spread across Anais’s lips.
Seeing her bloom like that lifted Baldwin’s mood further.
“Thank you, Your Grace!”
[I also approve of the rate proposed by Graham Bank.]
Baldwin ostentatiously signed the end of the contract.
Watching Anais’s face brighten even more, he thought:
Anais suits this spring estate more than anyone.
She herself was spring.
I left the Constantine mansion in high spirits.
Baldwin had invited me to the banquet being held this weekend.
It was the spring banquet at the Constantine mansion.
When I was merely a baron’s daughter, my status was too low,
and when I was the Marchioness of Graham, Egbert disliked such gatherings, so I had never attended a banquet alone.
This would be my first time attending the Constantine spring banquet.
“What should I wear?”
“Pardon?”
Heres opened his eyes wide.
“For this day… What should I wear to look dignified yet radiant, and trustworthy?”
Heres looked troubled, then answered seriously.
“……Perhaps… the outfit you’re wearing now?”
“This isn’t a banquet dress. Never mind, Heres. I must be too excited.”
I couldn’t help but giggle lightly.
To think I was asking Heres such a question.
Still, this unexpected gain made me feel like I was walking on air.
Nobles grade and rank each other over the smallest things.
Just by attending Constantine’s spring banquet, people would raise their assessment of me.
I hadn’t even dreamed of receiving an invitation.
Of course, just this alone wouldn’t bring back those who left Graham Bank, nor would it make those who now looked down on me suddenly respect me again.
But it was definitely enough to refresh my image.
“We have work to do once we return today, Heres. The Graham side will definitely use the media. They’ll publish articles saying our bank is about to collapse, or that its roots have been ripped out.”
Egbert was more than capable of such pettiness.
Especially since I had thoroughly bruised his pride this time, he was bound to act even more disgracefully.
“We will prepare for it. The Duke of Constantine has signed, and within the promised week, we will secure the deposit funds. Let’s also prepare articles to counterattack the Marquis of Graham.”
“Yes, Madam. Would you like me to compile a list of media outlets favorable to Graham Bank?”
“At the bank, there should be a list prepared. Until just before the articles are released, we need to keep checking whether they remain favorable to us or suddenly change their stance.”
Heres nodded firmly.
“I can’t choose your dress, but I will handle this task perfectly!”
“The dress isn’t important.”
I burst into laughter at Heres’s spirited words, and he laughed brightly as well.
It felt different from yesterday. Like receiving a single drop of rain after a long drought.
Baldwin had blown away the dark clouds Egbert tried to cast over me with a single breath.
The sunlight shining down on me felt so warm. It almost brought tears to my eyes.
The weekend arrived quickly.
Ella chose the perfect dress for me.
When I was young, I was too poor.
During my academy days, I was too focused on studying.
After marriage, because of Egbert… I never had a single friend.
Ella was my only friend.
Though she always felt humbled when I said that.
Ella chose a dress that was “dignified yet radiant, and trustworthy,” just as I requested.
She used the taste she’d honed while living as the Marchioness of Graham to choose it.
It was a deep navy dress embroidered with subtle silver thread.
The dress exposed my collarbones and draped sheer fabric over my shoulders. It wasn’t stuffy or old-fashioned, nor was it revealing.
I wore a pearl necklace with a sapphire pendant and matching earrings.
My hair was neatly pinned up with a pearl ornament placed atop.
Taking a deep breath—
“Are you ready, Anna?”
I asked myself.
The Spring Mansion glowed brightly, waiting to welcome its guests.
The lights seemed to wave at the guests gathering one by one.
Welcoming them inside.
I stepped forward alone.
Even if the guests were selectively invited, this was another kind of jungle all the same.
Steel yourself, Anais.
“Oh my!”
“The Graham Bank president! Her name is…?”
“It must be Anais Barnaby!”
People exclaimed as they saw me.
I could hear Egbert’s name mixed among the murmurs.
A servant who spotted me called out loudly:
“Lady Anais Barnaby of the Barony has arrived!”
Being formally announced by a servant meant I was an official guest.
People’s gazes changed instantly.
It was the favor reserved for those officially invited to Constantine’s banquet.
This was also the influence of Constantine.
Those who had been wary approached to greet me.
“It’s a pleasure to see you here, Madam. We met at the banquet hosted by Graham Bank recently, didn’t we?”
“Yes, it’s lovely to see you again here as well.”
“You came as His Grace’s guest today, didn’t you?”
“Like everyone else here. The Spring Mansion is truly beautiful. I can see why people praise the spring banquet so highly.”
At my calm reply, the noblewomen smiled softly.
They were rude, but it was better for them to confirm openly.
As I moved about greeting people here and there, my eyes met Baldwin’s.
His violet eyes, reflecting the chandelier’s light, were dazzlingly beautiful.
Among all these people, it felt like he was looking directly at me.
Though there was no way that was true.
There was no way I could be that special to Baldwin Constantine.
But the moment Baldwin turned his gaze away from me, it felt as if all the magic disappeared.
Only then, after taking a deep breath, did I realize:
When our eyes met, I had forgotten to even breathe.
