Shannon cocked her head to look at the escort’s face.

Dark brown hair that is almost black, with deep blue eyes

Shannon had never seen the escort before.

He was such a beautiful man that she would never forget seeing him.

But it was as far from Shannon’s taste as heaven and earth.

Shannon preferred a pure smiley face with white skin that screamed cutely when trampled.

“Who are you? Move out of my way!”

Shannon yelled, and all she got was cold eyes with no warmth in them.

“Mother! Mother! Mother!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After a few knocks, the door burst open from the inside.

Camilla’s eyes were colder than the arrogant escort’s.

“Shannon.”

Camilla, with a low sigh, called her daughter’s name and looked up and down at her.

Puffy eyes, rumpled hair.

Shannon was briefly embarrassed by her own appearance, which would have fallen far short of her mother’s expectations.

“What are you up to now? So unladylike.”

Camilla’s voice was low, as if she was aware of Cedric’s presence in the room.

“Mother, is it true that you will marry me to the North?”

“Let’s talk about it later.”

Camilla sternly admonished her whimpering daughter and turned around.

Shannon, on the other hand, clung to Camilla with tenacity.

“Just tell me if it’s true or not. To the Marquis of Whiterot, to that monster, do you really……”

“Yes.”

Camilla, who didn’t want to hear a long, desperate voice, eventually admitted the truth.

“That’s right.”

“……!”

Shannon was taken aback by the quick response.

Who exactly is the Marquis of Whiterot?

Because he was such a devilish human being, the scandal spread all the way here.

“How…”

Shannon clutched Camilla with a broken heart.

“Mother, how can you do this to me……”

“He is a great man who has spent centuries defending the barren land of the north. But are you accusing people of nothing more than a few rumors?”

Camilla is so cold-hearted that if she was stabbed with a needle, not even a drop of blood would come out. Shannon had a feeling, based on her mother’s reaction, that her mother had already made up her mind.

“N-No, I don’t want to! I can never go! I don’t want to go, Mother! I’m not going!”

Camilla took off her crying daughter’s hand.

“Whether you go or not is entirely up to me, Shannon.”

Camilla shifted her cold gaze to the next man.

“In the future, he will be your escort.”

“E-escort?”

“Yeah. Haven’t you been pleading for an escort all along?”

Shannon was surprised to see her grumpy mother.

It wasn’t an escort. It was more like keeping an eye on her.

“You are so… so mean!”

Shannon, who screamed, quickly turned around.

Camilla nodded at Shannon’s back as she walked away, her eyes uninterested.

“Keep her in her room. Because I’m not sure what she’ll do.”

Shannon was briefly followed by the man who bowed.

The man’s name was Valhail.

Camilla came to see Cedrick early in the morning and asked him to be Shannon’s escort.

“Are you serious about sending Shannon to the north?”

“Yes.”

Camilla returned to her seat with a calm expression on her face.

Her expression was not that of a mother pushing her child on her back with her limbs.

“You don’t think Marquis Whiterot is a terrible monster either, Cedric.”

“…… He is said to have been married six times, so he does appear to be a very untrustworthy man.”

“The Marquis of Whiterot is an undeniably good ruler. Despite the evidence indicating a need for a food shortage, there has never been a rebellion by the people of the territories.”

“The rumors are more exaggerated the more fearful you are.”

The words were directed at her own scandal, which had spread both internally and externally.

Cedric was just wondering if Camilla was Shannon’s biological mother.

⇺⇺⇺⇼⇻⇻⇻

The painter was supposed to arrive today. It was the same artist who was supposed to paint my portrait.

I pretended not to notice Valhail standing next to William.

“Did you get enough sleep, dear?”

“Y-y-yes, m-m-mother……”

“You do appear to have had a good night’s sleep. How do you get your skin to glow like this?”

Camilla worked hard this morning to get me dressed.

It was to stand in front of the easel.

“Don’t forget to keep your mouth shut.”

“Y-yes……”

Camila was well aware of the rumors that she had just beaten me and refused to give me a slice of bread.

‘Though it’s true.’

To make matters worse, she seemed concerned that if my stuttering became widely known, it would be added to the list of reasons I became retarded due to my stepmother.

“Madam, would it be better to tie Lady Selina’s hair up?”

Camilla brought in a hairdresser from the outside, possibly putting her life and death on the line with this portrait.

His hands were so quick that he brushed my hair all the way up to my waist and tied it up without leaving a single strand behind.

As my rich golden hair faded away, I could see myself in the mirror with only my face highlighted.

“Oh, my God, you are stunning.”

The hairdresser was speechless.

“It’s unusual to see such beauty in the capital city.”

“Do you think I’m not aware of it?”

“Of course, Madam is the expert.”

Camilla looked very proud of me as I sat pitifully.

Between them playing dolls, I made eye contact with Valhail through the mirror.

“Shall I then tie her hair, Madam?”

“I was thinking the same thing the other day. It’s lovely because I can see her face better with her hair tied back. But let’s just let it loose this time.”

“I see.”

My elastic hair bounced loose as soon as the hairdresser let go of his hand.

My blonde hair, soaked in sunlight, sparkled and rippled like jewels as I bowed my head slightly.

The long hair, which reached the waist, fluttered and sank as if it had been strewn with gold thread.

An exclamation erupted as soon as I raised my head again.

“Oh, my……”

Everyone looked at me in the mirror as if they were possessed.

I smiled softly face to face as a celebrity responded to fans.

‘I am indeed so pretty, right?’