After Fabio left, Erica gently placed both hands over her chest.

    It was because of her heart, which was beating unusually fast.

    Her heart pounded so strongly it almost hurt, yet, at the same time, she felt comforted and happy.@@@@

    She carefully murmured the name of the person responsible for these feelings.

    “Baron Rothschild... No, Fabio...”

    Just saying his name made her heart race even faster.

    ‘What if he had kissed me when he proposed? I would’ve been so embarrassed.’

    Apart from the formal dances at balls, Erica had never even held hands with a man before, so imagining anything beyond that felt too thrilling.

    “If we keep growing closer like this, and eventually marry, will I become Baron Rothschild’s woman?”

    Just a few hours ago, Erica hadn’t felt any particularly strong emotions toward Fabio.

    She simply saw him as someone distinct from other noblemen, someone respectful and easy to deal with since he didn’t act inappropriately around her.

    But now, even thinking about him made her heart ache with longing. She wanted to see him, to feel cherished by him.

    “Is this why poets call love an illness?”

    While Erica was lost in her thoughts, her nanny entered the room.

    Seeing Erica’s flushed face and the ring on her finger, the nanny could guess what had happened.

    ‘It seems our young lady has fallen in love.’

    “How was your meeting with Baron Rothschild today, my lady?”

    Erica was too absorbed in her thoughts to even hear her.

    Her first experience of love felt more potent than any drug.

    The nanny clucked her tongue inwardly.

    It wasn’t that she thought poorly of Erica but rather because Baron Rothschild had managed to enchant her young lady so thoroughly.

    Still, as Erica’s nanny, it was her duty to report to Duke Visconti on the progress of Erica’s relationship with Fabio...

    “My lady.”

    When the nanny addressed her seriously, Erica finally came to her senses.

    “Oh, I’m sorry, nanny.”

    “It’s all right, my lady. So, how did your meeting with Baron Rothschild go?”

    Erica carefully touched the ring on her left ring finger, as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

    “It was nice... I could feel how much he cherishes me.”

    “What specifically made you feel that way?”

    “There’s so much I want to say... First, unlike other young noblemen, Baron Rothschild isn’t arrogant, nor is he obsequious.”

    As a duke’s daughter, Erica had met hundreds of young noblemen.

    Their behavior could generally be divided into two patterns.

    Those of equal or higher status would flatter her with empty words but looked down on her in subtle ways.

    If she thought about it with a bit of cynicism, it boiled down to, “Who are you to refuse a dance with me?”

    Depending on the person, some even showed a desire to somehow possess her.

    Meanwhile, those of lower status busied themselves with flattery, trying to elevate her esteem for them in a bid to raise their own social standing or satisfy their baser desires.

    ‘Honestly, both kinds are rather disgusting.’

    But Baron Rothschild was different.

    “Even though he’s much lower in status than me, he’s always confident and shows no ulterior motives. He doesn’t see marriage with me as a means to elevate his family or to gain the duke’s vast wealth. He seems to have none of those thoughts.”

    “Well, the Rothschild family is financially secure, unlike most noble houses. Perhaps that explains why he has no need for greed.”

    Even Duke Visconti and the Emperor didn’t know exactly how much income Fabio generated.

    But from what little income was visible, he already earned far more than what one would expect for “just a baron.”

    As someone who had seen wealth herself, the Visconti family’s nanny Libra was slightly envious.

    “Young Duke, I brought you a snack. This is...”

    Young Duke Alfred set his work aside upon hearing this.

    “No need for words, just bring it here.”

    When he saw the treats, however, he frowned.

    “Why do these pastries look like this? Who made them?”

    “I’m sorry, Your Grace.”

    “Why are they so misshapen? Who baked these?”

    The butler decided to come clean.

    “They were baked by Lady Erica herself.”

    Young Duke Alfred suddenly felt a bit sheepish.

    His sweet daughter had taken the time to bake for her hard-working father. Who cared if they were misshapen?

    Even if they had a slightly burnt taste, they were filled with his daughter’s love.

    Alfred quickly changed his tone and made a show of forgetting his previous complaints.

    “Ahem, let’s pretend I didn’t say anything.”

    Knowing full well that such cover-ups never came free, he casually handed the butler a few silver coins.

    “I didn’t hear a thing. These were baked personally by Lady Erica.”

    “So, they’re pastries baked by my dear Erica.”

    Maybe she had learned a few things from the patissiers nearby?

    They weren’t too sweet, had a slightly bitter taste, and were actually quite nice.

    “The shape may be a bit rough, but the taste is wonderful. It feels like just yesterday she was toddling around...”

    Just because nobles are often too busy to give their children attention doesn’t mean they don’t love them.

    They simply lack the skill to express it well.

    “She thought of her father and baked these.”

    The butler broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.

    These were actually baked for Baron Rothschild, and Erica had asked him to pass on a sample to her father.

    “Um, Your Grace, Lady Erica made these pastries for Baron Rothschild.”

    Duke Alfred froze.

    “She wanted you to try the best of them before giving them to the Baron.”

    Still, he didn’t mind.

    After all, he had gotten to taste his daughter’s baking.

    But the thought that these weren’t “baked for father” gradually turned into...

    A desire to “properly train the scoundrel who stole his daughter’s heart.”

    ‘Fabio looks rather weak, probably because he hasn’t undergone knight training.’

    Shouldn’t he be sent to the knights’ division for training?

    He needed to stay healthy and live a long life with Erica.

    In Alfred’s mind, this was all just the warm-hearted intentions of a father concerned for his daughter and future son-in-law.

    “...Our son-in-law looks rather weak. Perhaps he should...”

    But Alfred dismissed the idea.

    Sending Fabio to train with the knights might be good for his health, but it would sadden Erica.

    Besides, the arranged marriage had been his and his father’s idea, and if Erica was happy, there was no reason to interfere.

    “Butler, prepare some fine wine and snacks for tonight. I’ll be drinking alone.”

    “Yes, Your Grace.”

    That night, Duke Alfred finished an entire bottle of wine by himself.

    Fabio, meanwhile, suffered a bout of sleep paralysis that night.