This hair ribbon wasn't a gift Bren had prepared himself, but something the mysterious woman had given him.

The mysterious woman told Bren that as long as he could successfully deliver the hair ribbon to Sophia, he would get his heart's desire.

If Sophia didn't accept it, Bren would lose nothing—being rejected by a princess wasn't shameful.

If Sophia accepted it... Could he really gain a princess's favor with an ordinary-looking hair ribbon?

The love poem was written by Bren himself, expressing his desire to meet her in person at the end.

If things went as the mysterious woman said and Sophia truly favored him because of this, she would definitely come out to meet him.

The risk was small, but the potential reward was huge—Bren couldn't help but be tempted.

As for the compensation the mysterious woman demanded, Bren had readily agreed.

Once he became the princess's husband, what couldn't he obtain?

Bren fantasized enthusiastically while Charlotte watched with increasing contempt.

A toad wanting to eat swan meat!

Only because she still needed his help did Charlotte refrain from cursing him out.

"Now it's my turn to make demands," Charlotte said coldly, "Do you remember the girl who danced the first dance with Sophia at the ball?"

Bren asked in surprise: "You mean Celitia Herbert?"

That day at the cathedral, Bren had been schemed against by Celitia—not only had he been punched by Ariel, but he'd also had diarrhea for an entire night.

Harboring resentment, Bren had asked around the church, wanting to know the girl's identity.

Unexpectedly, Celitia was actually quite well-known within Cassia Cathedral.

It didn't take long for Bren to find out the girl's identity.

The fact that Celitia wasn't a commoner but a viscount's eldest daughter surprised Bren somewhat, but he quickly relaxed.

After all, he'd heard her father had been stripped of his position and demoted, obviously having fallen from court favor.

In terms of actual power, Charles without his position might be less influential than Bren, this local tyrant.

Bren wouldn't dare think of revenge against Ariel, but he'd been constantly pondering how to get back at Celitia.

"You know her?" Now it was Charlotte's turn to be surprised.

Bren said through gritted teeth: "I've had an encounter with her."

Not knowing why Charlotte had suddenly brought up Celitia, Bren tried his best to hide his expression.

But that resentment still leaked through his eyes and brows.

"You have a grudge against her?"

Charlotte saw clearly and couldn't help but curve her lips in a cold smile, "Perfect, my commission is targeting her."

Bren asked: "What are you planning to do?"

"I need you to help me kidnap her," Charlotte said through gritted teeth, "and bring her to a place I designate."

"Kidnapping?" Bren's face went pale, "This..."

"You're not going to say you can't do it, are you?" Charlotte sneered, "She knows neither magic nor martial arts, and her body is weak. You're a grown man—surely you can handle her?"

Bren hesitated greatly: "But there are so many people in the ballroom..."

"You don't need to worry about that. I'll find a way to isolate her."

Charlotte looked up at Bren, her tone carrying a hint of seduction, "Don't you also want revenge on her? This is a rare opportunity."

Remembering his previous humiliation, Bren's face changed from pale to red to purple.

Celitia rarely went out, and Bren had later staked out near the cathedral for several days without encountering her again.

This time she had suddenly appeared, becoming Sophia's first dance partner.

Under the crystal lights, the girl in the black dress danced gracefully like an elegant black swan, no less stunning than Sophia herself.

Resentment and jealousy churned in his chest, mixed with indescribable lustful desires. With his head heated, Bren gritted his teeth and agreed:

"Fine, I'll kidnap her and hand her over to you as you said."

Charlotte was about to nod when her heart suddenly stirred.

Since Bren also wanted revenge on Celitia, if she left the matter to him, couldn't she stay completely out of it?

Even if someone wanted to investigate afterward, she could find a way to extricate herself.

Thinking this, Charlotte's smile deepened.

"In that case, I'll give you something else. As long as you can make her consume it, she'll be at your mercy afterward—you can take whatever revenge you want."

Charlotte lowered her voice and said a few more words to Bren.

Bren's face flushed red, his eyes showing unspeakable excitement.

"But you must first deliver my gift to Princess Sophia,"

Not forgetting his purpose, Bren emphasized, "Only after I confirm that Princess Sophia has accepted my gift will I act according to your requirements."

Charlotte's expression darkened.

She had originally planned to slack off and trick Bren into doing her work first.

This way, she couldn't deliver it directly to Sophia, as it would easily expose their connection.

How troublesome...

Well, since he was someone the "Witch" had sent for the transaction, it was better to be cautious.

Charlotte said reluctantly: "Fine, I'll have someone notify you when the time comes."

The two lowered their voices further, whispering about something that gradually became inaudible.

Celitia quietly shifted position, trying to get closer to them.

Suddenly, an ice-cold hand pressed on Celitia's shoulder.

A voice filled with laughter rang in Celitia's ear: "What are you doing here?"

The voice was melodious and ethereal, somewhat unclear, carrying a trace of familiarity yet impossible to identify.

She could only tell it seemed to be a woman's voice.

Perhaps because she was too focused, Celitia hadn't noticed someone approaching.

Celitia was startled and whipped around to see a pitch-black figure.

Her entire body was shrouded in thick mist, making it impossible to see anything from face to body.

"Looking so panicked," the black shadow spoke gently, "I know—you're secretly doing something bad."

Staring intently at the black shadow before her, Celitia felt the bracelet on her wrist burning unusually hot.

How could such a person appear at the ball?

Was she an accomplice of Charlotte and that man?

Her heart began beating rapidly in her chest. Celitia suppressed her nervousness and kept her voice steady:

"Who are you, and why do you hide your identity?"

The black shadow moved closer, still laughing: "Keep your voice down—they're coming over too."

Charlotte indeed heard the sound: "Who's over there?"

Bren answered fearfully: "Maybe nobles looking for the brooch..."

"Impossible. This isn't an activity area at all," Charlotte didn't believe it, "It must be some cleaning maid."

She absolutely couldn't let anyone overhear what she and Bren had just discussed.