There were no major mistakes after that, and Ortansia managed to successfully complete her first dance, which officially marked the beginning of her social debut.

　Amidst thunderous applause, Ortansia left the dance floor and was finally welcomed into the circle of people.

“That was wonderful, Duchess Verite!”

“How divine you and Master Gérard looked side by side.”

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“Do you remember me? I met you once at a tea party when you were a little girl, Lady Ortansia…”

Even though she was overwhelmed by the people who were approaching her, Ortansia managed to concentrate all her nerves so that her smile wouldn’t twitch.

‘Heehee. I expected it, but it’s amazing. I knew the name “Duke of Verite” was overwhelming.’

She felt this when she attended the tea party for the first time, but it seemed that being the ‘Duchess of Verite’ is a position that people want to get close to by all means.

　Furthermore, Ortansia soon became aware of other developments since that time.

“Yes, Lady Ortansia. There is someone I would like to introduce to you…”

“He is my nephew.”

“I heard that Lady Ortánsia likes to read, just like my son.”

“Please come to the next concert. The son of a cousin of a friend of my sister’s will play the violin.”

She was introduced to a succession of strange young men and invited to come to the introductions, and while she managed to keep her smile on her face, Ortansia gulped and swallowed spit.

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‘Is this… a marriage proposal, if you don’t mind me asking?’

This was probably what it meant  to be introduced only to nobles of your age

‘What should I do?… If my first priority is not to be a candidate for Prince Victor’s wife, should I get engaged to someone who is reasonable…?’

If she wants to avoid a disastrous ending like the first life, getting engaged to someone else would be a viable option.

　However, Ortansia could not at all imagine a future in which she would be engaged… to some nobleman, much less his wife.

‘It might help me if I got engaged to someone else, but would I be able to protect my brother and Father properly?’

　If she accidentally got married, she would have to leave her father and brother.

Wouldn’t that make it difficult for her to protect them?

‘Besides, wouldn’t it be disrespectful to the other party to get engaged with such half-hearted feelings?’

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　Ortansia, who is serious at heart, was beginning to worry at that thought.

The face and name of the noblemen who were introduced one after the other, although it entered the mind at least once, but it did not seem to fit in any way.

But one of them started approaching her a little too forcefully, wondering what he thought of Ortansia’s attitude, who kept smiling quietly.

“It’s my first time seeing you, Duchess Verite. I saw your dance just now, and it was so gorgeous, like a dancing butterfly, that I couldn’t help but be taken aback.”

“Well, thank you.”

Ortansia tried to smile graciously and let it slide. but as soon as she did, her hand was held and she became flustered.

“Please, can I have the honor of taking your hand?”

‘You’ve already taken it!’

She understood that she was being asked to dance.

But it was unexpected that he would come so forcefully, and Ortansia was at a loss as to how to respond.

No matter how much she wanted to get engaged to someone, it seemed like she will have a hard time later if it’s such a pushy partner

‘I have to refuse somehow… Um, at times like this…’

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Ortansia tried to pull out from her memory drawer the ‘Annabelle-style lesson – how to refuse an invitation from a gentleman without any offense’.

But before Ortansia could utter an innocuous refusal, the nobleman in question half-forcibly tried to take Ortansia out

‘Come on, let’s go!”

“e, um…”

Her arm was pulled so hard that she almost lost her balance.

　But at that moment, Ortansia’s body was supported by a powerful arm from behind.

“Duchess of Verite, what’s going on… huh!”

The nobleman who looked back made a twitching expression as if he had run into a bear on the road at night.

Looking back at what the hell happened, Ortansia finally understood the situation.

　While supporting Ortansia’s body from behind, Gerard focused an absolutely cold gaze on the nobleman in front of him.

‘Scary!’

The current Gerard was clad in a colder air than she had felt for some time now.

Even Ortansia, who has some tolerance to it, was so frightened that she felt as if she would freeze unintentionally.

　The nobleman in question who was directly exposed to such a blizzard must have felt like he was not alive at all.

“…I’m sorry, but I can’t entrust my sister to someone who would try to forcibly take her out without her partner’s consent.”

If one only looked at the content of the words uttered, they would not seem that harsh.

But the words uttered from Gerard’s mouth have an immense killing power.

　The nobleman who tried to take out Ortansia began to rattle and tremble as if he had received a death sentence.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience. He has just come out of the countryside and doesn’t have the slightest sense of etiquette… We will discipline him thoroughly, so please don’t let us…”

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The nobleman’s relatives, who immediately became like frogs staring at a snake, jumped out and began apologizing profusely.

‘Wow, I knew Onii-sama’s intimidation was great… But what am I going to do about this aura…!’

　The air around them was tense, as if they were on the battlefield, not unlike a glittering ball.

Ortansia panicked, not knowing what to do, but then the saviour appeared.

“Now, now, where is my little princess?”