When the carriage door opened, in front of them was a line of more than ten servants standing in parallel.
"Welcome, Count Vasselieu."
"I sincerely apologize for summoning you so abruptly."
There was middle-aged man with long, flowing blonde hair in front of them. He extended his hand toward Grandolf as a gesture of greeting.
Grandolf reached out to shake hands, but his expression remained stoic.
"No worries. I trust that the Marquess has a sufficient reason for such an urgent summons."
"Ha ha, there is indeed a good reason for calling you here"
Marquess Astassec said, looking at Flora, who was holding Ellie, with a curious gaze.
Flora noticed that the Marquess was staring at Ellie, but after he observed Ellie for a moment, he turned away without saying anything.
"Let's go inside first. Discussing these matters outside might not be ideal"
Marquess Astassec suggested, gesturing for the group to enter the mansion. He then nodded to the maids.
Once the Marquess invited them inside, they immediately followed him into the mansion. Just as they entered, a man was walking down from the upper floor.
"Gulle, we have guests from the Vasselieu family," the Marquess said to the man, who gave a brief nod, communicating with his father through a glance.
When Flora saw the man's face, she let out a sigh.
'Gulle Astassec' the man she was engaged to. Although the engagement was for political power.
She tightened her hold on Ellie.
"Shall we have a conversation, Count Vasselieu?
"Just let Gulle and Flora spend time together as fiancés"
the Marquess suggested, nodding to Gulle.
Gulle, seeing the signal from his father, slowly descended the stairs and respectfully greeted Grandolf.
Grandolf, acknowledging the greeting with lightly nodded before agreeing to speak with Marquess Astassec.
Flora and Ellie watched as Grandolf left with the Marquess before turning their attention back to Gulle.
"Shall we go for teatime to get to know each other better?" Gulle asked with a smile, glancing at Ellie, who was still in Flora's arms.
People from another world are rare, and for ordinary folk, the chance to meet one is almost impossible. If he weren't the son of Marquess Astassec, he might never have met one either.
This was because 'people from another world' usually possess extraordinary strength, their strength are rare even among the high-ranking knights of the royal family, making them highly sought after by various factions.
But... looking at the child in front of him, there's no way this child could be as powerful as he'd imagined.
Noticing that Gulle was staring at Ellie for a long time, Flora finally responded.
"Yes, I'm Flora Vasselieu, your fiancée, as you know"
Flora introduced herself, although she'd never met Gulle in person, she had heard some bad rumors.
Gulle was known to be quite the playboy, frequently visiting casinos for gamble and flirt with women.
"And this is Ellie, my daughter," Flora said sweetly as she mentioned Ellie's name, tightening her embrace and kissing the little girl's cheek.
When Gulle heard the words 'my daughter' his lips twitched slightly.
"Oh... your daughter?" he asked.
"Yes, Ellie is my daughter, even if she is adopted"
Flora replied immediately, without a moment's hesitation. During that time, she observed Gulle's reaction.
She noticed a vein bulging on his forehead, revealing his displeasure beneath the smile.
Seeing this, Flora smirked.
"I hope you'll be kind to my daughter"
Flora said as she walked out of the mansion with Ellie, gently stroking her. For a nobleman, marrying a woman with a child was not considered ideal and was often the subject of gossip.
Gulle clenched his fists before turning to his maids.
"Please lead them to the garden for teatime" he instructed, hiding his emotions perfectly so that the maids wouldn't suspect anything.
After Flora and Ellie left the mansion, one of the Astassec family's maids led them straight to the mansion's garden.
"The flower garden here is so beautiful"
Ellie remarked as she looked around the garden.
The garden was adorned with vibrant flowers, meticulously arranged in color gradients, showcasing how much care given to it.
"Hmm... Ellie, do you like gardens like this?" Flora asked.
"Yes~ Can you put me down, please?" Ellie requested.
Flora looked at the little girl in her arms, whose tail was wagging vigorously.
'She seems really excited...'
Flora thought before gently placing the child down.
As soon as Ellie's feet touched the ground, she ran straight toward the flowers, but instead of admiring them, she leaped to chase the butterflies flitting around the garden.
'Oh... Ellie'
Flora sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.
It seemed she'd have to find a way to pay for the damage to the garden.
Not long after, Gulle appeared before Flora, carrying a basket.
He placed it down and began to neatly arrange the sweets.
"These are snacks from a famous dessert shop these days. I hope Lady Flora and her daughter enjoy them"
Gulle said with a polite smile.
Flora responded with a faint smile. If it weren't for the bad rumors and his behavior earlier in the mansion, she might have thought he was a gentleman.
She got up and walked toward Ellie, who was crouched down, her tail now still.
"Come here~ The sweets are ready"
Flora called, lifting Ellie, who resisted slightly before eventually allowing Flora to carry her, though her eyes remained fixed on the butterflies in the garden.
When Flora brought Ellie to the desserts, the little girl finally shifted her focus from the butterflies to look at Flora.
"This is a macaron, and this is marzipan..." Flora introduced each of the different desserts. Ellie's tail wagged eagerly.
"Ellie, which one you want to try first?"
Flora asked, watching as the child looked back and forth between the desserts. Flora chose to ignore Gulle, who was sitting next to her.
"That one~"
Ellie pointed to the marzipan. Seeing that Ellie had made her choice, Flora carefully fed it to her.
"Do you like it?"
Flora asked as she watched Ellie's expression. The little girl, tasting the new sweet she had never tried before, adorably held her cheeks and shook her head, making Flora chuckle softly.
"Try this one too"
Gulle said, picking up another sweet and offering it to Ellie. Ellie who was not understanding currents situation toward Gulle, innocently open her mouth and accepted the desserts.
After Ellie had her fill of desserts, she snuggled up to Flora.
"Do you want to run around again?"
Flora asked, immediately understanding Ellie's desire from her wagging tail and the way she was eyeing the butterflies and birds on the ground.
"Yes~ Can I?"
Ellie asked sweetly, which made Flora smiled and agreed.
As soon as Flora consented, Ellie dashed off.
"She's quite a lively child, isn't she?"
Gulle commented as he watched Ellie run off.
Flora chose not to respond.
Seeing Flora's silence, Gulle slowly moved his hand behind her.
"You're very beautiful, Lady Flora," he said awkwardly.
"So beautiful that I was stunned when I first saw you."
Flora, observing Gulle's behavior, quickly understood.
'Ah... So, this is how he seduces women'
She thought while looking at his face.
'It's no wonder those women fall for him...'
Gulle was indeed handsome, but Flora, who had never cared about such things, was unimpressed.
She turned her face away, focusing on Ellie, who was playing happily.
'I've never seen Ellie run so excitedly like this before.'
she thought to herself, when suddenly, she felt a hand on her butt, causing her to jerk.
"Remove your hand!" she snapped, shoving Gulle's hand away forcefully.