In the end, Kang Arin changed her dress.
At first, I really almost fainted.
She was beautiful—yeah, my jaw dropped, no lie.
But the problem was...
‘Can you even call that a dress?’
What was in front of was... honestly hard to categorize as clothing.
Not only the shoulders, but the sides were cut so deeply that every movent exposed just enough skin to make you nervous.
I hate to say it, but it was more fitting for a bedroom than a party.
And I wasn’t the only one who was startled.
Even the stylists around us went completely silent for a mont.
It was custom-made, sure, but I don’t think anyone expected this.
“Please, not this one.”
I barely managed to speak.
I’d tried to stay quiet, but this... this was impossible to let slide.
Thankfully, Kang Arin glanced at my face, let out a small laugh, and nodded.
“Alright~ I’ll save this one for later.”
Then, without a hint of sha, she disappeared behind the curtain again.
A mont later—
Swish.
The curtain opened carefully.
This ti, it was definitely different.
Kang Arin stepped out in a modest, elegant dress.
The luxurious fabric clung softly to her body, gracefully highlighting her shoulders and waist.
The exposure was minimal, but that only made the curves that were visible even more striking.
This one was powerful in its own way—but still a lot better than before.
She walked up to and gave a mock curtsy, lifting the hem of her dress lightly.
“Shall we go, then?”
She smiled sweetly, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
“Y... yeah, sure.”
The party hadn’t even started yet, and I already felt exhausted.
And then—
“Ah, wait a sec.”
Kang Arin held out her hand to stop .
She took out her watch and tapped it a few tis on the screen.
She was entering sothing.
“What are you doing?”
I tilted my head.
Kang Arin pointed at her watch and grinned.
“Oh, just work stuff.”
That sly, mischievous look.
I felt like she was up to sothing—but I didn’t press further.
***
At that mont, in the Yu family’s training hall—
Clang, clang!!
Sharp tallic sounds sliced through the air.
“Haa...”
Yu Hana lowered the tip of her sword and caught her breath.
In front of her stood Yu Mujin.
Her father looked at her with gentle eyes.
A silent sparring match that had lasted over thirty minutes.
“You’re impressive.”
Yu Mujin smiled with pride and sheathed his sword.
Thud.
Yu Hana knelt down, propping her sword against the ground.
“Whew... I’ll take a short break.”
“Alright, well done. Let’s end it here for today.”
Yu Mujin gave her a short complint.
Then, patting her on the shoulder, he began putting away the gear.
Yu Hana wiped her forehead with the back of her sweaty hand.
“Phew...”
She steadied her breathing.
Sparring with her father left her satisfied.
‘I’m happy.’
Just exchanging swords with him, just spending ti with him—
It was more than enough.
At that mont—
Ding.
Her watch vibrated briefly.
Yu Hana lifted her wrist without thinking.
“...?”
The mont she saw the ssage, all the fatigue in her body vanished like smoke.
There he was—her beloved, standing dressed in a full suit.
“Gasp...”
Yu Hana held her breath.
She stared at the photos, completely entranced.
Then a short ssage arrived.
RIN: Tonight’s party with your secretary ♥
Her mind went blank.
All the fatigue rushed to her head and turned into heat.
A party?
The only “party” she knew of was the strategic exchange gathering.
And her father hated events like that.
‘Tsk, guess we’re not going this ti.’
Yu Hana had originally planned to attend with him, but all that fancy networking crap?
Her father treasured ti spent sparring with his daughter far more.
So, in the end, he didn’t go.
Thanks to that, Yu Hana naturally stayed out of it too.
And that was fine.
She thought it was fine.
‘It’s not fine.’
Yu Hana slowly raised her head.
Yu Mujin was already heading toward the exit of the training hall.
“Take your ti coming out.”
He smiled gently and stepped through the door.
And then—
“Daaaaaad!!”
His daughter—
No.
A young woman’s dramatic wail echoed through the hall.
***
anwhile, at the Arcadia Order—
“Saint! It’s ti for the hot spring~”
“Oh, thanks~”
Cheon Yeoul waved lazily.
She’d finally scored so free ti after a string of tightly packed days.
She was fully indulging in being lazy.
Of course, if it were sothing involving Jeong Haein, she’d happily make ti.
But if it wasn’t?
She /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ had zero desire to go out of her way.
Tonight’s strategic exchange eting was exactly that kind of thing.
All for show. Formal. Ego-stroking.
Normally she’d have gone out of duty, but this ti she refused on the spot.
‘Not going~’
She just dumped it on the Hero’s side.
Fancy dressing, stiff shoulders—that stuff was right up their alley.
Everybody wins, right?
Thanks to that, she could finally enjoy a soak in the hot spring again.
Cheon Yeoul dipped her toes in the water and let out a long sigh.
“Hooo...”
And then—
Ding.
Her watch buzzed lightly.
“Hm?”
She usually disabled notifications during bath ti.
Except for the important ones.
Cheon Yeoul checked the screen casually.
And froze.
“......”
The mont she saw the pictures, her mind went blank.
In the photos—
A man stood beneath cold lighting.
Dressed in a sleek black suit.
The high-end fabric reflected light softly, flowing naturally over his broad shoulders.
With his neatly combed hair, his features looked even more defined.
Even his tie was tied just right.
Maybe it was the unfamiliar outfit, but his expression looked a bit awkward as he gazed into the mirror.
Cheon Yeoul unconsciously swallowed.
“Cute...”
And at the sa ti—
So incredibly handso.
Like she was hypnotized, Cheon Yeoul saved every photo without a thought.
And then she snapped out of it.
What the hell is this?
RIN: Tonight’s party with your secretary ♥
“...!”
A short ssage.
Cheon Yeoul bit her lip hard.
There was only one party Kang Arin would be going to.
‘The exchange eting.’
Splash splash!
Cheon Yeoul threw on a towel and sprinted out of the hot spring.
Outside, a young priestess was folding Cheon Yeoul’s clothes, preparing to help her dress.
“Sister!”
Cheon Yeoul called out in a panic.
“Yes—! Gasp!”
The priestess looked up and instinctively covered her mouth.
Soaked, draped in only a towel, Cheon Yeoul’s silhouette was clearly visible even beyond the damp cloth.
The graceful lines of her figure made it hard to breathe.
“Did the Hero... leave already?”
Cheon Yeoul quickly asked.
She was supposed to be the one going to that party.
The priestess stamred.
“Yes... they just left...”
“Oh.”
Cheon Yeoul stood still for a mont, then stumbled back toward the hot spring.
***
As always, Jeong Haein’s dorm room.
Rustle, rustle.
Beneath a thick blanket, a small girl curled up quietly.
The lights were off, and the curtains completely blocked the sunlight.
Only the occasional rustle of fabric filled the room.
And then—
Ding!
A soft notification sound ca from under the blanket.
A mont later—
“Kyaaah!”
A short scream burst out from under the blanket.
It jolted violently.
Flap flap.
The small movents caused the whole thing to thrash from the inside.
Nothing major had happened lately, so Jeong Haein, the hobody, had been holed up in his dorm.
Off-limits on weekdays.
So lunatic mage had been regularly setting up wards.
So weekends were the only ti anyone could sneak into his room.
Sion had been starved, in her own way.
And so, as usual, she’d been enjoying herself while the room’s owner was out... until—
There he was—Jeong Haein, dressed to perfection.
For Sion, it hit like a nuclear bomb.
That morning—
Sion had flat-out refused her grandfather’s invitation to the party.
‘The room’s free today...’
Her grandfather was probably heading out with Seong Ara by now.
She tapped on the watch screen.
Beyond Jeong Haein’s awkward reflection in the mirror, Kang Arin was visible in the background—wearing sothing so skimpy, it could barely be called a dress.
“You crazy bitch.”
Tap tap.
Disgusted, she tapped the screen.
The image zood in.
Jeong Haein’s shoulder, his hand, the line of his neck.
“Heh...”
She tapped again.
Zood out.
Tapped again.
Zood in.
On and on.
And then her watch pinged.
RIN: Tonight’s party with your secretary ♥
A short ssage.
The numbers beside it disappeared instantly.
aning: everyone had read it.
No one replied.
Not the sender.
Not the recipients.
They were probably all thinking the sa thing.
Sion already knew.
There was nothing she could do.
“Ah...”
She was the perfect loser.
Rustle.
She set the watch aside.
Leaving the blown-up image of Jeong Haein’s face on the screen, she slowly curled her body.
Then quietly, very quietly, she pulled the blanket over her head.
Deeper, even deeper.
“... Ngh.”
In the darkness beneath the sheets—
Sion swallowed her defeat, all alone.
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