* * *

The Duchess, suspecting that the Duke was up to something strange again, searched for him in his study.

It had been countless times that she silently endured without saying a word, thinking that this time would be the last. However, she couldn’t take it any longer.

Though it was a strategic marriage, she couldn’t stand idly by and watch as her husband, who had changed so much from the beginning, ruined the family.

“What’s going on…”

“Who is that woman? She claims to be your guest.”

As the Duchess questioned the Duke before he could finish his sentence, his displeased face responded with a sharp look.

“She’s the woman I brought because the Duchess couldn’t fulfill her duties properly.”

“What did you say?!”

The Duchess couldn’t hide her bewilderment at the following nonsense. 

She wondered if he was planning to get a new successor by sleeping with that woman. It wasn’t a meaningless assumption because she clearly remembered how he was angry at the thought of adoption.

She had always blamed herself for giving birth to such a foolish son.

However, she was about to lose her temper at the thought of him really planning such an absurd thing.

“But since I can’t take another wife now, I have no choice but to create another successor.”

“…!”

It was a heavily edited response, but the Duchess could understand the Duke’s intentions. There was only one person who could create an heir in his place.

Was that thing even human? Regardless of not having any sexual interest, how could he treat his own child like that?

“Are you out of your mind?!”

She, consumed by anger, slapped the Duke’s cheek. The emotions that had built up over time exploded, causing her hand to tremble uncontrollably.

“What kind of behavior is this?!”

The Duke, who had been unexpectedly slapped, stood up abruptly with the intention of retaliating, but the Duchess, who had anticipated this, hurriedly left the reception room and yelled at the Duke.

“I can’t live with you anymore! I’m leaving the mansion with Fersen!”

“What did you say? Are you leaving?!”

The Duke rushed after the Duchess, but the knights who were waiting stopped him.

“Is this enough for you?!”

“Your Excellency, please calm down!”

They prevented the Duke from approaching the Duchess any further. Upon closer inspection, these were the knights and servants personally employed by the Duchess. They had been hired to ensure that no one could lay a finger on the Duchess.

“These…! Do whatever you feel like! I don’t need a wife who can’t do her duty! But I won’t let you take Fersen!”

The Duke hurriedly called the family’s knights and servants and instructed them to block Fersen’s room. Thanks to this, the mansion was in chaos.

The Duchess wiped away her tears as she carefully packed her belongings, taking care to load everything precious onto the carriage since it would become a place she would never return to.

She was about to leave when she encountered Deborah, who had gone out to buy clothes, in the hallway.

“…Good heavens.”

Only now did the Duchess see Deborah’s face clearly and was momentarily speechless.

With her swollen eyes, she couldn’t hide her surprise, making the Duchess wonder why she had come to the Duke’s residence with such an appearance.

Just as she was thinking that Deborah had come with bad intentions, the Duchess grabbed Deborah’s hand, realizing that she wasn’t there for any malicious purposes.

“I think you should just go.”

As she was about to suggest this to the bewildered Deborah, a knight who saw the angry Duke approaching, urged her on

“It might be a good idea for you to leave now.”

The Duchess, feeling rushed, tightly squeezed Deborah’s hand and left a cryptic message.

“We’ll send someone soon to take Fersen. If you find yourself in a difficult situation, please contact us then.”

Then, without hesitation, the Duchess climbed into the carriage. Deborah’s wide-eyed gaze followed her retreating figure.

“…Let’s go inside.”

The butler, who had been observing the situation and understood the Duchess’s intentions, gently pushed Deborah, who didn’t know what to do.

He also thought that the Duke’s behavior was strange, but he had no authority or power to stop it.

It will all be over when Deborah gives birth. No, it was when the butler, who thought it would be over, was about to go upstairs with her  when the Duke, who seemed satisfied despite his wife leaving the mansion, wiped his stern face and asked her a question.

“So, have you organized your thoughts?”

Rather than sorting things out, Deborah, still overwhelmed by the sight of the Duchess she had just seen, quickly shook her head.

“Ah, n-no!”

“…Is that so?”

The Duke made an uncomfortable expression once again, but he didn’t press further.

“Then it’s probably best for you to rest upstairs and organize your thoughts.”

After all, Deborah was already inside the Duke’s mansion. If they kept treating her with lavish hospitality until she accepted their proposal, she would eventually have no choice but to agree.

As soon as she got permission, Deborah hurriedly moved upstairs.

She felt that something was terribly wrong, but there had been so many events that she was confused and didn’t know what was wrong.

* * *

Antes, after inspecting the building, headed to a different location instead of the guild.

Royer, who had been planning to quickly finish the contract and return to the mansion, began to grumble about where Antes was going.

“Why, are you going somewhere?”

Antes responded disdainfully, as if Royer was of no concern to him, making Royer lose his temper.

“Where on earth are you going? Aren’t you tired?”

“Craftsman.”

Unlike when Luna was with him, Antes’ short answer left Royer frowning. He wished he had set a specific time to visit tomorrow if he had known it would be like this.

“Why, are you so eager to see Laura again?”

When Antes mocked him, Royer stammered in response.

“Wh-what? Wh-when did you find out?”

“A little while ago.”

To be so obvious and then act surprised. Antes clicked his tongue, and Royer, flustered, asked him.

“Surely Luna doesn’t know either, right?”

“Why? Is it bad if she does?”

“Yes! Because Laura pledged secrecy.”

“…Why?”

You’ve already been caught. When Antes asked, Royer, unable to hide his embarrassment, explained.

“In fact, I proposed and even asked for her hand in marriage at the same time. But Laura told me that she couldn’t marry me unless Luna got married first.”

He added that he promised to keep it a secret until then, regardless of Luna finding out.

“So, although it may be indiscreet, please get married.”

“…You’ve truly lost your mind.”

Antes answered by opening the carriage window. Even without saying anything, just facing him would make him feel embarrassed, so Royer kept his gaze out the window.

“Could it be you were just planning to casually meet Luna?”

At Royer’s almost unbelievable reaction, Antes’s mood soured.

After enjoying the trip with Luna, it felt good inside, but with just a few words, Royer managed to ruin his mood again. He could truly create a mess with just a few words.

“Be careful with your words. Before I turn you into a mess so you can’t speak again.”

Though he answered that way, in reality, Antes had never thought about the ‘conclusion’ of marriage.

Since last year’s birthday, he gradually realized that he had special feelings for Luna, but marriage was a different story.

He had never experienced a harmonious and warm home, and he doubted whether someone like him could give full, genuine love by marrying and having children.

While he responded to Royer, in truth, marriage was a dimension of storytelling that he had never considered.

“If you’re so upset about it, just get married.”

Without saying much, Royer quietly complained to Antes, although barely audible.

* * *

Since preparations for the charity hospital had been made to some extent, it didn’t take too long until it was ready to open.

The most challenging part was recruiting medical staff and procuring medications, but offering a relatively high salary and expenses made it easy to find qualified individuals.

“Miss, aren’t you in a hurry? Opening in just a few days after getting approval?”

Luna, who was adjusting her clothes, shook her head and responded to Laura’s remark that even roasting beans over lightning would be slower than this.

“Why not rush to take care of sick people? There are probably a lot of people who will suffer because there is no medicine right now.”

It had been a business started without much thought, but Luna had realized that there might be many people in urgent need of their services.

Ruefully, she wished they had prepared everything in advance and opened right after getting approval.

“What will you do if too many people gather, and there aren’t enough medicines?”

“We’ll make a list and provide it to them as soon as we procure the medicine. Stop worrying about that. Instead, take a look at my outfit. How does it look? Is it plain?”

Since it wasn’t a party but an opening ceremony, a flashy outfit wouldn’t be appropriate. Although Laura had helped choose it, Luna asked anyway, deciding not to be sarcastic this time.

“It’s a bit plain, but it’s fine. It would have been better if you had prepared some small accessories just in case.”

Laura, feeling regretful, received Luna’s approval and nodded meekly.

“Should we go?”

As Luna and Laura went downstairs, Antes, who had just arrived at the mansion, greeted them.

During that time, he had met with the craftsman and brought back a sample, which seemed to be a very delicate and beautiful ruby necklace that fell into Luna’s hands.

“Did you make this in just a few days?”

“Exactly one day. He’s a skilled craftsman. Does it go well with your outfit? Should I put it on for you?”

The necklace was not too noticeable in size, so Luna nodded her head in agreement. It seemed unpretentious, but it would be a perfect accent.

So, as Luna waited quietly for Antes to put the necklace on, he came up to her, got too close, and took a long time to put the necklace on.

“…Is it still far from the end?”

Luna glanced at the ceiling and asked idly, making Antes chuckle and provide a common excuse that it wasn’t hanging well enough.

“Is there something wrong with it?”

“No, it’s just that my eyesight has gotten worse lately.”

“Oh god, really? Then you should try eating blueberries. What if your eyesight gets even worse? How old are you?”

“Fine, I’ll do that.”

Although he answered that way, Royer, who had been watching them, clicked his tongue.

He couldn’t understand why he had been so irritated a few days ago when he saw them together.