In an instant, his head felt ice cold. It felt as though his heart had frozen and stopped beating.

He didn’t need to ask what had gone wrong. There were tears brimming in Laura’s eyes, and beside her was Deborah, bearing the same expression.

But still, with a slight hope that maybe, just maybe, nothing had happened, he couldn’t hide his anxious look and asked Deborah:

“Why on earth are you here?”

The face that once feigned innocence was gone. Facing the cold countenance before her, a hesitant Deborah replied:

“The Lady… exchanged clothes with me…! So I could visit my hospitalized mother…! I hurried back, but in the meantime, the Lady…!”

Deborah, unable to conclude her statement, postponed her response as she sobbed.

But that alone was enough for Antes to deduce Luna’s whereabouts.

If Luna, after switching clothes and impersonating Deborah, had disappeared, there could only be one reason.

“The Lady has returned to Duke Rodrian’s residence with the Duke’s servants…!”

As the reply dropped, Antes closed his eyes tightly. Nothing could have been worse than this.

* * *

Luna, who had returned to a private room with Beth, sank into the sofa, turning her head away.

Her posture was suspicious, but fortunately, Beth didn’t seem to mind.

Instead, seeing Luna’s unwell state, she asked if she’d like another drink.

“Ah, yes, yes. Please.”

“Then I’ll order a drink with melted sweet chocolate in warm milk, topped with cream.”

She could’ve just said hot chocolate, but she elaborated to make it sound fancier, likely to lift Luna’s spirits.

‘She’s attentive, treating Deborah well.’

Well, she did ask for such a massive favor, so she had to treat her well. Luna, feeling somewhat relieved, glanced at Beth who was ordering.

“Is there anything else you’d like?”

Beth immediately asked, surprising Luna, who quickly waved her hands:

“No, no! I’m fine.”

So this is what Deborah was wary of – being constantly watched, even if she was treated well.

“I would also like a warm wet towel, please.”

Luna pondered while glancing at Beth, who ordered the towel for herself, then cautiously asked:

“About that document… What exactly am I supposed to bring?”

First and foremost was the document that the Duchess had asked for – secret papers for the impending divorce suit. Luna wasn’t yet aware of the specifics.

Beth’s expression hardened at the question, prompting Luna to quickly clarify.

“We never know when an opportunity might arise. During a recent meal, it seemed the Duke had let his guard down around you.”

“The meal?”

Apparently, Deborah hadn’t told Beth about it. She just explained how the Duke had sent someone to her mine.

“Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”

“Well… I couldn’t really get involved, and telling you wouldn’t change anything.”

“…”

Even so, Beth seemed displeased with her question.

Realizing her mistake, Luna was about to regret when Beth, trying to salvage the outing, responded:

“In the future, no matter how trivial, tell me everything.”

“…I will.”

Luna’s voice had a hint of disappointment, but Beth, not wanting to ruin their outing, eventually addressed Luna’s question.

“I intentionally didn’t tell you about the document. It will be quite difficult to find. It’s in the Duke’s study.”

“Oh, I see.”

“However, I’ll explain just in case. The document is fortunately bundled together, probably for quick disposal in emergency situations.”

According to the Duchess’s last check, they were bundled and organized, Beth explained. And the contents of those documents were-

“Corruption…?!”

“Technically, it’s tax evasion. I know that with the help of the nobles who held high positions in the imperial castle, they evaded a huge amount of taxes.”

They used a method of creating hundreds of non-existent people to distribute their income.

Since the higher the income, the higher the tax rate, they could break up their income and pay less tax.

“So, are there hundreds of non-existent names written on those documents? And were those names changed by the other nobles so as not to get caught?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s unlikely they helped without any compensation, so there must have been bribes involved in the process. They probably documented the bribery too, since no one can go down alone.”

“…Yes.”

It’s one thing for nobles to secretly fight among themselves, but tax evasion that deceives the eyes of the imperial palace is a different story.

Depending on the amount, there was a possibility that they might have to return not only their property but also their titles.

If it was just an amount that could end with a fine, the Duchess wouldn’t have told Deborah to steal the documents. If it was a document that could send the Duke away in one shot, Luna also needed it. It was too precious a document to be used solely for divorce purposes.

While Luna was thinking this, Beth’s expression became serious, sensing something was off.

“You’re suddenly speaking so eloquently.”

She was sharp and quick-witted, unlike the usual Deborah.

She used to struggle even with set answers, so it felt as if she was a completely different person.

When Beth began to doubt, Luna hurriedly made an excuse.

“Well, I had an acquaintance who got into big trouble for lending their name in that way. I mentioned it just in case, and it seems I was right.”

“…I see.”

But Beth’s suspicion hadn’t completely disappeared. Luna then pretended to be unwell, pressing her forehead as if in pain.

“Ah! My head suddenly hurts…”

“…!? Are you alright?”

A startled Beth quickly checked on Luna. Fortunately, due to previous experiences, her acting had become a bit more natural.

Since Deborah had pretended to be sick before going to the bathroom, there were no more suspicions.

“…I’m sorry, but I think I should leave.”

Seizing the moment, Luna thought to infiltrate the Duke’s house and clutched her head and stomach in pain.

As if waiting for those words, Beth nodded and supported Luna. She had been trying to suppress her desire to leave since earlier.

“Oh, before that, can I quickly use the restroom? I feel like I might have an accident on the way back…”

“…”

No one would refuse such a request. After imagining something and frowning, Beth let Luna go to the restroom alone.

In the meantime, Luna wrote a note to deliver to Antes, hid it in the restroom, and then left the cafe with Beth’s support.

‘I drew a star on the outside as a sign not to throw it away, so it should be fine.’

She had explained that she was willingly heading to the Duke’s house, so there was nothing to worry about.

That was Luna’s judgment as she continued to pretend to be sick, resting her head against the carriage wall.

“We need to call a doctor as soon as we arrive.”

“No, no?! That’s not necessary. I think I’ll be fine after some rest.”

“But just in case.”

“No! I’m really fine!”

Luna, with her disheveled hair, looked startled, and her voice sounded somewhat strange, almost like a madwoman.

She seemed to be mentally exhausted. Beth, thinking that, tried to calm her down.

“Okay. But first, when we get back, you should take a bath.”

“Yes, yes! I will.”

Just when Luna thought she had overcome the crisis with her acting, unfortunately, upon arriving at the Duke’s house and getting off the carriage, she met someone she didn’t want to see.

“…What on earth happened to you?”

It was Duke Rodrian. He happened to be in the courtyard and looked very displeased, pointing at Luna’s appearance.

Beth quickly bowed and apologized for Luna’s appearance.

“I’m sorry. We’ll tidy her up immediately.”

The Duke waved his hand in annoyance, hinting for them to hurry up and fix the situation. He also had a displeased look as if thinking, how can she charm Fersen looking like that?

‘What does he think of people?’

Frustrated, Luna was determined to see him in prison, looking even worse than she currently did. With that thought, she was taken into the mansion by Beth.