“My husband hasn’t come home yet?”

Valentin asked as he unwound the scarf tightly wrapped around his neck and handed it to Powell. It was a late evening walk. By the time he returned to the mansion, the winter sun had already set and it was dark.

Normally, Reynard would have already returned home to greet Valentin by this time. 

No, if it were his usual self, he would have asked about Valentin’s whereabouts after work and traced his walking route to follow him. That’s the kind of person he was…

“Well… He said an important meeting came up that he had to attend, and told us to have dinner first.”

Powell, who was usually the model of a flawless butler, uncharacteristically couldn’t look directly into Valentin’s eyes.

‘That’s likely.’

Valentin thought this as he watched Powell fidgeting strangely as if he was the one caught doing something wrong. That was because this had already happened several times.

“He keeps me cooped up telling me not to go out, but goes out alone just fine himself?”

“Pardon?”

A prickly feeling jumped up and burst out.

Perhaps not expecting the usually gentle and smiling Valentin to be so sarcastic, Powell stared at his master with wide eyes, his mouth gaping in considerable shock.

“No, nevermind. Just ignore what I said.”

“……”

Valentin passed by Powell and went up to the inner rooms. Then he finished a simple meal attended by Dawson.

Perhaps from walking for a long time, his legs felt heavy and he was tired. Valentin finished bathing and changing into pajamas by himself. Then he laid his heavy body down on the soft bedding.

In the end, Reynard did not return before Valentin fell asleep that night.

The Spark of Anxiety

The Flower Mary reception room with its cute name in the capital’s Grand Duke’s residence. It was where Valentin held gatherings when inviting a small number of close acquaintances.

Cecilia’s cheerful voice rang out there.

“I thought you were sick, Valentin!”

Cecilia exclaimed dramatically, picking up an icing cookie specially made by Lution House’s patissier. The dessert chef seemed to have put a lot of effort into it, as it was the first time in a while that the master had invited guests. Colorful cookies shaped like works of art were beautifully arranged on a 3-tier cake tray. And they were now being mercilessly crushed on Cecilia’s plate…

“That’s because only the Marquis of Valkyries has been seen at recent major social events.”

Cecilia shrugged, saying how surprised she was to see your husband there without you.

Just like this, Valentin’s mental state was being shattered like the cookie in Cecilia’s hand by her unknowing recitation of “facts”. He hadn’t known Reynard had attended so many events without telling him. He just thought he was coming home late because he had a lot of work…

Valentin glanced sideways at Cecilia, who was still focused on demolishing the cookies, narrowing his eyes. Knowing she had no ill intent, there wasn’t much he could say…

Valentin turned his eyes back to the newspaper in his hand. Soon after, it started trembling slightly. The thin paper had become crumpled at some point.

<Exclusive Report! Surviving as a Noble in Heston>

“I grew up in Turca, but received a stricter Imperial education than anyone,” Lady Sabina Akal (hereafter Lady Akal) described herself. …(omitted)… Lady Akal, who was thought to be unfamiliar with Imperial dances, showed she could perfectly execute not only the waltz but also the minuet and polka. Especially when she danced with Marquis of Valkyries, one of the invited guests, she looked as beautiful as a fairy flown in from a foreign land, drawing admiration from onlookers. This ball proved there was no falsehood in her words describing herself…(omitted).

Valentin was just now reading the on-site reportage article by a promising journalist leading the “Daily Eldon”, one of the most influential daily newspapers in the Empire.

This female reporter, who had made a name for herself with vivid on-site reporting that spared no effort in coverage, was so popular she had a solid fan base. Valentin always made sure to find and read this reporter’s articles.

This time, she had closely followed Lady Sabina Akal – a Turcan noble with the 3rd Prince Clifton as her guardian and currently the hottest topic in the Empire – for three days for an exclusive report.

Today was the last of the three-part series of articles.

‘I thought it would be filled with more writing about her research and the new drug today too…’

Valentin’s face flushed red at the unexpected content as he opened the newspaper expecting that.

Today’s pages focused mainly on the Heatherfield Duke family’s ball and social activities from two nights ago. And in the black and white engraving printed alongside the main text, a vivid scene of a man and woman dancing was depicted, which Valentin could identify exactly who they were.

‘Reynard…’

A black-haired man depicted as exceptionally tall, and a slender woman with dark skin.

“Oh? It’s the Marquis. Right, those two danced together.”

Cecilia glanced at the newspaper Valentin was reading and added, as if she knew the situation well. She had a smiling face as if it had been a truly heartwarming sight.

“You were there too?”

Valentin asked, furrowing his brow.

“Of course. I think all the great nobles residing in Eldon were invited?”

“The two of them danced?”

“Yes. Twice, in fact.”

Not once, but twice…? Valentin turned his eyes from staring holes into the newspaper to stare at Cecilia. As if now you’re the one I want to drill holes into with my eyes.

Seeing Valentin’s furrowed brow, shaking pupils, and ominous expression, Cecilia awkwardly smiled as if realizing she had made a mistake and changed the subject.

“No, that’s why I thought you must be sick… Of course I assumed that was the case when the Marquis came alone to such a big event.”

“Tell me in detail, Cecil.”

At some point, the direction of the conversation had become something like an interrogation and inquiry.

“…Um, there’s nothing much to tell in detail! I’m sure the two of them just happened to end up like that somehow. It was also partly because everyone was so excited after the first waltz…”

They must have both been quite the handsome man and beautiful woman. Cecilia muttered quietly in a small voice.

Although it was common to go out on the dance floor with someone other than your partner at a ball, Cecilia started to shrink because her friend’s aura was so ominous. If someone who never backed down in terms of force was like this, one could imagine how fierce Valentin’s expression must have been.

Valentin felt as if hot blood was surging back up from his heart.

‘While I’m left alone at home like this…’

Although he knew it was just the fact that they had become temporary dance partners by chance at a ball, somehow it felt like witnessing an unpleasant scene he had wanted to avoid. Like the affairs of husbands or signs of hearts drifting away that he used to read out of curiosity in women’s weeklies or gossip magazines long ago… Something dirty and unpleasant like that…

‘Does Lady Akal really have immunity to Reynard’s pheromones like I do?’

His mind was in chaos, like a jumbled mess of paint in dirty colors. One color stood out piercing through those chaotic colors.

Black suspicion. 

A dark desire to confirm the truth.

‘Could it be that she just forced herself to endure that day to avoid being rude…?’

Valentin tried to turn on a positive circuit to soothe his mind. The kind of conjecture that she must have desperately endured out of courtesy, unable to show that the Grand Duke of Dennox’s pheromones were disgusting and frightening…

If that were the case, it would be greatly reassuring.

‘But would my mind be at ease just by confirming that…?’

Valentin sank deeper into his own thoughts, unaware that Cecilia was intently focused on drinking tea beside him with a tense face.

In fact, even if Lady Akal’s truth was confirmed, there was no belief that Reynard, who had suddenly become so busy lately, would spend time leisurely with him again. He didn’t even know exactly what kind of relationship those two had. He didn’t know how they had ended up as dance partners twice at a ball where he wasn’t present.

No, in fact, Valentin couldn’t properly grasp why his feelings were in such a mess. Was it because he suspected his husband of infidelity? Or was it in case some different current flowed between those two? Because there might be some possibility in Lady Akal, like himself, of being immune to Reynard’s pheromones?

‘We were the ones who met at a ball, danced, and fell in love at first sight… Those thrills and small memories were ours alone. All those things were ours, and yet…’

The feeling of witnessing a foreigner invading his land and trying to plant a flag…

It felt like something that was his alone was being violated.

“This won’t do.”

“What won’t?”

Cecilia, who had been trying to peel off the pink icing stuck to a cookie beside Valentin without knowing what kind of confusion he was in, was startled. She had recognized the seriousness on her friend’s face.

“It’s the end of the year now so social circles are overflowing with gatherings, right? Do you happen to know of any gatherings Lady Sabina Akal might be attending right now?”

It was a look saying you should know if you’re the one who has all the news about the Empire and social circles. Come on, provide some useful information like the well-informed person you are. At that force, Cecilia slowly answered, recalling hesitantly.

“There are certainly big gatherings being held every day… Hmm.”

Cecilia’s eyes wandered upwards as she searched her memory.

“Lady Akal is probably at the end-of-year bazaar hosted by Her Majesty Empress Beatrice at the Imperial Palace today. Not just her, but almost everyone in high society right now will be attending there?”

“You came to me while setting aside something like that?”

Valentin asked incredulously. Cecilia shrugged and laughed casually.

“Her Majesty the Empress’s charity events happen once or twice every year, so what. I should come running when you call, Valentin. Besides, I thought you were really sick since you’ve been cooped up lately, so I came to visit today…”

“Thank you, Cecil. Your friendship is truly touching.”

“R-Really?”