Marquis Branford sat silently, lost in thought. Memories of Duke Delphine’s younger days, a man he had not seen in many years, flooded his mind.

The Duke had always carried a gentle smile, juxtaposed with an aloof and inscrutable gaze. No one could guess what he was truly thinking. Despite this enigmatic nature, Duke Delphine was widely regarded as kind and non-authoritarian—a noble beloved by all.

But that was before the incident.

Whatever had happened, it transformed him into a man of cruelty and mercilessness. Rumors of madness spread, and the Duke disappeared from public view. For years, he had …