In the noble society of the Crania Empire, where complex etiquette based on age and status had already been established, not receiving a greeting was a significant issue.

The Duchess of Monde clearly expressed how displeased and upset she was by ignoring Kaella’s greeting. Frankly, it was an emotionally driven action.

‘It would have been good if someone had seen… No, what difference would that make?’

What use would it be now? Kaella had already come to a conclusion after enduring the harsh times as the Grand Duchess of Lucenford.

Complaining about unfairness wouldn’t make anyone take her side. It was better to just swallow it and digest it quietly. At least that way, it would be peaceful. Nothing would happen. Or if she protested, she would only end up looking strange and bad.

‘Or everything would just fizzle out. In that case, they’d tell me to understand and let it go.’

The Duchess of Monde had lost a potential son-in-law, and poor Lady Lavalle had lost a long-time lover.

If Kaella made an issue of this, she’d be accused of being a spiteful rich heiress who not only stole another woman’s man but also caused trouble about it.

Moreover, this was the Imperial Palace. The Emperor was on edge because of the Empress, and Kaella, walking on thin ice not knowing when she might die, didn’t want to become the subject of commotion or gossip. She sincerely wanted to stay quiet.

“My lady. A guest has arrived.”

So Kaella, who had returned home right after finishing her business at the palace and confirming that her father wouldn’t have a private audience with the Emperor today, looked at the butler.

“It’s the Grand Duke of Lucenford.”

A name that made her even more tired just by hearing it.

‘Why is he here? Should I have apologized to the Duchess of Monde? Is he here to criticize me for not doing so?’

It’s obvious, isn’t it? He always blindly protected Beatrice. That’s why the time spent with her husband was always suffocating.

Those unreadable violet eyes always silently accused her, and Kaella always struggled to endure that gaze and be perfect. A perfect wife. As if Kaella could ever be such a being.

Yet, she kept harboring hope as foolish as it was unbreakable, and Kaella just quietly wore away. So as soon as she heard that the Grand Duke of Lucenford had come, she immediately thought of the silent accusations that would pour out with his silence.

“Why did he come?”

“He says he has something to give… If you’re tired, he said he’d come back in three hours.”

The Duke had clearly conveyed his intention to meet no matter what.

“Tell him to wait a bit.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Kaella eventually stood up and tidied her clothes. Well, it couldn’t hurt. Let’s think positively.

She had already lost her temper, run away from home, and shown her worst side. If he was going to pick a fight over this incident, she had no reason to stay quiet either. Rather than pretending to be a good person clumsily, she might as well live angrily until she dies. It’s a relief that she can at least get angry.

Sitting in front of the mirror, she started to brush her hair but paused. She remembered the scene where the Duchess of Monde turned her head abruptly without responding to her greeting.

‘It’s not like I did anything wrong.’

If she wanted to get angry, she should go and get angry at the Emperor or the Grand Duke of Lucenford. It was just that Kaella, who usually greeted well and was polite, was the easiest target.

It would make more sense if Beatrice came and got angry at Kaella, but it was laughable that her mother was making a fuss.

If we were to match ranks, shouldn’t the Duchess of Monde go to Count Ostein and get angry about why he took away their potential son-in-law?

Everything related to that family or the Grand Duke of Lucenford was always like this. Much later, she would find herself sitting alone at her dressing table, letting down her hair, or soothing her aching heart while drinking tea alone.

Kaella put down her brush with a thud and quickly walked to the reception room.

The Duchess of Monde had taken out her anger on an innocent and easy target, so why shouldn’t she do the same? Of course, that doesn’t mean the man pacing in the reception room was an easy person.

“…I’m sorry for coming suddenly.”

He was exceptionally skilled with a sword, but when standing still, he also exuded the aura of a well-educated scholar.

She had seen him a few times, returning with a war-weary face and quietly recording in his journal by lamplight. Kaella disliked remembering and occasionally recalling such trivial scenes.

“I should have contacted you before visiting…”

“It’s alright. What brings you here?”

The atmosphere between the two, who were excessively formal, was awkward and uncomfortable. One side was being very cautious, while the other was burning with determination.

If he came to argue about the Duchess of Monde, Kaella truly wouldn’t stay quiet. Yes, let’s do that. She was already facing another doomed marriage, and there was a big difference between dying after saying what she wanted to say and dying without saying it.

The problem was that she kept forgetting that it was okay to get angry because she had been holding back for so long.

‘It’s okay to get angry. It’s okay to act as you please. You’re going to die anyway. It’s okay.’

Kaella muttered to herself as she stood facing Peon. He was so tall that she had to look up at him from a distance to avoid straining her neck. He was holding a rather large box with a dark expression.

“Um… I…”

Peon, who had tried to start speaking, gave up and just spoke honestly.

“I came to apologize. I heard that the Duchess of Monde ignored your greeting today.”

He came to apologize? Kaella stared at the Grand Duke of Lucenford in bewilderment. He was hanging his head with his handsome eyebrows drooped. Is he at a loss for what to do right now?

“You suffered humiliation because of me. I’m sorry.”

Was he teasing her? Or was this a dream? Until now, she had felt it was reality returned by some magical or cursed reason, but seeing this man act like this, she might still be dreaming while dying in the northern tower of Lucenford.

Kaella blankly stared at Peon, who was sincerely apologizing with politeness and respect, and then sat down.

“Please sit down first. Did such rumors spread?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t know there were eyes watching.”

If this indifferent and wooden man came to apologize with a deathly pale face, it was safe to assume that rumors had spread throughout the entire city of Crane.

By the way, Peon came within three hours of the incident, so rumors spread quite fast. It seems there were more than just a few eyes watching. That was fortunate, but Kaella hid her thought that it was fortunate.

“It’s my fault that the Duchess of Monde acted that way. I’m truly sorry, my lady.”

Kaella closed her mouth as she reflexively tried to say, “It’s not.” It’s not nothing. It’s largely Peon’s fault.

“The Duchess came to see me this morning, but it seems she couldn’t understand my explanation and position. You, an innocent lady, bore the brunt of her anger. I’m sorry.”

A man apologizing at the end of every sentence was very unfamiliar to Kaella. It wouldn’t be easy to apologize even to a young sister, but he apologized politely as if it were only natural.

Well, she had heard that Peon was deeply respected and very kind to his people. That’s what she had observed from the side.

It’s just that Kaella wasn’t one of Peon’s people, so she was excluded from that kindness. The one who heard the declaration that she wasn’t his and was driven to a dark place had to only watch kindness that wasn’t hers, and thus felt bitterly cold.

“I see.”

Seeing Kaella just nod without showing any emotion, Peon felt his blood run dry. He didn’t want to provoke her at all, the one who got fiercely angry regardless of her frail body’s pain, and even ran away because she didn’t want to marry so badly.

But things keep happening. If it’s this bad this time, he felt dizzy wondering how much the Duchess of Monde must have lorded over Kaella before he regressed.

A woman who knew how to get angry never once got angry and kept her mouth shut tight back then. Many things must have happened for it to come to that. There must have been many very difficult things behind his back that he deliberately didn’t see.

“I’m ashamed. I’m sorry, my lady.”

“So you’re saying the Duchess of Monde ignored my greeting because of Your Highness?”

“I don’t intend to make excuses. As you know, the Duchess had plenty of reasons to think of me as a potential son-in-law. But when the marriage announcement came out, she came to me to find out what had happened.”

“And Your Highness’s explanation wasn’t sufficient enough for the Duchess to understand?”

“Understanding… was impossible.”

Kaella looked up at the man who was taller than her even while sitting. What does that mean?

“Because the Duchess wouldn’t want to hear that Lady Lavalle and I are no longer anything to each other.”

Wait. What? Kaella doubted her ears. What? Beatrice and Hyperion, the famous two, are nothing to each other? The Grand Duke himself is saying this? He’s not the kind of person who would ever say that?

But outwardly, she didn’t even show a surprised expression.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Peon didn’t add any lengthy excuses to that. In any case, no matter what excuses he made, the fact that he was a bastard who abandoned a woman who was either a long-time lover or a childhood friend, unclear which, and chose the Ostein lady, wouldn’t change.

“I will make sure this never happens again in the future.”

Saying that, Peon observed Kaella, who looked visibly tired. Her gaunt cheeks were completely pale, and there were dark shadows under her eyes.

Her neck and shoulders, revealed between her shawl and collar, looked even thinner. Peon knew well that he should leave at this point.

“I’m sorry for suddenly coming and taking up your time when you must be tired. This is a small gift I prepared, I hope you’ll accept it.”

“There was no need to bring a gift, Your Highness.”

Kaella shook her head, but Peon didn’t withdraw his hand holding out the box.

“Please accept it, my lady. I prepared it for you anyway. It’s not meant to soothe your hurt feelings, but I hope it can provide some comfort.”

Had she ever received anything from Peon? Kaella hesitated, finding this situation of receiving something from him very awkward.

Would something terrible happen later if she accepted it? A vague sense of anxiety began to creep up. A woman who had been badly hurt was afraid of everything.

“Think of it as a wedding gift. That’s what it was prepared for. It’s yours, my lady.”

Peon placed the box on Kaella’s lap. He hoped she would at least accept that much.

“Open it. Go ahead.”

She reluctantly opened the lid of the jet-black velvet box. Then she stared at the twelve stones inside, wondering what they were.

Refined, transparent stones of various sizes and shapes lay inside.

But even the smallest one was quite large, and above all, they were emitting brilliant light. So, are these diamonds? Her blue eyes widened as she looked at Peon.

“Your, Your Highness?”

“It’s top secret, but a diamond mine was recently discovered in Lucenford.”

And despite it being top secret, he told Kaella without hesitation.

In fact, Kaella knew about this mine. How could she not know about the Kerban mine discovered in the year she died? It was also one of the reasons the Emperor decided to attack Lucenford.

The yield was so enormous that diamonds literally poured out, and Beatrice even wheedled to take a few of them. Of course, there were none for Kaella.

The first diamond rough discovered in the Kerban mine was a whopping 4,300 carats, and the twelve diamonds cut from it were called the Kerban Diamonds.

At that time, the three largest diamonds were presented to the Emperor to delay the impending war even a little, and the rest were all invested in the war fund. No, the two smallest ones went to Monde. Kaella didn’t even get to see them.

She, who clearly remembered all these trivial and unfair things, knew that these were ‘those’ Kerban Diamonds.

“This is cut from the largest rough among them.”

He didn’t intend to offer this to Kaella because of the incident with the Duchess of Monde. He wanted to present it in a more orderly setting, in a place just for Kaella. Peon earnestly looked at Kaella, whose eyes had widened, while pushing down his irritation towards the Duchess of Monde.

“I know that marrying me is a terrible thing for you, my lady. As I promised Count Ostein, if you wish, we can divorce after the situation becomes safe. Until then, I will do my best, so please accept this.”

Kaella gripped the box tightly. The knuckles on her pale hands stood out.

The Empress had collapsed, and her father had survived thanks to the wit of the man before her. And the mine that would only be discovered much later had already been found, and all those diamonds were coming to Kaella instead of going to the war fund?

This was strange. This was extremely strange. It was so strange that it was frightening.

“Your Highness, this is too much for me…”

“No, nothing is too much for you, my lady.”

Peon cut her off firmly.

“There’s no such thing. Is there perhaps another gift you’d like?”

“Pardon?”

After doing the crazy thing of giving all the Kerban Diamonds to Kaella, he’s asking about another gift? Has this man truly gone mad?

“It’s a marriage you don’t want to do, so there shouldn’t be anything lacking. Is there anything you desire from me?”

There was nothing she desired. No, there was just one thing. If he was going to kill her later, she wished he would just kill her at once instead of confining her in the northern tower. But she couldn’t say that wish, could she? Kaella stiffly shook her head.

“Nothing at the moment? Then please think about it carefully from now on and tell me later.”

“Your Highness, I appreciate your words, but wouldn’t it be better to add this to the treasury?”

“Lucenford’s finances are fine. We can certainly do this much for the lady of Ostein.”

“But this is too much. His Majesty will be displeased, and it will cause more gossip.”

If the greedy Emperor finds out, it will be a big problem. What if Beatrice finds out? What if the Duchess of Monde finds out? What on earth is this man thinking? Peon didn’t seem like the Peon she knew.

He calmly looked at her, who was very anxious, and then nodded.

“I see.”

“Yes, so I’ll return this. I’ll just accept your sentiment. Thank you.”

This wasn’t her possession. She should die quietly without any problems, without accepting anything. Kaella quickly closed the box and returned it to Peon.

“I was short-sighted. I apologize. I’m not sophisticated in dealing with ladies. Of course you’d be flustered if I give it all at once.”

“No, your sentiment alone is…”

“I’ll have them made into proper pieces one by one and present them to you again.”

“Pardon?”

The Grand Duke of Lucenford took back the box and stood up.

“That would be better. I didn’t consider it properly because I rushed here, thinking you might be very disheartened. I apologize.”

He, who had said “I’m sorry” several times today, bowed his head.

“Then I’ll visit again next time. Don’t worry about the Duchess of Monde. As I said earlier, I’ll take care of it. Please think about the gift separately. Then, may you be at peace.”

“Ah, yes, pardon?”

For the first time, Kaella watched the Grand Duke’s retreating back with an expression of utter incomprehension.

Why on earth is that man acting like this? She had thought it would be easier if she knew everything, but her husband was repeatedly defying her expectations.

But before this surprise could even fade, news came that the Duchess of Monde had been banned from entering the Imperial Palace.