Whitney got into the carriage. Her large blue eyes glistened.

She covered her face with both hands and buried it in her knees.

“It’s done. It’s really done.”

She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t think he would actually accept her proposal.

‘I did present conditions he couldn’t refuse… But does he really trust me?’

When she said she didn’t mind dying, his eyes wavered for a moment. But she was truly prepared to that extent. After all, this was already a life that had died once before.

She recalled his face as his guard came down. His expressionless face crumbled and a smile spread across it, his eyes laughing. A warm gaze that still held a hint of doubt.

She vividly remembered how his blue eyes, which hadn’t left her, curved prettily. A person so beautiful she couldn’t look away. Her heart raced at the thought of being able to save him from death, him who had been fighting a lonely battle.

She thought of Cheston’s back as he took her hand and led her to the annex palace. His broad back, his hand much larger than hers, the warmth of his hand. The cool breeze that brushed past them as they quickly left the empty garden of the Queen’s palace.

Whitney fanned herself to cool her flushed face.

‘This time he held my hand, not my wrist.’

Doesn’t that mean we’ve gotten a little closer? Whitney touched her hand as she looked out the window.

Could it be because of when she said it hurt back then? For some reason, she could feel that he was treating her more gently than before.

She hoped the debutante day would come quickly.

[This is the timeline separator]

“It’s a warm day today.”

It seemed to be getting hotter. When summer comes with its frequent rains after spring has fully ripened, one will be able to see even more lush vegetation than now.

‘It seems I chose the right person.’

As she skimmed through the letters placed on the table, she opened one from the duke’s residence with a paper knife to check it.

[This is the current financial status of the duke’s residence]

Whitney wore a satisfied expression as she looked at the result of the note she had secretly delivered to the butler. She had informed him about the location of the duchy’s financial records, and he had copied them exactly as they were and sent them to her.

She tied up her hair to deal with the quite large amount of documents. She dipped her pen in ink and underlined the parts she found suspicious to mark them.

“Hmm, where on earth are they spending money?”

There were fixed expenses going out every week, as well as monthly expenses. It was quite concerning that only amounts were written without any names attached.

In addition, the weekly banquet expenses, luxury items bought for Melissa, and furniture and various items purchased in the name of mansion maintenance seemed excessive.

‘Perhaps they’ve inflated the amounts.’

Whitney took out a letter to send a message to the butler.

She wrote asking him to check if the items listed as expenses actually existed in the mansion.

Since she had requested to send it secretly through an informant, her mother wouldn’t notice. Above all, it was safe because the butler checked the letters from the duke’s residence first before delivering them.

Later, a reply also came from her aunt. She advised caution, saying that the Queen was showing great interest in her and seemed to have some other scheme in mind.

With a knock, Sonia entered pulling a tray.

“Young lady, I’ve brought some lemonade. Eamon also brought some delicious cake. Would you like some?”

“I must try Eamon’s cake.”

Whitney took a bite of the cheesecake on the desk with a fork. An exclamation of admiration escaped her as the tangy flavor, probably from added lemon juice, melted softly in her mouth along with the cheese. It dissolved and disappeared after just a few chews, making her reach for more.

“Are you not going out today?”

“No. As you can see, I have things to check.”

“Did you meet well with Her Majesty the Queen? You’ve seemed in a good mood since that day.”

“I also met an unexpected person. I saw His Highness Karl, the Queen’s only son.”

“…That certainly was unexpected. Did she say anything else?”

At Sonia’s words, Whitney let out a short “Hmm…” Then she casually asked her:

“What do you think, Sonia? In my opinion, I don’t think she considers me as a match for the son she cherishes.”

“I agree. But considering Her Majesty’s nature, we can’t completely rule it out either.”

“She’ll probably think of using me. Her Majesty’s interest will fade quickly. She won’t be satisfied with just a duchess after all.”

Sonia pondered for a moment before nodding. She had probably heard about it from her aunt and roughly understood the situation, so she wouldn’t be surprised even if Whitney did something that would displease the Queen.

‘I should discuss the details too…’

Is there no choice but to ask the informant to send the contract?

Whitney took out a blank sheet, thought for a moment, and began to write.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Your Highness? Are you alright?”

At Aaron’s words, Cheston came to his senses. Cheston looked at the window and tapped the desk with his finger as he spoke.

“So you’re saying the duchess met His Highness Karl?”

He hadn’t expected her to meet Karl. The Queen was someone who would think it a waste to give her son to anyone.

“Yes, it seems she made a good impression on the Queen. Is she really a woman we can trust?”

“The Bellonia seeds…”

“They’re confirmed to be real. We’re looking for ways to make them grow faster, so please wait a little longer.”

Cheston nodded lightly. Now that we have Bellonia, Mother will be alright.

“More importantly, how are you feeling?”

“The herbs were quite effective. How is Mother?”

“Lady Elenia has been asleep for several days now. By the way, I hear Whitney Orlean is checking the duke’s finances.”

He had been receiving constant reports on her movements through informants. She seemed to be diligently gathering information about the duke’s residence.

“Didn’t Cecilia say it was a temporary family?”

“Yes, I understand that Whitney Orlean can only become the official head of the family when she comes of age. Above all, it doesn’t seem easy for her to gain authority since there’s no one on her side at the duke’s residence except for the butler.”

“She’s fighting a lonely battle. Both her and I.”

Cheston felt a throbbing in his head. So he gestured to Aaron.

“What did you talk about, by the way?”

“I’ll tell you about that later. When you’re ready to hear it.”

At those words, Aaron’s face was filled with shock. He took a step back with an expression that somehow seemed unwilling to hear it.

[This is the timeline separator]

A few days later, Aaron came running to Cheston, catching his breath.

“What’s the matter that you came running?”

“A letter has arrived from the informant.”

Aaron finally brought up the main point he’d been curious about.

“It seems to be from Whitney Orlean.”

“Come to think of it, we haven’t talked about that yet.”

He had only accepted when she asked him to be her fiancé, but they hadn’t discussed the details. Aaron looked at Cheston with anxious eyes.

“What on earth did you talk about?”

“A story that would surprise you if you heard it.”

“How am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me and just say it’s surprising?”

When did he make that expression of not wanting to hear it?

Cheston smiled and put the documents down on the table. Then he called Aaron’s name softly.

“Aaron.”

His brown eyes wavered anxiously before he reached out to stop him.

“Whatever it is, don’t tell me.”

“Why, you were the one who asked me to tell you.”

“I’ve changed my mind. Seeing Your Highness smile, I think it would be better for my peace of mind not to hear it.”

He rested his chin on his hand and looked straight into Aaron’s eyes.

“We’ve agreed to get engaged.”

“…What? You decided such an important matter on your own?! What if she clings to Your Highness’s ankle later…”

“She said she’d stake her life on it.”

“…Her life?”

“I suppose it’s foolish to trust someone who says they can give their life to protect me.”

Aaron was silent for a moment. Remembering her, fresh as a blade of grass, he couldn’t bring himself to say it was foolish. Her clear eyes that seemed incapable of lying, her actions that appeared devoid of malice, flashed through his mind.

Whatever the reason, it seemed sincere.

He felt pathetic for thinking this way, but he couldn’t help it. The consistent behavior she had shown was unwavering and made him want to believe.

“…Why don’t you try trusting her? She also procured the herbs to save Lady Elenia, and above all, she didn’t seem like a bad person.”

“You were against it earlier, now your attitude has changed.”

“I’m just following along since Your Highness wants to trust her. If worst comes to worst, we can just kill her, can’t we?”

Cheston chuckled at Aaron’s words. What use is the punishment of death to someone who doesn’t fear death?

“Moreover, she does have use value. Isn’t the Queen showing interest, and His Highness Karl as well? If the enemy covets her, there must be a good reason.”

“…Use value. It seems she’s become someone too important to consider in such terms.”

He shook his head. She wasn’t a woman to be disparaged with such words. Whitney had become someone a little special to him.

Aaron widened his eyes in disbelief.

Cheston slightly ignored Aaron’s gaze and opened the envelope to read the letter she had sent.

“…There’s no need to worry.”

“About what?”

“About her clinging to my ankle.”

Cheston’s hand holding the document clenched.

[Contract]

The document she had sent was an engagement contract. At least Cheston had thought that he and Whitney had a special relationship. Until he saw the word ‘contract’.