‘No, everyone is watching here right now…’

Natasha did not want to reveal her vulnerable side in front of everyone.

The fact that the death of her family and Cayena’s betrayal remained as a trauma that constantly chased her should not have been exposed. If it did, she would be treated the same as before.

‘Are they saying the duchess has gone mad?’

‘Hey, don’t even say that. She seems completely out of her mind!’

If that happens, like in her past life…

She hastily raised her head and met Sieghart’s gaze. When the two pairs of red abysses overlapped, the woman’s heart finally began to calm down.

Ah, so it’s the latter now. I’m finding stability through a man once again.

“…Sieghart, will you kiss me?”

Sieghart’s upright posture faltered. To taint the man’s integrity with just one word. It was a shocking impact.

Sieghart slowly rose. It was to give her time to reconsider.

Natasha did not retract her request. Instead, she steadily met his eyes, urging him to act.

Before she knew it, he had reached her. He slowly lowered himself to match her eye level.

He seemed to be asking if she still wanted it.

“Yes, I do.”

“…”

“So kiss me now, Sieghart.”

It felt as if her heart might truly burst. Her mind went blank, unsure of what she might do.

At least when kissing him, no thoughts came to mind, so all anxiety and distractions would disappear upon contact.

The voice, whether it was Natasha’s inner voice or the occasional auditory hallucination, would eventually disappear as well.

Sieghart, kneeling, gently grasped the nape of her neck. Their faces drew close, finally sharing a breath.

Unlike the greedy kiss from last time, this one was refined. Giving her ample time to catch her breath and calm her excitement, he fulfilled Natasha’s wish.

The intersection of flesh suppressed the swirling chaos. Now, all she had to follow was instinct, and that alone.

For a moment, she almost unconsciously placed her hand on his neck. Natasha restrained her hand that was creeping up and placed it on the hem of her dress. Her hand clutching the skirt eventually clenched.

She could feel people’s gazes on her back. Whispers could be heard occasionally. When she tried to stop the kiss because of this, the man pulled her back into it.

As if to say, if Natasha started it, he would end it.

The boat that had circled the entire lake began to return to its starting point. Sieghart stopped the kiss, seemingly concerned about her being seen by others.

As he quietly pulled away, he brushed her face with his fingers. A modest droplet clung to his finger and fell.

The harvest festival concluded successfully without a single common flaw.

Public opinion, which had been focused on the imperial family, naturally shifted towards the harvest festival, and the spotlight also moved to the ducal family.

The public was thrilled, saying that the Asthart ducal family, which had been silent for months, had made a splendid reappearance. Riding this momentum, the two began to actively participate.

They not only attended social gatherings but also continued with volunteer work and donations, leading to positive public opinion.

Nobles who couldn’t attend the harvest festival began sending letters to the ducal family one by one.

Sieghart advised against replying to these insignificant individuals, but Natasha reluctantly wrote responses. It was obvious that their next destination would be the imperial family if they were rejected by the ducal family.

Among the letters that arrived for the Duchess of Asthart was one from Grand Duke Kshant.

「Greetings. It’s been a while since I last inquired about your well-being.

I’ve confirmed that the Asthart ducal family has finally declared war against the imperial family. Although our intentions may differ, it’s a good sign that we share the same enemy.

Now it seems appropriate for me to claim what you promised me. Given how favorable public opinion is towards the ducal family and you, it appears unlikely that you will be attacked by the imperial family.

The principality is currently raising a knightly order in secret. As this is a letter, I won’t go into detail, but I believe you understand what this means.

Come to think of it, your divorce is not far off. Are you still not interested in the proposal I made in my last letter? Whatever it may be, I will claim the condition you set on the promised day.

I hope you have good days ahead.」

After reading the contents, Natasha held the paper over a candle flame. Fire caught on the corner, and the letter gradually burned. Soon after, ash remnants floated in the air.

‘Come to think of it, there really isn’t much time left.’

Numerous ‘X’s marked on the calendar hanging on the wall.

It seemed like just yesterday that they had held the harvest festival marking the beginning of autumn, but winter was already beginning.

She had forgotten the swift passage of time while pretending not to know Sieghart in their daily lives.

No, in fact, while she calculated the remaining days every night, recalling them, she was quick to pretend to forget when morning came.

‘Until the end of our contract…’

As if denying that the contract period between the two,

had less than a month left.

For a week, Meliana and Vanessa had been hovering around Natasha. It was to inquire about the upcoming wedding anniversary in a few days.

Even when they gathered the courage to ask what she was planning this time, Natasha’s answer was always the same. Well, I’m not sure. It was essentially repeating the same content in different forms.

Sieghart was no different. While it was usual for the duchess to be passive, hadn’t the duke always actively celebrated anniversaries with his wife?

Was he hiding it for a surprise like last year’s wedding anniversary? If so, there was no information coming out even when probing all the servants of the ducal family.

“Nothing has happened between the two of them, right?”

“…Surely not! Didn’t they kiss passionately in front of everyone just a few weeks ago?”

“But still…”

The two racked their brains trying to guess the situation in this puzzling state. Still, nothing came of it.

If the duchess had done something wrong, the duke would have forgiven her and approached her first.

If the duke had done something wrong, he would have approached her somehow to seek forgiveness.

Even in the rare case that the two had fought, the duke would approach first, so their relationship would undoubtedly be amicable.

…What could it be?

The two couldn’t understand. Neither could the other servants of the ducal family.

Of course.

They couldn’t even imagine that their lovely ducal couple would face divorce on their second wedding anniversary.

Carrying this curiosity, they faced a harsh winter.

And a few days later, the first snow fell in the north.

Not many days remained marked on the calendar. It meant that not much of the year was left. At the same time, until the end of their married life.

She found herself reflecting on this life without realizing it. Although it was just the end of her marriage to Sieghart, not the end of her life, she felt a strange feeling as if the end of her life was approaching.

‘I was happier than in my past life.’

Yes, this much was happiness.

‘Because I was with people who loved me.’

The faces of her eternal friends Cayena and Vanessa, and her intelligent aide Jenkins, came to mind one after another.

She also pictured the cute maids who helped with her grooming every morning and the chef who prepared delicious meals for every meal, saying that the duchess’s nutrients were important.

Lastly, even the face of that incomprehensible man.

‘Although I lost the person I loved…’

Natasha suddenly recalled her memories with Cayena.

Her friend, who had tried to push her off a cliff only to be pushed back, acted as if she had no regrets. As if Natasha was the only one regretting their broken relationship, she cursed until the very end.

‘But thanks to that, I learned a lot.’

To think that the only person she had ever loved was the one who had fabricated the confession of her past life. Natasha had sacrificed her pride to protect the woman from Kyle, but even that had been Cayena’s scheme.

It was an unbelievable betrayal. Even after opening Pandora’s box through Kyle, the woman ignored the situation and denied it. Even when she heard Cayena’s voice in her ears, she stubbornly denied the truth.

‘…Because I realized it was all a misunderstanding.’

Yet, she acknowledged one thing.

That the terrible Sieghart Asthart was sometimes innocent.

That beyond the fundamental reasons, there were conspiracies by Kyle Letius and Cayena Ten in the situations that made her hate him.

Cayena Ten, who had returned to her homeland, was said to be taking on menial tasks. She was said to be struggling with poverty due to much lower wages than at the ducal family.

Kyle Letius was surprisingly quiet.

The imperial family also began to move actively, perhaps wary of the ducal family’s recovery, but there was no news of Kyle Letius individually.

Originally, Sieghart’s cruel truth should have been revealed, but at the Letius Imperial Commendation Ceremony held after the Knight of Honor Coronation, the emperor remained silent.

Perhaps he realized that confessing now that Natasha already knew the truth would only expose the emperor’s false merits.

The truth that the Duke of Asthart had aided in the fall of the royal family remained a secret known only to the three of them.

Sieghart didn’t leave the mansion either. Everyone in the Asthart ducal family prepared for the coming cold.

The servants, concerned about the Duchess of Asthart who was vulnerable to illness, prepared in various ways. They added more fuel to the fireplaces and covered windows with cloth to block the cold coming through them.

They always kept hot water ready for tea, and prepared thick and large nightgowns for her.

Soon, winter came to the north.

As dawn barely broke, the blizzard that had roamed the north all night entered the ducal territory.

An unexpected heavy snowfall hit, and knife-like winds swept through the ducal territory. A biting cold that could freeze flesh accompanied it.

With the savage cold seemingly set to continue for a while, the ducal family warned everyone to refrain from going out. Soon, a ban on entry was imposed on the Douglas Forest at the edge of the ducal territory.

Eight days later, Natasha’s anniversary finally arrived.