Hesitant, I moved a step away from him.

“If it’s true, you wouldn’t be aligning yourself with that person to kill Prince Hwang, and remove my curse, right? Right?”

Hertian hoped he didn’t think that way. He sighed deeply and patted my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I’m just playing with your weaknesses.”

Fortunately, Hertian understood my intentions. Now, I felt relieved.

“I don’t think a life obtained by sacrificing someone else has any value.”

After answering, he smiled faintly.

‘My goal was originally not to let my parents and family collapse because of me.’

Even if I die, as long as only I die, it’s fine.

He stared at me for a long time. While facing his complex gaze, I silently comforted and pleaded with him.

This time, whether my persuasion worked or not, Hertian answered slowly.

“…If the lady wants that, I understand. I won’t do what the lady dislikes.”

“Thank you for understanding. And the prophet probably doesn’t know the method. It’s just a futile hope. She’s really a despicable woman.”

Hertian hugged me, smiling bitterly. It was time to stop bringing up this topic.

At that moment, the maid who had been sent on an errand returned.

“Lady, I’ve been to Prince Hwang’s residence.”

I gestured for the approaching maid to stay there and moved toward her.

“Prince Hwang has returned?”

“Yes. He has returned.”

“Then he must have come to make an appointment.”

If Serdis came, I needed to ask how I lost my mind.

“Lady and Prince Hwang couldn’t make an appointment. He returned without making one because he’s not feeling well. He said he would contact you separately.”

“Not feeling well? Why?”
“Did someone lose their mind like me?”

The maid replied that she didn’t hear the details and left.

“Let’s talk about it again tomorrow.”

Serdis would have felt something strange and would probably come to find me first.

“Now, please take a rest. You’ve been wandering outside without a break since morning.”

“Hertian too. You worked hard making sandwiches yourself.”

It was enough to eat your fill and still have leftovers.

“It was not difficult at all. It might have been as hard as the sandwiches the commander ate.”

He lightly smiled, seated me on a sofa chair without a backrest, and stood behind me, brushing my hair.

“But when did you become good at cooking? Did you learn it?”

“I started about five years ago.”

“Oh. From whom? Your skill is exceptional.”

“I learned it from Osan while touring the battlefield.”

Osan is his adjutant.

I asked, recalling Osan’s face after a long time.

“Is he good at cooking?”

From the looks of it, he seemed good only at martial arts.

And he’s a bit rough.

“He has three older sisters. He once ran away because they always stole Osan’s food as a prank.”

It was an episode of Osan running away because the young master, with nothing to eat after running away, cooked for himself.

“Thanks to that, I get to enjoy it. I also liked eating, so I wanted to try cooking, but I always caused accidents and got kicked out every time.”

Whenever I touched food, something strange would be born. Not being in the kitchen helped. It’s fortunate that I reincarnated as a noble. If I had reincarnated as a maid, I would have been kicked out and sat on the street.

“Now that I’m here, that’s enough.”

Hertian said reassuringly and brushed my hair forward. My body felt relaxed with his gentle touch.

“Doesn’t your right shoulder feel stiff?”

He asked tenderly.

“Didn’t you notice it? Does it hurt?”

Whether it was from losing my mind or falling awkwardly, the area around my neck was sore.

“I’ll loosen it for you.”

Before I could answer, he slowly pressed my shoulder. It was a moderate strength, neither painful nor weak. Moreover, he accurately found the part that was stiff and loosened it.

Although this kind of skinship should be avoided, instead of telling him to stop in the coolness, I had a different thought.

‘If I had possessed someone else, I wouldn’t have met Hertian, right?’

In the first place, there wouldn’t have been a need for a contract marriage.

“Don’t think about other things and relax.”

He seemed to read my thoughts.

“Yes.”

Hertian understanding my thoughts might be better than I thought.

Annette fell asleep early that night.

Hertian, after warming the room to prevent him from catching a cold in the night air, left the palace.

The place he arrived at was the Blantyche family’s townhouse.

The townhouse, which should have been quiet since there was no owner, was bustling with unfamiliar people.

As Hertian entered, the first to recognize him was Habel.

“You finally came.”

At his words, the people gathered there turned their gazes towards him.

Upon Hertian’s gesture, everyone sat around the prepared table, exchanged greetings, and inquired about each other’s well-being.

“It’s been a while.”

“I heard you’ve been in the capital for quite some time. Is it hard to see your face?”

“Did you get married, making it expensive to see?”

When Yeong-sik made a joke, Hertian relaxed and laughed.

“Of course.”

Others also followed suit, laughing heartily with him.

Most of them were young aristocrats in the capital.

Some inherited the family and established themselves as family heads, while others were preparing to inherit titles.

Most had firmly established themselves as aristocrats.

And at the center of this was Hertian.

“It seems harder to see the face of the Duchess than the Duke.”

Lord Nox, who sat next to Hertian, a viscount, commented. He brushed his shoulder-length, sky-blue hair behind his ears and gestured to Hertian with a nod.
“Why do you want to see someone else’s wife?”

When Hertian asked with a disapproving tone, Nox immediately responded with an indignant tone.

“Isn’t she the one who brought us together before she became the Duchess? Shouldn’t we be able to see her even to that extent?!”

Brought us together.

A badge symbolizing that was hanging on everyone’s sleeves.

“That’s right! Why does Lord Habel get to see her, and we don’t get to see her?”

“We also have the right to meet her!”

Amidst the pouring complaints, Hertian glared at Habel. Under his sharp gaze, Habel whistled, pretending not to care.

Hertian sighed and lowered his head.

“You all still act like kids, no different from the time at the academy.”

They were all graduates of the Maracaba Academy.

And they had sincerely united for Annette.

Under the name ‘Tiamo.’