An hour later, at the end of the official schedule of the banquet.

Guests gathered freely in various parts of the mansion, chatting with their close friends.

While the composition of each group varied, the topic of conversation was only one.

It was about the Duke and Duchess Twins.

“The two of them seem to have gotten even hotter than during their newlywed days, don’t you think?”

At a table set up in the center of the third-floor lobby.

The ladies gathered there were also chatting about the same topic.

“His Grace the Duke always used to be so cold towards Her Grace. But seeing them today… the two of them have completely changed, haven’t they?”

“I know! My viscount doesn’t even look at me anymore. I’m dying to know what their secret is!”

As the ladies burst into giggles and laughter.

At that time, in a guest room at the end of the hallway, an illicit rendezvous was taking place.

The protagonists were none other than Camilla and her lover Henry.

Camilla was lying on the bed, cradled in Henry’s arms.

Suddenly, she sat up abruptly and shouted irritably.

“That arrogant look! It really makes me so angry, Henry!”

Henry then followed, brushing back his wheat-field-like hair, and sat up with her.

Perhaps because he was well aware of Camilla’s hot-tempered nature, he didn’t show even the slightest sign of surprise.

He simply embraced Camilla’s back gently and kissed her cheek.

“Camilla, don’t worry too much. You have me.”

Seemingly somewhat calmed by his kiss, Camilla let out a long sigh.

“You’re too naive, Henry. That’s the problem.”

“Haha, me? I wonder how Robelia would react if she knew about us and heard that.”

At Henry’s carelessly uttered words, Camilla’s thin, arched eyebrows creased irritably.

“Robelia? Why are you talking about that girl again?”

Camilla had harbored feelings for Henry for quite a long time, since her girlhood days.

However, her family was a lowly house barely maintaining the status of a minor baron.

Because of this, when she lost Henry to Robelia, her longtime friend and the daughter of the Bart Count family, the miserable feeling at that time…

Even now, thinking about it made her blood boil with uncontrollable anger.

Of course, not long after, she herself married another man and secured the position of a countess.

However, even after that, the flame in her heart for Henry refused to be extinguished.

Countess, Queen of Society, the Duke’s only lady-in-waiting.

After gaining much with those titles, she finally decided to approach Henry.

Perhaps Henry and she were indeed a match made in heaven.

As if on cue, Robelia’s strong support, her parents, passed away.

Now Robelia, with nothing but the bloodline of the Bart Count family, was an innocent girl ignorant of the ways of the world.

She seduced Henry, claiming she could give him more than that girl, and after that, everything went according to her wishes.

‘…Until Rebecca, that stupid Duchess, had a change of heart.’

Because of Rebecca’s change of heart, Camilla could no longer obtain information that would be useful to Henry.

It was from then that her heart began to stir uncontrollably.

The anxiety of possibly losing Henry, her lovely opportunist, jealousy towards Robelia, and…

Hatred towards Duchess Rebecca.

Unaware of Camilla’s feelings, Henry remained silent for a while, lost in thought.

Then, as if talking to himself, he murmured softly.

“These days… Robelia seems different somehow.”

Once again, the name Robelia was heard.

Camilla’s voice rose even higher.

“Henry! Why do you keep talking about Robelia in front of me?”

“Camilla, that’s…”

“She must have noticed something about us! Is that the problem? I’d rather that clueless Robelia find out about us as soon as possible. Don’t you feel the same?”

Henry shook his head calmly without even looking at Camilla.

“It’s not good for her to find out so soon. And I’m just saying that Robelia has changed a lot.”

“…”

“She doesn’t seem to be taking care of our parents as well as before. And somehow, she seems to be treating me coldly…”

“Henry!”

Camilla finally couldn’t hold back and shouted irritably.

Henry’s beautiful face, his boyish smile, and even his materialistic desire for power.

She loved everything about Henry, but his voice mentioning Robelia was disgusting to hear.

After all, from childhood until now, Robelia’s very existence had been enough to provoke her inferiority complex.

“How can you talk about Robelia in front of me? How can you be so insensitive!”

As she gritted her teeth and questioned him, Henry wore an aggrieved expression.

“But Camilla, it’s not like we haven’t been talking about Robelia all this time!”

“That was when we were badmouthing that stupid girl!”

Camilla’s face was already a mess of anxiety and anger.

Henry finally turned away with a deep sigh.

Disappointed even more by his behavior, Camilla decided to say goodbye first.

“I’ll… go first.”

However, even until Camilla stepped outside, Henry didn’t try to stop her.

Camilla leaned against the closed door and muttered a curse under her breath.

“Bastard.”

Duchess Rebecca, lover Henry.

As she ground her teeth at the sudden situation where neither of them was moving according to her wishes.

A faint shadow fell over Camilla’s light blue silk shoes.

‘…Who is it?’

With that question, she recalled her passionate lovemaking with Henry just moments ago.

At the same time, Camilla felt the blood drain from her entire body.

It was when she slowly raised her head, filled with fear.

“Did you have a pleasant time, Camilla?”

At the voice that followed, Camilla’s complexion turned even paler.

“Your… Your Grace?”

She didn’t want to believe it, but it was clearly her.

The Duchess, Rebecca Twins.

She was leisurely standing with her arms crossed, looking Camilla up and down as if observing her.

‘How long has she been here? Surely not…? No, no. She must have just been passing by.’

Camilla swallowed dryly while constantly watching Rebecca’s expression.

“This is a place where guests rarely come… Did you perhaps lose your way?”

Camilla forced a smile while trying to control her trembling lips.

In response, Rebecca’s lips curved into a gentle line.

“Of course not. I followed you from the beginning because I had something to say to you.”

“What? Then, could it be…”

Rebecca nodded leisurely.

“That’s right. I saw everything, including you entering the room with Count Henry Bart.”

Camilla’s eyelashes fluttered unknowingly.

But in any situation, if you just play dumb well enough, you can get through urgent crises.

That was one of the lessons Camilla had learned on her way up to this position.

Camilla tried to feign composure as she slowly opened her mouth.

“It’s not like that, Your Grace.”

“…”

“I’m telling you this because I think you might misunderstand, but Count Bart and I have actually been close friends since childhood…”

A short snort brushed past her ear.

“Why are you doing this between people who know everything, Camilla?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you really think I haven’t known about the two of you all this time?”

A gentle but equally threatening voice.

Camilla’s body gradually stiffened like a stone.

“Camilla, I know everything about your relationship with Lord Henry right now.”

“Your Grace, that’s really a misunderstanding…”

“Even that you went on a secret honeymoon with Lord Henry during this vacation.”

“…!”

“What do you think will happen if your husband finds out about this?”

A massive wave rippled through Camilla’s eyes.

She didn’t even realize her lower jaw was trembling as she tried desperately to bite her nails.

“My, my husband wouldn’t believe Your Grace’s words without evidence!”

“Evidence?”

The corners of Rebecca’s lips curved up refreshingly.

“Do you think I would tell your husband about this without evidence?”

“Then…”

“I already have enough evidence. I’ve had someone following you since you sent a letter saying you arrived in the Lavisher region.”

“Your Grace! How could you go so far as to… Ugh!”

In an instant, Rebecca’s smile disappeared as she roughly grabbed Camilla’s collar.

As the distance suddenly closed, Camilla’s eyes widened as if they would tear, and at that moment…

“Then why did our Countess go to such lengths to humiliate me?”

“That, that’s a misunderstanding! I told you it wasn’t intentional, just a slip of the tongue!”

Looking at Camilla spitting out urgent excuses, Rebecca snorted.

“I don’t care about your pathetic intentions. What’s important to me is,”

“…”

“That your actions have greatly offended me.”

Camilla’s whole body began to tremble at Rebecca’s fierce gaze.

“I didn’t know the evidence I gathered to fire you would be used like this.”

“…”

“Now whether I use that evidence or not depends on you.”

“What, what should I do…”

“First of all, there should be no more daring attempts to confront me like today.”

Rebecca sneered coldly.

“That is, if you don’t want to be kicked out penniless by your husband and abandoned even by Lord Henry.”

“…!”

Camilla was too shocked to continue speaking.

Looking at her, Rebecca didn’t hide her expression of contempt.

“Camilla, I’m not someone who gets fooled so easily.”

Finally releasing her grip on the collar, Rebecca brushed off Camilla’s shoulders.

“If you want to confront me again, be prepared to lose everything you have, and everything you will have in the future.”

Rebecca’s gaze, sharp as an icicle, pierced Camilla once more.

“So it would be better not to draw my attention from now on.”

A warning as cold as frost.

Camilla, who had been trembling her lower jaw, soon dropped her head like someone who had lost all fighting spirit.

“I, I understand, Your Grace…”

Rebecca, who had been staring down at Camilla, eventually left without even saying goodbye.

A chilling warning and thorough disregard.

Facing humiliation she had never experienced before, Camilla sobbed with her head bowed.

‘How… How did I end up in this situation?’

As she lamented her circumstances, she suddenly turned her head to glare at the door she had just come out of.

It was clear that Henry must have heard her arguing with someone, yet he hadn’t shown his face at all until now.

It was obvious he was distancing himself from her as her usefulness was declining.

That was the kind of person Henry was.

A man who whispered eternal love to her until the night before, and the next day proposed to Robelia, saying he would become the son-in-law of the wealthy Bart Count family.

Finally, as even Robelia’s innocent-looking face came to mind, Camilla’s hysteria reached its peak.

“That damned Robelia, Robelia!”

Camilla stomped her feet irritably.

And at that moment, she felt an intense desire to kill Duchess Rebecca, who had put her in this situation, as much as Robelia, no, perhaps even more than her.