“A chance to stand by my side… you say?”

I carefully asked back.

It was because of my intuition that the ‘side’ he was talking about didn’t simply mean the position of a butler.

Adrian’s gaze, looking at me like that, deepened even more.

“I would never leave Your Highness lonely.”

“Adrian…”

“I am confident I can make you so happy that you won’t even remember your failed marriage.”

At that point, Adrian bowed his head as if his emotions had slightly overwhelmed him.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, he looked at me again and spoke with emphasis.

“…Even if I have to stake everything I have.”

A confession that was quintessentially Adrian, infinitely gentle and courteous.

In his amethyst eyes that gazed at me, I could feel a deep sincerity.

After silently meeting his gaze for a while,

I eventually lowered my eyes and slowly shook my head.

When I raised my head again, a bitter smile had already spread across Adrian’s lips.

“…I see.”

His lips parted slowly once more, as if muttering.

“May I ask the reason why?”

.

.

.

After sending Adrian away first,

I was left alone, blankly staring at the pond.

It was because Adrian’s words kept echoing in my ears.

As a result, countless question marks appeared and disappeared repeatedly in my mind.

Had Adrian been harboring feelings for me all this time?

I thought it was just affection towards his mistress, but when did it become like this…

Was it because of guilt over my divorce?

Although I couldn’t know the exact answers to most of these questions, one thing was certain.

That he wished to stand by my side no longer as a butler, but as a lover.

“…”

For me, who would have to leave this castle and live alone in an unfamiliar world, Adrian’s proposal was certainly something to be grateful for.

Moreover, Adrian was such a good man that he felt more than I deserved.

He was charming and endlessly kind to me.

Perhaps Adrian might be the only person who could heal the wounds caused by my husband’s betrayal in my previous life.

Then why did I reject Adrian?

‘It’s not just Adrian, it would be the same with anyone. For the time being… I don’t want to seriously think about anyone other than myself.’

When I recalled myself answering like that, I shook my head without realizing it.

Even while listening to Adrian’s confession, while imagining a future with him, and even at the moment I was rejecting his proposal…

Ridiculously, Cedric’s face kept coming to mind.

I even carelessly thought about what expression Cedric would make if he were to see the current situation.

Was I feeling some meaningless guilt towards him, who was only my ex-husband in name?

I laughed at myself for this.

‘In reality, Cedric wouldn’t care who I become lovers with.’

He had found Rebecca so tiresome.

Of course, it was true that Cedric had become more generous towards me after deciding on divorce and putting on the act of a show-window couple.

However, that was surely just courtesy towards an ex-wife.

I had no intention of harboring unnecessary expectations from Cedric’s kindness and ruining things.

‘Don’t get caught up in needless sentimentality. The most important thing for me is to survive in this world.’

Repeating that to myself, I immediately turned around and left the pond.

And on my way from the back garden to the main garden, I resolved to think positively about Adrian’s proposal.

After all, that would be much better than lingering on an ex-husband who despised me.

‘Adrian did say to take some time and think about it again…’

I slightly shook my head, which was starting to become complicated again, and continued walking.

I happened to be walking on a small path next to the Dark Mansion, a trail that led from the backyard to the garden, which was rarely frequented and good for solitary contemplation.

I had stopped for a moment to listen to the songs of birds perched in the trees and was about to move on when it happened.

Suddenly, I felt someone’s shadow fall over the hem of my dress.

‘…Who is it?’

As soon as I lifted my head to check who it was, my face crumpled miserably.

“Why are you… here?”

.

.

.

“Well, well… It’s been a while, Rebecca?”

A vile smile spread across Duke Bold’s lips.

“After making my insides burn up…”

“…”

“Were you enjoying a leisurely stroll like this?”

An unpleasant gleam flashed between Duke Bold’s curved eyes.

A terrible smell of alcohol wafted from him.

As I frowned, Duke Bold blew air into his palms with his mouth, hoo, hoo, and then cackled.

“My, my. Even I can smell the alcohol resonating from my mouth.”

“…”

“I had a little drink on the way. I was so nervous about meeting such an extraordinary daughter.”

I looked at his venomous smile and scoffed lightly.

“It suits you well.”

“…”

“And it fits you perfectly. As if you’ve always lived like that in back alleys.”

At my words, Duke Bold’s eyes grew even fiercer.

After glaring at me with eyes full of hostility for a while,

He eventually let out a hollow laugh.

“When did you cling to my trouser legs and beg, and now that you’ve become the mistress of a great family, you mock my origins?”

“That’s all I learned from Father until now, so I can’t help it.”

“…What?”

“‘Even if you’re my daughter, I’ll discard you immediately if you have no use value.’ Isn’t that what Father always said to me?”

“…”

“Surely, you’re not appealing to family affection now, are you?”

“…”

“If so, I would be really, really… disappointed.”

As I spoke mockingly, Duke Bold’s face quickly turned red.

I quickly put away my sneering expression and glared at him.

“I thought I made it clear. Don’t come looking for me like this on your own.”

As I spoke through gritted teeth, Duke Bold took a long breath, his face struggling to suppress his anger.

Then he let out a snicker.

“Right… Appealing to family affection. I can’t show such a vulgar side.”

“…”

“I never even harbored paternal affection for you in the first place.”

Duke Bold let out a vile laugh.

I could tell from his eyes that those words were sincere.

Empty and cold eyes.

There wasn’t even a hint of emotion in them.

“So all the more, I must collect what I’m supposed to receive.”

“What do you mean by ‘supposed to receive’?”

I was starting to get annoyed by his following words.

As I asked with a deeply furrowed brow, he raised his eyebrows high and smiled shamelessly.

“My, my, Rebecca. You’re acting as if you’ve forgotten our agreement.”

“…”

“Have you forgotten what you promised to bring me in exchange for me making you the wife of Duke Twins?”

Duke Bold began to approach me with large strides, his eyes rolling like a madman.

* * *

At the same time, in the corridor of the Duchess’s quarters.

In the absence of Rebecca, the maids in charge of the Duchess’s quarters were sharing laughs, avoiding the head maid’s supervision.

“By the way, about the servants of the Light Mansion…”

“Ugh, those show-offs! They’re really annoying.”

As soon as she heard the words ‘servants of the Light Mansion’, one maid immediately blurted out her complaint.

There was a subtle sense of rivalry between the servants of the two mansions.

In the Dark Mansion, the servants of the Light Mansion were called ‘show-offs steeped in elitism’.

Conversely, in the Light Mansion, the servants of the Dark Mansion were called ‘half-wits who can’t even directly serve the Duke’s family’.

Their subtle discord had worsened recently.

It was right after Duchess Rebecca moved her residence to the Dark Mansion.

No matter how much people said Rebecca had changed, the servants of the Light Mansion wouldn’t even pretend to listen.

Of course, they knew it was hard to believe.

The servants of the Dark Mansion also had to endure Rebecca’s tyranny in the past.

However, even to them, the current Rebecca seemed like a completely different person.

Now, Rebecca had become the pride of the servants as the only member of the Duke’s family residing in the Dark Mansion.

The servants sincerely cherished their mistress, Rebecca.

Yet, the servants of the Light Mansion were still grinding their teeth at Rebecca…

How could the servants of the Dark Mansion look kindly upon them?

“If we could meet them in the demon realm with our rank badges off, we could have beaten up at least half of them.”

One maid said, stretching her neck muscles as if her body was itching.

“Exactly. Of course, the human realm is better, but at times like this, I just want to go back to our demon realm days and just bam!”

“Right… Actually, the human realm is a bit boring.”

Five or six maids nodded with bored expressions on their faces.

To them, half-blood demons, the Twins Duke’s family was no different from royalty.

They came to the human realm on their orders and were living while suppressing their true nature.

But half of the blood flowing in their veins was still from the demon realm.

Moreover, having been born and raised in the rough fields of the demon realm, living an orderly life in uniforms was bound to be more tedious.

Mina, who had been sighing deeply while sitting among them, moved towards the window.

“But the servants of the Light Mansion seem to have changed a bit lately, don’t they?”

As one maid spoke, Mina turned back slightly while walking.

“Eh, them? No way.”

“It’s true!”

“What’s changed about them?”

“I met Dennis the other day, and he said so. He didn’t want to say it, but it really seemed like Her Grace the Duchess had changed a lot.”

“That stickler really said that?”

“I’m telling you, he did!”

Another maid nodded and added.

“Lady Bianca keeps asking for Her Grace, so now they’re starting to believe it too!”

Finally, Mina sat on the windowsill.

She giggled while listening to the other maids’ chatter, her gaze fixed outside the window.

‘Huh…? That’s Her Grace, but who is she with?’

Mina’s brow furrowed slowly.

The atmosphere between the two figures visible outside the window didn’t seem right.

‘That person is… Duke Bold, isn’t it?’

Recently, Rebecca had been avoiding contact with her father, Duke Bold.

The sharp-eyed Mina couldn’t have missed that.

Even on the day Duke Bold last visited, Rebecca’s expression had been nothing but cold.

After watching intently out the window for a while with a worried expression,

Mina’s face suddenly contorted fiercely.

“That crazy…!”

Hearing the sudden curse, the maids behind her tilted their heads in confusion.

A murderous intent never seen before swirled in Mina’s eyes.

Seeing Mina with horns even sprouting on her head, showing how agitated she was, the maids rushed to her side in one breath.

“What’s going on?”

“Y-yeah, why are you suddenly so vicious…”

The maids’ eyes followed Mina’s gaze.

On a secluded side path, Duke Bold was grabbing Rebecca’s shoulder and threatening her.

Finally, as they confirmed the situation, murderous intent began to creep onto their faces as well.

“How dare he touch our Her Grace within the castle of the Twins family, the masters of half-blood demons…”

“At this point, we can stretch our muscles too, right?”

“…Why ask, we should just kill him.”

With a grinding sound of teeth, the maids’ gazes grew even fiercer.

They even started stretching leisurely.

Among them, Mina snapped her fingers.

“Girls, let’s quickly change into pants.”

And a faint madness flashed across Mina’s smiling eyes.

“We need to go take care of a lunatic over there.”