As I turned around, a beautiful man was smiling gently.

With long honey-blonde hair tied back, he gazed at me with deep violet eyes.

“I’m not sure if you remember me.”

The man’s smile was so gentle that a vision of blooming white roses appeared behind him. He was a strikingly handsome man with a gentle impression.

‘There wasn’t such a handsome man in the novel besides Cedric… Who is this person?’

The man adjusted the white cravat on his sophisticated gray suit, looking slightly nervous.

“I am Adrian Monter, the butler of the Dark Mansion.”

Adrian, introducing himself, bowed slightly and naturally took my hand.

‘Ah, the Dark Mansion barely appeared in the original work. So I’ve never seen the butler before…’

As I was thinking this,

A soft, squishy sensation touched the back of my hand.

Suddenly coming to my senses, I looked down to see Adrian kissing the back of my hand.

He straightened up and smiled softly.

“We have been waiting for a long time for Your Highness to visit this place.”

Adrian’s violet eyes were filled with sincerity as he spoke.

I could only stare at him with bewildered eyes.

“Thank you. I really… didn’t know you’d welcome me this much.”

Adrian was an existence that exceeded my expectations in many ways.

For some reason, he seemed extremely moved by my appearance at the Dark Mansion.

“Do you have any tasks you’d like to request personally? Whatever it may be, I’d be delighted to fulfill Your Highness’s request.”

After saying this, Adrian exhaled deeply with a slightly flushed face.

“Ah, it’s not a request.”

I turned to Mina to hand over the dessert I had prepared.

However, Mina was just staring at Adrian with dreamy eyes.

‘So Adrian was that famous person Mina mentioned.’

I coughed a couple of times, but it was no use.

Finally, only after lightly poking Mina’s arm with my finger did she react.

Her face turning red in surprise was an added bonus.

“I felt like I’ve been too indifferent to the staff of the Dark Mansion. So I prepared some desserts that would be good to eat during break time.”

“Your Highness… did?”

Adrian blinked slowly, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Despite his friendly attitude, it seems even Adrian wasn’t unaware of Rebecca’s terrible temperament in the past.

But after a moment, he smiled calmly again.

“All the staff will be very moved.”

“Right, given by the Duchess, they’ll have to act moved in front of their boss. Even if they curse later after work.”

“Haha, there’s no way that would happen. I’ll gather the staff right away. They’ll be even happier to know that Your Highness came here in person to give a reward!”

“Huh? No, you don’t have to go that far…”

Adrian walked quickly towards the mansion’s main gate with a flushed face.

Then, opening the mansion’s main gate wide, he smiled warmly.

“Welcome to the Dark Mansion, Your Highness. We sincerely welcome you.”

It was the first sincere welcome I had received since coming to this world.

* * *

At the same time, at the Imperial Palace of the Western Empire.

Cedric had already arrived in the capital early in the morning.

From the north to the capital where the Imperial Palace was located, it was about a five-hour journey by carriage.

However, for Cedric, who owned a special carriage developed with demon realm technology, it was only about a two-hour journey.

It happened to be the day of a meeting at the Imperial Palace regarding the special carriage manufacturing technology agreement.

As a result, Cedric had just arrived in the corridor of the Imperial Chamber after leaving the conference room where he had to stay all morning.

Someone standing in front of the door to the Imperial Chamber spoke to him first.

“Duke Twins has also arrived on time. I’ve heard the news.”

It was Chancellor Diat.

As always, with an expressionless face.

However, every time Cedric encountered Chancellor Diat, he read the subtle disgust that flashed across his face.

But as always, this time too, he greeted him indifferently.

“Thank you for coming at my request, Chancellor Diat.”

“Strictly speaking, it’s not Your Grace’s request, but the Imperial Chamber’s request. It’s also an order from His Holiness.”

Chancellor Diat’s expression became somewhat arrogant as he lowered his eyes.

It had been 6 years since the exchange between the human realm and the demon realm, which had been cut off since ancient times, was resumed with the founding of the Western Empire.

There had been many changes, but there were still those in the human realm who were wary of or looked down on the demon race.

‘While they’re so desperate to obtain technology from the demon realm.’

He had just heard rumors that Chancellor Diat had recently invested in the demon realm’s gift trading market and lost a considerable fortune.

As Cedric’s lips were curling up,

Just then, a message allowing their entry was heard from the Imperial Chamber.

Cedric, being a duke, entered the Imperial Chamber first, and Chancellor Diat naturally followed.

“Oh! You both came on time.”

As soon as they entered the Imperial Chamber, Emperor Retiz, with the bright sunlight behind him, greeted them warmly.

“Especially you, Cedric. I thought you’d be late because the meeting dragged on. Everyone, sit down, sit down!”

Emperor Retiz, who had just turned forty, was the very person who led the radical “resumption of exchange between the human realm and the demon realm.”

This young and intelligent emperor was merely the king of a small country in the northern part of the Western Continent just 6 years ago.

It was around that time when Emperor Retiz personally visited the Twins family, who had been living only as royalty in the demon realm after losing their status as human realm royalty since ancient times.

After persistently persuading the head of the family, Cedric, Emperor Retiz finally unified the Western Continent with the help of half-blood demons.

To him, Cedric was a grateful existence that nothing would be too much to give.

“Yes, of course, I could do anything for you, but…”

Emperor Retiz’s brow furrowed slightly as he read the document wearing a monocle with a gold rim.

“…for your first request to be a secret divorce. Well, I never.”

Tap—.

Emperor Retiz lightly tossed the document he was reading onto the table.

Cedric, Chancellor Diat, and Emperor Retiz.

The reason they gathered in the Imperial Chamber today was because of Cedric’s “special” divorce.

Cedric’s request was to finalize the divorce with the permission of the Imperial Chamber and the Papal Office as originally planned, but to postpone the detailed administrative procedures for 6 months.

During that time, the divorce of the Duke and Duchess Twins would be kept secret.

It was originally an impossible case, but the Emperor had persuaded the Pope to grant Cedric’s request.

Thus, today, even before the couple’s signatures were written on the divorce papers,

Emperor Retiz was about to give out the permission stamps from the Imperial Chamber and the Papal Office first.

It was a decision befitting Emperor Retiz, known for his radical moves.

“Well. I’ll do it… but are you sure the Duchess agreed to this?”

Although Emperor Retiz would believe anything Cedric said without question, he couldn’t help but ask repeatedly about this matter.

“I’ll help with the secret divorce, but as you know, I can’t allow a divorce without the consent of the other party.”

After a moment of silence, Cedric slowly nodded his head, causing Emperor Retiz’s eyes to gradually widen.

“It’s well known among most nobles that the Duchess loves you to the point of suffocation…”

“…”

“The Duchess really agreed to divorce you?”

Chancellor Diat’s curious gaze also turned towards Cedric.

It was clearly an event that would pique even the usually expressionless Chancellor Diat’s interest.

Such a reaction was natural since even the parties involved couldn’t fully believe it yet.

“…She said she would.”

As Cedric spoke in his characteristic low voice, as if reciting, Emperor Retiz tilted his head, pushing up the monocle he was wearing.

“It’s really strange… Why did the Duchess’s heart suddenly change?”

Cedric was equally curious about Rebecca’s true feelings.

On that problematic night, Rebecca was in the middle of crying and clinging to him.

Then, when things didn’t go her way, she declared divorce and slapped him for the first time, suddenly starting to ramble like a madwoman.

And then…

Everything changed after that.

‘I don’t love you anymore.’

As her red lips came to mind, a faint crease appeared between Cedric’s brows.

‘…Love, is it.’

Not once had he ever felt Rebecca’s actions as love.

Unless it was using love as an excuse to hide her dark intentions.

Yes, he had certainly thought that way until now, but…

“Ah… I see. That’s it, that’s it.”

Emperor Retiz’s sudden voice broke Cedric’s reverie.

Cedric abruptly raised his head to look at the Emperor.

Emperor Retiz, who had been nodding with his arms crossed, noticed the gaze and leaned slightly towards Cedric.

“You know, originally. The more you loved someone, the more irreversible it becomes when that love cools.”

“…”

“The Duchess loved you so much that now she has no regrets! Haha! How about that? I think I got it right!”

Emperor Retiz burst into cheerful laughter as if he had figured out the answer to a scientific problem.

At this sight, Chancellor Diat closed his eyes with a gloomy expression.

He thought that Emperor Retiz must have lost all ability to empathize permanently, having poured all his talent into scientific and technological fields.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be laughing so brightly while Cedric’s expression darkened rapidly at the mention of ‘the Duchess’s love cooling off’.

“It’s rather a good thing! You were troubled by the Duchess’s obsession, weren’t you? She must have sorted out her feelings on her own, so there’s no chance she’ll obsess over you even after the divorce!”

Emperor Retiz, with a light expression as if his curiosity had been satisfied, hurriedly reached for the seal.

“Chancellor Diat, you brought the Papal Office seal as I asked, right?”

“Yes? Yes… I brought it as you said.”

“Stamp it first. Here.”

Just as Chancellor Diat was about to stamp the Papal Office’s approval seal where Emperor Retiz had pointed, he raised his eyes towards Cedric in a warning manner.

“As promised, it’s six months. After that, not only must the administrative procedures proceed, but the former Duchess’s relocation must also take place without fail.”

The original reason the Pope opposed this secret divorce was because he considered it improper for a divorced couple to live together.

To this, Cedric silently nodded.

“…So be it.”

Tak—.

Finally, the Papal Office’s seal was stamped on the divorce papers of Duke and Duchess Twins.

At that moment, Cedric was overwhelmed by an indescribable, subtle emotion.

‘Is it… finally over?’

Before he could determine whether that emotion was relief or disappointment,

Bang—!

The second approval stamp fell resoundingly.

As Cedric looked up in surprise, Emperor Retiz handed over the document with a triumphant smile.

At this sight, Chancellor Diat once again closed his eyes tightly.

However, Emperor Retiz simply looked proud of himself for preparing a gift that his friend wanted.

“There! Now all that’s left is the Duchess’s signature, and your marriage will be perfectly over!”