“Then tonight. Don’t sleep and wait.”

“……What?”

“I can do what I’ve been holding back.”

Claudel opened her eyes wide.

“Wait a moment. That, that…”

“Suddenly I’m busy. I’ll have to finish work before dinner.”

Before she could say anything, Kaian put down his spoon, stood up, and wiped his hands with a napkin.

“I’ll hear from the butler if you’ve emptied your plate properly. Eat without leaving anything.”

Kaian strode out of the room with large steps.

As he walked towards his office, he felt his lips twitching involuntarily and brushed his hand over his mouth.

“They say even heaven is moved by utmost sincerity.”

He had the feeling that finally something good was about to happen after devoting himself to his benefactor.

“What’s with him suddenly leaving during the meal?”

Kaian hurried to his office to finish work quickly, and the butler tilted his head watching his retreating figure.

Claudel didn’t know what to do.

“Ah. What should I do.”

She didn’t expect Kaian to visit her like this every day.

Her body, which hadn’t eaten well as the illness worsened, couldn’t recover easily from a major injury, but she couldn’t refuse when Kaian glared at her and fed her, so she forcibly ate, and her starved body accepted it while gasping.

She could feel for herself that the strength coursing through her body was different these past few days.

However, Claudel’s chest hurt a lot with every swallow, so she didn’t want to eat forcibly, and seeing Kaian visit frequently wasn’t comfortable either.

‘He’s my benefactor.’

‘You saved me.’

She didn’t save him hoping Kaian would treat her specially.

She would die soon anyway.

In that moment, she thought it was better for her to get hurt than for him to be injured.

That was all.

When she saw the cold and stern man trying to hold back his anger for her sake, or softening his gaze after glaring, she would have fleeting thoughts.

What if.

If Kaian had treated her like this from the day she first came to Rowen Castle, would she perhaps have liked him?

Seeing that even such thoughts came to mind, she wanted to stop seeing him visiting forcibly out of mere gratitude and sense of responsibility.

Yet, when he briefly held Claudel, who still couldn’t move her legs well, in his arms to move her, the broad chest she leaned her head on for a moment, or the large hand holding hers, felt warm.

‘It must be because of the illness.’

That’s why I feel so cold.

Because of the cough that feels like ice thorns piercing my chest, I’m cold, so even the slightest warmth makes me sad and weakens my heart.

Kaian fed a body that gasped even at a morsel of nutrients after starving so much, and left a spot of warmth in a lonely heart starved for affection.

However, she hadn’t forgotten that she had heard about Kaian’s notoriety in Belmont even before coming to Rowen, nor that he was the same man who had ignored and shamed her all along.

Kaian was a great and fearsome person.

As far as she knew, he was only five years older than her.

But could the difference between twenty and twenty-five be so great?

Unlike her who knew nothing, he had succeeded to the position of head of the family and his title at just eighteen, and ruled this large territory and numerous subjects.

The pressure emanating from him made people fearful, causing shoulders to shrink and heads to bow involuntarily.

Is being raised as an heir from the beginning such a different matter?

Claudel was curious, but her remaining life was too short to learn about such things.

Wouldn’t it be very hurtful if he turned cold like this?

Even if she didn’t particularly like him.

Because even if she tries to endure stoically, it doesn’t mean she’s not hurt.

One fortunate thing was that her life really didn’t have much time left, so there was a high chance she would spend it comfortably like this until the end.

Because Kaian, who cared for her as his benefactor, didn’t seem like he would rub salt in her wounds by calling her Vermonte.

Claudel continued to organize her affairs, though there wasn’t much to organize as she had nothing to leave behind.

She left everything she had, though not much, to Hannah.

Hannah.

“Come to think of it, where did Hannah go?”

Her stream of consciousness thinking about Kaian finally returned to reality.

‘I can do what I’ve been holding back.’

What on earth had he been holding back?

“It seems like he’s already said and done everything he wanted to.”

Her will and consent weren’t necessary, that is.

Anyway, she wanted to tell Hannah quickly, but quite some time passed and she didn’t return.

Hannah was hurrying near the castle gate.

She felt sweat breaking out on her forehead, and now her fighting spirit was rising too.

Soon the person she was looking for came into view.

“Hey! You stop right there!”

When Hannah barked, Antione turned around.

“Hey? Did you just say ‘hey’ to me?”

In Rowen territory ruled by House Temnes, no one treated the young lady, a Temnes relative, so carelessly, so she didn’t like Hannah’s attitude.

“Yes. I said ‘hey’.”

Hannah, who had thrown away any respect, approached with a fierce look.

“You have to be worthy of respect to be respected. Hand it over.”

“Wh-what?”

Antione flinched at Hannah suddenly holding out her hand.

“The ring you stole.”

“What?”

Hannah was clever and had good eyesight.

When she was very young, she lacked both skills and strength, but after three years, she could diligently do her fair share.

Theft was a very serious matter.

It was no ordinary occurrence for something belonging to one’s master to go missing.

It was the kind of thing that only ended with someone being dragged out of the castle crying and wailing, so Hannah, who had grown up in the castle among the maids since she was very young, couldn’t help but be sensitive about it.

‘Until now I was suspicious because the Duke’s personality is unusual.’

After Claudel was injured, seeing Kaian come to see her several times a day, she didn’t intentionally try to observe, but since he was often in sight, she came to watch him a bit more closely than before.

Anyway, from Hannah’s perspective, Kaian just seemed to lack dating experience.

All sorts of rumors about Kaian circulated in Belmont Castle. Various stories about his wealth and abilities, and about him being of such a great status that one couldn’t even dream of approaching, circulated with embellishments added.

The Kaian and Rowen Castle that Hannah actually saw seemed far more impressive in power and wealth than what she had heard in Belmont Castle. She thought the people of Belmont probably intentionally downplayed that part because they didn’t want to acknowledge Temnes.

On the other hand, Kaian, who was said to handle three virgins at once in a single night, didn’t seem like he would do such a thing.

Because he couldn’t even converse well with one Claudel, let alone three virgins.

He seemed to have something he wanted to say, but when he spoke up and Claudel didn’t give the answer he wanted, he would burst out in anger and leave, repeating this pattern.

Previously, when such incidents occurred, they wouldn’t see each other’s faces for days, but these days, under the pretext of her being his ‘benefactor’, he visited several times a day, so each time he returned shamelessly as if he hadn’t shouted and left just before.

Usually those who enjoy women’s company understand women’s hearts well.

That’s how they can enjoy multiple women.

They share their bodies but not their hearts, giving out finely chopped pieces of sweet talk like “You’re the only one for me” to several women.

But knowing that Kaian’s attitude and way of speaking to women was lacking, Antione’s actions were also questionable.

Then she saw it today.

Antione, who had been openly insulting and trying to deceive Claudel, wearing clothes that revealed her injured ankle and calf and muttering about ‘crippled legs’, proudly showing off her blue diamond ring when Kaian appeared, then covering it with her hand.

Moreover, Antione’s finger, which had become empty as if she had taken off the ring while handing Hannah the bouquet, was missing the ring.

‘She pretended to give me the bouquet while taking off the ring.’

Why?

For what reason?

Saying Kaian favored her so much that he gave her his mother’s heirloom?

Hannah didn’t tell Claudel about encountering Antione that day.

Because that’s what Antione wanted.

Why tell the young lady something upsetting that couldn’t be resolved?

It’s not like she would go confirm with Kaian.

She was just seething inside, but seeing Antione disappear as if fleeing from Kaian today, she had a hunch.

“Will you hand it over while I’m asking nicely?”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“My lady’s wedding night gift.”

Antione’s blue eyes widened and then wavered aimlessly.

“Don’t you have any pride? Stealing another woman’s husband’s wedding night gift.”

“You. You. What on earth are you saying! Do you have any evidence?”

“Evidence?”

Hannah grabbed Antione’s left wrist firmly.

“This ring is the evidence. Hand it over!”

“Kyaa! Are you crazy? It’s mine!”

Antione and Hannah wrestled. As Antione struggled, pulling her hand behind her back to keep Hannah from taking the ring, she slapped Hannah’s cheek.

Slap.

Panting, Antione said,

“You. I won’t let this go. How dare a servant girl doing Vermonte’s menial work lay hands on Temnes?”

That’s when it happened.

Slap!

An even sharper and fiercer sound fell on Antione’s cheek.

“Fine. Good. Let’s go report right now. Let’s see who the lord will punish between me, who slapped the cheek of a Temnes thief, and you, who dared to steal the jewel the lord gave to his wife.”

“This is mine, I tell you! Lord Kaian gave it to me, how many times do I have to say it!”

“Liar.”

“What lie did I tell……”

“The story about spending the night with Lord Kaian is all a lie too, isn’t it?”

“Wh-what……”

As Hannah smirked, Antione’s face contorted.

“Do you know what position the Duke likes?”

Actually, Hannah didn’t know either.

“Wh-what are you……”

“You should have seen the flower petal marks obsessively imprinted on our lady’s body and the bruises from being gripped so tightly as if restrained.”

As if Claudel would show her such things even if they existed.

“You have no idea how passionately their voices calling each other’s names could be heard through the bedroom door all through that long night. To the point of worrying they might pass out.”

So nothing like that happened.

But Hannah had received a lot of early education from the maids of Belmont Castle who shared her struggles, so she threw whatever words were in her head at Antione.

“You know nothing.”

“No! Lord Kaian wouldn’t do that!”

See that? Why are you looking shocked at what I did?

It was certain that even if Kaian had a hobby of playing with women as rumored, at least Antione wasn’t his partner.

How dare you call my lady a cripple when you’re just a thief?

Hannah gritted her teeth and said to Antione,

“Will you hand it over while I’m asking nicely?”