When Fritten, who had been hesitating at the sudden change in attitude, nodded as if Selene was urging her to take it quickly, she immediately ran over and reached out her hand. No sooner had she done so than Selene released her grip. The glass bottle fell to the floor.

Thud.

The glass bottle thrown onto the ornate carpet rolled and stopped at Fritten’s feet.

“Oh, a mistake.”

Selene smiled sweetly. At that sight, Fritten, feeling humiliated, bit her lip hard. It seemed to imply a warning to be careful if she didn’t want to end up like this, lying on the floor.

She was angry, but for now, securing the medicine quickly was the priority. Fritten, who had been glaring at the floor with a fierce gaze, finally began to reluctantly bend her waist.

The moment she picked up the bottle with her trembling hands full of shame, the toe of the Duchess’s navy blue shoe gently stepped on the edge of the bottle.

“I will not let this matter slide, young lady. I will arrange a meeting with Baron Lenoir soon to discuss this incident.”

“Your Grace!”

“We need to clarify whether this was the stance of the entire baronial family against the ducal family, or if it was your independent action. I’m quite curious about the Baron’s opinion.”

Fritten’s face turned pale as she cried out in startling surprise. Selene continued her merciless warning, lowering her voice.

“Please don’t provoke me any further. You do your business, and I’ll do mine, and let’s remain perfect strangers to each other. It’s not a difficult thing, is it?”

Selene looked at Fritten’s miserably distorted face with a cold gaze. The disappointment that the crazy Duchess would respond so calmly was blatantly evident. Fritten’s provocation had worked before, so her arrogance wasn’t entirely groundless.

But in the end, it had turned into a bitter failure.

Selene turned without hesitation and left the room. It was immediately after stepping into the corridor that she spotted two men standing in the middle of the sunlit hallway.

‘Ah…’

Selene slowly clenched her fist as she recognized one of them. It was Boreas.

Although she had no choice but to seek him out first, the memory of that day when she had floundered was still vivid for her. Now that her reason had returned and the situation was somewhat sorted out, facing him could only be embarrassing for her.

Selene straightened her back as she faced him approaching.

Thud, thud. The sound of men’s shoes echoed across the marble corridor bathed in morning sunlight. As the sound grew louder and the distance closer, his face became clearer.

The man’s gaze and the woman’s gaze collided in mid-air, slowly intertwining. It was a long yet short eye contact.

Finally, when the gap between the two was only two or three steps away, Selene’s lips parted. At the same time, a gentle breeze passed by, slightly rustling her auburn side hair.

The deep eye contact ended around the time he brushed past Selene, turning his gaze to the documents he was holding.

The lips that had parted slightly to speak remained frozen.

The corridor, which had been enveloped in silence, was soon filled with Boreas’s voice continuing his conversation with Hans.

“So what are our losses?”

“You should first look into the movements of the Baektum Count’s family. Then the mine owner…”

The footsteps and murmuring voices gradually faded away.

Lillis, the maid who was waiting nearby, found the Duchess’s stillness strange and tried to wake her.

“Your Grace.”

Still, the Duchess remained motionless. Lillis called out to her again, who seemed frozen solid.

“Your Grace.”

This time her voice was a bit louder. But there was still no response.

Why is she like this?

Lillis tilted her head as she looked at the Duchess who was just staring into empty space. The emotion etched on her calm expression was difficult to read. Lillis waited for Selene, who was standing still. Then, suddenly worried, Lillis asked a question.

“Is there any problem?”

Selene, who turned her head towards the puzzled Lillis, shook her head slightly.

“…No.”

After giving this delayed answer, Selene slowly began to move. It was around the time when a desolate wind blew into the corridor that had sunk into complete silence.

* * *

Thud.

The sound of documents rolling onto the desk broke the silence of the office.

Boreas, who plopped down in his chair, buried his back deeply and covered his eyes with one arm. He looked exhausted, but Hans didn’t stop chattering.

“You need to sign this by today as well. This is what you ordered the other day…”

“Quiet.”

Hans quietly shut his mouth.

You must be tired. Hans looked at him with sympathetic eyes and carefully put down the documents.

Glancing cautiously, Hans continued his explanation as he had matters to report.

“…I know you’re busy. But you still have to do it. This is a trade request from the Ferex Guild, they keep sending it without getting tired. Shall we give them a definitive answer this time?”

“Ferex…”

Boreas, lowering his arm, skimmed through the details of the Ferex Guild written on the first page of the report.

Ferex was a trade guild under the Devella Viscounty. The Devella Viscounty owned mines with the highest iron ore reserves in the country. Based on that, they were trying to expand their business overseas and recently requested assistance from the Adrian Trade Guild.

They had refused as there was nothing particularly beneficial, but Ferex kept persistently demanding.

Boreas, who was mentally sorting out the relationship between the Lenoir Barony and the Devella Viscounty, briefly ordered.

“Accept it.”

“Yes, we’ll refu… Pardon?”

“But add one condition.”

“It’s unusual for you to change your mind. What’s the condition?”

“They stop supplying iron ore to the Renun Guild.”

“What? The Renun Guild mainly focuses on weapon manufacturing. If you cut off their iron ore supply, their business will collapse and the Lenoir Barony that owns them will be furious. We’ll also suffer some losses, albeit minor, as we have quite a few connections with the Renun Guild’s business partners.”

As Hans expressed his pointless worry, Boreas calmly replied, as if letting water flow.

“Is that important?”

“Pardon?”

When Hans asked stupidly, a brief question struck down.

“Do I have to be lenient?”

Hans, realizing the meaning, bowed his waist, acknowledging his position.

“I apologize. I’ll follow your instructions.”

“Also stop our side’s supply to the Renun Guild. Tell the same to Durec, Famil, and Valena Guilds.”

Hans took out a notepad and wrote down the instructions. Meanwhile, Boreas took out a cigar from its case. As he lit the end, milky smoke dispersed into the air.

The milky face of a sobbing woman suddenly overlapped with the smoke.

He had only seen women crying in anger.

Seeing her so powerlessly collapsed, enduring the pain alone and crying, was completely different from what he had seen before. That unfamiliarity kept grating on his nerves.

The anguished face. Even a single tear that had rolled down one cheek. The collapsing woman herself was vividly etched on his retina.

So even if he closed his eyes, the afterimage only deepened.

Although Selene had earnestly asked him to step back at this point, so he couldn’t interfere further, but instead…

“Should we go to war?”

Boreas muttered softly.

“…Pardon? Who? Against the Lenoir family?”

It was a mumble, but as the surroundings were quiet, Hans could clearly hear those shocking words. Is he talking about starting a territorial war now? Is he in his right mind? Hans, who had been wearing a stupid expression, suddenly came to his senses and bombarded him with questions.

“You’re not serious, are you?”

The incessant questioning ended with a dumbfounded tone.

“I’ll believe you’re not really thinking of doing that. Anyway, if there’s a complaint from the Renun Guild, what should we say?”

Boreas, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them and brought the cigar held between his fingers to his lips.

“The price for messing with someone they shouldn’t have. Answer like that.”

Hans knew well what the meaning behind the voice containing a wry smile was. Hans, who had been quietly watching the smoke being deeply inhaled and exhaled covering the man’s face, quickly gave his answer.

“Yes. I’ll handle it promptly.”