“I saw you bump into Count Shannon in the hallway. The nobles might be able to speculate about the relationship between you and Count Shannon in their minds.”

Eriel’s pupils trembled as she looked at Damian.

Tears were gathering under her quivering eyelashes, but Damian looked at her coldly without any change in his expression.

“You suddenly appeared at the imperial palace and kissed me. I had to leave and hurriedly bumped into him while leaving. Count Shannon shielded my disheveled appearance from the nobles. Just because I put his outer garment over my head for a moment, are you saying there will be scandalous rumors about him and me?”

“Are you defending Count Shannon from me right now?”

“…Damian?”

Eriel frowned as she looked at him, unable to communicate with him at all.

She couldn’t believe it.

He, who always analyzed situations coldly with rational thinking! He was now asking such absurd questions.

“Especially when all eyes are on Zenova due to the kidnapping, rebellion, and Bruno’s incident. There could be enough speculation about the relationship between you and Count Shannon, so be careful. If scandalous rumors spread, it would affect your position as the Duchess of Zenova…”

Slap!

Eriel swung her palm.

Although Damian was the one who got hit, tears fell from Eriel’s eyes instead.

“Before being the Duchess of Zenova, I am also a woman. I will protect my honor as a woman without you having to worry about such things.”

“…Tarnish.”

Damian’s head, which had turned away from Eriel’s hand, slowly turned back.

“Why would I tarnish your honor, Eriel? Even if you were to roll in dirty mud…”

Damian took a step closer to Eriel.

Eriel took a step back but was soon caught in Damian’s arms, trapped in his embrace.

“You are mine. If you want to even breathe, don’t lose your dignity as the Duchess.”

Eriel looked up at him, still with tears flowing.

“You are the most beautiful trophy in my display case. The most beautiful trophy that I don’t want to show to anyone else, that I only want to see for myself. Everything exists only under my tolerance.”

Trophy.

Eriel felt like her breath was being squeezed.

Just hearing that word made Eriel feel like she was trapped in an invisible glass box.

She could see the outside, but no matter how much she pounded on it, it wouldn’t break. A miserable feeling of being trapped in a very small glass box and screaming.

Damian’s arm that was holding Eriel’s waist loosened. His hand slowly moved up Eriel’s body and pressed her chin, parting her lips.

“Don’t forget that your name is engraved with mine. You are Eriel of Zenova.”

His lips crashed against Eriel’s parted lips.

*

That dawn, late at night, Damian returned to the study and immediately received the task he had ordered the butler to do a few minutes ago.

“Your Grace, this is the list of nobles to invite to the merchant ship launching ceremony this time. Once you give the final confirmation, we will send them out immediately.”

Damian scanned the list, pausing briefly at Count Scala, and then frowned at the next name.

“…Shannon?”

Damian immediately pointed his finger at the familiar noble on the list.

“Count Shannon… should we exclude him?”

Damian tapped the list with his finger. Then he shook his head.

“No. It’s fine. Send them all as is.”

“Yes, I understand. Is there anything else you would like me to do?”

“Ah. Yes. The records of entry and exit to the ducal residence were not on the bookshelf. Is there a separate storage place?”

“Ah, yes. They are stored separately. Since there is a large volume, a few books are currently stored in the warehouse. From when should I bring the records?”

“All records for the past 8 years.”

“…Pardon?”

The butler raised his head in surprise at Damian’s order, then quickly lowered his gaze.

Since Damian had accurately stated the records of his absence from the ducal residence, the butler hesitated and added a question.

“Excuse me, Your Grace… The Madam will definitely find out. Is that alright?”

“It’s fine.”

The butler, unable to move his steps towards Damian who had resolutely said it was fine, slightly raised his head.

“Your Grace. May I say a word?”

Damian nodded. The butler swallowed and took a deep breath.

“The moment you lose the Madam’s trust, you will cross a river of no return. If you simply want to hurt the Madam, it’s better not to do it. You know best that the Madam would never do such a thing…”

“Thank you for the advice. Bring them.”

Despite the butler’s words, Damian did not change his mind.

*

“I’ll be touring the merchant ship today, attending a meeting at the palace, and returning late.”

Eriel didn’t open her eyes even at the sound of Damian’s voice.

She had been awake for a while, but she didn’t want to get up. She didn’t want to see him off or have any conversation with him.

After returning from the palace, Damian had forbidden Eriel from sleeping together with Lucy.

He said he would find a nanny and a new tutor.

Eriel was given no choice.

Everything was under Damian’s control. He said he would personally select the nanny and the tutor.

He added that it was a precaution against any unforeseen circumstances and had nothing to do with personal feelings, but who knows? Eriel’s mind was not thinking that way at all.

From the moment of accepting it, it had already become a wound, and the only words that came out of her closed mouth were mere acknowledgments.

“I’ll be back.”

Damian’s hand passed by. Lifting her hair and giving a soft kiss on her forehead… Eriel endured it with her eyes tightly closed.

Yes, there was no other way to express it than the word endure.

After Damian left, Eriel would lie in bed for a while and then barely get up.

The days when she would look at her bruised neck and put on a scarf became more frequent, but Lucy no longer called the scarf pretty when she saw it.

Even when she missed the child who used to chatter about wanting to wear the same scarf as her mother, she was now grateful that the child didn’t do that anymore.

Eriel managed to smile at Lucy with the little energy she had left, ate meals, and often read fairy tales to the child.

Since they couldn’t sleep together at night, Eriel would stick close to Lucy during the day when Damian was away from the residence and take naps with her.

A good environment and a good family for Lucy…

It seemed a bit distorted already, but it was still okay for now, Eriel reassured herself.

Damian’s expressions of affection were still the same, and as long as Eriel smiled here… then it would be fine.

Damian was doing enough for Lucy in his own way. He said he would find a good tutor and nanny.

What a child needs is a good family and the background of the Zenova ducal family.

For the child to eat well, grow up well, and not lose that advantage when entering high society. Yes, that would be enough.

Eriel would endure to protect such a good family.

Someday, as time passes, she might be able to understand him.

She wouldn’t be able to forgive all the hurtful words he said to her now, but she might be able to try to understand.

With that single thought, Eriel smiled beside the child.

Eriel gently stroked the sleeping child’s colorful hair and gave a soft smile.

It seemed like she could cry right now, but just looking at Lucy’s face made her smile, which was fortunate.

Eriel closed the fairy tale book she was reading and carefully got up.

Normally, she would stay by Lucy’s side or even sleep together, but today she somehow wanted to take a walk.

Eriel walked to the terrace and raised her head to the sky.

It seemed like the heat wave would pass soon. Before summer completely ends, there is usually a rainy season with heavy downpours, and looking at the sky, it seemed like it would rain for a long time.

The sky was filled with dark clouds even though it was daytime.

If she wanted to take a walk before the rain, she would have to hurry.

The moment she left Lucy’s room, she encountered maids carrying a large amount of documents in the hallway.

The butler, who was at the forefront, trembled as soon as he saw Eriel.

…Ah.

She immediately sensed it. She thought she had seen something she shouldn’t have seen again.

However, Eriel felt that even if she saw more of Damian’s true nature, she wouldn’t be disappointed anymore.

What more could she see to be disappointed?

He had already treated her like a trophy.

Eriel approached the maid with a forced smile. In the silent space, only Eriel made a sound.

“It’s okay.”

Eriel gestured to the butler and took the topmost paper from the pile of documents the maid was carrying.

What could it be?

“Ah… Ha… Haha. Haa…”

A sound that could be either laughter or crying came out of Eriel’s mouth.

The corners of her mouth went up like a person laughing, but her shattered heart was contained in the sighs that escaped.

In the end, tears flowed down Eriel’s green eyes.

Teardrops fell on the entry and exit records, staining the paper.

“Madam…”

The maid, who was watching, called out to Eriel in a trembling voice.

Eriel put the paper back on the maid’s pile of documents and shook her head.

“It’s okay. It’s fine…”

Eriel barely uttered in a weak voice and turned around.

Records of entry and exit to the ducal residence he had been absent from for 8 years. He didn’t trust Eriel at all…

“Everything was burned to ashes, leaving only piles of ashes, but even that became a relationship that left only black traces on each other.”

Eriel closed her eyes tightly as she walked unsteadily.