Gradually, Helena’s reaction, surprised and unsure of how to respond, greeted him. Talking about her own belly without being called and touching it seemed like an excuse to avoid the situation.

This sight plunged Calis into despair. There was no reason not to believe Cloe’s words anymore.

“Helena.”

He grabbed his wife’s hand with a serious attitude. His bulky hand trembled uncontrollably because he couldn’t control his strength.

“Tell me for sure. You don’t have a second chance.”

“…”

“Have you really never done anything against the gods?”

Calis’s gaze was infinitely straight. Facing his determined pupils, Helena only mumbled with her lips like someone who forgot how to speak.

“That is…!”

And after a long while, she began a tearful plea.
“I, I was a servant who ignored me. She said someone like me doesn’t deserve to be in the duke’s estate! I’m humble, yet she flaunts herself as a shining star…!”

The cunning, clear, and cute voice was drowned out by a melancholic melody. The stuttering sound prolonged the words for a while.

“Helena.”

“S-sorry. Did my mistake trip you up again? I-I didn’t know it would turn out like this. But, but…”

“Helena Argan!”

As Helena became more and more excited, Calis finally raised his voice.

Startled, she closed her mouth. The tension of her unspoken resentment shivered through her jaw.

Calis still maintained an unwavering gaze, creating an atmosphere of unease as the other party chose silence in response to the repeated calls of names.

“…I won’t abandon you, will I?”

Soon, with a stern face, Helena asked the question. With one hand, she still held her own belly.

His heart seemed to sink like a heavy lump.

It was just like before. Making an unimaginable mistake, ruining Calis’s future, and making him feel like a sinner.

Sometimes, it made him resentful. Other times, it made him weary.

“…How can I abandon you?”

“W-well, I don’t know what happened, but I blocked Calis’s path. Is that okay?”

“That…”

Calis, who had just removed his bandages, pondered his words.

His pregnant wife with his blood. Lovely, my first love…

“To be honest, it’s not okay at all. The business is a mess, there’s not much money left. Moreover, that damn woman is even receiving the emperor’s favor. You, who touched the woman’s close associate, might also be caught.”

“Th-then what should I do? Should I kneel before that woman? Just once, please look away… If I say I was foolish…”

Helena twisted her foot, not knowing what to do. Calis, who couldn’t offer a wise alternative, was also distressed.

Even when that despicable woman intervened and made him miserable, the situation did not change.

Even if Helena stepped forward, positive change wouldn’t likely occur.

“It’ll be useless.”

“Then what should I really do?”

Calis, sighing as if he were exhaling confusion, reached out. Soon, his thick fingers tenderly wiped away his wife’s tears.

“Helena.”

“Yeah…”

“Seeing that woman hasn’t exposed your sins to the world yet, there is still no proper evidence.”

Cunning Cloe was always like that.

Whether to tighten their grip on each other’s breath or occasionally announce warnings before an incident occurred.

It would be the same this time. Discover Helena’s crime and lay out the threat before collecting evidence.

“Helena, if it turns out that you hurt that woman’s person, we will surely face punishment. So, we need a plan.”

In that case, wouldn’t it be better for the two of them to act first?

“Think about how to kill Cloe’s associate. Was there anything tangible to catch?
“Uh, no. I can assert. The stableman who helped kill the maid that day and the carriage he handled, you won’t be able to find any of them.”

The stableman was not originally affiliated with the duke’s estate. The carriage, too, belonged to the stableman, so there was no connection with the duke’s estate.

“Then how the hell is she going to shut up!”

Calis shouted frustratedly, and the term referring to Cloe had subtly turned into a menacing one.

“Helena, as I mentioned, we have no way out now. If it’s an attempted murder, you might face imprisonment at the trial.”

“Im, imprisonment? Locked up in prison?”

“Yeah!”

“No, I can’t. I hate it… If I go to jail, what about our baby? What about my position as the duchess? Everything will be gone!”

That the punishment she thought was solely Calis’s responsibility could turn towards her was unthinkable. Helena’s complexion darkened rapidly.

“It’s so unfair that I’m receiving punishment now for the mistakes I made in the past. Don’t you think so, Calis?”

In Helena’s eyes that had barely stopped crying, tears welled up again.

Calis, who turned away in silence, approached the table near the door.

He picked up a randomly rolling pipe and put finely shredded tobacco inside it.

After lighting it, he inhaled the smoke. It was a feeling of gradually calming down after the excitement had peaked.

“Helena.”

Finally, he opened his mouth.

Helena, who had been watching her husband’s mood, did not respond but approached him.

“Let’s get rid of it.”

“…Huh?”

According to Helena’s words, if Cloe couldn’t find the stableman and the carriage from that day, the only thing left was to eliminate the only living witness.

“There’s still one piece of evidence left. That woman, who’s alive, let’s just kill her.”