When Lily stood in front of the trade guild building operated by Fredrick, anger still swirled in her heart. No matter how much she thought about it, no one else capable of such an atrocious act came to mind. Convinced that Fredrick was the culprit, Lily entered the building, determined to grab him by the collar.

Unfortunately, Fredrick was not there. The only consolation was that he had stepped out briefly and would return soon. As she waited for him, the anger that had erupted like an active volcano subsided a little, and doubts began to surface.

Is Fredrick Benjamin really the culprit?

It was strange how he suddenly took an interest in her father’s death anniversary, and how he persistently asked about what was inside the grave. There were many suspicious circumstances, but they were just that, circumstances. There was no concrete evidence.

But now she was worried that she had acted rashly without a plan, unable to hold back the sudden surge of anger. The thought of the confrontation with Fredrick at the nursing home yesterday deepened her concerns.

If Fredrick wasn’t the real culprit in this situation, if she had made the wrong assumption… The consequences would be enormous. She didn’t have the confidence to handle it.

So please, let Fredrick be the culprit.

Lily hoped fervently, yet simultaneously wished against it. Because he was her husband. No matter how much she disliked him, they had to live together under one roof, so she hoped he wasn’t such an atrocious criminal.

Is this the right thing to do? Should I turn back now?

Confused by the questions arising from the two conflicting thoughts, Lily lifted her head that had been deeply bowed when she heard the sound of the door opening. She had guessed from the moment the door opened without a knock, but it was Fredrick.

“It really is you.”

Fredrick’s expression as he muttered, sounding a bit surprised, wasn’t bad. Rather, his light brown eyes that held Lily’s gaze seemed as delighted as a child who had discovered a new toy.

This place had many prying eyes, so Lily didn’t think Fredrick would openly express anger. Still, she expected him to be irritated, asking why she had come and telling her to go back immediately, but instead, he smiled, which was a little perplexing. It made her suspect that the man had finally gone mad.

…Or maybe he already knows why I’m here.

As the assumption that Fredrick Benjamin was the culprit in this case solidified into conviction, Lily looked at her husband seated across from her. She thought she would explode with anger the moment she saw his arrogant face, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, her head cooled, and her heart became calm, which was ironic.

Robert, who had entered with Fredrick, naturally took his place behind him. Fredrick looked at Emily standing behind Lily and asked,

“Who is that girl?”

“I don’t think that’s what you should be concerned about right now.”

If Emily and Harry were to stay at the Benjamin estate from now on, it would have been proper to introduce them to the head of the household, Fredrick, but Lily didn’t feel like doing so and responded coldly. Fredrick frowned, seemingly displeased with her attitude. He glanced at her with searching eyes, then gestured to Robert.

“You should step out for a moment.”

“No. There’s no need to send him out.”

If Robert left, Emily would have to leave as well. Then she would be left alone with Fredrick, so Lily provocatively asked, wanting to avoid that situation.

“Robert must know what you did, so why bother sending him out?”

“……”

At Lily’s question, Robert raised his eyebrows, looking slightly taken aback. On the other hand, Fredrick’s expression was calm. The innocent gaze disappeared, replaced by curiosity.

“Well, that’s fine. If that’s what you want, let’s do that.”

Fredrick sank deep into the sofa’s backrest, crossing his legs arrogantly, and asked,

“So, what brings you here?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

When Lily retorted sharply, Fredrick stroked his chin, thinking for a moment before speaking.

“Are you here to apologize for what happened yesterday?”

“Excuse me?”

What nonsense was this? It was so absurd that she couldn’t even manage a wry laugh. Lily glared at Fredrick and snapped back.

“Shouldn’t you be the one apologizing, not me?”

Fredrick’s lips curved into a faint smile as he tilted his head slightly.

“You’re the one who chose another man over your husband, so I don’t see why I should be the one apologizing.”

“I’m not talking about what happened yesterday. No, maybe it’s right to see it that way since the incident occurred yesterday.”

“But didn’t you hear anything from the duke or other family members? I met with Duke Benjamin this morning and told him everything…”

On the way to the cemetery in the carriage, the investigator asked, sounding puzzled. It was natural for him to find it strange, not only because Lily didn’t know anything despite being at home, but also because the head maid had even lied about her absence.

If she considered the family’s reputation, it would have been right to make excuses, saying there must have been some misunderstanding, but Lily didn’t do that. She didn’t want to defend Fredrick and his family. Rather, she wanted to expose their misdeeds in detail. But that would be like shooting herself in the foot, so she held back.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me that someone had desecrated my father’s grave?”

It wasn’t certain whether Fredrick was the culprit behind this incident, but it was clear that he had ordered the maids to keep quiet. She had seen with her own eyes how Anna had shamelessly lied.

The next question would depend on how her husband answered, so Lily moistened her dry lips with her tongue and waited for his response.

“……”

But Fredrick only stared at her without giving any answer. As the silence stretched on, worry and anxiety grew. Negative emotions rippled and wavered subtly in her green eyes. It was a subtle tremor that would go unnoticed unless examined closely, but the man’s thin, red lips curved crookedly as if he had noticed it like a ghost.

“It seems you’ve gravely misunderstood. It’s not that I didn’t tell you, but that I didn’t have the opportunity to do so. Because you weren’t at home.”

“Are you… trying to insist that it’s my fault now?”

“I’m not insisting, I’m stating facts. If you hadn’t stayed out last night and had been at home, I would have told you right away.”

How could a person be so brazen? The anger that had subsided surged again.

“If you wanted me to come home, you shouldn’t have sent the carriage away!”

Lily snapped sharply, and Fredrick tilted his head as if puzzled.

“I thought you had no intention of returning home since you chose Count Braden over me… Was that not the case?”

“It wasn’t.”

If Fredrick hadn’t sent the carriage away, Lily would have returned to the duke’s residence. Herald’s suggestion to go together and her decision to follow him were all because the carriage had disappeared.

“You’re quite the skilled liar, my wife.”

However, Fredrick didn’t believe her words. The moment he believed her, he would have to admit that he was wrong, so perhaps he didn’t want to believe it.

“Then why did you silence the servants? If you missed the chance to tell me because I wasn’t there at the time, you could have asked the servants to relay the message. Why did you silence them as well?”

“That was a punishment.”

Fredrick lifted the corners of his lips and smiled.

“A punishment for a wife who was so preoccupied with fooling around with a man that she didn’t even know her father’s grave had been desecrated.”

Lily was at a loss for words at the absurdity of what he said with those lips. She wanted to refute him, but she didn’t know what to say. It seemed that no matter what she said, it wouldn’t get through to him.

As Lily closed her mouth, having lost her words, a heavy silence fell over the drawing room.

Robert, who had been standing still as if he heard nothing, checked the time and whispered something in Fredrick’s ear. Fredrick also checked the time and said to Lily,

“It seems you’ve come to confront me, but if you have the energy for that, go find the investigator and urge him to catch the culprit quickly. That would be a faster way to solve the problem.”

With those final words, Fredrick rose from his seat. Robert promptly opened the door and waited for him to exit.

“Ah.”

As Fredrick walked towards the door, straightening his slightly disheveled coat, he suddenly let out a short exclamation as if he had just remembered something, and turned to look at Lily, who was sitting calmly.

“Now that it’s come to this, we should start the memorial service by reburying him in the cemetery.”

Staring at the playful tone that didn’t match the statement at all, Lily’s green eyes that had been blankly gazing into the air met his gaze. He smiled, watching the flames that burned with shock and anger.

“We should have a new coffin and shroud made, and make sure Charon, the ferryman of the underworld, can collect the boat fare he missed last time. So let’s put in plenty of coins for the deceased.”

Leaving behind a benevolent smile as if bestowing a favor, Fredrick’s traces were followed by Lily’s greatly shaken green eyes.

Lily hadn’t told anyone except the investigator that she hadn’t put a single coin in her father’s grave. Well, it wasn’t something to brag about. If someone hadn’t committed the outrageous act of desecrating her father’s grave, she would have never uttered that fact for the rest of her life.

But the fact that Fredrick knew about it… It meant he was indeed the culprit. The investigator couldn’t have told him already.

The moment the assumption solidified into conviction, an indescribable anger exploded from deep within her heart. Her mind went blank, and her body moved on its own.

Lily ran after her husband, her skirt fluttering, and before Fredrick could even turn around, sensing her presence, she swung her arm forcefully.