I don’t have time for this! Let’s go quickly.

Startled by my urgent tone, Yezar followed along reluctantly. Then, cautiously, he asked,

“Madam, did you perhaps cause some sort of incident?”

It was a question half-filled with certainty. What kind of image of me had formed in Yezar’s mind? I wasn’t someone who went around causing trouble.

“That’s impossible! I’ll explain later. Just hurry—let’s leave this place!”

“I understand. But Madam, the carriage I arrived in isn’t over there.”

I froze mid-step, still gripping his hand. I had been heading toward a carriage bearing the duke’s crest—it was my own carriage. Apparently, Yezar had waited there, thinking I might return, in case something prevented him from coming later.

“Then, Yezar, please quickly lead me to that carriage.”

“Yes, I’ll guide you slowly.”

My heart was racing, yet Yezar remained calm, completely unaware of my urgency. Only after he slowly helped me into the carriage and we began moving did I finally catch my breath.

Fortunately, the unfortunate encounter between Yezar and Bertisha never happened. My efforts had paid off.

“What exactly happened?”

“Well, an unexpected person appeared at today’s tea gathering—someone not on the guest list.”

“An unexpected person?”

“Yes. Let’s talk about it back at the estate. There’s a lot to discuss.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it right then. The heroine from the novel I once loved might be seen as a terrible person in Yezar’s eyes.

“Can I really tell Yezar the truth…? I only have uncertain suspicions so far. What if I only end up troubling his heart?”

Unaware of my inner turmoil, Yezar smiled gently, gazing at me as he always did.

“Anything I share with you, Madam, is always a pleasure.”

I didn’t want to cloud that sweet, shy smile with dark clouds.

Bertisha was quietly turning over Julietta’s earlier words in her mind.

“Your Majesty the Empress, so I have a request as well. Please stop sending letters to my husband. He finds it uncomfortable.”

“Yezar said I make him uncomfortable?”

Bertisha let out a bitter laugh and looked toward the window. There stood a far too familiar carriage, and beside it, a man who once belonged so naturally at her side.

He was probably here to pick up Lady Orbetian. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she saw Lady Orbetian take his hand and lead him forward. As usual, he seemed to be swayed by her, effortlessly.

She nearly bit her lip. As Empress, she had to maintain her dignity—she couldn’t do that. Bertisha’s gaze returned to them.

The man who used to smile at her every time their eyes met was now smiling at another woman. Someone she thought would never change had changed.

“He’s not truly a lover, nor a husband, nor anything at all…”

In their childhood, there had been no secrets between them. They shared even the smallest details of daily life. So the claim that he’d had a lover for years must have been a lie.

She didn’t know how he’d fabricated it, but there must have been some kind of arrangement behind their marriage. It certainly wasn’t real love.

Then why was Yezar blushing and smiling like that when looking at Lady Orbetian?

Even if it started as a transaction, had he begun to develop feelings? Yezar was weak when it came to emotions. If he pitied her like he would a helpless animal, at least that would be bearable.

“…If you were going to leave, you should’ve left long ago. If you’d confessed your feelings or severed things cleanly, I wouldn’t be like this now.”

Even if Yezar claimed to change now, Bertisha no longer wanted change. She preferred those old days.

Spending time together, laughing, chatting, and sometimes even sharing love. Every moment, even if it crushed someone else’s heart, didn’t matter to her.

Because he still smiled in front of her. Because they were happy.

“If he’s trying so hard to avoid meeting me, then his heart must already be wavering.”

Bertisha wasn’t worried. She knew the emotions woven through years of shared time wouldn’t vanish easily. Smiling falsely, she stepped back into the tea gathering room.

This would be her first and last time attending such a gathering.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Duchess Ferhaem had to leave early due to illness. I kindly ask for your understanding, Marchioness Yekert.”

After all, she had already achieved what she wanted.

That night, returning from the Yekert Marquisate, I was on my fifth glass of water Yezar had poured for me, carefully choosing my words.

Then he gently wiped my lips with a handkerchief and asked,

“So what is it that you want to say, that you’ve been hesitating so late into the night?”

Words swirled chaotically in my mind. I had so much to say, which made me even more cautious. I feared that one wrong word might undo all his efforts—his painstaking work of removing and hiding every trace of his past love.

I knew, as Empress of the Empire, they would inevitably meet face to face. But still, I wanted to give him more time to settle his heart.

“I’m afraid… afraid that if I say it, Yezar’s face will grow sad again.”

Ember’s face, tearful and pleading in front of me, had been so pained.

“Please help clean up the Duke’s lingering feelings for his past love. I beg you.”

If someone who had only watched from the side was suffering this much, then the pain in Yezar’s own heart must have been deep. But Yezar, seemingly clueless, responded with an odd question.

“Are you unwell, Madam?”

“No, I’m not sick.”

Hearing my answer, he visibly relaxed and smiled brightly.

“Then everything is fine.”

But nothing was fine at all. I couldn’t understand why he could smile so brightly. Hesitating, I drained the last of my water and finally spoke.

“I met Her Majesty the Empress today.”

“…So that’s why you’ve been hesitating to speak.”

“Yes. It’s not exactly pleasant news.”

And I didn’t want to see the corners of his eyes droop. I loved seeing him smile.

“She was the unexpected guest not on the attendee list. Did nothing happen to you?”

I expected him to ask about Bertisha, but instead, he worried about me first. Startled, my eyes wavered.

“Um… I don’t know if nothing happened. Maybe something did… or maybe it didn’t…”

My vague response made him ask seriously,

“Madam, what exactly did you hear?”

I recounted the events as objectively as possible. Bertisha had attended the tea gathering because she wanted to meet me. When she noticed my pale complexion, she took me outside for fresh air and asked why Yezar was distancing himself from her.

She said she felt hurt that someone she had once been so close to was now avoiding her, and begged me to persuade him to attend at least one banquet. Otherwise, she warned, she might have to resort to imperial orders, as it could disrupt official duties. Of course, it wasn’t just a request—it was practically a threat.

After hearing everything, Yezar fell into brief contemplation. Part of me wanted to say he didn’t need to attend, but I had already made promises to Bertisha.

Watching him deeply lost in thought, I gently tapped his fingertips.

“What is it, Madam?”

“Well… there’s something I didn’t mention…”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I… might make you angry, but I asked Her Majesty the Empress to stop sending letters to my husband.”

According to our agreed marriage rules, intervening in personal matters like this required prior consultation. It was a basic rule we had set to respect each other and maintain a pleasant, contractual marriage.

I had braced myself for his anger. But Yezar simply replied, unfazed,

“Is that so?”

“It’s not just that! Without even hearing your side, she acted as if I’d already convinced you to attend official banquets together as a couple, telling me not to worry…”

“If we’re a couple, then we should attend together. Having Julietta by my side would make me feel more at ease.”

I lightly slapped his shoulder—not hard enough to hurt, but enough to snap him back to reality.

“You can’t just say everything’s fine! I practically broke our marriage rules!”

“That marriage rule… I’ve been thinking. Wouldn’t it be acceptable to allow a few exceptions?”

“Exceptions?”

“Yes, a little flexibility. Weren’t we strict about the rules because we didn’t know each other at first? To help us adjust and get along better?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But now, we do know each other better, don’t we? So what if we changed the approach—loosening the rules a bit, as long as we continue to respect each other’s intentions?”

I had grown somewhat accustomed to life with him. The title “Madam” now felt natural, like it truly belonged to me.

“I suppose that’s fine. But I still won’t stop striving to be the ideal wife! I won’t cause you any inconvenience.”

“When have you ever inconvenienced me? I honestly can’t recall.”

He always gave in so easily. I had to stay sharp. He was far too soft a husband.

“…Really, being too kind isn’t good either. Are you pretending it’s fine on purpose right now?”

I tightly gripped the fingertips I had just tapped—just in case he was trembling, so I could comfort him.