But if I had known he was misunderstanding my actions, I should have told the truth. It seemed that my consideration had instead made him feel bad.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize and misunderstood.”

“No. It’s my fault for not telling the truth. I heard that the Yekert Marquis family has a friendly relationship with the Perhaem Duke family.”

That’s how the butler introduced it at first. I didn’t want to use the Perhaem Duke family to pressure the Yekert Marquis family. I had no intention of using my power as a duchess.

“So I acted alone. The Perhaem Duke family stayed put, and it was just the Pellanne Company and the Yekert Marquis family that fell out.”

The Pellanne Company was distributing independently developed products to nobles and commoners. The reason Pellanne became one of the leading companies in the empire so quickly was due to this independent product development.

So cutting off trade with the Pellanne Company would be a severe blow in many ways. Sometimes there were nobles who tried to pressure Pellanne by using the fact that she was a commoner, but I, who had joined as a co-operator, was a noble.

Pellanne also used me as a shield. Thinking about it now, she was clever. While repaying the favor with money above a certain level by giving out shares, she also reduced friction with the nobility to some extent by putting me, a noble, at the forefront.

“If you had told me, I would have told her to apologize for her rudeness to the Yekert Marchioness. The Perhaem Duke family is not in a position to be wary of the Yekert Marquis family.”

Yes. If so, he certainly would have. He became as sharp as a knife to those who touched his people, because he valued his people so much. But that’s not what I wanted.

“If that had happened, would it have been a sincere apology? Or an unwilling one? I didn’t do this to hear words of apology. I wanted to prevent her from bullying others anymore.”

I didn’t want to stand by and watch her bully powerless ladies or maids anymore. To do that, I had to take away the power she held.

“If the Pellanne Company cuts off trade with the Yekert Marquis family, they’ll struggle quite a bit. The Yekert Marchioness became influential in high society because she led trends by quickly obtaining Pellanne Company’s products.”

And if we add that we won’t provide Pellanne Company products to those who trade with the Yekert Marquis family, people will leave their side frighteningly quickly.

“She won’t be able to act as an influential figure in high society anymore. Naturally, the ladies who used to be wary of her will be more at ease. Do I seem unfamiliar to you saying these things?”

I always just smiled brightly in front of him. I was worried that he might be put off by me being so cruel to someone. But Yezar took my hand.

“You sought your own solution, didn’t you? Recently, I heard from the butler that the maid you brought in was sick. I heard she was a maid under the Yekert Marchioness. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I heard that maid was severely beaten before coming to you, and you were the first to notice her condition. The butler said you seemed to be pondering something with a serious expression. Were you angry that someone suffered because of you?”

Anger… Maybe I was. When I thought about how she would have punished the child who smiled brightly at me to the point of tears, I naturally came to dislike the Yekert Marchioness.

Now Lophi was clearly a servant of the duke’s family.

“Such a you is not unfamiliar to me. Your nature of always thinking of others first hasn’t changed.”

The blue eyes gazing at me were like a clear, deep lake. So clear that you think it’s shallow and jump in, only to find it’s too deep to get out.

Facing the trust filling his eyes, I could only smile.

“Thank you for saying that.”

“Not at all. However, there is one thing I’d like to say to you.”

“Yes? What is it?”

I looked at him with a melted expression.

“Please stop going out dangerously through the window. Do you know how badly you could get hurt if you fall?”

I was about to say confidently that it was fine in response to his worried words.

“It’s okay. If I just maintain the right falling posture…”

“Julieta.”

He spoke without inflection. His tone was oddly stiff. Hadn’t we just resolved our misunderstanding and were about to have our usual conversation before sleep? Why does the atmosphere feel strange?

“I’m angry that you don’t take care of your own body. It also makes me reflect on my own dullness for only now noticing that you’ve been climbing up and down relying on this single rope.”

“…You’re angry?”

“Yes. So I’m confiscating this rope. I won’t allow night outings for a while either.”

That wouldn’t do. I had to meet Pellanne tomorrow.

“But I’m supposed to meet tomorrow…?”

“I’ll be watching. I’ve also told the knights, so security will be tightened.”

“Ye, Yezar! Didn’t we just resolve things?”

“We did. But that’s that, and this is this.”

It was twice as scary when he said that with a smiling face.

My escapade ended on the day I was caught red-handed. Yezar really did tighten security by telling the knights and kept me close by his side.

“Yezar, I won’t climb through windows anymore and I’ll tell you before I go. Can’t you relax the strict security?”

I couldn’t get used to the knights who always greeted me cheerfully now responding with expressionless faces. But Yezar was very firm.

“Everything else is fine, but not that, my lady.”

So I gave up and tried to persuade the knights. If I went during the day, Pellanne would be busy and there would be many visitors coming and going, some of whom would surely know my face.

But the knights already knew what I had done.

“All the knights already know that you climbed out the window like scaling a wall. The lord must have had his reasons for tightening security.”

“Thanks to that, we’ve been through hell. Being asked how we didn’t notice while guarding around you, madam.”

With faces that looked like they’d been to hell and back, I couldn’t try to persuade them any further. I wrote a letter to send to Pellanne.

It was to say that I couldn’t meet her at night for a while because my husband had found out about my outings. I sent the letter using a carrier pigeon. The reply came quite quickly.

When I opened the letter, there was a long lecture about my reckless behavior.

― I knew it. I was wondering if the Perhaem Duke didn’t worry about his wife behaving like this when you, miss, no, you’re the Duchess now, right? When you kept coming at night. Just looking at the front page of the Imperial newspaper, I can tell your relationship as a couple is good. That’s normal. Refrain for a while.

How cold. I can clearly remember her sobbing and saying she would never forget this favor when the business first succeeded. People shouldn’t change so easily.

Thinking that, I continued reading the letter.

― And as you said, I’ve cut off all dealings with the Yekert Marquis family. I’ve also informed the surrounding families we were trading with. It seems to be quite a big blow. It’s gone as you wanted, Duchess. Now, instead of coming to see me, spend some lovey-dovey time with Duke Perhaem. Well, I’m busy developing new products, so I’ll end the letter here!

After reading the letter, I leaned back in my chair for a moment. Things had been handled as I wanted. Now she was saying I didn’t need to come see her anymore.

I no longer needed to reduce my sleep by coming and going troublesomely.

“It wasn’t easy for me either, secretly coming and going. I guess I should restrain myself and stay within the mansion as everyone says?”

I had been yawning constantly lately from not getting enough sleep. I was thinking about taking a nap for the first time in a while when…

Ember knocked on the door and brought Lophi, who had finished treatment, before me.

“My lady, I’m sorry to disturb your rest. This child wanted to meet you quickly to express her gratitude.”

The child with much improved complexion was standing next to Ember, seeming to have recovered.

“Have all your injuries healed?”

“Yes! Thanks to you, my lady, I received treatment quickly and they say there won’t even be scars.”

“That’s good.”

I had been worried thinking that this small child had been punished because of me. It was really fortunate.

“My lady, do you perhaps need my special skill?”

How could those eyes be so clear and sparkling as she said that? Looking at that, it’s certain she learned something strange from the Yekert Marquis house.

“Well. I don’t need it right now. Ah, since you’re here, I’ll tell you this. You don’t have to worry about the Yekert Marchioness harming you. The lady will probably be too busy with other matters to pay attention to you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So don’t think about using your special skill and just stay comfortably here learning the duties of the duke’s household. The pay will be higher than there too.”

“Yes, my lady. I’ll work for you and this duke’s family until I die of old age!”

She shouldn’t say such things carelessly. Ember’s eyes, standing behind her, were shining like a predator eyeing its prey.