“Is there a specific reason why you’re heading to the Duke’s mansion?”

“There are things I need to find there. More precisely, things I need to sort out.”

“For such matters, you should send someone. If you order me, I’ll take care of it.”

Clea looked at Oberon.

Her expression suggested she was not pleased with the idea of her going to the Duke’s mansion directly.

Considering the treatment she received and the relationships inside the Duke’s mansion, she probably didn’t want her to go there unnecessarily, but Clea didn’t particularly care.

If they had been uncomfortable, they would have left that place long ago.

“I’ll go and sort it out myself. And there are also things I need to warn about.”

Warning.

Steve probably went straight to Grit and asked.

Whether he was an illegitimate child or not.

Steve wasn’t the type of person who would actively seek out such information on his own.

Moreover, he wouldn’t want to leak information that he might be an illegitimate child to others.

If so, there was only one option he could choose.

‘Grit would probably suspect me.’

Unlike Clea, he cherished his son.

He had concealed the fact that he was an illegitimate child more thoroughly than anything else in order to pass on the family to his son.

It was hard to count how many lives were lost in the process of concealment.

There were also considerable lives lost in the process of Steve’s birth.

She could clearly see how Grit would act from now on.

“And this time, Admund, you can’t come with me either.”

“Clea, I don’t want you to be exposed to danger.”

“Well, will a dangerous situation occur? Even though it’s located in the middle of the capital.”

“Even in the middle of the capital, no one knows what might happen. Especially if it’s Duke Odoi.”

Admund also seemed to dislike the idea of her going there.

But there must be a good reason for her to voluntarily go there.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to go to a place with people who were worse than complete strangers.

So he was willing to allow it on the condition that he would go with her.

However, Clea shook her head and didn’t allow it.

Although she somewhat agreed with what Admund said.

“There’s already a pile of work, isn’t there? If we assign this to someone else here, this time His Majesty the Emperor will surely not let it slide.”

“Still, I’m worried about you.”

Even if she went, she might be stopped at the entrance.

There was no guarantee that Grit would unconditionally let her in.

Yet Admund was anxious.

“Don’t worry. I’ve asked a person who’s free.”

“A free person?”

“Yes. That person should be able to protect at least one person like me.”

Admund’s gaze turned to Oberon.

Oberon shook his head, saying he knew nothing about it.

Admund then thought of Barwin.

“I’ve assigned Barwin a separate task.”

“Then I don’t know who it could be.”

“It’s someone trustworthy enough.”

“If that’s the case, I suppose I should trust as well.”

If she said it was someone sufficiently trustworthy, there was no need to think about who it might be.

“But come back quickly. As I said earlier, it’s hard for me to just watch you stay in such a dangerous place for long.”

The red eyes he met sparkled.

He could clearly see himself moving to find her if she was delayed even a little.

Clea said for the sake of Admund’s peace of mind.

“I’ll come back as soon as possible.”

When she said she would finish her business and return as soon as possible, he no longer objected.

Since Admund didn’t object, Oberon naturally swallowed what he wanted to say and refrained from interfering further.

She finished with minimal preparations and quietly went outside.

Outside, one person was waiting for her.

“District Bishop Hayden, I’ve come at your summons. Are you feeling alright?”

Hayden, in his pure white attire and always with a gentle expression.

* * *

Aria gritted her teeth as she looked at the small ring case on one side of her room.

Not only was the content not to her liking, but it was even worse considering that Lloyd was the one who gave it.

So she threw it away on the floor as soon as she received it.

However, when the Duke learned that Lloyd had given her a ring case, he had a maid bring it to her room.

Aria tried to put the ring case out of sight somehow.

In the corner of the house, on the terrace, she even tried throwing it out the window.

But every time, the maids would bring it back conspicuously and place it on the dressing table as if it were some precious object.

This time too, she left the ring on the floor.

Although she knew that someone would appear again to return the ring, she relieved her stress by doing this.

“I will never marry you, Lloyd.”

Looking at the ring on the floor, Aria imagined.

The days she would face if she married Lloyd.

In fact, she knew well what kind of person Lloyd was.

He often went out to meet other women, and he liked gambling and drinking.

Although his gaze towards other women had decreased while chasing after her, it had only decreased, not completely disappeared.

‘To think that a person steeped in alcohol and gambling would be my husband. I’d rather die than accept that.’

That was the reason why Aria wanted to send Lloyd back to Clea at the last moment.

Aria hoped that Clea would hold onto Lloyd while she couldn’t marry Admund.

If Clea remained as his fiancée, naturally there would be no talk of marriage with him.

However, now the situation had completely flipped.

All the worst-case scenarios she had imagined had come true.

Thinking that she couldn’t stay like this, she went outside.

As soon as she stepped out, the Duchess appeared as if she had been waiting.

“Aria, don’t you think it’s enough now?”

She still looked at her daughter with worried eyes.

The Duchess hoped that Aria would give up on Admund even now.

If she would just do that, she was willing to oppose the marriage with Lloyd and advocate for marriage with someone else Aria wanted.

But Aria regarded her concern as trivial and completely ignored it.

Even though she knew that the Duchess was doing this for her sake.

“Mother, is what I asked you to prepare earlier ready?”

At the mention of what she had asked for before, the Duchess’s heart felt like it was being torn apart.

For the Duchess, the most precious thing was the daughter in front of her.

That’s why she could give Aria anything she wanted.

However, when Aria directly demanded ‘that’, the Duchess’s feelings became complicated.

“Do you really need to go that far? If there’s anything you want, I’ll grant it instead.”

“I need it. So please give it to me.”

“But that’s…”

“So you’re saying you can’t give it to me?”

The Duchess bit her lip at Aria’s forceful attitude.

Her lips, which had already been bitten several times, were bleeding again with no intact spots left.

What Aria had asked of her was an unreasonable request.

She wanted her to hand over all the dowry she had brought when she came to the Hersher Duke’s family.

As the Duchess, she thought she should somehow dissuade her.

In fact, if she couldn’t stop her here, it was clear that things would head towards catastrophe.

But when Aria stared at her, the Duchess wavered again.

“Can’t you even do this much for me, Mother?”

With one cold word, the Duchess felt as if a nail was being driven into her heart.

She felt as if blood was flowing from her chest.

“…If that’s really what you want, I’ll give it to you.”

She spoke with difficulty, unable to bear the pain.

Then Aria hugged the Duchess with a bright expression.

The Duchess felt a chill run down her spine at the sudden change in attitude.

“As expected, you’re the only one I have, Mother.”

The words whispered in her ear made everything that had happened until now seem like a lie to the Duchess.

It was the voice of that gentle Aria from usual.

At this point, she couldn’t distinguish what was true and what was false.

Yet she spoke the words she wanted to say.

“But there’s a condition.”

“A condition?”

“Yes, if you fail this time too, will you promise to give up completely then?”

She chose to sacrifice herself instead.

It was a decision made in the hope that Aria would also give up if it didn’t work out this time, in exchange for giving up everything she had.

On the other hand, Aria didn’t take the Duchess’s words seriously.

“I’ll do that.”

“This must certainly be the last time.”

The Duchess emphasized that it was the last time.

She wanted to get confirmation because after this, there would be nothing more she could do for her.

She wanted to say that if this failed too, she would put an end to it.

Aria was annoyed at the repetition of the same words, but if she could get money from her, she could endure this much.

“Yes, I promise.”

“Alright.”

After finishing the promise, the Duchess still felt uneasy.

But a promise was a promise, so she held out the key.

“This is what you wanted. Please use it wisely.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t use it carelessly.”

Even after the key had completely left the Duchess’s hand, she felt somehow anxious.

Not because the money was precious, but because she had a feeling that this choice might produce terrible results.

Even though she had granted her daughter’s wish, she still regretted it.

She wanted to stop her even now, but when she saw Aria smiling happily, her mouth closed completely.

She didn’t want to interfere with her own hands in the moment her daughter was happy.

Aria, having received the key, immediately left the mansion, leaving the Duchess behind.

The Duchess was very afraid of what would happen in the future, not knowing what she would do after going outside.