Contrary to my initial apprehension, Reus carefully lifted my foot onto his hand. I could see the bandage hanging loosely over Reus’s hand.

‘Ah, because of the bandage…’

Then, he silently rewrapped the loosened bandage that didn’t suit him. The unexpected kindness eased my tension a little.

However, Reus didn’t get up even after finishing with the bandage. He stared at me intently as if there was something more to be done. Then, he suddenly reached out his hand to me.

‘Does he want me to give him my hand…? Why…?’

After hesitating for a moment at this inexplicable action, I tentatively placed my hand on his.

Soon, Reus’s thumb lightly tapped my finger.

It didn’t seem to have any particular meaning; it looked more like an unconscious action. He didn’t seem to be aware of it himself.

He did the same thing earlier in the reception room too. It seemed to be a habit that emerged whenever he was lost in thought.

Reus remained silent for a long time, deeply immersed in whatever he was thinking about.

Just as I was about to twitch my hand, feeling awkward in the prolonged silence, Reus suddenly gently enveloped my hand. When I looked at him questioningly, he brought my hand up to his eyes.

Momentarily startled by Reus’s sudden action.

“Why can’t I remember?”

With Reus’s single sentence, I immediately understood the intention behind his actions.

Although I had kept my mouth shut all day, trying to avoid getting involved, in that moment of carelessness, I had fallen into Reus’s trap.

“I have no intention to harm you. So don’t move.”

The line Reus recited was…

It was the words I had whispered into Reus’s ear that day.

Naturally, as the memory of that time surfaced, my body stiffened.

“Yes. Judging by your reaction, it must have been you.”

“Gr-Grand Duke…”

“Why are you so unwilling to talk about it?”

Reus released the grip on my hand.

As my hand fell away, his blue eyes, previously hidden, were revealed.

Those clear eyes, as pure as the cloudless sky, showed no signs of displeasure. Rather, his dissatisfaction seemed to have eased somewhat.

“I should stop trying to persuade you at this point.”

“…Pardon?”

“It seems it would be faster to make you want to talk on your own.”

What sort of trick was he trying to pull now?

I looked at him with tense eyes, but Reus, uncharacteristically, smiled once and then stood up, straightening his wrinkled clothes.

“You may not realize, but that’s all I remember from that day. Just that one sentence, spoken by someone I couldn’t even identify.”

Couldn’t even identify who was speaking…?

‘Did I… make a mistake?’

It was none other than Reus who had been pressuring me all day to acknowledge that I had saved him.

Yet in his memory, he couldn’t identify who was speaking…

Something didn’t add up.

“So at first, I believed what that man at the lodge said. It would have been better if it stayed that way… But someone told me. That it was actually you who saved me.”

Although I clearly heard what Reus was saying, I kept turning his words over in my mind as if I hadn’t heard them properly.

‘Who… told him what? What does that mean…?’

However, unlike my frozen consciousness, my body quickly responded to the changed situation. A chill ran down my spine, and my back straightened involuntarily.

“Now you look like you want to talk.”

“…Grand Duke-”

“I appreciate that you’ve changed your mind so quickly, but as you said, the night is deep. So it would be best if we retire now.”

“Wait a moment, Grand Duke…”

As soon as I stood up, Reus naturally turned me towards the bed.

“Grand Duke…!”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Lady Yvelle.”

Reus left the room without a trace of lingering.

* * *

In the end, I couldn’t sleep a wink.

‘Who could have possibly seen me…? No, how is that even possible in the first place?’

The Forest of Silence was so dark it was as if someone had cast a spell on it.

Even I couldn’t recognize Reus right in front of me that day, which led to this mess!

It doesn’t make sense that someone could have seen me by chance from afar. So if someone did see me, it must have been near Anas…

‘That’s even more problematic…! If someone recognized me, they would have seen me entering Anas too.’

I really couldn’t understand who knew about me, how they knew, or why they had told Reus about it.

But one thing was clear: I could no longer respond to Reus’s words with silence.

“Haah…”

Just as I was about to bury my forehead in my knees and sink into deep thought, there was a knock at the door.

“…Yes, come in.”

I sat up straight, wondering if it might be Reus. However, it was a maid who worked at the Grand Duke’s mansion who entered.

“The Grand Duke has ordered me to escort Lady Yvelle.”

I immediately followed the maid to where Reus was. The journey felt so long.

I couldn’t keep my hands still, like someone afflicted with anxiety. And before I knew it, I had arrived in front of Reus’s office.

Knock knock-

“Grand Duke. Lady Yvelle has arrived.”

Soon, a pleasant baritone voice granted permission to enter.

As I entered the office through the door opened by the maid, Reus, who had been checking some documents, spotted me and greeted me with a rather fresh morning greeting.

“Good morning, Lady Yvelle.”

Just looking at his face, it was evident that he had spent a very comfortable, if not luxurious, night.

While I couldn’t close my eyes for a moment due to anxiety!

Although I was displeased… I was in no position or status to say anything, so I quietly took a seat opposite him.

Reus put down the documents on the table and settled into a slightly more comfortable position.

“I’m glad to see that your desire to talk still seems to be valid.”

“……”

His attitude was very leisurely. I wish I could approach the conversation as relaxedly.

Having waited all night for this moment, I cut to the chase and asked.

“…Grand Duke. Who exactly told you that they saw me?”

However, contrary to my expectations, the response I received was somewhat incongruous.

“Lady Yvelle. I’m truly grateful that you saved my life. But separate from that, I haven’t yet decided whether I can trust you or not.”

“…So you’re saying you can’t tell me after all?”

“Let’s say that depends on what answers you give to my questions.”

He has questions for me? I couldn’t even begin to guess what they might be.

Then, Reus said,

“I heard you sent a letter of annulment to Marquis Ersian.”

‘How does he know about that too…?’

With a face pale from surprise at this unexpected statement, I asked,

“Grand Duke… how much do you know about me…?”

“Well… from beginning to end.”

“…If it’s from beginning to end…”

“Anas. Status. Birth. Those are the three that come to mind right away.”

That also meant he already knew I had no choice but to surrender.

Reus had just been waiting for the right moment.

“Well then, now it’s my turn to ask a question. Lady Yvelle. Did you break off the engagement because you had no choice in order to leave the empire?”

I don’t know why he keeps asking about the broken engagement, as if he’s been so interested in me for a while now.

But… I’m not in a position to avoid it, am I?

Having quickly grasped the subject, I answered a beat late.

“…That’s not it. The broken engagement was a separate issue.”

“If that’s the case, then this conversation will be easier.”

Reus’s next words were something I could never have imagined.

“Lady Yvelle. How would you like to marry me?”

His tone was as casual as if he were suggesting a meal. That made it all the more confusing.

Marriage? Who? With whom…?

“Weren’t you planning to acquire a new status and leave for another country?”

“Well, yes, but…”

What does that have to do with marriage?

“I’ll give you enough money to settle in another country.”

‘He even knew that I was trying to leave the empire without a penny to my name.’

I wonder how he found out about that too. I couldn’t help but be amazed at Reus’s intelligence network. But I soon regained my composure.

Ultimately, the reason I was leaving the empire was to avoid the engagement with Reus.

‘But this man doesn’t know that and is asking me to marry him.’

Reus must have his own reasons for making such a proposal, but marriage, not even an engagement!

There was no need to hear any more, so I shook my head and tried to clearly express my intention.

Or rather, I tried to.

“Grand Duke, I can’t marry…”

“The Yvelle County.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’ll give you the Yvelle County.”

When I didn’t respond, frozen stiff, Reus repeated himself.

“I’m telling you that I’ll give you everything of the Yvelle County right now.”

“……”

“Of course, that would require our marriage as a prerequisite.”

He said he would give me funds to settle in another country…

‘Was he talking about the Yvelle County’s assets?’

That’s not just settlement funds, it’s an enormous fortune…!

I don’t know how every single thing this man says is so shocking.

“Do you have any lingering affection for the Yvelle County? If so, it might be a bit troublesome for both the giver and the receiver…”

Reus was wearing a genuinely perplexed expression. Who should be perplexed right now?

As I stared blankly at Reus, too dumbfounded to react, a sudden question occurred to me.

‘But… would he really give me the county just for marrying him?’

Judging by his question about my lingering affection for the county, it seems that Reus handing over the county’s assets to me might not be in a particularly positive manner.