She had an ominous feeling that the conversation with Killian, which started in a very calm atmosphere, would chaotically shake her entire remaining life.

But she couldn’t collapse like this. She straightened her back and elegantly raised her chin.

“I don’t want her to meet Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. I have no intention of letting the imperial family use her.”

“So? Are you going to be at odds with Her Majesty the Empress Dowager over one commoner healer woman?”

“If necessary, I must. And that one commoner healer woman is not just any woman, but the woman I love, Mother.”

“Killian!”

Unable to hold back any longer, the Duchess shouted. Her breathing became ragged. Her hands, tightly gripping the armrests of the chair, trembled.

“…So I intend to have her and her child stay at the mansion starting tomorrow.”

“What? Her child?”

The Duchess asked back with a pale face. Her face, drained of blood, turned as white as a sheet of paper.

“There is a child. A very cute child.”

“Haah…”

Seemingly judging it not worth responding to further, the Duchess closed her mouth tightly while holding her forehead with both hands.

“I’m sorry for causing you concern, Mother.”

“Sorry?”

The Duchess asked back with a voice thick with resentment. Seeing her about to collapse, Killian felt heavy and complicated. He had expected this reaction from his mother, but it was still not easy.

“Please trust me as you have done until now, Mother.”

“…”

The Duchess could not bring herself to answer that she would.

Until now, she had never doubted her son’s choices. It was as if she had never worried about her son’s future.

But this time, she doubted her son’s choice and worried about his future. Quite seriously at that.

“Then please rest.”

Killian bowed slightly and immediately stood up. As he left the reception room without looking back, he inwardly hoped and hoped again.

That his mother would quickly compose herself. And that she would accept Veronia and Jediel with a clear and open mind.

But Killian’s wish was not easily granted. From that day on, the Duchess was bedridden for quite a long time.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was late at night, but Veronia’s bedroom was still bright.

‘To think this is the last night in this room…’

It was unbelievable. Everything seemed to have happened in an instant, still dazed and feeling like a dream.

When she received the letter from Onyx in the morning, she packed her bags thinking she had to run away from Killian. Her mind went blank and her whole body trembled.

But then Killian appeared before her and held out his hand.

‘So come to me and hide. Just as you are now. As Nia.’

‘Allow me to join Your Highness’s secret. Use me, as you used the information guild, as you used Onyx.’

It was an irresistibly sweet offer. The Drea ducal residence was the safest place in the world, as even the imperial family could not easily touch it.

‘But… is it right to enter the Drea ducal residence like this? Is it okay to involve Killian in the secret I created?’

She didn’t know. She buried her face in her hands. They say there are no right answers in life, but she wondered if it could be this uncertain.

The problem was the other people living in the mansion. She had no idea what expression to use when dealing with the Duchess and the servants.

‘The Duchess will probably never accept me.’

It was natural. If she found out that the woman Killian brought to marry was a commoner with a child, the Duchess would surely collapse.

‘No, maybe she’s already collapsed.’

She was worried. She felt heavy, fearing that she might cause a rift between Killian and the Duchess.

“Haah…”

A deep sigh escaped involuntarily.

It was then. Faint orbs of light began to gather in one corner of the bedroom.

‘Huh? Is this teleportation magic? But who would come here at this hour?’

Veronia watched the gathering light intently, on high alert. Soon, the gathered light orbs formed a magic circle on the floor. The light grew increasingly intense, and finally, a human figure appeared above the magic circle.

“Lord Killian?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“How did you…”

Veronia asked with wide eyes, surprised by Killian’s sudden appearance.

“I thought Nia might be worried. But there was no other way to contact you.”

“Ah…”

“And I thought we needed to have a strategy meeting before you enter the mansion tomorrow. We won’t be able to have a strategy meeting in the carriage with Jediel there.”

“…I see.”

Veronia nodded at the reasonable explanation. But she soon added a further explanation.

“But I sometimes sleep with Jediel. You could have wasted your trip, Your Excellency. Fortunately, Jediel is sleeping with his grandmother today.”

“That is fortunate indeed. I’ll remember that for next time.”

Sitting across the table from each other, they felt a little embarrassed as they recalled the morning’s events when intense emotions had clashed and tangled.

Killian was the first to speak.

“What were you worried about? Let’s talk about it one by one, calmly.”

“…I was worried about the Duchess.”

“Ah… I see.”

Killian nodded slowly and told Veronia about the conversation he had in the evening.

“Mother will soon get over it. She trusts me more than anything else. So don’t worry too much.”

“You said Jediel resembles Lord Aaron?”

“That’s right. My elder brother had the same eye color as me, but he was blond like our father. So when I first saw Jediel’s face in the market, I was very surprised to see the image of Aaron’s childhood in him.”

“…I see.”

“But it turns out the blond hair is from you, and the face is from me.”

For a moment, Killian missed Jediel terribly, but he decided to hold back for now. He would be able to see him to his heart’s content starting tomorrow.

“Wasn’t it difficult for you these past five years?”

“Grandma Louisa and Grandpa Hugo treated me like their own granddaughter. I think it was the best environment for giving birth to and raising a child.”

“I’m really glad to hear that.”

Killian’s eyes moistened.

“I didn’t know I was pregnant when I ran away. I arrived at this house a few days after leaving the palace, and that’s when I first found out.”

“…”

“I thought I was completely alone in this world, but it turned out Jediel was growing in my womb. I was so happy. And grateful. To the child. And to you.”

Killian smiled gently at Veronia’s shy confession.

Thus, the two talked about the past for a long time, and also made plans for the future.

It felt like a dream to be able to have a conversation with each other without any secrets. If this moment was a dream, it was so blissful that they never wanted to wake up.

It was only when dawn was breaking in the early morning sky that Killian said his goodbyes.

[This is the timeline separator]

From early morning, Sandra had to wake up to the maid’s voice.

“Your Highness!”

“What time is it that you’re waking me already?”

When Sandra, who was not a morning person, responded in an irritated voice, the maid’s shoulders flinched. The maid bowed her head and reported in a subdued voice.

“Although it’s still early, His Highness Prince Tate sent an urgent message.”

“Tate?”

“Yes. I was instructed to report immediately anything sent by the Prince, regardless of what it might be…”

As soon as she heard Tate’s name, the sleep that had been weighing down Sandra’s entire body disappeared. She snatched the letter from the maid’s hand and hurriedly unfolded it.

[…The Drea ducal residence was busy all day yesterday preparing to welcome guests. The employees don’t yet know exactly who the guests are, but it’s estimated to be a young woman and a child. …]

“What? He sent such trivial information early in the morning?”

Irritation surged. She was tempted to stop reading and go back to sleep, but she suppressed the urge and continued reading to the end.

[…It seems the woman and child will stay for quite a long time. It’s also unusual that they’re preparing rooms in the main building instead of using the guest annex. When Princess Espin visited the Drea ducal residence a few days ago, she used the annex, so this is a contrasting approach. …]

Only then did Sandra start to become interested in the content of Tate’s urgent message.

‘Oh? Then… is this a guest they want to treat more intimately than Princess Espin? Who could it be? What kind of relationship do they have?’

[…The date of the guests’ visit is today. So all the employees of the ducal residence were in a state of panic. Especially since the Duchess has fallen ill. …]

‘What? The Drea Duchess is bedridden? That healthy woman?’

Having finished reading the letter, Sandra rolled her eyes and thought about various possibilities regarding the guests visiting the Drea ducal residence.

‘Is it another bride candidate? No. They said there’s a child. Could it be… the Duchess has fallen ill because it’s a bride candidate with a child? Hmm…?’

Whatever the case, she had a feeling that something very interesting was about to happen.

‘Should I pay a visit to the Drea ducal residence after a long time?’

Huhu, a deep smile spread across Sandra’s lips. It was a cunning smile that transparently revealed her malicious intentions.