At that moment, a throbbing headache passed through Herdin’s head. Simultaneously, a strange memory came to him.

‘You should keep away from the Duchess. If you stay close to her, the Duke might lose control too, like the previous Duke…’

The place in the suddenly emerging memory was exactly the same as the scenery unfolding before his eyes.

However, Miella’s words were completely different from the words in the memory.

“Do you also know that the Duke is having secret meetings with another man?”

Only then did the boundary between reality and memory break down, and the memory disappeared, leaving only reality.

Herdin, who had been wrinkling his forehead in the memory, recognized what the real Miella had said a moment later.

Miella thought he was interested in the story she brought, and continued speaking.
“I saw the Duchess riding in the same carriage with another man a while ago. If you follow her, you might―”

“I never knew the Reverend had a hobby of meddling in other people’s affairs.”

Herdin cut off Miella’s words with a cold tone before she could finish. His gaze across the teacup at Miella was relentlessly frigid.

Miella stammered in surprise, trying to explain herself.

“I-I was just worried about Your Grace…!”

“I know the person well. I’m aware of today’s appointment as well.”

Although he said so, Miella couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

A while ago, Blair was riding in a hired carriage. Typically, noble ladies would travel in the family carriage escorted by the family’s knights.

Unless there was a specific reason, they wouldn’t ride in a hired carriage with a strange man.

However, nowhere on Herdin’s face, as he lowered the teacup, could one discern the emotions that someone who just found out about their wife’s infidelity for the first time might feel.

“I think we can conclude our conversation with this.”

As always, his expression was cold, indifferent, and dry.

“I hope incidents like this won’t occur in the future.”

Herdin stood up from his seat.

“Oh. Take your time finishing the tea before leaving.”

Leaving Miella behind, he exited the reception room. As the door closed, a chilling laughter echoed from him.
“……I went to meet that guy after all.”

He had vaguely anticipated it.

If she wanted a divorce on her terms, and if she wanted to divorce in a way that wouldn’t harm her, the simplest method was a scandal.

But seeing her recent actions, he briefly considered the possibility that she might have withdrawn that plan.

In the end, it was just his imagination.

So, you, while laughing before me and embracing me in your arms, all you have in that little head is thoughts of escape.

In the moment he freshly realized that fact,

The anxiety that had always lingered under his feet turned into anger, completely engulfing him to the point where he couldn’t even remember the plan to fill the sea until just now.

“Welcome back, Madam.”

As always, Mason greeted Blair as she got off the carriage.

Blair habitually inquired,

“Where is the Duke?”

“His afternoon schedule was urgently changed, so he returned earlier than planned.”

Blair’s steps into the mansion hesitated for a moment. Originally, according to the plan, Herdin was supposed to return late because he had an evening appointment.

That he returned early meant he knew about her absence.

Knowing him, who had previously thought of the meeting with Mikhail as unpleasant, the thought of facing him at the dinner table made her feel uneasy.
However, she never had the intention to deceive him from the start. After all, it was something they had to face sooner or later.

As Blair gathered her thoughts and headed to her room, Melly, who had been waiting in front of the door, approached.

“Welcome back, Madam.”

“Yeah. Nothing unusual happened, right?”

As she casually asked while trying to open the door, Melly, who had been watching from behind, cautiously spoke up.

“His Grace is waiting inside.”

Blair’s hand, which was about to turn the doorknob, paused.

It was the expected situation. Although it happened faster than she thought.

“…I’ll take care of the clothes myself, so you can step back.”

Melly bowed and stepped away.

After taking a deep breath, Blair opened the door. As soon as she entered the room, her eyes met with Herdin, who was sitting on the sofa, smoking a pipe in the dimming evening light.

The azure eyes, sitting in the twilight, glowed eerily.

The moment her eyes met those eyes, her instinctively sank.

Blair, avoiding that gaze, headed to the dressing room and said, “I’ll change and come out. Just wait a moment.”

As Blair entered the dressing room, right at that moment,

Thud—

Suddenly, a man’s hand, which had approached from behind, forcefully closed the door of the wardrobe. The sound echoed loudly in the silent stillness.

Blair, who had been looking at the closed wardrobe in the stillness, turned her head. At the same time, Herdin sealed her lips.

“Sip…”