His duchess was astute yet profoundly ignorant in some respects, especially when it came to discerning the dark motives of men approaching her.

‘She wouldn’t have noticed.’

So, she had innocently fallen into his clutches. Caeron harbored a selfmocking cynicism.

“Are you worried about him?”

“Considering the relations between our nations, it’s important for both of you to maintain a good relationship.”

“Well, he’s not that important to me.”

Caeron rubbed his chin with his finger as he retorted.

“What about you? Is the prince an important person to you?”

“Ah…….”

At his question, Idel became momentarily lost in thought.

Reynion was the first close friend she had made. Regardless of her being the duchess or not, he had supported her chosen path. Reynion’s warm encouragement today had also been a great strength to her.

“Yes. He is an important person to me.”

Idel nodded with conviction in her voice. Her straightforward gaze showed not a trace of hesitation. Upon seeing her like that, Caeron’s face involuntarily hardened.

“Since when have you two become so important to each other?”

“It hasn’t been long. We met by chance at the university grounds while preparing for the entrance ceremony.”

So, even before the entrance ceremony, Idel and Reynion had met each other. The identity of the woman Reynion had been desperately searching for during the ceremony became more apparent.

“Is that when you met the prince?”

“What do you mean by ‘met’……?”

Caeron’s words, sharp as a blade, carried an undefinable discomfort. Idel felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest upon seeing his unusual expression.

“Even if you’re naive, you should know what it means for a man and a woman to ‘meet’……?”

“A man and a woman? Do you mean……”

Idel’s eyes widened as if they were lanterns. Her heart froze momentarily before beginning to palpitate rapidly.

“Are you referring to a romantic relationship?”

Her trembling voice seemed shocked as she asked. Caeron did not give any response to confirm.

“Lord Reynion and I are not in the kind of relationship you’re thinking!”

She frantically shook her head.

“We are friends!”

She and Reynion shared a friendship, not romance. Her mouth had gone dry due to Caeron’s misunderstanding. Idel’s face flushed with anxiety.

“Friends……”

Caeron echoed her words. She was absolutely sincere. Even upon hearing that they were merely friends, his mood did not improve.
The image of Reynian running toward someone with a lovestricken face kept flashing in her mind. As it did, something hot surged from the depths of her stomach.

On the outside, his face was icy, contrasting with his inner raging fire. He twisted his lips and sneered.

“Do you think it’s possible to be close friends with the opposite gender without any romantic feelings?”

“I think it’s possible. Reynian is just a good friend I get along with… I have no other feelings for him.”

“Would Prince Reynian feel the same?”

“That…”

Doubt already tinged his voice. Idel hesitated, unable to immediately respond. She couldn’t definitively say what feelings Reynian harbored.

Caeron, visibly frustrated, roughly ran a hand through his hair as he looked at a perplexed Idel.

“Don’t forget that you are the Duchess.”

Caeron’s stern voice penetrated Idel’s cluttered mind.

“Act considering your position as the Duchess.”

He indirectly expressed that she should keep a distance from Reynian since she couldn’t be honest about her feelings. But it was also advice for Idel, who wasn’t adept at social activities.

Society was not easy. Nobles, hiding their true faces behind masks, eagerly targeted others. Baseless rumors and distortions of the truth were common.

The image of nobles gossiping about her relationship with Prince Lysandro came to mind.

But to Idel, who was feeling more emotionally unstable than usual, it struck differently.

‘Position of the Duchess…’

For a moment, she thought of the young women who had mocked her unduchesslike behavior at teatime.

Their faces, expertly isolating her with criticisms, overlapped with Caeron’s urging to act appropriately as the Duchess.

Her skin tingled as if her breath had stopped. Even though she understood that his words were meant differently than those of the young women, they stabbed her heart like a dagger. It felt hundreds of times more painful than any prior criticism.

“Is all Your Highness wishes from me… to fulfill the role of a Duchess?”

Caeron frowned at her choked voice and dark complexion. He took a deep breath and responded slowly.

“…Yes. Just be faithful to the duties you have as the Duchess according to our contract.”

Idel was already fulfilling her role sufficiently. His words were meant to lighten the burden she seemed to be feeling, but…

Her eyes darkened momentarily at Caeron’s words. Contrary to his intentions, his words stabbed her heart like a dagger once more.

‘He just sees me…’

As a contracted Duchess.

For him, she, who was not his Duchess beyond their contract, likely meant nothing. She might be forgotten as soon as their contract ended.

Although she had anticipated this, a corner of her heart stung so much that breathing became difficult.

Idel quickly bowed her head. Simultaneously, a droplet of water fell onto her tightly clenched, pale back of the hand. It felt as if that spot had been scalded.

So that Caeron wouldn’t notice, Idel quickly masked her cloudy expression. Like her emotions, the moonlight was completely obscured by dense clouds that night.

It was so dark inside the carriage that her complexion could not be discerned. Thankfully, her reddened eyes went unnoticed by Caeron.