And as a result of the examination, it was revealed that she was two months pregnant.

“Look at this, I’m really pregnant!”

“Yes, I see.”

Arasila calmly replied to Claire’s exclamation.

“I don’t ask for much. I just hope my child will be recognized as the lord’s child and grow up enjoying what they rightfully deserve.”

Claire got down from the sofa and knelt. Her simple attire revealed a not-so-good financial situation.

Elaborating that she had neither the confidence nor the money to raise the child alone, Claire clasped her hands towards Arasila.

“My lady, please, I beg you. Don’t get rid of or hate my child. The child has done nothing wrong……”

Watching this, Demian felt like he was about to explode with a mix of resentment and anger.

However, unable to treat a pregnant woman roughly, he just clenched his fists tightly and was about to refute when Arasila opened her mouth with a solemn face.

“Claire, don’t jump to conclusions. I haven’t said I believe you yet.”

At the gentle but cold voice, Claire flinched.

She cautiously sat back on the sofa. In the suffocating silence, Arasila slowly opened her mouth.

“When did you first meet Demian?”

“About two and a half months ago from now. I first met the lord with his face hidden by a robe at the pub I frequently visit.”

According to her, Demian drank alone with a dark face as if he had something troubling him.

Feeling curious about him, she approached him first, spent a night together, and met a few more times after that.

However, he always left early after their intimate encounters, so they never spent much time together.

Then, not long after, she was notified of their breakup, and quite some time after she last saw him, feeling very unwell, she visited a doctor and was shocked to learn of her pregnancy.

“I can tell you exactly when I met the lord. From the day we first met, in case we became lovers, I wanted to count our anniversary, so I marked it on the calendar. Later, I regretted it when I realized it was a vain hope.”

Claire took out a small desk calendar from her pocket and held it out.

Arasila carefully checked the dates marked with hearts.

‘Hmm, this was before the duchess’s birthday.’

At that time, they often worked overtime to handle tasks before going down to the duke’s territory.

Except for mornings, there were many times when they didn’t see each other’s faces, so even if Demian had done something else, Arasila had no way of knowing.

Moreover, this short encounter of less than ten days conveniently ended just before the couple left for the duke’s territory.

It was truly an exquisite timing.

To the extent that one could think Demian had a brief fling due to stress and naturally ended it when it was time to go to the duke’s territory.

Arasila put the calendar down on the table and calmly asked a question.

“But Claire, I’m sorry to ask this. Do you have any evidence that this child is Demian’s?”

“……”

Despite it not being a difficult question, Claire somehow flinched and couldn’t answer immediately.

But soon she slowly nodded.

“O-Of course. Here, I have a handkerchief he gave me directly.”

The handkerchief Claire carefully held out had the emblem of the Vandermir ducal family embroidered on it.

Moreover, it was made of expensive, high-quality fabric that commoners couldn’t easily obtain, making it difficult to suspect it was fake.

“Demian, is this handkerchief really yours?”

“……It’s the same as mine.”

Demian took out a handkerchief with the same Vandermir ducal family emblem from his pocket, his face hardened.

Regardless of his relationship with his family, he carried a handkerchief with the family emblem to remind himself that he belonged to the Vandermir ducal family.

He had several spare handkerchiefs in case one was lost or damaged, so it would be difficult to notice if one went missing.

“My lady! I was wrong to have secret meetings with your husband, Lord Vandermir. But I really didn’t know when I met him.”

Claire explained in a plaintive voice. Her pale, chapped lips and haggard eyes evoked sympathy.

“It’s all my fault, but please believe me that my child is Lord Vandermir’s child.”

“No. I don’t know how that woman has the handkerchief, but I absolutely did not have an affair!”

Demian refuted in a strong tone and looked desperately at Arasila.

With both of their gazes focused solely on her, Arasila slowly opened her mouth after a long silence.

“I won’t draw a conclusion right now. I’ll look into it carefully and judge so that no one is wronged.”

She gazed steadily at both of them in turn and added.

“To see who exactly is lying.”

After sending Claire home for now, Demian hurriedly followed Arasila as she headed to the room.

His heart was now filled with fear greater than resentment.

Afraid that he might have hurt Arasila, just as his father had done to his mother.

And above all…… he worried that she might really misunderstand him as that kind of person.

While he didn’t care if others arbitrarily misconstrued his words and actions and threw stones, it would really hurt if Arasila did so.

He became even more urgent and desperate because he didn’t want to be hated by her of all people.

“My lady!”

Demian stepped ahead of Arasila with quick, wide strides and blocked her path.

Arasila blankly raised her head at the huge figure suddenly filling her view.

As their eyes met, he pleaded with a desperate look.

“My lady, I swear I have never done anything to be ashamed of before you.”

Begging her to believe him with his whole body, he continued.

“It’s not my child. It’s not something I did. I am truly wronged.”

“I know.”

Arasila replied with a calm face.

Her blue eyes, as serene as a calm summer sea without a trace of wavering, looked honestly at Demian.

Demian stared back at Arasila for a moment, forgetting even to breathe, as if sinking slowly into the incoming waves.

“Demian, I believe in you.”

“……”

“Very much so.”

Arasila reached out and gently patted the upper part of Demian’s chest, which was rising and falling unsteadily.

From the start, Arasila didn’t believe Claire’s words at all.

Throughout the conversation, she focused on figuring out the purpose behind such lies and whether there was a hidden motive.

After all, she knew about Demian’s family situation and his anger towards his father, and they were a fake couple who could honestly confide in each other if they found someone else they loved.

If that had been the case, given his personality, he would have asked for Arasila’s understanding in advance.

Not secretly enjoying himself behind her back only to be caught like this.

And above all.

“You’re not someone who would easily betray and break someone’s trust.”

Arasila’s voice rang out calmly. As if she was simply stating the facts as they were.

“I believe in the you I know. I will believe. I do believe.”

Demian’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.

‘She…… really believes in me.’

As that fact became tangible enough to feel on his skin, Demian exhaled a trembling breath as if gills had sprouted underwater.

His heart, which had been beating roughly with anxiety, gradually settled.

His furrowed brow smoothed out, and his tightly clenched hands loosened.

Seeing him appear quite stable, Arasila said.

“But when I saw that calendar and handkerchief, it didn’t seem like Claire was making up everything.”

Amidst the conflicting claims, the evidence Claire presented was quite plausible.

If Arasila had lacked even a little faith in Demian, or if she hadn’t known him well, she might have readily believed it.

“So from now on, I’m going to conduct an investigation to prove it wasn’t you. Is that okay?”

“……Yes, it’s fine.”

Demian nodded slowly but firmly.

Once he confirmed that there was trust for him inside Arasila, surprisingly, he wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.

And since he had nothing to be ashamed of, he didn’t mind whatever she did.

Looking at Demian’s face, which had become much more composed, Arasila made up her mind.

That she would definitely uncover the liar.

Arasila first investigated Demian’s whereabouts on the days Claire had marked on the calendar.

Around that time, he had mostly returned home after midnight due to overtime work.

The mansion staff confirmed the time he came home, but leaving work was the problem.

He always worked until the end in the empty knight building, so no one had seen him leaving.

‘There’s the coachman, but he only came to wait when Demian called……’

If Demian had secretly enjoyed himself and then called the coachman, the coachman wouldn’t know specifically what he had done.

Of course, Arasila believed he wouldn’t have done such a thing, but it was also true that she would have no rebuttal if such an argument was made.

In the end, she decided to dig into Claire’s side, setting aside Demian’s alibi which had many loopholes due to overtime work.

The place she visited for this was a small theater named located on the outskirts of the bustling area.

Claire was an employee there and an unknown actress who occasionally participated in performances as a minor role.

She had quit recently, but there would surely be many people who knew her at the theater.

Arasila deliberately covered her face and hair with a wide-brimmed hat that flared downwards, and wrapped herself in a thick robe to hide her identity.

It was better not to reveal her identity to gather information with minimal disturbance.

And to easily approach the people at the small theater, she brought along Roberto, the owner of the Parkxian theater troupe.

“My lady, you said to ask about a person named Claire, right?”

“Yes, please ask in as much detail as possible.”

“Understood. Just trust me.”

Roberto replied confidently.

Since receiving Arasila’s investment, his troupe had been thriving, beating the Stella troupe.

He was being evaluated as a successful troupe owner that no one in the performance industry didn’t know these days.

Indeed, when he revealed his name upon entering the Flare small theater, the theater owner came running out in a fluster.

“Oh my, Mr. Roberto. What brings you here? Are you perhaps interested in our theater……”

Thinking this might be an opportunity to sell this tiny theater to a huge troupe, the theater owner’s eyes sparkled as he rubbed his hands together.

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m not.”

Roberto deliberately left room for interpretation as he cleared his throat. He knew this would make the other party more cooperative.

Arasila gave him a “not bad” look from under her hat. Roberto discreetly gave a thumbs up and lowered his hand.

As expected, the theater owner ushered them into the reception room with great hospitality and brought out tea.

“Our theater may be small in scale, but it has a long history. I’m sure we’ll have a very close relationship if we come under the Parkxian troupe.”

“Is that so. Then can you answer a few questions I’m about to ask honestly?”

“Oh my, of course! Ask anything you want!”

“A woman named Claire worked here, right?”

As soon as Claire’s name came up, the theater owner flinched and looked cautious, his previous jovial manner gone.

He cautiously asked back.

“W-Why Claire……”

“I’m just curious about something. Oh, if it’s uncomfortable for you to answer, we’ll be on our way.”

As Roberto half-lifted his bottom as if he was really about to leave, the theater owner, who couldn’t miss the chance of a sale, raised his hand to stop them.

“That’s right! Claire worked here! But she quit last week!”

“Why did she quit?”

“She got pregnant. The girl who dreamed of becoming an actress suddenly got pregnant, so she couldn’t work here anymore.”

The theater owner clicked his tongue with a somewhat regretful face.

He added that it was pitiful that someone who had been unable to achieve her dream for a long time due to mediocre talent and looks ended up leaving the theater in such a way.

Meanwhile, Arasila whispered something to Roberto as she listened to the story.

He asked the owner with a slightly puzzled face.

“Do you know who the father is?”

“Uh…… Yes, I suppose……”

“Who is it?”

“Ah, that…… But why are you asking about this?”

The theater owner asked in a worried tone, nervously wetting his lips with his tongue.

He judged that Roberto was interested in the Flare small theater, but was concerned that bad rumors about even a former member might cause problems.

So he hesitated to readily talk about Claire.

If he said the wrong thing, it seemed Roberto might lose interest and the sale would fail.

Arasila, noticing what the theater owner was worried about, opened her mouth.