As Frederick wished, the only way to prevent it was for Demian to reject his apology.

‘If I refuse the Crown Prince’s apology in front of all these people, I’ll just seem disrespectful.’

It wasn’t a private meeting, but a gathering with imperial knights and attendants to welcome foreign dignitaries. Some people were already signaling Demian with their eyes to hurry and respond.

Demian let out a bitter laugh at Frederick’s cunning judgment.

He quickly composed his expression, straightened his posture, and opened his mouth.

“I apologize, Your Highness. It was my oversight. If I had known you were so deeply concerned, I should have come to see you earlier.”

Instead of accepting the apology, Demian skillfully avoided Frederick’s trap by returning it.

This way, he would be seen as a magnanimous person who apologized despite being wronged.

Frederick silently twisted his lips into a smile.

He had thought this man was slow-witted from wielding only a sword his whole life.

‘You’re quite the fox, Demian Vandermir.’

Gritting his teeth, he soon put on a friendly smile and patted Demian’s shoulder.

“No, why are you apologizing? If anything, it’s my worrying nature that’s the problem. I was needlessly concerned about Arasila.”

As Frederick casually mentioned Arasila’s name again, Demian grew increasingly uncomfortable.

He couldn’t understand why Frederick kept speaking of her as if they were still close friends, despite knowing full well she had cut ties with him.

‘Is it pitiful lingering attachment, or obsession ignoring reality?’

Either reason was unwelcome. Demian struggled to keep his facial muscles from contorting as he spoke.

“You seem to have been very worried about my wife.”

“Ah, yes. I heard the succession battle in the Vandermir duchy is fierce. I was concerned whether my old friend would be able to support you well.”

Frederick said nonchalantly. How could he call Arasila an old friend after what he had done to her?

Shaking his head at the audacity, Demian replied stiffly.

“Do not worry. Supporting one’s spouse is the husband’s duty.”

“Is that so? You’re quite a good husband then.”

At that moment, the delegation’s carriage appeared at the castle gate. As Frederick slowly turned his body, he added in a small mutter.

“Though I’m not sure if you’ll remain a good husband until the end.”

Demian had no chance to retort to those words, as he had to move to guard the Crown Prince.

Frederick approached the alighting delegation with a bright smile.

Following a step behind, Demian felt uneasy. Frederick’s muttering was too meaningful to be dismissed as nothing.

But he couldn’t very well grab and question him about it, so Demian had no choice but to let it slide.

The last delegation arrived safely two days before the New Year’s festival.

The next day, a party was held at the imperial palace to welcome the delegations and celebrate the eve of the New Year’s festival.

Arasila attended the party wearing a black velvet dress with soft white fur around the neckline, gradually becoming more red towards the bottom.

Her hair was parted on the left side and swept over voluminously, adorned with black sapphire jewelry and exposing one shoulder, exuding an alluring atmosphere.

“Lady Arasila Vandermir entering!”

As Demian was busy managing the knight order guarding the party’s exterior, Arasila had agreed to enter alone first.

Fortunately, Duke and Duchess Hugo were also invited guests, so there was no need to worry about her being lonely by herself.

Looking around the hall, Arasila realized her parents hadn’t arrived yet and was about to step aside to wait for them.

“Lady Vandermir.”

Just then, the Grand Duchess of Kisten spotted her alone and greeted her with a kind smile.

Arasila also looked at her with a welcoming expression.

“Where is your husband, that you’re alone?”

“He went to inspect the knight order briefly. He’ll be here shortly.”

“I see. Well then, you must be bored. Come here.”

The Grand Duchess gently took Arasila’s hand and led her. Arasila followed willingly without resistance.

She brought Arasila to the group she had been conversing with. Half were familiar faces, half were unfamiliar.

“Let me introduce you. This is Lady Vandermir, whom I’m close with, and these are the prince and nobles from the Kingdom of Keil who came as the New Year’s festival delegation.”

Now knowing the identity of the unfamiliar faces, Arasila greeted them politely.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Arasila Vandermir.”

“I am Noah, First Prince of the Kingdom of Keil. It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

Following Noah’s kind and dignified greeting, the other nobles also introduced themselves. There were two middle-aged male nobles and one young female noble around Arasila’s age.

Thanks to the Grand Duchess’s consideration, Arasila was able to converse with them without difficulty.

In the midst of their pleasant conversation, the Grand Duchess suddenly asked as if she had just remembered something.

“Ah, come to think of it, there’s something I wanted to ask. Is there perhaps someone named Sian Mondor in the Kingdom of Keil?”

She remembered Arasila’s earnest search for Sian Mondor before and brought it up to help.

Arasila, who had already decided to let go of that matter, flinched. But she remained silent, not wanting to embarrass the Grand Duchess by saying it was no longer necessary.

“Sian Mondor, Sian Mondor… Well, it’s a name I’m hearing for the first time. What about you all?”

Noah pondered the name several times before shaking his head and looking at the nobles. But they didn’t know either.

“Is this Sian Mondor a noble from the Kingdom of Keil?”

“I’m not sure either. Lady Vandermir is looking for him, but all she knows is his name.”

The Grand Duchess answered, placing her hand on Arasila’s shoulder. Then the male noble with the distinctive curled mustache stroked his chin and said,

“Hmm, then he doesn’t seem to be from our kingdom. I’ve never heard the name Sian Mondor in all my life.”

“Count Rousseau here is the best-connected person in our kingdom. If the Count doesn’t know him, he’s certainly not from our country.”

Noah added with a gentle smile. However, Arasila had already lost interest in their conversation.

Her attention was focused elsewhere.

Just before, when Noah had mentioned the name Sian Mondor several times.

Crash―

Someone dropped their glass upon hearing those words. Glancing toward the sound, she saw a vaguely familiar old man standing stiffly.

‘Is he reacting like that after hearing the name Sian Mondor?’

The old man, who had barely managed to move, even trembled when Sian Mondor was mentioned again.

At this, Arasila was certain.

‘That person knows who Sian Mondor is!’

To speak with the old man, she excused herself from the Grand Duchess and the others and left her spot.

Although she had decided to let it go, when faced with such a big clue right in front of her, her body moved first.

Arasila approached the old man without hesitation, put on a smile, and greeted him.

“Hello, sir.”

“…?”

“I’m Arasila Vandermir.”

The old man looked at Arasila, who suddenly spoke to him, with bewildered eyes.

His shaking golden eyes resembled Demian’s.

He looked Arasila up and down with wary eyes, then tightly closed his mouth and turned his head. His sharp profile, still distinct despite his age, was cold.

Arasila, blatantly ignored, gently spoke again.

“I’m Arasila Vandermir. May I ask your name, sir?”

Her blue eyes, clear as a lake, stared persistently at the old man, as if unwilling to back down until he answered.

The old man reluctantly opened his mouth.

“…Why do you ask? What good would knowing do you?”

At the somewhat prickly retort, Arasila blinked, then immediately smiled brightly.

“Is it wrong to be curious about the name of the person who helped me?”

Although she didn’t remember right away at first, the moment their eyes met, it came back to her.

The old man was the one who had found Arasila when she collapsed at the temple during the Founding Day festival and helped her. She vividly remembered him picking up the fallen medicine bottle and giving her the medicine.

Arasila smiled at the old man, who also seemed to remember the incident, judging by his expression at a loss for words.

“I’m not asking to demand any compensation or anything. I just want to talk with you, sir, and thought it polite to start with introductions.”

At her gentle explanation, the old man’s eyes wavered once more. With his hands behind his back, he looked down at Arasila and slowly opened his mouth.

“I am Howard Ronde.”

…Ronde?

Arasila tilted her head at the familiar-sounding surname. As she racked her brain, her eyes slowly widened.

Ronde!

The Ronde earldom was the family of Demian’s mother, Duchess Monica Vandermir.

Suddenly at a loss for words, she stared blankly at Howard. No wonder they had the same rare eye color.

Demian, who took entirely after his father, had inherited only his eyes from his mother. The mark of Ronde blood.

‘But I’m sure Demian said he wasn’t on good terms with his mother’s family…’

He had said the Ronde earldom deeply resented the Vandermir duchy, including Demian, for Monica’s death.

Recalling that fact made it even harder for Arasila to speak.

She needed to ask if he knew Sian Mondor. But she couldn’t bring herself to speak as gently as before to her husband’s maternal grandfather who supposedly hated him.

As the silence lengthened, Howard checked behind her and said with slightly furrowed brows,

“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be going now.”

Demian was entering the hall. As he was likely to come straight to his wife, Howard turned away coldly.

Arasila let him leave without even saying goodbye. Demian, who had approached unnoticed, lowered his head to check her dazed face.

He hadn’t seen Arasila with Howard, hidden by the crowd.

“What are you doing here alone? The Duke and Duchess are over there.”

“…”

“My lady? Did something happen?”

“…No, Demian.”

Though her response was quite delayed, Arasila faced him with a smooth smile.

“It’s nothing. But before we go to my parents, I think we should greet the Grand Duchess. I was talking with her earlier.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

As Arasila placed her hand on Demian’s outstretched arm, she quietly swallowed the fact that she had met Howard.

Thinking of that cold back that had turned away to avoid meeting his only grandson, she judged it best not to tell Demian.

He already had more than enough to deal with from the hurtful family in the Vandermir duchy.