“My husband said similar words to me when he was young. It suddenly reminds me of that time.”

The Duchess’s eyes curved gently. She spoke again in a soft voice.

“However, my lord. I don’t blame you.”

“…Pardon?”

“Why would I blame you when it’s not your fault?”

Demian was flustered, as he had been prepared to accept her resentment, thinking she would naturally blame him.

It’s not my fault? This was indeed my fault.

The Grand Duchess and the Duke’s family tormented Arasila to keep him in check, and he endured Arasila’s hardship to inherit the Duke’s family.

So this was indeed his fault, and yet…

“It’s the adults who are at fault for bullying, not the child being bullied.”

The Duchess looked at Demian with a face that truly showed no regret.

In her blue eyes, the same as her daughter’s, there was no anger or resentment to be found.

Facing her like this, he naturally thought of the Duke’s family from his childhood, who always blamed him and justified all their actions.

‘It’s all your fault that we’re doing this.’

‘You shouldn’t have taken after your mother.’

‘You should have listened well.’

‘You should have been obedient instead of being harsh.’

Even those who shared blood and castle with him were like that, yet this stranger he had met less than half a year ago placed no blame on him…

It made him feel indescribably bitter and strange.

“Of course, since you’re married now, I can’t entirely see you and Arasila as children, but a parent’s heart always sees their child as a young one.”

“…I see.”

Demian, having lost his mother over a decade ago and lived worse than a stranger with his father, had never felt such parental love as the Duchess spoke of.

Ah, he had similar thoughts when he saw the Duchess cleaning up after Oscar’s frequent mishaps.

At that age, one acts like a child, and the other cares like for a child. No wonder Oscar Vandermir grew up to be a foolish manchild, he thought.

“I’ve decided to support you two from now on. So, live happily and well with our Arasila for a long time.”

“…”

“If your heart that loves your wife the most in this world doesn’t change, you’ll be able to overcome any adversity together.”

“…Thank you for your kind words.”

The Duchess smiled brightly. Demian, his ears turning red with embarrassment, couldn’t raise his head as he expressed his gratitude.

He felt as if the warmth that seeped through her words was seeping into him, making his heart flutter.

Perhaps he once wished for such a family, which made him feel this way even more.

Iris and the Duchess returned home earlier than expected. It was thanks to confirming that Arasila was very lively and their worries had disappeared.

After seeing them off, Arasila grabbed Demian and returned to the couple’s bedroom.

“What did you talk about with my mother?”

She had been curious about what conversation her mother and Demian had since earlier.

Since her mother wouldn’t tell her until the end, she had to shake it out of Demian.

“Just, received encouragement to live well in the future.”

“Is that all? Didn’t she say anything else?”

“No, she didn’t.”

There was no hint of a lie in the plain answer. Arasila was relieved to know that nothing else was really said.

With a more relaxed mind, she leaned back on the sofa. Demian, who had been quietly staring at her, apologized in a low voice.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“When you were being bullied by the Grand Duchess, I couldn’t protect you by your side.”

Demian’s eyes lowered.

On the surface, Arasila seemed fine, but one never knew.

Leaving scars without traces was a specialty of the Vandermir family. The Grand Duchess might have left such invisible scars on Arasila as well.

“Did you… cry a lot?”

He asked with his gaze lowered, clenching and unclenching his hands for no reason. Arasila stared at his handsome but pensive-looking face and said,

“I didn’t cry though?”

“…?”

Hearing an unexpected answer, Demian raised his eyes to look at Arasila. She remained unchanged from before she left, not losing her unique sparkle.

“If you heard a rumor that I cried every night, that’s all lies.”

“…”

“I deliberately spread false rumors to gain some sympathy from people.”

Looking at her grinning face with bewilderment, Demian raised a question.

“But didn’t you tear up when you saw me earlier?”

“Oh, that? I secretly pinched my thigh and barely squeezed out those tears.”

Demian felt deflated at this disheartening explanation. He had been more upset seeing the tears in Arasila’s eyes.

Learning it was fake made him feel foolish, yet relieved at the same time.

At least, she said she didn’t cry.

“Thanks to that, I think I got a bruise on my thigh. You have to pinch really hard to make tears come out from pain.”

Arasila rubbed her thigh, which still felt sore, and slightly lifted her dress. It was an unconscious action to check if she had actually bruised her thigh.

Because of this, Demian, sitting across from her, grabbed her thin wrist in alarm and pulled down her dress.

“Are you crazy? Did you forget I’m in front of you?”

“No, I didn’t forget.”

“Then how can you lift your dress in front of a man…!”

“Sorry, I just didn’t particularly recognize you as a man.”

…What’s with this statement that hurts my pride?

Arasila had sincerely apologized for her unconscious action, but to Demian’s ears, it sounded like provocation.

It’s not like he particularly wanted to be recognized as a man by her. But feeling his pride thoroughly trampled, a bitter laugh escaped him.

“Is your eyesight so bad that you can’t tell I’m a man? Or is it your head?”

“It’s neither. Do you recognize me as a woman, Demian?”

“Of course, should I recognize you as a man?”

At his incredulous tone, Arasila felt awkward. At the same time, an odd curiosity arose.

“What would you do if I were really a man? What if I deceived you with magic?”

“Don’t ask questions based on impossible assumptions. What value is there in such questions?”

Despite Demian’s curt response, Arasila persisted. Usually, when someone doesn’t answer properly to hypothetical questions, it makes one more curious.

“Why not? Even if I look like a woman on the outside, I could be a man without breasts when undressed.”

“I know you’re not. When I saw you last time, clearly…”

Demian’s words trailed off ambiguously as he involuntarily recalled Arasila in her nightgown, which clearly revealed her silhouette.

Arasila narrowed her eyes and stared at him, who was as still as if someone had cast a freezing spell on him.

“What did you see? I didn’t see much, but you seem to be quite the sneaky type.”

“…It’s not like that.”

“Not like that? Yeah, right.”

“…”

“My goodness, after making such a fuss.”

You’ve seen everything there is to see. At this low mutter, Demian’s face turned red in an instant. If one were to take off his shoes, his soles would probably be burning hot too.

“Do you have no sense of shame, my lady?”

“The one who peeked should be ashamed, why should I be?”

“I didn’t peek!”

Demian stood up abruptly, indignant. How much he had tried not to look, out of consideration for Arasila, even when things were clearly visible.

As he let out a sigh, bubbling with frustration, his eyes fell on the blanket on the bed. He strode over to the bed and picked up the blanket.

Then he wrapped Arasila tightly in that blanket.

“If you feel wronged, go around like this from now on.”

“Talk sense. How can a person go around like this?”

“Aren’t you a magician? Figure it out yourself.”

Demian retorted coldly and left the bedroom. Wrapped tightly in the blanket, Arasila burst into laughter.

“Ah, this is unexpectedly fun.”

Demian Vandermir was a man who was more entertaining to tease than she had thought.

The guest room where the Grand Duchess was staying was bustling with maids packing luggage. Unable to withstand the pressure coming from all directions, she was preparing to return to the Duke’s territory.

This was a shameful defeat, not having achieved any of her desires.

“Why are you so slow! Can’t you move faster?!”

Venting her anger on the innocent maids, the Grand Duchess gulped down cold water. No matter how much water she drank, her throat was parched with a thousand fires burning inside her.

As she was tormenting the maids, throwing a fit out of uncontrollable rage, it happened.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door. A maid opened the door cautiously. The one who revealed herself was none other than Arasila.

“I heard you’re leaving tomorrow. I came to say goodbye in advance since I won’t be able to see you off due to work.”

As if she couldn’t see the chaotic state of the room, Arasila entered with a bright smile.

From the Grand Duchess’s perspective, this was utterly detestable and horrible. After all, who was the reason she was being forced to leave like this?

“Why are you here? Get out of my sight, you’re revolting!”

She glared sharply and spat out coldly. Arasila shrugged her shoulders, her face showing no sign of impact.

“Where should I get out to when this is my house? You’re the one actually leaving the mansion, Grand Duchess.”

“You…!”

Just as the Grand Duchess was about to burst out in anger at the impertinent retort, it happened.

“Grand Duchess, I have a lot to say, but I’ll just tell you one thing.”

Arasila closed the distance in one large stride and whispered in a voice only the Grand Duchess could hear.

“I hope you’ve learned and felt a lot about not messing with people carelessly.”

“…!”

Those were the words the Grand Duchess used to say habitually to Arasila.

Learn from me, emulate me, know my power and feel respect.

The Grand Duchess’s face turned red and blue with humiliation as she received back the very words she had spoken.

Unable to contain herself, she swung her hand to slap Arasila’s cheek. But because Arasila quickly dodged backward, she only ended up swiping the air.

“Aaagh!”

Moreover, she lost her balance due to the forceful missed swing and fell forward.

The Grand Duchess screamed as she felt a sharp pain in her shin area after stumbling and hitting the table hard.

“Oh my, my leg! Maria! I think my leg is broken, come and check it right away!”

“Yes, yes! Grand Duchess!”

The Grand Duchess’s maid, who had been standing by the wall, rushed over.

“Ah, it seems your bone might be broken, madam.”

“What? Go and call a doctor immediately!”

“Yes, I understand!”

As the Grand Duchess’s maid hurriedly left, Arasila crouched down beside her.

“Since you’ve injured your leg, you won’t be able to come up to the capital for a while, right? Rest comfortably in the Duke’s territory.”

“You, you deliberately…!”

“What are you saying? You fell on your own while trying to hit me. Be careful when trying to hit people from now on. Understood?”

Arasila added a very annoying smile at the end of her words and stood up, dusting herself off.

“You damned wench! You think I’ll let you off like this?! Come here, come back right now!”

The Grand Duchess, on the verge of losing her mind with anger, screamed, throwing away all pretense of dignity, but Arasila only left one last word before closing the door.

“No.”

Thud, the door closed, and the enraged voice of the Grand Duchess echoed loudly in the corridor. Arasila stretched with a refreshed face and turned around.

And two days later, the joint residence ended as the Grand Duchess, who had suffered a fracture, returned to the Duke’s territory.