“Don’t get up.”

Arthur walked over and stopped her.

Reina sat awkwardly on the bed holding a pill and a glass of water, looking at him.

“……”

As Arthur entered, the doctor quietly glanced at Reina, whose face showed relief but also uncertainty.

Given the situation, he had been worried, but was relieved to see Arthur wasn’t being too harsh.

If he makes her look like that, he probably won’t make unreasonable demands of someone who’s sick.

The red water can probably wait a day.

“Take your medicine.”

He instructed her again to take it, not just hold it.

“Ah, yes.”

Reina looked awkwardly at the pill and water in her hand, glanced at Arthur once, and swallowed the medicine.

Arthur came closer and asked.

“Are you alright?”

Reina quickly swallowed the water and answered a beat late.

“Yes. I’m sorry for worrying you. Where did you go?”

“A continuation of yesterday’s business. I finished and came back.”

Reina hesitated.

She felt bad about not being able to go with him.

“…I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you.”

“It’s alright. It wasn’t a place you had any obligation to go while ill.”

Arthur turned his head back and summoned his subordinate with a glance.

The knight guarding the bedroom door approached.

Arthur briefly introduced him.

“This is my knight. I apologize for bringing him into the bedroom without permission. I was worried about leaving without someone here while you’re unwell.”

I see.

He must trust him.

Reina smiled.

“It’s fine. Thank you for your consideration.”

She greeted the knight beside her.

“Hello, sir knight. I’m sorry to greet you in this state.”

“Not at all. Please feel free to call me Kay. It’s an honor to meet you, my lady.”

Kay bowed and lightly kissed the back of Reina’s hand.

“The honor is mine, Sir Kay. Thank you for watching over me.”

Lies apparently become easier with practice.

It flows more smoothly after trying once.

Much less awkward…

Reina smiled slightly.

Arthur, who had been watching silently, suddenly remarked.

“You said you didn’t want to meet any man but me, yet you speak to him just fine.”

“……”

What does he mean by that?

Kay glanced sideways.

Reina’s face flushed red from her neck up as she looked embarrassed.

“……”

Kay silently took half a step back upon seeing her face.

“……”

…She’s beautiful. Dangerous.

Honestly, I hadn’t been too concerned about what Tristan’s words implied.

This was the opposite of the image I had imagined after hearing Tristan’s story.

But she was far more dangerous than that.

I had thought of a femme fatale – beautiful yet inscrutable, subtly exuding sex appeal even when seemingly unintentional.

…She is pretty. Pretty, but.

‘She looks pitiful.’

Her inner thoughts were transparently visible.

She even looked innocent and youthful.

Rather than being fatal, she was the type to evoke protective instincts.

And I guarantee, this type is far more dangerous to Lord Arthur than any femme fatale.

This is worrying.

“……”

Arthur, leaning diagonally against the bedpost, slowly combed through Reina’s hair with his fingers, then tied it with a white lace handkerchief as a hair tie.

When Reina looked up at him with a puzzled expression while touching her hair, Arthur just smiled and said it was a gift.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Is there no problem with your wife?”

It was unexpected when Arthur approached and asked.

Dr. Lorenson was about to get up, gathering the empty medicine jar and treatment tools on the table.

Arthur’s question continued.

“She suddenly collapsed on the inauguration day, and three days later she’s bedridden with a cold. It seems unusual.”

“……”

Arthur lightly placed his hand on the table, looking at it as he asked.

“I’d like to hear your honest opinion. As a doctor, a conscientious diagnosis.”

“……”

Dr. Lorenson glanced briefly towards the bed where Reina was.

“……”

To Alvin Lorenson, it was obvious.

Reina had worked for a whole month with barely any sleep.

Her body condition would be extremely fatigued.

Add to that the mental stress she must have experienced in this unheard-of situation.

And the red water.

It seemed the Marchioness had been made to drink too much on the first day.

Even drinking a diluted amount daily would be a strong medicine.

It would be strange if her health wasn’t ruined.

Alvin Lorenson took his gaze from Reina and looked up at Arthur.

“…We’ll need to observe a bit longer to be certain, but it seems to just be accumulated fatigue. As you can imagine, it’s been a difficult situation in various ways.”

Dr. Lorenson answered candidly, assuming they both knew about Reina’s situation as Christina’s stand-in.

“But she’s eating and sleeping better than usual, so she’ll recover quickly. Right now it seems her body couldn’t handle the concentrated stress in a short period, causing a temporary breakdown. I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”

And since he was showing concern, he added a bit more as a precaution.

Purely out of sympathy.

“…Leave her be today.”

Arthur’s face was unreadable as to whether he understood or not.

Alvin Lorenson spoke more directly again.

“Intimacy… is too much. Please avoid it just for today.”

Arthur remained silent for a moment, then smiled with an inscrutable expression.

[This is the timeline separator]

Julius mansion, Arthur’s private reception room.

“Aaargh…!”

As Lucan was about to scream while tearing at his hair, Tristan calmly stopped him.

Unable to contain his frustration, Lucan gasped and collapsed onto the sofa.

Arthur, who had just entered the reception room and sat down, smiled slightly and put a cigar in his mouth.

“……”

Regardless of his thoughts, Kay calmly lit Arthur’s cigar.

Arthur gave a slight nod of thanks and took a drag on the cigar.

“Isn’t this a problem?”

Lucan suddenly raised his head and asked.

“Of course it’s a problem.”

Kay replied curtly.

“But since Lord Arthur is the victim, if there’s a problem, it will be a problem for the Julius family.”

Lucan groaned and held his head.

“…What if they insist they have no rights since he didn’t marry my daughter?”

Kay grinned.

“Against the imperial family? Do they want to die?”

There was a sharp edge to his voice.

Though he said that, it was clear he was concerned as well.

Lucan ruffled his hair again with his hand and leaned forward.

“They say noble marriages are invalid without consummation, right? Then, um, Lady Christina’s body is legally unmarried, isn’t it? Won’t we be helpless if they insist it’s invalid?”

“The imperial family won’t allow that.”

Kay said coldly, turning his gaze.

“Before that, it would be troublesome for the Julius family if that happened. Announcing they committed marriage fraud against His Excellency, the hero of the empire. After becoming the laughingstock of the world and antagonizing the imperial family. Who would want to marry the fraud ‘Christina’ then? By then, Julius probably won’t even be a Margrave anymore.”

The implication that the Marquis of Julius himself wouldn’t be safe was sharply added.

Arthur, who had taken another drag of his cigar, spoke for the first time.

“Julius wants to bury this matter, and I’ve taken that woman as a rightful hostage for compensation. She’s evidence of past events.”

The knights’ gazes gathered on Arthur.

Arthur smiled slightly.

“It will give me an advantageous position in various ways. Including talks of compensation for the inadequate supply issue, and family matters.”

Hooh…?

Rubbing his chin and raising one eyebrow, Lucan’s expression became intriguing, as if he found it plausible.

Arthur smiled as he put the cigar to his lips.

“So treat her preciously.”

The knights looked at each other as if it was a perspective they hadn’t considered.

“……”

With a slightly stiff face, Tristan asked.

“Will that woman be cooperative? She’s a maid who came in bribed by the Julius family.”

Arthur answered as if it was nothing.

“Then I’ll bribe her too. Wouldn’t she lean towards the side that treats her better if the amount is similar? I think I can treat her better than Marquis Julius.”

Lucan and Tristan blinked at him with slightly surprised eyes.

Arthur continued.

“If she has a weakness that the Marquis knows about, I can promise to protect her. Well, it might take some time to gain her trust.”

Arthur looked at Tristan.

“You’re still investigating ‘Reina’, right?”

“Ah… Yes!”

Tristan’s surprised face gradually showed a light of conviction.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

Was this your intention all along…?

Arthur continued in a calm tone.

“Julius will want to keep me quiet in a good atmosphere if possible, so they probably won’t, but keep in mind the possibility of attempts to eliminate her and protect her.”

“…!”

The knights looked at each other with serious eyes.

His words were correct.

If Reina was a maid bribed for that past incident, it was this side that needed to protect her.

She was an important witness, and the one who would want to silence her more than anyone was Marquis Julius.

New determination appeared on the faces of Tristan and Lucan as they understood the situation.

“Yes!”

“Leave it to us!”

Arthur smiled slightly.

Kay, who seemed lost in thought for a moment, asked.

“…What about the ‘real Christina Julius’?”

He was concerned about the report of the blonde lady who had come to greet Arthur last night.

Perhaps… that woman.

“The real Christina?”

Arthur snorted and tapped his cigarette ash.

“I don’t need to bother looking for her. She’ll be the one who’s disappointed.”

Arthur carelessly put the cigar back in his mouth.

“Don’t worry about it. She’ll come looking for me on her own.”

The knights’ expressions became impressed.

“Yes!”

Tristan tried to manage his expression, pressing his lips together in satisfaction.

Amazing. Our commander.

Handling even the great Christina Julius so easily.

He’s not the kind to be manipulated by some vixen.

Tristan cleared his throat, feeling pleased.

Just then, Arthur suddenly held something out to Tristan.

“?”

Tristan looked up quickly.

Taking it reflexively, he saw it was a handkerchief.

“……”

It was the one Tristan had reluctantly lent to Reina when she was crying yesterday.

“…?”

Suddenly Tristan felt strange again.

Yes, it’s mine… I should get it back…

“……”

What is this… indescribable feeling?