Jane placed the hangover cure drink on the table and waited for Cain to come out of the bathroom.

Even though Jane said it was okay, he insisted on washing up and went into the bathroom. He even opened the window, saying the smell of alcohol was vibrating in the room.

Was the hangover that bad?

If Cain, who had gritted his teeth and moved in order not to show his hangover symptoms, heard that, he would have been disappointed.

Guarding an empty room was harder than she thought. Time passed so slowly.

Jane turned her head to look out the window. She heard the sound of birds and saw the shimmering patterns the light beams made on the floor.

When both things started to get boring, the bathroom door opened. Cain appeared, wearing only pants and wiping his dripping wet hair.

His upper body was as sturdy as a rock. Even if she collided with all her might, it seemed like a strong body that would bounce off the colliding opponent rather than budge.

The weight that had been pressing down on her reflexively came to mind.

Jane hurriedly turned her head.

Cain, whose gaze was hidden by the towel, sat down with a thud in front of Jane, not knowing what impression his bare upper body was giving.

Earlier, he said he had to be polite and ran to the bathroom, but what’s with being half-naked?

He’s a person who’s different in the front and back.

He said he sold all the paintings of Osguille, but then donated them, and he had the Veerstart book.

She was confused because he was contradictory.

When Jane was about to fully resent him in her heart, the sound of him rubbing his hair with the towel was heard.

Was the hangover okay?

Jane glanced at him.

He was definitely in better condition than before he went to the bathroom.

There was no terrible smell of alcohol, and his slightly furrowed brows gave the feeling of a focused scholar, not someone suffering from a hangover.

If he just put on his clothes properly, it seemed like he could even have an audience with the queen.

‘Why aren’t you getting dressed?’

In the end, the person who cares is the one who moves. Jane picked up his shirt and handed it to him, who was absorbed in drying his hair.

“Put it on.”

Cain put the towel on his head and looked up at Jane.

It seemed like a look of gratitude flashed across his face for a moment, but she must have seen wrong.

“What are you doing? I told you to put it on.”

“In case I catch a cold?”

“That too.”

No matter how much they were married, no matter if she had already seen everything, walking around with skin exposed was…

Jane fake coughed for no reason. Cain lifted the corner of his mouth and took the shirt and put it on.

Jane waited until he finished dressing. With nothing else to do, Jane naturally looked at Cain.

His long, straight fingers buttoning up the shirt.

His hands, which had been buttoning from the bottom up, stopped leaving the top two buttons.

“It’s stuffy.”

When Jane narrowed her eyes, Cain shrugged and replied.

Water droplets no longer fell from his hair.

When a cool breeze blew, the light and shadows on the table danced.

“It’s a hangover cure drink. Drink it.”

Jane pushed the glass, and Cain downed it in one gulp.

“I finished it all.”

Jane had eyes, so she knew. Still, the reason Cain pointed it out was to say whatever she had to say.

Jane had a lot to say.

“I’ll say it without hesitation.”

When she saw him sprawled on the bed, she was going to hold back, but she changed her mind.

From the outside, he looked fine after washing up. And who knew when they would meet again.

“First of all, it’s a breach of contract.”

“What?”

“We agreed not to go to the gentlemen’s club often. We didn’t specify the number of times, but I think it was wrong to stay there for almost a week.”

“Ah…”

Cain stroked his chin. As always when it was difficult to manage his expression, he covered his lower face with his large hand.

“From now on, no matter how late, I’d like you to sleep at home. The child is anxious.”

“What about you?”

Jane tilted her head.

“I’m asking about you, Jane. When I don’t come home, what about you?”

Was he still drunk?

Cain asked a question unrelated to the context. Silence flowed like a dead mouse.

“…It’s not exactly comfortable for me either.”

As if satisfied with the answer, Cain’s lips drew a pretty arc. Jane pretended not to see it.

“And the rumors.”

Jane’s nagging, which seemed to end here, continued, and Cain’s eyebrows rose.

“What rumors?”

“That you met a woman you liked at the gentlemen’s club.”

This time, he couldn’t even hide his absurd expression. Cain left his mouth open and quickly inferred the process of how the rumor started.

The duke who abandoned his work, the aide who needed a gag order, and the place he was staying at the time was the gentlemen’s club.

‘I told you to create a smokescreen, but you spread rumors?’

Cain had a huge misunderstanding. In fact, the rumor naturally spread, and Nathan just left it alone.

“You don’t believe that rumor, do you, Jane?”

“There’s no reason not to believe it.”

Cain frowned. A chilly sensation ran down his spine.

“It’s true that you’ve met many women so far.”

Cain wiped his lips with his thumb. He left the rumor alone to make himself comfortable, but now that rumor was holding him back like this.

Should he try to say it’s not true?

But it didn’t seem like Jane would easily believe him.

He had to choose well. No matter what he said, he was at a disadvantage. He had to clear up the misunderstanding someday, but now was not the time.

“Rumors tend to… be exaggerated.”

He wouldn’t admit it, but he wouldn’t deny it either.

Cain’s choice was cheap, but it wasn’t the wrong answer.

“This time, it’s definitely not true. I’ve been faithful to you since we got married.”

“Does that mean you weren’t faithful to the people you met before? Are you only faithful to me because I’m the duchess?”

Cain’s chest felt stuffy.

He wanted to shout no, that Jane was the only woman in his life.

“That’s not it…”

Cain moved his lips, then closed them.

If he had known that being questioned about his past by Jane would be this painful, he would have actively uncovered the source of the rumor and eradicated it.

So being questioned about the past by Jane…

‘What?’

Cain lifted his head that he had slightly lowered. When their eyes suddenly met, Jane’s eyelashes trembled.

“Do the rumors bother you?”

Jane, who didn’t expect Cain to ask, honestly nodded. Cain’s smile deepened.

This was jealousy. Jane’s emotions, which usually seemed veiled and elusive, were now clearly visible.

It was unbelievable. Wasn’t jealousy an emotion that stemmed from affection? At least, you don’t get jealous of someone you dislike.

Cain covered his lower face again. He was so happy that a silly laugh almost burst out.

“…I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Cain deliberately lowered his voice so it wouldn’t sound excited. There was no response from Jane.

Was this answer not enough?

It made sense. On the contrary, if a similar rumor had been attached to Jane, he wouldn’t have been able to stand it.

Just imagining it made the power go into Cain’s clenched fists. Blue veins popped out on the back of his hands.

Cain unclenched his fists and exhaled, examining Jane.

“Is that all you have to say?”

Even if she nagged a little more, he was willing to listen. No, he wanted to hear more of Jane’s nagging that was similar yet different from Mary’s.

“Cain.”

Jane’s voice as she called him was dejected. The expression that had been firm until a moment ago cracked slightly.

Her emerald eyes gradually, little by little, became sharp.

“In Veerstart’s book, there’s a saying like this.”

Jane let out a big sigh and finished her words.

“The more you try to hide your heart, the more it shows.”

Cain straightened his back that he had been comfortably leaning. He put his arm on the table as if to take a closer look at Jane’s face.

Jane picked up the empty glass and stood up. Then she left the room.

Their short encounter ended without either of them saying what they should have said and wanted to say.

* * *

As Jane said, Cain came home diligently. Of course, the times were inconsistent, the meals they had together disappeared, and there was no taking care of Joseph’s studies.

Nevertheless, Joseph was noticeably happy.

Perhaps it was because Jane’s expression had become much more relaxed.

“Bo, Bo, Wolfgang sent a letter asking to meet.”

Some time ago, Jane taught Joseph how to write letters and how to send telegrams.

Although it was too early to exchange social letters, Jane, who wanted to teach Joseph many things, got greedy.

When asked who he wanted to send a letter to, he said it was a secret, but it seemed he sent it to Wolfgang.

Among the friends Jane introduced, Joseph liked Wolfgang the most.

He seemed to have forgotten all about the fight last time. Since there was no need to bring up that memory, Jane only stroked Joseph’s head.

“Do you want to meet Wolfgang?”

Joseph looked at Jane’s face.

It was evident that he was worrying with his little head about whether it was okay to invite a guest home now.

“If you want to invite him, you can invite him anytime. He’s your guest, Joseph.”

“But Father…”

“Father will like it too. Making friends is a good thing.”

“That, that’s right? It’s better to have more friends, right? I only have… Wolfgang as a friend… Ah, Father must have a lot of friends, right?”

Jane was about to agree right away but closed her mouth.

Did Cain have anyone he could call a friend?

Jane, who was pondering over the people around him, shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, you’ll have to ask Father about that.”

“Uh, uh, there are things even Mother doesn’t know about Father? They said married couples know everything.”

“Who said that?”

“Nas did.”

What is she telling a young child!

“Because you love each other, you want to know, and so you end up knowing a lot, she said.”

Jane smiled with a frown. It was a true statement, but it didn’t apply to Cain and Jane.

Even though they were married, the two were full of things they didn’t know about each other. The reason was in Joseph’s words.

Because they didn’t love each other.

Even though she was just reminded of an obvious fact, her finger joints tingled.

Jane wanted to get out of this topic as soon as possible.

“Let’s send an invitation letter to Wolfgang.”

Joseph’s face brightened like a clear sky after rain.

Jane and Joseph sent a sincere invitation. The date was two days later.

The two days passed quickly.

“When is Wolfgang coming?”

From the morning of the second day, Joseph was excited about preparing to greet the guest.

Joseph even put a chair near the lobby and waited.

Was having a friend that great? Jane let out a broad smile.

At that moment, the bell rang. At the signal that a guest had arrived, Joseph jumped up.

Finally, the door opened and a guest entered.

But it wasn’t the person Jane and Joseph were waiting for.

“Joseph! Mom is here!”

Joseph’s birth mother appeared.