Esika, placing her hand on Resban’s palm, stepped out of the carriage.

The rustling sound of her dragging dress seemed unusually loud.

“Today……”

Esika’s red lips moved.

“Your Highness also smells of blood.”

Her figure was reflected on the surface of Resban’s deep golden eyes.

A cold smile briefly flashed across the corner of Resban’s lips.

“If I hadn’t been stained with blood, surely.”

Resban lifted Esika’s light and delicate hand.

“Your hands would have been stained.”

At his words, Esika slowly withdrew her hand from his.

It seems like his voice from last time is echoing in her mind.

“I have been living, dreaming of you for a very long time.”

There’s a tingling feeling in her chest every time she thinks of him.

But now is not the time to be immersed in the sentiments of reunion.

She soon approached the corpses that Resban had struck down.

Such unfortunate humans. If they hadn’t encountered Resban, perhaps a few of them could have escaped.

Esika slightly bent her body, even as her heart was racing.

The perfect traces of sword energy made Esika’s heart race.

“……”

Resban, watching her from behind, twitched his eyebrow.

Despite it being a scene too gruesome to look at, Esika deeply bent her waist to closely examine the wounds on the corpses.

“It’s precise yet destructive. Impressive.”

She thought swordsmanship would be similar in this world or that, but as the types of energy differed, so did the results of swordsmanship.

The swordsmanship of those called weaklings might be indistinguishable between the martial world and here.

That difference is clearly revealed in the traces of the strong.

Resban Deon Lucein, a man stronger than the energy flowing outside.

“……”

Resban, watching Esika seriously observing the sword wounds from behind, let out a chuckle.

Slightly stiffened, neat eyebrows and blue eyes full of scholarly enthusiasm.

A sharp nose and tightly closed lips… even white fingers moving as if measuring something.

A woman who can be so composed and serious in front of corpses, there must be only one in the world.

Suddenly, the image from that day comes to mind. The gently swaying blue pupils of a certain girl.

After staring at her for a long time, Resban grabbed the nape of the unconscious man and threw him into the carriage.

Then he threatened the trembling coachman with killing intent.

“Go to the imperial palace right now and report that this person is to be detained by the Crown Prince’s order.”

At Resban’s voice clearly flowing into his ears, the coachman turned even paler.

To think it was that notorious Crown Prince called the War Demon.

Even when ten men collapsed in an instant earlier, he had doubted his eyes.

“Y-Yes… I… I understand.”

Resban’s gaze was enough to make one’s knees buckle just by meeting it.

The coachman cracked his whip, and the horses began to run.

Now, all that remained on the quiet road were nine gruesome corpses piled up, Resban, and Esika.

Esika asked Resban.

“Do you plan to investigate at the imperial palace?”

“I will entrust it to the imperial investigation team.”

The imperial investigation team is notorious for fabricating even non-existent crimes.

“…You might be able to find a proper weakness of the Klaus family.”

“As expected… you already know who the culprit is?”

A cool breeze was gently swaying Esika’s silver hair.

Esika nodded with calm eyes.

Resban looked at her and moved his lips.

“If you just want to live comfortably, why don’t you divorce?”

A low voice flowed into Esika’s ears.

To think he would be this direct.

His dangerous eyes were demanding an answer from Esika.

Esika hesitated for a moment. Should she answer honestly?

“I like the Klaus mansion. The scenery there, and everything they have suits my taste.”

“……”

Half-truth should be fine.

Resban’s eyebrow twitched as if he had heard a word play.

“I’m going to take that away from them. Are you… going to interfere with me?”

And then the next voice flowed in.

Resban stared at Esika.

Esika’s eyes were clear and bright. And full of conviction.

Every time he meets those eyes, he feels a new sensation.

That’s why he’s chasing after her like this.

“It’s much better than saying you like Klaus, so I won’t.”

He was certain the wait wouldn’t be long.

Resban, who briefly spoke, mounted his horse.

Was it an illusion that a joyful light was briefly seen in Resban’s cold golden eyes?

Resban reached out his hand to Esika.

And as soon as Esika’s hand touched, he pulled her up onto the horse, seating her in front of him.

Esika’s body flinched slightly at his firm, large chest embracing her back.

“I can’t leave a woman who was ambushed alone.”

A low voice with a faint hint of laughter was heard from behind.

“I should also receive a reward for saving you.”

**

Yuri, who came out of the government office after three months, squinted her eyes at the pouring sunlight.

Despite the investigator’s best efforts to adjust, a fine of 10,000 ling was imposed.

The Brigitte baronial family had no intention of glossing it over and hired an expensive lawyer.

Those 10,000 ling became a debt in its entirety.

A salary that would take 3 years of pleasing the mistress to earn…

“Damn woman, I won’t let this slide.”

In the end, she had to borrow money from the bank with high interest.

Yuri gritted her teeth, thinking of Esika.

Then she stroked her flat belly once.

Wicked thoughts were blazing in her red pupils.

Yuri stepped forward with strength in her eyebrows.

The government office was on the outskirts of Torres, so she had to catch a carriage to return to the duke’s residence.

She even sent a letter to Callian asking him to send a carriage… but he seemed to have ignored it, as the Klaus carriage was not waiting.

But Yuri was not disappointed.

She believed that as long as she returned to the duke’s mansion, she would surely be able to win his heart again.

It was when she came out to the main road.

A horse galloped quickly past Yuri with the wind.

Yuri, who was dazed for a moment, startled and stuck her head out to look at the back of the horse.

Shoulders wearing what looked like a uniform and a cape, and in front of that, there was clearly a woman wearing a dress.

If she hadn’t seen wrong…

“Esika?!”

Yuri’s eyes widened.

Though it was just a glimpse, she saw the swaying silver hair and her face.

The woman riding the horse with a man was definitely Esika.

Yuri, who was surprised, remained frozen for a while, but soon a smile began to rise on her lips.

“Ha…!”

A duchess riding a horse with a strange man in broad daylight.

It was enough to turn the family upside down.

If the man had been Callian, Yuri would have recognized him right away, but it clearly wasn’t Callian.

Judging by his broad shoulders and tall stature, he might be a knight.

“You filthy thing, having an affair with a strange man?”

Yuri’s eyebrows were raised.

**

Since all external activities of the Klaus ducal family were solely the responsibility of the mistress, Esika had never been to the imperial palace even after becoming the duchess.

Therefore, she surveyed the majestic imperial palace with a slightly awkward gaze.

Although the Klaus ducal residence is said to be splendid, it doesn’t even come close to a fingernail of the imperial palace.

Not only the strict guard of the imperial soldiers, but also the maids and servants who didn’t make a sound were bowing their heads to Resban like statues.

Is there a law to execute those who make eye contact with the imperial family?

They didn’t say a word even though the Crown Prince brought a woman.

‘Or perhaps it’s unexpectedly common.’

Resban Deon Lucein, the Crown Prince of the Empire.

A handsome face reminiscent of the Duk-young from her previous life, tall… and although she hates to admit it, his martial arts are far superior to her former self.

Although there is no Crown Princess yet, there might be women he meets.

The emperors of the Central Plains had dozens or hundreds of wives and concubines. They say it’s common for emperors in the empire to have mistresses as well…

“……”

Esika suddenly twitched her eyebrow.

It was so large that she thought they were entering another corridor, but she realized it was a room only after the door closed.

She couldn’t ask because she was lost in unnecessary thoughts for a moment.

“Get out.”

When he ordered the servant in the room, the servant bowed his head and quickly left the room.

This place, thought to be Resban’s room, was truly spacious and splendid.

It wouldn’t be this size even if you combined the mistress’s and Callian’s rooms.

There was a bed and table, and a rack with dozens of swords could be seen.

Resban, facing Esika, took off his jacket.

“……”

Looking at Resban’s deep golden eyes, Esika unconsciously flinched.

It was because the thought occurred to her that they were alone in a man’s room right now.

Resban, who had taken off his jacket, stared at Esika with deep eyes and slowly began to unbutton his shirt.

The buttons came undone from the top, pop, pop.

Esika’s thoughts suddenly stopped.

Soon, as his buttons were all undone and his shirt was taken off, a sculpted upper body was revealed.

Aside from the chocolate-like chest and abs, the fine muscles extending from his broad shoulders to his forearms were like looking at a work of art.