Her appearance, sitting at the table drinking tea across from Riona, was like a beautiful painting.

Her silver hair, swaying gently in the breeze, sparkled in the sunlight, while her blue eyes shone like jewels.

Though her white, slender fingers looked as if they might break at a touch, she held her teacup with perfect etiquette, as if measured by a ruler.

Esika Klaus, a wife like a work of art created by God.

‘Was I mad before, or am I mad now?’

Callian approached them slowly, feeling his heart racing.

However, at one point, Callian’s steps faltered.

This was because Riona, who had been talking with Esika, suddenly picked up her cup and splashed hot tea on Esika.

Seeing Esika get hit directly with the tea, Callian’s mind momentarily froze.

“……”

What had just happened?

Surely he hadn’t seen wrong?

His mother, though strict, always acted reasonably. She couldn’t have done such an outrageous thing.

There must be a clear reason for her to have acted this way.

For a moment, the urge to pretend he hadn’t seen anything and turn back dominated his thoughts.

How many times had he had such thoughts before?

But Callian couldn’t turn away and pretend not to see, like he had in the past.

The ends of Esika’s hair were wet, dripping water.

His chest ached unbearably.

“…Mother!”

Finally, Callian shouted and stepped forward in front of them.

He immediately took out his handkerchief and wiped Esika’s face.

Though she must have been hit with hot water, there was no redness visible on her face.

He felt relieved that she wasn’t hurt.

Soon after, Callian asked Riona with sharp eyes.

“What is the meaning of this? Throwing tea at Esika!”

Riona’s eyes wavered momentarily at Callian’s attitude, glaring at her with eyes blazing with anger.

Callian Klaus, Riona’s son, had never confronted his mother so openly before.

Riona felt sick to her stomach seeing Callian, who had always been a good child, raising his eyebrows to protect that thorn in her side.

On the other hand, Esika, whose expression hadn’t changed at all, was calmly looking at her.

Whether the person had changed, or she had been hiding her cunning nature all this time, didn’t matter.

In any case, Esika Klaus was an insolent and wicked woman who made Riona determine to drive her out of this Klaus duchy no matter what.

“Are you alright?”

Callian wrung out the wet handkerchief, then wiped Esika’s hands again.

That servile appearance, no different from a maid attending a lady, made Riona’s insides boil.

“Duke.”

Riona had to turn this situation around.

No matter how bewitched Callian had been by that enchantress lately, Callian was still her filial son.

“This mother… hic…”

As Riona covered her face with her hands and burst into tears, Callian flinched.

For a moment, the sneer that passed across Esika’s lips would have gone unnoticed by anyone.

“This mother doesn’t want to live because of the injustice… hic…”

Riona’s sobs began to spread through the quiet garden.

Callian, who had been frozen still, slowly approached Riona.

In the moment Callian turned his back, Esika picked up her teacup and took another sip of tea.

The hot tea that Riona had splashed earlier had been blocked by her protective energy and hadn’t even penetrated her skin.

It had only had the effect of splashing lukewarm water as the hot energy immediately evaporated.

She could have instantly evaporated the wetness on her face as well, but she deliberately didn’t, having felt Callian’s gaze for a while.

“What’s the matter? What injustice are you talking about? Please tell me.”

Callian’s voice was excited, unlike his usual way of addressing Riona.

“…Sob, Callian. My daughter-in-law falsely accuses me of trying to have her killed.”

Callian’s eyebrows twitched.

Riona, who had momentarily stopped crying, appealed to Callian with tear-filled eyes and a plaintive voice.

“Although I may have been a bit strict in order to maintain household discipline and teach her proper etiquette befitting a duchess, how could she throw such an absurd accusation at me? It seems she went out and encountered some thieves, but she’s saying I hired and sent them!”

“Mother……”

“This is an insult to me, who has spared no effort in assisting the duke and managing the family finances for decades solely for the sake of the Klaus duchy, and it’s an insult to the duchy itself. This mother… feels so ashamed she wants to die.”

Riona hadn’t expected Esika to suddenly bring up that story.

So she was a bit flustered, it’s true.

But seeing how Esika was bringing it up now, after pretending not to know for ten days since the incident, Riona was certain that Esika hadn’t obtained any evidence.

If so, she intended to use this to her advantage.

Meanwhile, a violent storm of confusion began to swirl in Callian’s mind.

Callian slowly turned his gaze to look at Esika.

Esika neither affirmed nor denied, only staring at Riona with inscrutable blue eyes.

“……”

If it had been before, he would have scolded Esika without any verification process.

Framing her mother-in-law for a clash with thieves outside – as Riona said, it was unthinkable.

“My lady. What is this about? If such a thing happened, you should have told me first…!”

“……”

Esika didn’t answer Callian.

There was no need to answer. She had heard who would be coming today.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Is your body… Oh my… We’ll have to strengthen the defenses.”

Callian, his brows furrowed, worried about Esika regardless of Riona’s burning eyes, and only then brought up today’s topic in his last words.

“But hiring people… It seems you’ve greatly misunderstood, my lady. Did you really say such things to my mother?”

If Esika had really confronted Riona about that incident, he couldn’t just let it slide.

The conflict between his devoted mother Riona and his wife Esika, for whom feelings were just starting to bud, was too difficult for Callian to handle.

“Yes, I did.”

“My lady……”

Callian sighed and put force into his words.

This was different from previous situations – it was clearly Esika’s fault. For Esika to try to pin such unfounded accusations on his mother.

Callian knew that Riona’s judgment had somewhat clouded with age, but he never thought she would do such a thing to her daughter-in-law.

“There are witnesses.”

At Esika’s words, Riona’s eyes wavered for a moment.

That couldn’t be. If there were such witnesses, she would have called them in and confronted her about it already.

“Don’t say such nonsense. How could there be witnesses to something I never did!”

Riona cried out in an angry voice.

This was Klaus territory anyway – even if she somehow brought in one of those men, she could just pretend not to know.

Callian’s head ached at Esika’s confident attitude, but he decided to soothe and restrain her.

“My lady, that’s enough. First, apologize to my mother. I’ll thoroughly investigate the incident with the thieves…”

“I’m afraid the investigation is already over. The men who attacked me… Here come those who interrogated them.”

Esika’s voice flowed out, calm and without change in tone.

Riona’s eyebrows twitched.

The investigation… was over? What did she mean, those who interrogated the men were coming?

“……”

Only when long shadows fell one by one at her feet did Riona focus her eyes.

The sound of footsteps doesn’t stop. Thump, thump, the sound feels like it’s choking her.

She clearly realized that the situation had gone wrong.

“…!”

Behind the man wearing an elaborate uniform embroidered with the imperial crest were about ten officials and young knights.

“…You are……”

“It’s been a while, Your Grace. I am Count Pertos Riheim, head of the Imperial Investigation Team.”

The empire’s top intelligence and investigative agency, handling external and internal secret information processing and preemptively eliminating groups showing suspicious movements.

Pertos Riheim was the head of the Imperial Investigation Team.

To noble children, the threat “If you don’t listen, the Imperial Investigation Team will take you away” was the most effective, such was their prestige.

It was no small fear when they set foot in a noble house, as it was followed by either a dramatic promotion or the family’s ruin.

“…Welcome.”

Even Callian Klaus, duke of an ancient imperial family, couldn’t help but furrow his brows at the unexpected appearance of the Imperial Investigation Team.

“But for what reason has the Imperial Investigation Team come to my mansion without notice?”

“There are allegations that the Klaus Duchess Dowager has colluded with subversive forces.”

Riona’s face turned pale at those words.

What a bolt from the blue.

“Ten men tried to harm Duchess Esika Klaus but failed, and one of them was handed over to our Imperial Investigation Team. After thorough investigation, two facts were revealed. First, that the assassination of Duchess Esika Klaus was commissioned by the Klaus Duchess Dowager.”

“Th-That’s nonsense. Why would I!”

Riona stood up unsteadily, gripping the table.

The involvement of the Imperial Investigation Team was an unexpected situation.

“And that there are indications they were involved in the Ganeshof Rebellion incident.”

The Ganeshof Rebellion incident was a large-scale event involving rebels that occurred in the Ganeshof region 10 years ago.

Resban had skipped a step in the part Esika had planned, though she had expected the Imperial Investigation Team to be sent.

Riona opened her eyes wide with a dumbfounded expression.

Feeling as if Resban might be smiling somewhere, Esika twitched her fingertips.