A golden gleam flashed through the open bag.

The money in question, which had humiliated Kaius – that is, the money Ariel had to repay in order not to deceive him – was placed between the two.

“This is the money corresponding to the bill.”

Kaius, who had been looking at the gold coins filling the bag with an indifferent gaze, laughed silently. Ariel’s body stiffened at his cynical attitude.

As a dense silence continued, Kaius took out a cigar, lit it, and quietly stood up. He opened the terrace door and leaned against the wall, with hazy cigarette smoke rising between his lips.

He had perfectly deviated from the path he had intended.

Quietly chuckling, Kaius looked at the beautifully colored forest and exhaled a long stream of smoke. The fresh scent of the forest and birdsong mixed with the cold wind. The occasional voices of servants from the garden reminded of the upcoming wedding.

The air that had been frozen as if suffocating began to flow as the terrace door opened. Only then did Ariel quietly let out a sigh of relief.

She was about to ask if he had prevented her from withdrawing money from the Tris vault, but there seemed to be no need. Whether it was true or not, Ariel had achieved her goal. Judging that there was no need to stay here any longer, Ariel stood up.

At her movement, Kaius’ gaze turned from the forest towards her.

“I’ll be going now.”

Ariel bowed slightly and turned around.

“Wait.”

With those words, Kaius turned his head back outside and resumed smoking his cigar. At this sight, Ariel let out a small sigh and sat back down on the sofa. The breeze carried a faint smell of tobacco and his scent.

Only after some more time had passed did Kaius return to sit on the sofa. Stubbing out his cigar in the ashtray, Kaius leaned back lazily, resting both arms on the back of the sofa.

“How did you manage to get the money?”

With this one question, even the slightest suspicion that he might not have been responsible completely disappeared.

“It’s a secret.”

Kaius’ head tilted slightly at the unexpectedly interesting answer. His black hair, disheveled by the wind, swayed on his forehead.

“Why?”

“So you can keep wondering.”

The words uttered with her pretty face, sitting demurely, were unlike her appearance and rather impudent. Watching her, Kaius’ lips curved crookedly. Even so, if he wanted to find out, he could do so in less than a few hours. But his eyes sank deeply at her laughably futile rebellion.

Ariel had no intention of giving even the slightest hint. It could be called a small revenge.

Today, Anna did not use the carriage of the duke’s mansion, but moved on horseback. Unlike yesterday, she was dressed in uniform, so no one would have recognized her as the same person. Of course, he might find out if he took the time to investigate. But the sighs he would let out during that time would be enough.

Just as she was about to say she would be leaving, Kaius frowned and began to press his temples firmly with both hands. Seeing this, Ariel recalled the peppermint oil she had brought.

“Here. It’s peppermint oil. If you apply a little to the back of your neck, it will help with the headache.”

She pushed the oil bottle towards him, but Kaius just stared at her silently for a long time.

“Then I’ll show you once, and you can do it yourself next time.”

Ariel, holding the bottle, walked behind the sofa where he was sitting, while Kaius maintained silence with a calm gaze. Standing behind him, Ariel hesitated for a moment, thinking the shirt collar might get dirty like this.

“Um… Could you unbutton a few buttons? This is a kind of treatment, so don’t feel burdened. If you don’t want to, that’s fine too.”

A small laugh escaped at her brazen behavior of giving him the bottle and then offering to apply the medicine. But he obediently began to unbutton one by one like a well-behaved child.

“Stop now! You don’t need to unbutton all of them.”

Hastily stopping his hand, Ariel let out a quiet sigh. Her two hands grabbed the shirt shoulders and pulled them back. As his seemingly firm neck and shoulders were revealed, her hands trembled slightly, and Ariel closed her eyes tightly before opening them again. It was different from seeing an injured body.

As her soft touch began to rub his nape, Kaius’ hands unconsciously tensed.

“Just a moment.”

Ariel went into the bathroom and came out with a towel, which she placed on the back of the sofa.

“Now lean back and close your eyes for a bit to rest.”

As Ariel spoke quietly, Kaius complied obediently. As she watched his seemingly languid face for a moment, she began to move quietly towards the exit.

“The restrictions placed on the Tris vault will be lifted soon.”

At his low voice, Ariel smiled slightly and left the bedroom. She held onto a small hope that Kaius would continue to follow her words as well as he did now.

[This is the timeline separator]

“I’ve anonymously reported the content you mentioned to the newsletter.”

Emperor Hart put down the pen he had been signing with, satisfied with Count Calvin’s report. After Viscount Beloas had left, he had called in Count Hammond for a conversation and found out more information than expected.

A viscount of the kingdom chased the princess all the way to the empire? He was even so aggressive as to come to the emperor and hand over his woman’s secret. This clearly meant that his relationship with the princess was more than ordinary. It would be perfect if the two eloped after the marriage, but that probably won’t happen. If the princess had intended to run away, she wouldn’t have come all the way to the empire.

So he would just use the information given to him to obtain the best possible outcome.

“When did they say it would be published?”

“It will likely be headline news in tomorrow’s newsletter.”

The servant’s answer made him smile. The nobles gossiping about the man problem of the woman who would become his wife. For the high-class Elbartan, this kind of scandal would be more damaging than anything else.

“Your Majesty, an invitation has also arrived from Duke Elbartan. Will you attend the wedding?”

“Of course. And also decide on a skilled magician to move with us.”

The content in the newsletter alone would be quite humiliating, but if it’s revealed during the wedding process that the princess had hidden her appearance?

Just imagining it felt like a 10-year-old indigestion was being relieved.

Giggling, Emperor Hart thought of the upcoming ‘Le Cordon Bleu’ competition. If the Lantiana ducal family could win there.

Then everything would seem perfect.

[This is the timeline separator]

A self-deprecating laugh escaped between Kaius’ lips as he watched Ariel with an interesting gaze. Even he didn’t know his day would start by observing the woman in the greenhouse as if spying on her.

Kaius sighed deeply at his pathetic appearance and sat down in the office chair. It was then that a knock was heard at the door. Lemon entered with an urgent expression and placed a newsletter in front of Kaius.

“Please read this. Who on earth published such an article?”

Ignoring Lemon’s angry voice, Kaius picked up the newsletter.

The article began with the provocative title: Ariel von Letiana, who will become the wife of Kaius von Elbartan, the guardian of the continent, has a man, and the content was as follows:

[The princess whom the duke fell in love with at first sight and brought. It is said that she already had a lover. Despite knowing this fact, the duke rather hurried the marriage, and there were even rumors that he brandished a sword in front of the princess to kill her man, as if to show her. Despite this, when the princess finally refused to marry, it is known that he handed over the ‘Levar’s Magic Stone Mine’ to persuade her.

As a princess, it is natural to sacrifice for the poor country.

However, our newspaper was able to confirm, based on an anonymous tip, that the princess’s man had followed her to the empire. It is known that the man even bought a mansion in Tris, the duke’s territory.

It is even said that his appearance is not at all inferior to the duke’s.

An anonymous informant interviewed by our newspaper expressed serious concern that there might even be an elopement just before the wedding.

Whatever the truth may be, most people in the empire wished for the happiness of their idol, Duke Elbartan. However, considering all these factors – a princess in love with another man, a man who followed her to the empire – attention was focused on whether their married life would be smooth in the future.

Will the princess remain as a virtuous duchess? Or will she divorce amidst scandalous rumors like Princess Cleo of old?

As a fan, I sincerely hope that the two will have a smooth married life.]

Kaius, who had chuckled several times while reading the article, put down the newsletter. The truths mixed in with the lies made the content of the article even more intriguing.

Kaius recalled the contents of the note he had received by carrier pigeon yesterday.

[Ludvian Beloas, Viscount. Audience with Emperor Hart.]

He knew something would be plotted, but he didn’t expect it to move in this way. Imagining the emperor laughing excitedly right now, Kaius chuckled again and leaned back lazily in his chair.

“What will you do?”

Sending out a response article now would be stupid. It would be like fanning a fire that would go out if left alone. Such groundless rumors usually disappear over time anyway.

But.

“Didn’t the son of this newspaper’s president recently have a child? Prepare a congratulatory gift and send it. And while we’re at it, find his biological father too. We should bestow that much grace.”

Even as he gave the cruel order, Kaius’ voice remained calm.

“I will send a gift beyond their station.”

Kaius smiled lightly at Lemon, who immediately grasped his master’s intention, befitting their long-standing master-servant relationship.

“Collect and burn all of today’s newsletters from the mansion right now. And keep everyone’s mouths shut as well.”

“Understood.”

It was content that perfectly violated the fifth clause. If she saw this, Ariel would come running with a pale, trembling face to apologize.

But he didn’t want to see her trembling over something he hadn’t intervened in. That was a privilege only he possessed.