An hour before that.

“They confessed, Your Excellency. However, it seems the intermediary has already left the capital, and those who were captured only know that the person who gave the orders was a woman.”

Carsen remained in the library to search for the culprit and captured those who actually carried out the crime, imprisoning them in the underground dungeon of the duke’s mansion.

“But they say they would recognize her face if they saw it. They remember her as a pretty woman with a good figure.”

“What evidence did they use for the crime?”

“Yes, we also secured the balkun (a rodent that gnaws through wood in an instant).”

“I see. Now let’s wait and see. Who will show up?”

***

Ariel thought.

Kaius, who carried her into the mansion like a patient when they returned, then set up guards not only around the mansion but also in front of her bedroom, telling her not to move from inside. Up to that point, she accepted it as a precaution against another attack.

But after hearing about the unexpected visitor and their purpose, a clear picture emerged. He had set a trap to catch the culprit.

Around that time, Kaius’s gaze was cold as he faced the unexpected visitor.

“Duke, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

Rosalyn, blushing shyly, stared blankly at him. Rosalyn, who had been keeping a close eye on the duke’s mansion, wanted to rush over as soon as she heard the news, but she held back thinking it might arouse suspicion if she was too quick. She was planning to wait a few days, but in the evening she went out to a social club and set out on her way after an absurd conversation with some noble young ladies.

How dare they covet that position.

There were always an abundance of young ladies who wanted to become the Duchess of Elbartan. That’s why she had entrusted herself to the duke’s mansion early on.

“Your Excellency, the madam has arrived.”

Before coming down to the reception room, Kaius instructed Lemon to bring Ariel, and Sir Carsen to bring those imprisoned in the underground dungeon.

As Ariel walked in normally through the open door, Rosalyn, who had turned pale, stood up abruptly.

“H-how?”

After being dazed for a while, Rosalyn was struck by an ominous feeling.

“I-I just remembered I have an urgent matter. I’ll be leaving now.”

As Rosalyn was quickly walking out of the reception room, she soon came back in, walking backwards. In front of her stood those who had been imprisoned.

“That’s her. She’s the one who ordered us.”

Rosalyn finally realized that this meeting was a trap.

***

“Let go! What are you doing? Without any evidence. I don’t know these people!”

Rosalyn, dragged in by a knight and forced to kneel, shouted as if protesting.

“Miss Rosalyn, did you think you could become the duchess if I was gone?”

“Of course!”

Despite Rosalyn’s absurd words, Kaius remained silent. His intention was to observe for now, as Ariel was the party involved in the incident.

“Let’s be honest. Do you really think so?”

“……”

“If you repent your wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness, I’ll also ask the duke to be lenient with you, but if not, I’m going to go up like this.”

Rosalyn, who was still glaring at Ariel with vicious eyes, sneered.

“If that happens, I don’t know, but you’ll probably be locked up in prison for quite a long time. 10 years? 20 years? Maybe you’ll come out as an old woman. So the choice is yours.”

At the mention of possibly coming out as an old woman, Rosalyn’s eyes wavered. But that was only for a moment. She remembered that there was another way. The privilege of the rich. Bail.

“You seem to not know because you’re poor, but there are many things money can do in this world.”

Rosalyn smiled at Ariel with one corner of her mouth turned up crookedly. Shaking her head at Rosalyn’s brazen attitude, Ariel turned her gaze to Kaius.

“Do as you wish, Duke.”

As Ariel left her seat, Kaius called Lemon closer.

“Contact the Tris vault and tell them to recover all the money borrowed from the Vianne Count’s family by next month.”

After giving instructions in a low voice, Kaius turned to Rosalyn and spoke in a nonchalant attitude.

“Hand her over to the security forces. The charge is attempted murder of the Duchess of Elbartan.”

After giving the brief order, Kaius also rose from his seat. As he climbed the stairs, Kaius became lost in thought.

What Rosalyn wanted was the position of duchess. But as Ariel said, Rosalyn also knew well that he wouldn’t marry her. Yet she committed such an act? That meant there was definitely someone behind Rosalyn, and that someone had to be in a position to give orders to him, a duke. The only person who could do that on the continent was the emperor.

Assuming such a situation.

Emperor Hart was the one who ordered the marriage with Ariel. So excluding him, the remaining people were the Empress Dowager and Empress Catherine. And if we exclude the Empress Dowager again. The person suspected was Empress Catherine.

Ariel and Empress Catherine had no connection until then. There was only one thing that caused resentment, gaining the favor of the Empress Dowager. She seemed to think that the Berry House had lost because of that.

For her, the empress, it would have been nothing to harm one woman who offended her. Moreover, now that she had secured an easy-to-use long-term pawn with a few words.

The corner of Kaius’s lips twisted crookedly. It was her, Empress Catherine.

***

The wind blowing through the windows was cold, as if heralding the coming winter.

Kaius and Ariel returned to Tris as scheduled. The incident was quickly resolved, and Rosalyn was imprisoned in the security force’s jail. The Vianne Countess came, crying and begging, but returned without much gain.

Kaius watched Ariel in the greenhouse from the window of his office. The long-exhaled cigarette smoke dispersed hazily outside the window.

[Among a husband’s duties, there’s this. A husband should look after and respect his wife.] [So?] [The meaning of looking after is… You should observe my physical condition and mood, etc. The potion isn’t almighty, and even now I sometimes have splitting headaches. Also, knowing who the culprit is, I’m not feeling good. Very much so.] [Next, the meaning of respect is…]

He grinned at her audacious and brazen idea found to reject him, finding it quite cute.

There was also a strange sense of elation in seeing the woman who even the imperial family handled carefully, looking at him with bright eyes hoping for his favor.

Watching his chattering wife, Kaius exhaled hot breath and stepped back. After all, if he just made up his mind, he could have her anytime. So there was no reason not to indulge her childish whims. It seemed it would be fun to play along with her games once in a while.

Seeing him readily step back, which was unexpected, she opened her eyes wide, and Kaius laughed lowly.

Asking her to endure.

Why was she looking at him with such eyes?

Kaius, looking at her fully once more as if dotting an i, turned around and sat in his chair. His large hand that put out the cigarette picked up a file of documents on the desk.

The launch of steak using Elia spices, reports of accidents at the mine, the flow of continental bonds submitted by the Tris vault, and documents informing about the movements of people he was monitoring.

Kaius turned the documents one by one, occasionally signing with the pen in his hand. The clip of the pen sparkled in the sunlight shining through the window.

***

“Lord Ludvian, I heard there was an incident with Lady Ariel while we were in the demon realm.”

“What incident?”

Ludvian, who was changing clothes, listened to the report while buttoning his shirt.

“Well, she visited the Brandt Library in the capital, and someone tried to harm her there.”

As soon as those words ended, Kitra broke out in a cold sweat, unable to even breathe under the killing intent Ludvian shot out. His red eyes even seemed to grow colder.

“Is she safe? How badly was she hurt? No, I need to go to the duke’s mansion right now.”

Ludvian gave up on buttoning and grabbed his jacket.

“Wait a moment. Please listen to the end first.”

He stopped at Kitra’s action of blocking the way.

“Speak. Briefly.”

“Both Lady Ariel and Duke Elbartan were injured, but they’re both fully recovered now.”

Only after hearing those words did the fiercely burning demonic energy gradually subside.

“The culprit?”

“It was Rosalyn Vianne, a woman who had stayed at the duke’s mansion for quite a long time. There are rumors that she was the duke’s mistress, and this time she took revenge for not being able to become the duchess.”

How dare another human woman attack Ariel?

“Where is that woman now?”

“In the underground prison of the security forces. I heard she’s waiting for trial.”

Only then did Ludvian hand over the jacket he had picked up to Kitra and start dressing properly again. Kitra was watching cautiously as the report wasn’t over yet. He was weighing whether it would be better to risk being scolded for reporting unnecessary things or to deal with anger later for not speaking up when a problem arose, and decided to speak.

“Um, according to Ciela, Lady Ariel brought some book from the library.”

A book?

Ludvian’s head tilted slightly.

***

Ariel began to slyly avoid Kaius.

During the day, she was busy with work. At night, she cleverly wove together her husband’s duties, not feeling well, being tired, and various other excuses.

The sight of him injured to save her at the library made Ariel shrink back. A vague anxiety that his heart might turn towards her. Even knowing it was unlikely, she couldn’t help but prepare for it.

It was a kind of consideration. Under the assumption of ‘what if’. To minimize his hurt as much as possible. Also, for her to receive less hatred from him. And thus, to achieve what Ariel aimed for without difficulty.

Consideration for each other.

Ariel, heaving a deep sigh, closed the demon realm plant guide and put it in the box beside the bench. She kept the book in the changing room inside the greenhouse where Kaius couldn’t enter, and just before falling asleep, she would come down here and read and reread the information about Aliune and Japaros as if imprinting it in her mind.

After locking the greenhouse door, Ariel lifted her head to the sky. It was a night with a full moon. On nights with such a bright moon, she used to go moon-viewing with her parents.

As white breath scattered with nostalgia, the sound of slow hoofbeats was heard.

“Are you coming out now?”