“The Young Marquis looks happy. It seems he likes his brother’s wife.”

“At the wedding, it looked like the Duke and Duchess were very moved as well.”

Damion wasn’t the only one who noticed Kardian standing face to face with Ansi.

The people around spoke to Damion in excited voices. Since everyone thought this marriage was a loss for Damion, they naturally assumed that the Orfe family would be dissatisfied as well.

Their prediction was correct. It’s just that the people of Orfe were skilled at hiding their true feelings and wearing masks.

This tendency of theirs was helpful to Damion. Judging that his partner would be an embarrassment but not a threat, they neither prevented the marriage nor gave such happy expressions.

However, the behavior of Kardian de Orfe was a little different from Damion’s expectations.

Kardian was not one to approach others first.

Yet now, he had just finished dancing with Ansi. Moreover, as he came off the stage, his face was filled with a strange interest.

Kardian’s toy.

The familiar phrase came to mind.

A learned anxiety enveloped Damion.

Damion’s gaze immediately examined Ansi’s face.

Ansi heard his voice when she was catching her breath for a moment, looking at the wall in the midst of the surging crowd.

“Welcome to the Orfe family.”

At the sudden voice, Ansi’s body stiffened.

Her heart sank as if doused with water.

It was a voice she could never forget in her lifetime.

Soft as a feather and calm as a lake.

And therefore, all the more disgusting.

Ansi gripped her dress tightly. Her hand, applying force, turned not just red but white. Her eyelids trembled.

Glass cups placed around the hall. Sharp decorations pinned in her hair. Ansi’s gaze scattered like broken shards in all directions.

But now was not the time.

She had come this far, hadn’t she?

Ansi de Orfe.

Hadn’t she obtained that name?

So the ending she would gift to that bastard had to be far more humiliating. The price for destroying what was precious to her had to be losing everything and falling into the abyss.

Ansi closed her mouth tightly and swallowed dry saliva. The forcefully swallowed breath scraped her throat as it went down.

With that, Ansi turned around.

Kardian de Orfe was wearing a faint smile. His elegant golden eyes shone with unparalleled calmness and serenity.

“…Thank you, Young Marquis.”

The voice that came out, firmly pressed, was mixed with trembling.

To hide this fact, Ansi smiled as brightly as she could. The corners of her mouth, drawn up long, became sharp spears that stabbed herself.

“Would you like to dance with me too?”

Kardian held out his hand.

Ansi slowly raised her hand. It was heavy as if weights were attached to her wrist. The sound of her pounding heart was heard in her ears.

Just then, a short piece for the next dance began. People who were going to dance started moving to the center of the hall, while others moved to the edges.

She couldn’t delay any longer. Ansi placed her hand on top of Kardian’s. Despite wearing gloves, goosebumps covered her entire body as if she had touched a snake’s scales.

“May I call you Ansi?”

“Yes, Young Marquis.”

“We seem to be meeting for the first time… is that right?”

Dancing together at close distance, Kardian quietly asked the question.

After a moment of silence, Ansi replied in a voice pretending to be nonchalant.

“I visited last year hoping to see you, Young Marquis. Though I couldn’t meet you in the end.”

“Why were you looking for me?”

“It was about Count Rubelsa, my father.”

“Ah.”

With a light response as if deflating, Kardian narrowed his eyes slightly. He tilted his head to the side a bit and said,

“Why didn’t you wait until the end?”

At the voice mixed with subtle reproach, Ansi barely held back the curses trying to burst out.

In fact, she had thought that if she mentioned Count Rubelsa’s name directly, he might flinch even a little. Then she imagined that she might be able to discuss Kardian’s crimes here, in front of all these people.

However, his reaction was different from those expectations.

A bastard with no possibility or will for rehabilitation.

Ansi killed him over and over again in her mind.

But outwardly, she answered with downcast eyes. As respectfully and docilely as possible.

“It was a visit I made without an appointment. I realized how rude that was.”

Kardian slightly raised an eyebrow. He stared at Ansi without answering.

Was the answer insufficient? Ansi opened her mouth again.

“At that time, I wanted to understand even a little why my father made such a judgment. I thought it would be helpful to hear your reaction when you conveyed the ceasefire negotiation to my father.”

“Is it different now?”

“…Yes. Now I know. It was a futile act.”

Though it wasn’t from her heart, Ansi spoke with a deliberately bitter smile.

At those words, Kardian seemed to lower his guard and gently closed his eyes. Soon, a kind tone came out.

“I understand. It’s not easy to acknowledge the mistakes of family.”

“…Yes.”

A sensation as if her whole body was being tightly squeezed tormented her. Cracks appeared in Ansi’s smile.

Fortunately, just then, a turning movement followed, so Kardian couldn’t see her expression.

“I’m rather relieved that Ansi is someone who knows how to cherish family. I hope you’ll take good care of Damion.”

“…I will.”

Ansi answered obediently while turning her body again. She wore an even brighter smile to erase the cracks.

She could only give stereotypical answers like “Yes, I will,” but even this was possible only after diligent practice.

And this seemed to please Kardian to some extent.

“Come visit Sobelvio with Damion this summer. It would be nice to watch sports games or plays together.”

Sobelvio was the name of the country house owned by Duke Orfe in the northern Chelsa region.

At the friendly suggestion, a painful ecstasy swept through Ansi’s entire body.

In inverse proportion to Kardian’s guard lowering, Ansi’s heart beat strongly. Her heartbeat raced wildly, making her head throb. She felt dizzy as if all the blood had drained from her body.

Ansi did not show this and let out a small exclamation.

“Ah! Could we perhaps watch a polo match?”

“Polo?”

“If it’s Chelsa, Team Volvi is famous, isn’t it?”

Interest settled in Kardian’s eyes. Having discovered a common interest, he spoke freely.

“You seem to like polo.”

“Yes. How about you, Young Marquis?”

“There’s a polo field near Sobelvio. I enjoy watching almost every day in summer. It would be even more enjoyable with a new family member joining.”

Ansi deliberately pulled up the corners of her mouth as if pleased.

“It’s an honor.”

The short dance soon ended. Standing straight while biting the inside of her lip, she bowed to Kardian.

As she lowered her head slightly and raised it, her head felt even dizzier.

It was a bit difficult to keep her feet on the ground.

Could she move anymore? Anxiety welled up at that thought.

It was then.

“Ansi, are you alright?”

A familiar and affectionate voice was heard. Though it came from quite far away, it was as clear as if whispered right next to her ear.

Ansi hesitated for a moment and turned her head.

Damion was striding over here. Ansi’s eyes wavered as she saw the worry in his furrowed brow.

“You haven’t looked well for a while now.”

At a wedding reception, the bride and groom do not talk to each other. People’s attention focused on the groom who so easily broke this immutable rule.

“I’m fine.”

Ansi uttered the words firmly. Whether her complexion was good or not, this was not important to her now.

She couldn’t cause unnecessary discord with Kardian right in front of her. Besides, she was just fastening the first button now. She didn’t want to start her revenge along with the evaluation of being a weak bride who failed to manage her body on her wedding day.

“There’s a saying that if a couple talks at the reception, their married life won’t be happy.”

Ansi said, lightly placing her hand on Damion’s arm.

It was the image of a bride doing her best for a happy married life, obvious to anyone.

The guests watched this scene without even blinking. At a normal party, staring so openly might be rude, but they thought it was rather polite to watch as these were today’s wedding protagonists.

“Don’t overdo it. You’re more important than such sayings.”

How about the groom who seemed to have thrown the reception rules to the dogs, looking at and worrying only about his bride?

This couple of the century, who had attracted attention from their first meeting, seemed intent on filling the main pages of numerous gossip magazines with their wedding as well. As if considerate of the many gossip magazine subscribers expecting their anecdotes, there was plenty to talk about from the wedding to the reception.

“Don’t worry.”

Unfortunately, the topics of conversation ended here.

Ansi de Rubelsa was not a woman who whined and clung to her husband. Rather, she was too dry and withered. She often received such evaluations even before Rubelsa became that way, so at least her consistency was admirable.

People prepared to turn away, expecting this spectacle to end fairly neatly and uninterestingly.

However, Damion’s reaction was different from expectations.

His straight brow furrowed. As he quietly looked at Ansi, he reached out and cupped her cheek.

Ansi’s blue eyes wavered, and she staggered a step.

Seeing this, Damion immediately lifted Ansi into his arms.

It was a light movement.