“I’m sorry for carelessly mentioning that you went to the Duke Orpe’s house today, madam. I just thought the master would know, but he didn’t know… I thought it would be natural to share since you went to see your family.”

Simon spoke in a voice close to sobbing.

“But madam, surveillance? Why do you say such painful words? Why would the master surveil you? You are the precious lady of this house!”

“……”

Ansi’s eyes wavered. She turned her head.

“…I misspoke because I’m tired. I’m sorry for being sensitive. I’ll rest for a while.”

Simon hesitated as if he had more to say, but eventually left the room.

“Please call me if you need anything.”

When the door closed, Ansi curled up on the bed again.

As she heard Simon’s voice, hurt as if wondering how she could think such a thing, her thoughts that had been endlessly spreading suddenly stopped.

Only then did she realize that her thoughts had been digging endlessly into the ground.

Yes, no matter how low Rubellsa’s reputation has fallen, surely they wouldn’t go that far…

It was a groundless suspicion that she would never have had before.

When she closed her eyes, her eyelids trembled.

The leap had stopped.

But she couldn’t come up and was still underground.

She felt like her whole body was buried in soil and being eaten by worms.

[This is the timeline separator]

Simon reluctantly left the room, looking at Ansi with concern.

Surveillance, what husband would surveil his wife right after marriage? Besides, didn’t they marry out of great love for each other, disregarding others’ opinions?

Then why did madam think such thoughts?

Simon somehow felt that madam looked precarious for having such thoughts.

Someone who is more sensitive and sharp than others clearly has that much hurt. Because they are not strong enough, they put up thorns to protect themselves.

After pondering for a moment, Simon headed somewhere.

[This is the timeline separator]

“This time you were here.”

The place Henet barged into was the president’s office of the textile company Damion ran.

Damion, who was still staring at documents, only raised his head after stamping the document he was examining. A deep pen with wave patterns engraved in pure silver was placed on the stand.

“How did you know? Did you have someone follow me for surveillance?”

“Surveillance?”

Henet, who was flipping through books on the bookshelf, raised both eyebrows. Damion leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, and asked lightly.

“How do you feel when you hear this question?”

Dirty, or ridiculous. Damion wondered if others felt the same impression he felt. What’s certain is that it’s not a word anyone would feel good hearing.

However, Henet shook his head with an innocent face and answered brightly.

“I think it’s correct.”

“What’s correct?”

“I actually asked the secretariat to send me a telegram when you come to the company.”

“…So you were really surveilling?”

“Wouldn’t it be closer to a summons than surveillance? As a director of this company, I feel some pressure to come out when the president comes to the company.”

Henet was an investor and advisor in several businesses Damion was developing. Because of this, they often saw each other in places other than the club.

It would not be an exaggeration to say Henet if asked who Damion, who was busy running around here and there, spent the most time with in a year.

Now it seemed he would have to give that place to Ansi de Orpe.

“But why suddenly surveillance?”

“It’s nothing……”

Damion, who was shaking his head lightly, stopped speaking. He lowered his gaze and pondered for a moment before opening his mouth again.

“Henet, you’ve dated a lot.”

“Please, don’t talk about Reni.”

“This… is something someone I happened to know asked, you see.”

“Okay.”

Looks like he’s going to talk about himself. Henet thought so but didn’t show it and focused on Damion.

Damion leaned forward. Just when he thought he was going to talk right away, he picked up the teacup as if his throat was dry. After drinking the cold tea, he sighed.

This hesitation was unlike the usual Damion.

Is it a very serious story? Henet moved closer to Damion.

Damion spoke up.

“What do you think is the psychology of a woman asking a man if he surveilled her?”

“Hmm……”

I wondered why he brought up the surveillance story, but it was a male-female issue.

After pondering for a moment, Henet answered.

“It’s probably one of two things. Either she’s feeling uneasy……”

“It’s not that.”

The tackle came in before the words were finished, but Henet continued regardless.

“Or, she’s become sensitive enough to have such thoughts.”

“……”

Damion’s brows furrowed.

Seems like this is the correct answer. Henet shrugged.

“After all, people with many wounds tend to become sensitive to small things.”

Damion let out a small sigh.

So at the root of that woman’s sharp reaction, there are hidden wounds?

Indeed, people with many wounds often make a big deal out of things others can easily overlook. Thoughts riddled with victim mentality fill their heads, which is hard to stop even if they try.

This is because they actually have experience of being pricked and cut by trivial things.

This was a fact Damion knew well.

When he was young, he even thought that everyone in the world wanted him dead.

If that woman… is like that because of that.

The question she threw while raising her thorns echoed in his ears.

As she was quite a realistic woman, Damion thought she would know her position. Although it was covered with the fine cloth of love, it was a marriage that started on an uneven scale from the beginning, even from her perspective.

But because she hadn’t shown such thoughts until now, Damion naturally forgot about her position and circumstances.

Damion de Orpe rescued the pitiful Ansi de Rubellsa. He had somehow forgotten the obvious proposition.

And… thoughts contrary to that proposition naturally came to mind.

Thinking what’s so great about Orpe that such words come out of her mouth. Feeling like a mean, bad guy for trying to get what he wants by using her circumstances.

The image of the woman crying her eyes out dreaming on their wedding day came to mind. Then one side of his chest became unbearably sore.

“By the way, Damion, I’m curious about something too.”

Damion looked at Henet at his words.

“About the marriage you made. Is it really a plus for you?”

“……”

Of course.

The answer that should have come out easily didn’t come out.

His lips felt heavy.

Can he really use that woman as a plus? Is it right to use her abilities for his purpose?

Now, he’s not sure.

The answer to the set formula was shaking.

[This is the timeline separator]

What caught Ansi’s eye as she stepped out the door to go out was the Bayliss family carriage that was just passing through the main gate.

“Ansi!”

Ansi’s eyes widened. Elize was waving her hand out the window, leaning out to her shoulders.

When the carriage stopped, Elize got out and trotted over to stand in front of Ansi.

“Elize, what brings you here?”

“I came to see you.”

Ansi lowered her eyebrows as if perplexed.

“You should have talked to me before coming. I have to go out today because I have something to do.”

“Where are you going? Can’t I go with you?”

The place Ansi was going today was Roma’s shop. When she left the gold she had taken from the Rubellsa mansion last time, she was supposed to visit again in a week, and today was that day.

Since she could receive the money inside, there wasn’t particularly a problem with visiting together with Elize. But it was uncertain whether this child would like that shop.

“I’m going to a shop that sells expensive second-hand goods.”

“What? Does Lord Damion tell you to buy and use second-hand items? What kind of……”

“No. I know the shop owner personally.”

“Second-hand items have an antique charm. It sounds interesting.”

Elize, who was about to flare up in anger, quickly changed her reaction. She linked arms with Ansi and said,

“I want to go too.”

“You’re not interested in such places.”

Elize was used to a life of always seeking and enjoying new things, whether clothes or items. Since she didn’t have older siblings, she never had to inherit things that someone else had used.

Even if there were, if it was Baron Bayliss who raised Elize like a precious gem, he would have definitely given her only new things.

“I still want to go! Maybe I’ll find it interesting after going today? Let’s go together in my carriage.”

“Alright.”

Ansi finally nodded. It wasn’t her shop, so she had no right to stop her. Rather, she might ask Roma to lower the commission by appealing that she helped bring in a new customer.

“Have a good trip, madam!”

Simon, who had followed out, called out to Ansi. Ansi nodded lightly and got into the carriage.

Simon and Elize’s eyes met. Simon bowed with his hands clasped. Elize mouthed words so that Ansi couldn’t see.

Don’t worry.

After Elize, who had flashed a smile, got in, the carriage set off towards Madam Roma’s shop.

[This is the timeline separator]

“I thought it would take longer, but everything sold in a day.”

The envelope Roma handed over was quite thick. It seems to have sold at a better price than expected. Well, how heavy it is matters more than how intricate the craftsmanship is.

“Seems quite profitable. If it was going to be like this, you should have stripped it earlier.”

“Indeed.”

Ansi chuckled. It was a self-deprecating laugh.

Entering a house she had already been driven out of and stealing things. Before, she couldn’t think of doing such a bold thing. She just lived quietly in the south, nurturing only the desire to kill Kardian.

But once she really decided to throw away her life, even this seemed like nothing. Because the truly frightening and difficult things haven’t even begun yet.