That night.

Edward was pleased to be included in a card game gathering among noble men.

It was an event attended only by heads or heirs of notable families.

There, Edward greeted Duke Rainer politely.

“Hello, Duke. What a pleasure to see you here!”

“Ah, Count Lopez. I believe tomorrow is the first rehearsal for the St. Verdicto Festival Opera. Is it alright for you to be at a place like this?”

Duke Rainer was a handsome young man with a gentle impression.

However, the look behind his seemingly mild eyes was not so simple.

“Haha. What does it matter? I’ve completed the composition, and the performance is up to the musicians.”

“Hmm.”

Rainer’s gaze turned thoughtfully towards Edward. Edward inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘He’s really milking it as an investor.’

Though he appeared good-natured, Edward knew well that Duke Rainer’s inner thoughts were more calculating than anyone’s.

After all, he was practically the only nobleman who was friends with Dante Heigenberg. It would take quite a strong nerve to associate with such a murderer.

As Edward was taking a swig of his drink to hide his discomfort, Rainer spoke.

“You know, don’t you, Count? That this opera is an extremely important opportunity.”

“…Of course, Duke. I’m doing my utmost.”

“Rather than the premiere of a mediocre stage, it might be better to put on a revival of ‘Sacred Taboo’.”

“Pardon? ‘Sacred Taboo’…?”

Edward blinked as if it was an unexpected remark.

While ‘Sacred Taboo’ was indeed the signature piece of the Lopez Opera House, it had been quite some time since it was last performed.

And the representative aria of that opera was…

“Ah, I just happened to hear a reinterpretation of ‘On Possession’ earlier.”

“What? A reinterpretation of ‘On Possession’?”

“Oh? Is this news to you? The quality was so exceptional, I thought for sure Count Lopez had a hand in it.”

“Ah… I see.”

Edward gritted his teeth inwardly while striving to answer calmly.

‘Who dares to touch my work?’

While most people tacitly overlooked performances of songs in taverns or on streets, rearrangement was a different story.

‘Insolent fool! Whoever it is, when I catch them, I’ll crush them so they never perform again-.’

“I know it’s rude to say this, but I found it more impressive than the original.”

At Duke Rainer’s smiling remark, Edward froze like stone.

“…Pardon?”

“Ah, of course the original was truly excellent, but I couldn’t shake the impression that the flute part in the latter half was… somewhat superfluous.”

Edward’s face turned pale.

The latter flute part didn’t exist in the true ‘original’.

It was something Edward had added later, which wasn’t in Ariana’s initial score.

It was one of Edward’s few purely original contributions.

“But they completely removed that and instead inserted a long interlude. At first I was puzzled because it was longer than usual interludes, but as I listened, I found it incredibly moving.”

“…”

“Why don’t you try to collaborate with that performer? If you put on a revival with the new version, it’s sure to draw in audiences.”

Edward clenched his fist so hard it nearly broke.

‘What does a money-grubber know about art? Superfluous? Damn it!’

He wanted nothing more than to grab Duke Rainer by the collar right then and there.

Having to listen to such an insulting remark left a deep humiliation in Edward’s heart.

‘Damn it… If only the opera house becomes more successful.’

Then he wouldn’t have to mind anyone, be it Duke Rainer or Duke Fedegrin.

For the sake of that day when he could freely express his artistic world, he had to endure for now.

As he poured strong liquor down his burning throat, Edward secretly ground his teeth.

Duke Heigenberg’s public display of affection with a young woman!

The Duke’s first official acknowledgment of a romance?!

Who is the Duke’s lady?!

“What is this!”

Elena shouted, throwing down the newspaper.

Soon after shaking her leg nervously, she cried out sharply.

“Ugh, damn it… Bring that back here!”

“Ah, yes!”

A maid hurriedly placed the newspaper Elena had just thrown back into her hands.

Elena’s eyes widened in shock once again as she confirmed the headline.

The Duke and his secret lover, an explicit display of affection in paradise…

“Who on earth is this wench?!”

Elena glared at the newspaper, trembling.

If it had been just an article, she would have dismissed it as worthless third-rate gossip.

After all, it wasn’t the first time rumors of the Duke’s romantic entanglements had surfaced.

However, unlike the baseless rumors that had always circulated before, this time there was evidence for the romantic gossip.

A newspaper had captured a photograph of Dante with a woman.

And it was a very intense and explicit scene at that.

“Ugh…”

Elena glared at the photo as if she could burn a hole through it, trembling.

Due to the blurry quality and the fact that the woman was tightly wrapped in a cloak, her face couldn’t be identified.

Moreover, Dante’s large frame obscured most of the woman’s figure.

But even with such a poor photograph, it was clear that the two protagonists were engaged in an explicit display of affection.

To the point where just looking at the photo made one’s face flush.

After confirming Dante’s side profile kissing the woman placed on top of a piano, Elena threw the newspaper down again.

“This can’t be. This has never happened before!”

The rumors of Dante calling singers to his bedroom every night were already known to everyone.

But that was different from a romance rumor.

Dante never called the same woman to his bedroom twice.

So Elena didn’t pay attention to it.

She just thought that, like all capable men, he needed a woman to warm his bed every night.

She even thought that a ‘virtuous’ woman should be able to bravely understand such matters of men.

‘Besides, the rumors of the Imperial Princess persistently pursuing him are rampant.’

Elena wouldn’t have felt jealous if the rival was the Imperial Princess.

The Imperial Princess was an opponent she couldn’t even compare herself to. As the saying goes, don’t even look at a tree you can’t climb.

But this was different.

‘So in the end, he’s having a fling with one of the singers?’

Elena’s lips trembled. She simply couldn’t understand.

‘If that’s the case, then why did he…’

Why did he ignore me back then?

Elena bit her lip until it hurt.

There’s a secret that most people don’t know.

It’s that Dante was an audience member at the Lopez Opera House.

Though he seemed to have no intention of revealing his identity and kept his face covered, Elena on stage could tell.

How could she not recognize those eyes that burned like a lone ember even in the dark auditorium?

‘He comes to see me.’

When she spotted his face for the third day in a row, Elena was certain in her excitement.

Dante was coming to hear her sing.

The fact that he always took the front row seat, and the intense gaze with which he watched her sing, guaranteed it.

She knew he was a bad man.

That he was a murderer who had cut down hundreds and thousands on the battlefield. That he was a dangerous person.

But to her, even those ominous rumors seemed like mere decorations on him.

Of course, she had no serious intentions with a man rumored to fool around with any singer.

But it seemed quite amusing to have a man that all those proper and noble ladies yearned for tied to her side.

…She was also curious how Ariana would react if that happened.

So she reached out.

“It would be good for everyone to attend the after-party tomorrow. Duke Heigenberg is expected to come.”

Elena smiled as she sent a letter inviting him as her partner to the after-party at the end of the opera performance period.

It was an invitation that men who frequented the opera house, entranced by Elena, would be desperate to obtain.

“Oh my. Duke Heigenberg, really?”

“Yes. As my partner.”

How amusing the reactions of the ladies were, their eyes wide with surprise.

Until then, the Duke, who had just returned from war, was famous for not participating in any public social events at all.

More people than usual attended the party held the next day.

More than half were female guests.

And on that day, Dante did not attend.

There wasn’t even a reply of refusal with detailed reasons for not attending.

She was simply and clearly ignored.

“…Hah.”

Recalling the humiliation of that day, Elena bit her lip.

“This is so annoying, ugh. So annoying… Ack!”

“Your voice is loud, Elena.”

With a calm voice, Ariana appeared in the dining room.

Elena turned to look at her and frowned for a moment.

Ariana’s appearance was a sight to behold.

Dark shadows under her eyes. Cheeks slightly more gaunt than usual. Skin not just pale, but ghastly white.

She looked no different from a ghost.

“Good heavens, sister. What kind of appearance is that for a lady?”

Elena sighed regretfully, covering her mouth with her hand.

“You stayed up all night again, didn’t you? Insomnia is the enemy of beauty. Don’t you know that?”

Recently, a strange rumor had been circulating among the servants on night duty.

That Miss Ariana seemed to never sleep. That music could be heard from her room incessantly, whether it was night or dawn.

Elena thought it was ridiculous exaggeration.

Edward was the main composer anyway, so why was she making such a fuss as if she were the protagonist? The important thing should be the wedding ceremony, which was less than a month away.

‘How can someone like that become a duchess…’

Elena glanced sideways at her sister.

Whether in terms of beauty or the virtues of a lady, she was much more suited for the position of a duchess.

‘…If only it weren’t for that damn status.’

If only she had been like that annoying sister and mother. No, if only her own mother had been a lower-ranking noble.