Carlos sat motionless in the chair, deep in thought.

One day, his right arm, which he thought had fully recovered, suddenly began to ache and go numb again.

He had never shown his paralyzed arm to others, yet the symptoms had to appear right in front of that maid.

In the midst of his confusion about the pain and numbness in his right arm, he remembered the sensation of small hands fumbling around it.

It was the first warm touch he’d ever experienced.

Whether for that sentimental reason or not, he couldn’t forget the moment when his pain was momentarily alleviated.

Strangely, the pain vanished when the maid touched his arm.

It was from that point on he considered that maybe this maid could be the key to ending his pain, his curse.

But there was a significant obstacle.

It was Duke Hart who would impulsively spill things as soon as the topic of the maid came up.

Their relationship was peculiar.

Anyone could see that Duke Hart harbored special feelings for the maid.

He couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to, revealing his vulnerability in front of the maid.

“But the maid seemed a bit different.”

She seemed attentive to the Duke, but compared to the Duke’s overt behavior, she was somewhat indifferent.

If they were already close, they would have married or been engaged, but they remained in a maidmaster relationship.

Carlos found hope there.

It would be difficult if they were already close, but otherwise, he had a chance to approach her.

But before making a move, he needed to confirm whether his curse really was alleviated by her.

That’s why he arranged a feast.

Initially, he planned to invite only the maid, but then thought it wouldn’t matter if Duke Hart also came.

Duke Hart intensified the pain in his right arm, while the maid alleviated it. Being together would make it clearer.

But that was a mistake.

As a result, he could no longer approach the maid.

Carlos looked at his arm with an impassive expression, stood up from the chair, and went to the desk.

He opened a drawer.

Elena’s Tear shimmered inside it.

“Should I put my hopes on this now?”

He had never paid attention to it until an explosion one day at an exhibition.

When he went to check, the necklace was shattered, leaving only the raw gem.

The guards reported that they heard a sudden explosion. Though he scoured the vicinity for suspects, he found no one.

At that moment, the gem caught his eye.

It wasn’t just reflecting light; it was undoubtedly shimmering by itself.

As if calling him.

He immediately picked up Elena’s Tear.

He had brought it to his room under the pretext of protection for his father, but nothing special had happened since then.

But he decided to wait a bit more.

Because he felt the gem pulling him wasn’t an illusion.

Carlos’s gaze turned to the book “Siegfried Myth” on the bookshelf.

He had a feeling that the gem might be connected to the heart of Siegfried.

(Time separator)

Nelia thought again about the scene she had witnessed earlier while on her way home.

She had left for a moment, and it seemed like an intense fight had broken out, but this man had nothing in his hands.

Nelia, who had been staring at the Duke, finally opened her mouth.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes?”

“Will you not tell me what really happened?”

Duke Hart answered in his usual voice.

“I told you, didn’t I? I was practicing dueling.”

“At the dinner table?”

When Nelia asked incredulously, the Duke laughed and stroked her head.
Nelia seemed to have no way of letting things slide.

“I’m just worried. If you had fought dangerously with His Highness, it could be troublesome for you, Duke.”

Earlier, when Nelia saw the bruise on Carlos’s face, her worry had been, ‘Would Duke Hart get punished?’

Even if it was a fair fight, the opponent was the Crown Prince.

Looking at the outcome, the situation could easily be misunderstood against the Duke.

“Nothing like that will happen. His Highness, who is quite prideful, wouldn’t dare to say he was defeated anywhere.”

Upon hearing Duke Hart’s words, Nelia’s eyes widened.

“……Did you really win?”

Although it appeared that way, hearing it directly from the Duke was surprising.

How could a man with delicate, slender fingers, who had never held a sword, defeat the swordmaster Carlos?

“Nelia, you must have wished I lost.”

His tone was teasingly playful.

Nevertheless, Nelia quickly shook her head.

“Of course not……! I’m just curious how you won.”

“Even such an immature Crown Prince can be easily handled barehanded.”

Duke Hart shrugged his shoulders as he spoke, then narrowed his eyes and looked at Nelia.

“But, Nelia.”

“……Yes?”

Upon Duke Hart’s sudden seriousness, Nelia felt somewhat tense.

“Did you enjoy the dessert earlier?”

Dessert……?

It took Nelia a moment to understand Duke Hart’s question. All this serious talk just for a dessert?

“……Is that really important now?”

“Yes, it’s very important.”

Duke Hart’s voice remained serious. Nelia responded in kind.

“……It was delicious. Beyond its taste, each item was like a work of art.”