“The gem at the center of that necklace is called Elena’s Tears… could it be related?”

By this point, she had pretty much spelled it out for him. Nelia looked at the Duke, hoping he’d catch on.

But the Duke’s voice was firm.

“That can’t be it.”

“Why not?”

Nelia’s voice rose sharply.

The Duke seemed puzzled by Nelia’s seemingly angry attitude.

Nelia hastily relaxed the tension from her eyes.

“Ah… I was just curious.”

The Duke nodded.

“Many have thought like you, Nelia. Because the gem’s name is Elena’s Tears, they speculated it might be connected to Zigrid’s heart.”

“And…?”

“We had magicians, alchemists, and ancient scholars investigate Elena’s Tears, but they found nothing.”

Nelia finally closed her mouth.

‘Why…?’

Elena’s Tears are definitely the key to finding Zigrid’s heart. Could there be another condition?

“Elena’s Tears seem to be just a name.”

The Duke had apparently concluded that Elena’s Tears had no relation to Zigrid’s heart whatsoever.

Certainly… If all sorts of capable people had checked and Elena’s Tears showed no response, they wouldn’t think it’s special.

Nelia was worried about Duke Hart. That he wasn’t the protagonist of this world and might never break the curse.

“Don’t worry too much, Nelia. I’m confident I can break the curse.”

Faced with the Duke’s reassurance, Nelia could only nod.

“It’s late, shall we sleep?”

“Yes…”

As Nelia flopped onto the bed, the Duke pulled up the blanket, covering her up to her chest.

Every gesture was gentle and meticulous.

When looking at him this way, the Duke seemed like a truly kind person.

It was hard to believe he carried such an enormous curse, transforming into a snake and seeking revenge on the Emperor.

Could it be?

Nelia harbored the hope that if the Duke broke his curse, he might give up on revenge.

If that were the case, she could assist him in finding Zigrid’s heart in various ways.

Feeling regretful, Nelia suddenly realized it was strange how concerned she was with the Duke’s affairs. More than concern, she was deeply invested.

Was it simply because she had grown fond of him while living together?

Though it hadn’t been a long time, they had already been through much together.
Ironically, the Duke had been the person he was closest to in both his past and present lives. In his past life, he often spent time alone. In this life, he hadn’t spent much time with his family either.

It was natural for his heart to lean toward the Duke.

His thoughts didn’t last long. His eyelids grew heavy due to the encroaching drowsiness.

Nelia closed her eyes as if swept away.

(This is a time separator.)

Fortunately, nothing awkward happened yesterday. Nelia, who woke up wellrested, looked down at the Duke with a cheerful expression.

The Duke was still asleep.

The strands of his silver hair, bathed in light, shone brilliantly, as if they would disperse into the sky any moment.

Nelia pondered whether to just get up, then lightly poked the Duke’s cheek. His soft skin gave in gently.

Seeing this made her smile.

Nelia enjoyed teasing the sleeping Duke. Awake, he could be dangerous.

“Hmm…”

The Duke murmured.

Nelia hastily withdrew her finger. The Duke slowly lifted his eyelids.

His clear silver eyes revealed themselves. The moment their eyes met, the Duke let out a relaxed smile.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because I saw Nelia the moment I woke up.”

This person was incorrigible.

She should be used to it by now, but her face still flushed like a teenage girl’s.

Nelia forced out her words as if nothing was wrong.

“Why did you wake up later than me?”

Whether it was due to insomnia or being an early riser, the Duke usually woke up before her.

Whenever she went downstairs to the study, he was already diligently at work.

“It’s because of Nelia.”

“What…?”

Nelia felt slightly wronged.

Did he just blame his poor sleep on her?

“I had to watch over you as you fell asleep quickly and peacefully.”

“Why?”

The Duke smiled weakly and shook his head.

“No reason. It was my choice, so it can’t be helped.”

Huh? Nelia didn’t understand what he meant.

But there was something more urgent right now.

“We have to go to the palace for work today. You should get up.”

“Yes, I should.”

Was he the only one nervous about going to the palace for work? The Duke folded the blanket and got up leisurely.

Nelia scolded him as he started to undress again, then sent him back to his room to prepare for the palace. Her preparation was nothing more than grooming her hair and applying light makeup.

When she came out, the Duke was already prepared.

He looked a bit sallow, probably from poor sleep, but he was splendid as ever.

Before getting on the carriage, the Duke stared at Nelia intently. As she looked back with a ‘Huh?’, the Duke embraced her.

“What, what’s going on all of a sudden…?”

“I have to bring such a lovely Nelia to the palace.”

The Duke murmured against her forehead.

“I love being close to Nelia, but… I worry someone might steal you away.”

Nelia thought the Duke’s worry was needless. Who would pay her any attention in the palace, where she didn’t know a soul?

“Don’t worry. The only one overly interested in me is you.”

The Duke pulled away, his expression serious.

“Nelia really doesn’t know her own worth. I can think of at least one other person interested in you right now.”

She didn’t know who he was referring to, but the tone of the Duke’s voice was strangely cold.