Anette had recognized Edric.

An inexplicable fear spread across her face, but Edric interpreted it as awe towards himself and the Pelton ducal family.

“Is Melisa here?”

Edric asked.

For a moment, her eyes widened roundly. Just like Jeina Andert a little while ago.

“N-no.”

Anette stuttered in response.

“Melly… I mean, the Duchess Pelton is not here.”

As Edric stared at her intently, she opened the door wide and stepped aside.

“It’s true. If you don’t believe me, come in and see for yourself.”

Edric quickly scanned the interior of the house with his eyes. Even without checking, he couldn’t sense Melly’s presence.

Anette stepped in front of him again and asked,

“Is something wrong? Is the lady not at home?”

“…Do you know where Melly might have gone?”

Edric ignored her question and asked in a low voice.

Anette shook her head.

“No.”

“What about other friends’ houses? I mean the schoolmates she met with the other day.”

“…”

After a brief pause, Anette shook her head vigorously.

Her gaze wavered.

Edric was certain there was something in that face. He urged with a cold, intimidating aura.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

Anette bit her lips nervously and clutched her skirt tightly. She felt like she might end up on the street if she didn’t say something.

Edric Pelton was certainly capable of such actions.

“W-well… you see…”

She dragged out her words, stalling for time, but eventually confessed the truth. In a way favorable to herself.

“I think Melly overheard a conversation we jokingly had at the gathering and misunderstood. Like, we weren’t really friends, but more of a master-servant relationship… That I was in a position hoping for some crumbs to fall from Melly, like a maid or something.”

“…”

“I, of course, thought it was a joke and laughed it off, but Melly seems to have believed it was true. She turned and left abruptly, and since then, no matter how many letters I send, there’s no reply. So I’ve given up now.”

She pressed her temples as if exhausted and continued.

“I’m deeply disappointed in Melly too. I didn’t think our seven-year friendship would be shaken by such slanderous remarks. After all I’ve done for her…”

Edric focused on her raised arm rather than her words. A platinum bracelet was wrapped around her rough wrist, with a luxury brand logo engraved on the clasp. It was from the same jeweler mentioned in the invoice that had arrived at the ducal residence a few days ago.

Melly was not one to buy jewelry for herself. She had purchased the accessory for a friend. A one-of-a-kind friend. At least, that’s what she must have thought on her end. And now…

“…”

Edric’s eyes softened as he grasped the situation.

‘Poor soul.’

She had discovered that the friendship was fake. She had realized that not everyone’s heart was like her own. That must be why she said those words as soon as she returned home that day.

‘I won’t meet those friends anymore. I’ll focus on my role as a duchess.’

Edric saw right through the truth behind the flimsy veil that the woman before him had tried to cover up.

Melly had given generously to those who approached her for money, but didn’t get what she wanted in return. It probably wasn’t even something big that she had hoped for…

“But that happened quite a while ago.”

Anette said, removing her hand from her temple.

“The Duchess wouldn’t be out this late because of that incident. Rather, Melly was struggling with something else…”

Anette looked at Edric with meaningful eyes. It meant that the responsibility lay with him, not her. Edric smirked, finding her brazen attempt to cover up her own guilt not just contemptible, but laughable.

It was then.

“Darling?”

Someone appeared from the dark interior of the house.

“Darling, what’s going on? Why are you still out here?”

A man of medium height with a stocky build stood behind Anette, smoothing his disheveled hair.

Edric’s eyes slid over to Anette’s husband.

Anette turned around, flustered.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Honey, go back inside.”

“Baron Felice?”

Anette, who had been pushing her husband’s back, stopped abruptly. Her husband turned around.

“Who is it?”

“Ah, so it is you, Baron Felice. I thought it might be.”

Edric approached him a step, smiling smoothly.

“I’m someone who’s been keenly interested in your inventions. I heard you were planning to submit a newly developed power device for the exhibition.”

The dim light from the entrance lamp revealed Edric’s elegant features almost dangerously clearly.

Baron Roness Felice, recognizing him, bowed deeply in a fluster.

“D-Duke Pelton!”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you as a potential business partner for some time, and we end up meeting like this. The husband of my wife’s dearest friend.”

Baron Felice, straightening up, looked back at his wife with eyes that seemed to ask, ‘Was that so? Why didn’t you tell me?’ Anette bit her lips nervously, her face pale.

Baron Felice smiled good-naturedly and offered to Edric.

“Um… if you don’t mind, would you like to come in for a cup of tea, humble as our place may be?”

“Unfortunately, the situation isn’t very good right now. There’s a small problem at home.”

Edric politely declined. When Baron Felice showed a look of disappointment, he suggested,

“Instead, I’ll invite you to my house next time. I hope both of you will visit together. Would that be alright, Lady Felice?”

Edric asked, looking at Anette. Anette raised her eyes with a startled expression, then nodded somewhat unnaturally.

“Then I’ll take my leave now. I apologize for the late night intrusion.”

Edric patted Roness Felice’s shoulder as he turned to leave. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned back.

“Oh, I noticed you applied for a patent on the power device at the government office. I hope the fruits of your long research will shine. Most certainly.”

It was a gentle and kind tone. To someone without guilt, those words would have been nothing more than words of encouragement, nothing more, nothing less.

But Anette was guilty, so she knew clearly.

She hadn’t fooled him. And in addition to mocking an old friend, she would have to pay the price for deceiving her husband as well.

“Your Grace, please don’t!”

Anette quickly opened her mouth, but he had already gotten into the car.

“Your Grace… please, at least the patent…”

She pleaded, knocking on the window, and when that didn’t work, she pulled on the door handle. But the door was firmly locked.

“Let’s go.”

Edric instructed the driver, who didn’t know what to do.

Anette shook off her husband’s restraining hand roughly and chased after the car as far as she could, but the sleek black sedan shook off the wailing social climber in an instant.

Inside the car, steadily increasing speed, Edric calmly retraced the events of that day, the day Melly likely put an end to her long friendship.

Now he fully understood Melly’s previously inexplicable behaviors.

The passionate lovemaking so unlike her, the moans that felt like crying, the sudden ambition.

‘I’ll do well. I’ll be a good duchess.’

So that’s what it was.

She clung so desperately because she knew there was nowhere left to accept her as she was.

To her husband, to the role of a duchess.

‘And how did I respond?’

Didn’t he lose interest in her submissiveness and neglect her, saying her artificial behavior was uncomfortable?

A leaden sense of self-reproach weighed heavily on his heart. For a moment, it was almost hard to breathe.

But Edric was not one to lose his mind under pressure.

‘It’s not because of that.’

He thought.

Melly wouldn’t have left home just because of that. Where would she go?

She has no parents’ home, no relatives. And now, it seems, no friends either.

She must be sheltering from the rain somewhere. She probably fell asleep without realizing it.

When she wakes up, she’ll hurriedly get up and catch any passing shared carriage to return home.

Edric maintained his composure, boldly facing the growing sense of guilt.

Lady Felice had said it wasn’t because of her that Melly hadn’t returned home until now.

Yes. Edric knew that too.

If Melly had left home… Of course, that’s unlikely, but if she really had left home, it would be because of her husband, Edric himself, not because of her friends.

‘Why did you marry me?’

‘Because I thought it was love back then.’

Because he had spoken so harshly, she might have been upset.

But even because of that, Melly wouldn’t have left home.

Because Melly isn’t weak enough to be hurt by just those words.

Isn’t that right?

Even with other harsh words in the past, Melly would smile after a day had passed. As if nothing had happened, she would smile and tenderly care for his clothes, saying she would do better.

So there’s absolutely no way she left home because of those words.

Melly is not such a weak and narrow-minded woman.

Surely, if he goes home now, he’ll see Melly anxiously waiting in front of the entrance. And she’ll apologize, not knowing what to do with herself.

‘I’m sorry I’m late. I fell asleep while taking shelter from the rain.’

If that’s the case, just this once, he won’t scold her and let it pass.

And he’ll tell her.

‘I was too harsh last night. I’m sorry.’

Edric suddenly felt good.

It felt like everything would go smoothly.

He wanted to tell Melly those words soon.

‘No, it’s my fault. I’m sorry.’

And he wanted to feel deeply relieved by her words.