Despite being pregnant, she was ignored. There was enough room for suspicion. People’s imaginations were predictable, and Bremlin only remained silent in front of the Duchess while gossiping behind her back.

The rumors grew day by day.

Even the head maid, who tried to maintain discipline, and the butler, who disliked the noisy atmosphere, gave up in frustration.

They couldn’t hint at it to the pregnant woman, so they swallowed their words quietly. In truth, they only chose silence out of decorum, as they shared similar suspicions with others.

Isn’t it strange?

No matter how cold their relationship was, she was pregnant with his child. She wasn’t a mistress. She was his only legitimate wife. If it’s a boy, he would be the heir, and even if it’s a girl, she could inherit the family if there were no brothers.

Yet the Duke left so heartlessly.

Leaving behind like a figure as cold as ice. Even the Duchess didn’t see him off, so it was natural for glances to be exchanged.

In the silence, Hyacinth Erentis’s belly continued to swell.

Whether the Duke would return today or tomorrow, the head maid, who had been endlessly watching the road, finally saw signs of the lord. Duke Trisel did not return himself.

He only sent one aide.

Though that aide was close to the Duke, he was not the Duke himself. The butler and head maid, who had hoped for the Duke’s return, were quietly disappointed.

The Duke’s aide, Jeremy Rills, who crossed the drawbridge and rushed into the castle, first sought out the Duchess. He respectfully greeted the noblewoman and asked for privacy.

The head maid left, saying she would bring tea, and the butler also left without hesitation.

“Madam.”

Jeremy lowered his gaze to confirm the Duchess’s swollen belly. Knowing the whole story, he was well aware of the situation.

A woman who betrayed his master and bore another man’s child.

His feelings toward Hyacinth Hener couldn’t be kind, but Jeremy was politically astute. No matter what, Hyacinth was a woman of the royal family. Expelling her harshly—even if she had committed a sin—could be difficult to manage.

So what could he do?

“I have returned under the orders of the Duke. His Highness wishes to know if you desire a divorce or annulment.”

“……This is ridiculous.”

After a long silence, Hyacinth finally spoke, a cold sneer escaping her lips. Her icy laugh was filled with emptiness.

Jeremy shifted uncomfortably.

‘I have never held my wife.’

The facts the Duke had succinctly conveyed.

‘But my wife is pregnant. And she insists I held her.’
‘……What?’

And now. The Duchess before him had her lips tightly sealed. Being able to read expressions, Jeremy easily categorized her emotions.

Resentment. Annoyance. Bitterness. Blame.

Jeremy rubbed the armrest of his chair out of habit.

‘I don’t know whose child it is. Hyacinth didn’t answer.’

Then whose child is it?

Jeremy tilted his head slightly. It must be the child of a man living in the North, or more specifically, in Bremlin. But was there really someone bold enough to touch the Duchess in Bremlin Castle?

There were many things that didn’t add up. Subtle, inexplicable parts. For example, the emotions that the Duchess displayed seemed quite ‘genuine.’

Jeremy pressed his temples and scolded himself.

What am I thinking? No matter how beautiful the Duchess is, no matter how captivating she is, Duke Ethan has confirmed that he never held his wife.

Therefore, the Duchess is carrying another man’s child…

“What do you prefer, Madam?”

“I have never committed infidelity.”

“I’m sorry, but I only believe the words of the one I serve.”

“I wondered if I was crazy or if Ethan Erentis was crazy. The answer is Ethan Erentis. I am perfectly sane.”

“Very well, Madam. Just answer one question. Who is the father of the child in your womb? If you tell me that, I will do my best to persuade the Duke to show more leniency.”

The Duke wanted one thing in exchange for delaying the divorce.

To find out who the scoundrel was that touched his wife. If Hyacinth Hener willingly gave that name, he promised to delay the divorce.

“Are you curious?”

“Yes.”

“Shall I tell you? ‘Ethan Erentis.'”

“Madam, please stop being unreasonable.”

“I am innocent!”

Hyacinth retorted fiercely, hugging her belly protectively.

Jeremy closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. He understood why his lord had sent him instead of coming himself.

A stubborn woman was infuriating,

and a stubborn pregnant woman was even more so.

Especially considering they couldn’t touch or scold her. Hyacinth Hener was thoroughly wielding her status as someone who needed to be treated with care.

“His Highness said he never held you.”

“He did.”

“He even confirmed that he did not consummate the marriage.”

“I did not commit infidelity!”

“Please lower your voice. It will only harm you if people outside hear…”

But before Jeremy could finish, the door clicked open. He had sent everyone away, so who could it be? Turning his head in surprise, Jeremy saw the head maid. The middle-aged woman, who had gone to the kitchen to fetch tea, stood frozen with a tray in her hands.

Ah… damn it.

He could only let out a groan of frustration.

Such secrets should remain buried. The fewer people who knew, the better. But of all people, the head maid had to overhear this.

Jeremy tapped his nose and opened the door wider.

The head maid, who had turned pale, finally came to her senses and stepped inside. Then, rudely, she began glaring at the Duchess with a venomous look.

“This is maddening.”

Hyacinth let out a bitter laugh.

The head maid, seemingly more enraged by the sneer, slammed the tray onto the table. The teapot lid rattled from the force. It was an indirect act of violence.

“Head maid.”

Jeremy’s attempt to intervene seemed to fall on deaf ears.

The Duchess let out a long sigh.

“No one believes in my innocence.”

“I’m sorry, Madam, but we believe His Highness over you.”

“I always thought it was strange.”

The head maid spat out her words as if she was chewing them. Her sharp voice made Hyacinth raise an eyebrow.

“HisHighness would never hold a woman like you.”

“A woman like me… What do you mean by that?”

“Hener. Red hair. Royal family. Greedy women who dare to covet the North. You’re just like them, not knowing your place!”

“What?”

Hyacinth asked in disbelief, but the head maid stormed out before she could question further. The sound of her skirt swishing as she exited was like a snowstorm.

Hyacinth furrowed her brow for a moment, then Jeremy quietly whispered.

“The head maid has a point. The fact that His Highness has never held you has credibility with us.”

“Explain it in a way I can understand.”

“At the end of the corridor on the third floor, there is a room with portraits. Check the portrait of the former Duchess there.”

“I know the former Duchess was a branch member of the royal family.”

“……Her relationship with His Highness was extremely poor.”

The expression ‘extremely poor’ was an understatement for how bad it was. Jeremy didn’t elaborate on the details. Explaining the North’s disgraceful past to a woman who would soon be an outsider seemed pointless.

“Therefore, Duke Trisel despises and loathes women with red hair more than anything in the world.”

“……”

“Unfortunately, Madam, you have red hair. So His Highness would not have held you. Perhaps he could not.”

No matter how enchantingly beautiful Hyacinth Hener was, she could never move Ethan Erentis’s heart.

Because of her red hair. Because of that hair color.

“Of course, the background that led His Highness to despise red hair is not your fault. But what can we do? The past naturally affects the present…”

“……”

“He can never love you.”

Hyacinth tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling. She felt like she was going insane for various reasons.

It wasn’t before the marriage that she found out this fact, but after, and even after she was pregnant. Did her husband tell her directly? No. She learned it from the aide her husband sent.

Whose fault is this? Whose mistake is it? Who should take the blame?

Her, who insisted on the marriage, driven by mad infatuation despite opposition?

Or the man who hid all these secrets and agreed to the forced marriage?

“The world has gone mad.”

Hyacinth ground her teeth as she sighed.

* * *