“So. What do you make of my wife?”

“She is a lovely person. Which is why it saddens me. Even when she is hurt, she will not show it. She will hide it to the very end.”

“She seems honest enough with her feelings.”

“Your Grace. Does something weigh on your conscience?”

Eldrich let out a short, scornful laugh at her question. Weigh on his conscience? What for?

“Sir Linscott. What exactly should be weighing on my conscience?”

“I overstepped.”

“Cleve is happier than she has ever been. She is satisfied with this life, and I am not displeased with it either. What is wrong with each of us getting what we need?”

Annette straightened her posture and spoke.

“I apologize.”

“Or is it the ones I killed that weigh on you?”

“No. Only……”

Eldrich stared at Annette. She lowered her eyes and hesitated.

“It is only that something weighs on me. I worry that shadows will fall across that lovely face again.”

“That is your job to prevent. Cleve trusts you and is fond of you.”

“Your Grace. The person the lady trusts and is fondest of here is none other than Your Grace.”

“Yes. That was what I wanted from the beginning.”

Things were going as planned. There was no room for idle thoughts. Eldrich steadied himself again.

She was simply someone he needed in order to survive.

❀❀❀

Cleve put her heads together with the florist and deliberated over which flowers would suit the residence. At last they began to decorate.

From the front entrance to every corner of the residence, flowers were arranged throughout. Each time the wind blew, a gentle fragrance drifted in all directions.

“I still can’t believe His Highness the crown prince is coming today.”

“My lady, the decorating is finished, so you should go change your dress.”

“Oh, right!”

Following Eldrich’s advice, Cleve had purchased several custom-made dresses. When she said one would be enough, both Annette and Eldrich had shaken their heads firmly.

“The fabric is so lovely and light.”

“It was tailored with movement in mind, so it should be comfortable for everyday wear as well.”

“The dresses in the capital were nothing but uncomfortable. Here they’ve considered ease of movement too.”

“I love Polseitz dresses myself. Even in urgent situations, they don’t restrict movement, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Urgent situations?”

“……Like when I need to send an urgent message, or something like that. There might be times when I need to run quickly to help you, my lady.”

“Come to think of it, Annette always seems to have a great deal to do. Isn’t it tiring?”

“I’m having quite a proper holiday right now. Thanks to your thoughtfulness, my lady, I’ve been resting very comfortably.”

Annette smiled and combed through Cleve’s hair. She braided it neatly, pinned it up, and secured it in place.

“How about a pearl necklace today?”

“I like this one.”

Cleve touched the blue sapphire at her throat as she spoke. The other necklaces were beautiful too, but she wanted to keep wearing this one.

“Does it not match the dress?”

“I think it will be fine. It seems you’re quite taken with the gift His Grace gave you.”

Cleve nodded. She didn’t want to take off something he had chosen and given to her himself.

Annette put on earrings that complemented the sapphire necklace.

‘I should mention to His Grace that he needs to buy other necklaces too.’

At this rate, she would never wear anything other than the sapphire.

Cleve touched the sapphire necklace for a long moment. Thinking of him, a quiet smile spread across her face.

Knock, knock.

“His Highness the crown prince should be arriving shortly.”

At the voice from outside, Annette and Cleve finished their preparations and hurried out of the room to go and greet him.

Since marrying Eldrich, there had been so many things she was doing for the first time. Cleve couldn’t hide her excitement this time either.

To meet His Highness the crown prince in person. She had heard he was as close to Eldrich as a longtime friend. Perhaps she would be able to hear many stories about Eldrich.

Cleve walked to the entrance, listening to the sound of her own heart beating.

“Eldrich!”

Cleve called out to him, standing there in his formal uniform. Seeing him in a sharp, fitted uniform rather than comfortable clothing felt strangely new.

Eldrich turned slowly and looked at Cleve. For a moment he stood frozen, unable to take his eyes off her as she approached.

“Am I late? His Highness hasn’t arrived yet, has he?”

“……I was wondering what was taking so long.”

Eldrich narrowed his eyes slightly. Then he turned his head sharply and fixed his gaze on the carriage entering through the main gate.

“Eldrich?”

“You’re not late. He’ll be stepping out of the carriage soon. Be ready.”

For some reason, Eldrich didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

Cleve stood beside him with a puzzled expression and smoothed her clothes. Her nerves rose as the carriage came to a stop at the gate.

Cleve reached out to the side and lightly caught the tips of Eldrich’s fingers.

“I’m so nervous. May I hold on for just a moment?”

A flinch.

His hand trembled, but thankfully he didn’t pull away.

❀❀❀

Stepping out of the carriage, Adolf saw the two of them standing together to greet him. His gaze moved to Cleve’s fingertips.

Eldrich had never shown warmth toward anyone. Adolf’s eyes narrowed.

“Duke Devonshire. And Duchess. I am glad you came out to meet me in person.”

“I hope the journey was not too tiring.”

“I was in good spirits knowing I would see a dear friend. With a duchess this lovely, I understand why the duke was so eager to marry quickly.”

“……You’re too kind.”

Seeing Cleve flush and grow shy at even a small compliment, Adolf found a smile forming naturally. He understood now why the duke refused to leave his wife’s side.

“Please, come in. My wife went to great lengths in preparation for Your Highness’s visit.”

Adolf followed Eldrich’s guidance into the residence. He had enjoyed taking in the scenery of Polseitz throughout the journey.

The village was quite a distance from the capital, and he thought he now understood why Eldrich had been so insistent on this particular place. The gossip circulating in the capital hadn’t reached this place. With this being her fourth marriage, the rumors surrounding Cleve must have been endless.

Above all, Adolf himself had an interest in Cleve. He had many questions about the deaths and disappearance of her former husbands.

That was precisely why he had come in person to the residence where they were enjoying their honeymoon. The investigation into Viscount Seregei’s disappearance in particular could not be closed.

Too many people were watching, and even a small trace had to be found. For that, he needed Cleve’s help.

Seeing her in person, Cleve was shy and guarded. She seemed far too gentle a person to be called a villainess who killed her husbands.

She showed no interest in hunting grounds, and her slender fingers looked as though they would struggle to grip a gun.

‘Listen to me. They say blood is thicker than water.’

Without realizing it, Adolf had naturally excluded her from suspicion simply because she was Eldrich’s wife.

She was said to have gone on a trip after saying she was leaving, but since no one had heard anything from Viscount Seregei, it had been reclassified as a disappearance.

There was no one who didn’t know this. After the matter leaked out, the Chartres marquisate had acknowledged it as well.

‘Something to the effect that since he had vanished without a word, it amounted to a disappearance.’

Adolf kept his eyes on Cleve. Having spent his life at court, he was confident in his ability to read people, and he had believed that seeing her face to face would give him answers.

But meeting her in person only left him more uncertain. If anything, he found himself puzzled as to why such rumors had spread at all.

‘The two of them are supposedly on the verge of divorce. Where exactly?’

Cleve turned her head and gazed at Eldrich, chattering away. Anyone watching could see it was the face of a woman in love.

❀❀❀