She couldn’t know now why Mrs. Karen had given her Grand Madam’s robe, but since she was said to hate people touching her things, it seemed she should deliver an apology while giving a gift.

‘What should I buy now?’

She was back to square one. After buying the robe she had felt some necessity for, she had nothing else to buy again.

Playing, resting — these were still too difficult for Stella.

“What are you doing here, Madam?”

“……!!”

Stella flinched in surprise at Kalian’s voice suddenly heard from behind.

“Duke Rochester?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“What are you doing here……”

“I stopped briefly because I saw you on my way back from meeting a guest.”

As if to prove Kalian’s words were true, a brown carriage stood behind him.

The coachman who met Stella’s eyes lifted his hat and bowed in greeting.

“But what were you really doing standing on the street?”

At Kalian’s question, Stella hesitated before answering.

“Actually, I don’t know what to buy. You told me to purchase necessary things, but I have everything I need.”

At Stella’s words, Kalian shook his head.

“It’s not much. I just had a few things prepared so you could buy what you want.”

Kalian seemed to know that Stella couldn’t bring even one outfit or accessory from her own home.

Kalian had instructed Wilter to prepare some items for Stella.

However, Kalian’s ‘some’ was the same as excessively much to Stella.

“There’s plenty enough, Your Grace.”

Stella looked at Kalian and smiled.

“It’s quite insufficient.”

Kalian looked at such Stella and smiled back.

“It’s only a few outfits.”

“It’s really enough. It’s more than all the clothes I’ve had in my lifetime.”

“Hmm.”

Kalian made a short sound.

“Don’t you want to buy new dresses? You can buy jewelry to your heart’s content. As long as they know you’re my wife, no matter how backed up the reservations are or who’s waiting, the first spot will be yours.”

Stella shook her head. Just moments ago, she had gotten scared over a mere hat and fled the store.

In such a state, dresses or jewelry? It would be fortunate if her heart didn’t drop upon hearing the prices.

“There must have been something you wanted to have.”

“There is. But it’s not for me.”

Stella glanced around and quietly added.

“……I want to buy a few things for my family.”

“Then buy them.”

Permission fell more readily than expected. Kalian stroked Stella’s cheek and smiled. She felt warm warmth flowing along her cheek.

“Your family is already no different from mine, and if you’re happy, I’m happy too.”

Why are you being like this to me?

“Buy everything you want.”

Why on earth are you being like this to me?

Stella swallowed her breath. She couldn’t understand at all why Kalian was being like this to her.

‘Why are you making it hard for me to give up?’

Kalian hates her. He abhors her.

That was a clear fact, and Stella was trying to end her long unrequited love.

But this kindness falling like sweet rain was shaking her aimlessly. Like a child lost in a spring forest, she couldn’t figure out which way to go at all.

“Your Grace.”

So she had no choice but to ask. To find the path she should take, or at least the direction.

“Why are you being so kind to me?”

At Stella’s question, Kalian responded clearly as if she were asking something obvious.

“Well, because you’re my wife.”

⁕⁕⁕

That woman needs to fall for me a little more.

After throwing a coal with red-hot embers still alive into House Ambrose and leisurely finishing other schedules, Kalian had such thoughts while checking documents.

The thought that Stella needed to become a little more blindly devoted to him.

‘The contract I showed has probably already flowed to the king.’

On the first night of the wedding, the contract Kalian had presented to Stella was likely already in the king’s hands.

Hadn’t he deliberately not included a clause telling her not to tell others? If such a clause existed, it would seem like something more was being hidden.

There was a high possibility the king learned of the contract’s existence the very next day. Or maybe he knew that very night.

Monitoring his every move and finding out what schemes he was plotting.

Hadn’t Dukren married him to Stella for that purpose?

Stella had jumped into the fire called Dukren to satisfy his base desires.

So Kalian decided to use that in reverse.

‘He must be confused.’

The contract’s contents were so scattered that one couldn’t tell what he was aiming for.

The only parts that could be clearly understood were the clause about divorcing after three years and the clauses for Stella and House Ambrose after the divorce.

But with just that much, they wouldn’t be able to figure out what he was aiming for or what he wanted to do.

And rightly so, since the marriage contract was created purely to confuse the king.

‘Though the divorce talk is true.’

Both Dukren and himself. If the necessity dropped, they would let go of Stella’s hand at any time.

The only difference between him and Dukren was that Dukren wanted to handle things cleanly, while he planned to show mercy.

Wasn’t giving her some money and letting her leave alive mercy?

Of course, he planned to treat her well until the necessity dropped. As long as she didn’t cross the line, he was willing to cherish her as his wife.

No matter what anyone said, wasn’t that woman an important card to blind the king’s eyes?

Sometimes she shook him excessively, but that was because of the shadows of the past remaining in her, not because of the current Stella.

“Your Grace.”

Wilter, who had been sitting across from him in the carriage, called Kalian. He lifted his gaze from the documents.

“Mrs. Karen has arrived at the lakeside villa.”

Ah, that matter.

Kalian threw his gaze back to the documents.

Actually, changing the head maid of Duke Rochester’s mansion was already a decided matter.

Mrs. Karen was a highly trusted person.

She did her work meticulously and well, and hadn’t Mother trusted her and placed her in the head maid position because she had stayed at the mansion for a long time?

At the same time, Mrs. Karen was someone who could make good use of the trust given to her.

Joining hands with the cook to siphon off ingredients going into the kitchen or adding water to milk to put money in her own pocket was routine, and hadn’t she made money by selling items she was told to dispose of?

She had even frequented gambling dens using House Rochester’s name.

But what was even more unforgivable was touching Mother’s belongings.

She must have judged it would be fine.

Because the item of Mother’s that Mrs. Karen had touched was a bracelet Mother had used in her maiden days, which had been forgotten after being touched a few times, not even knowing if it still existed.

Moreover, it didn’t have the royal family’s crest on it, nor were the jewels unusual. So she must have thought it would sell well mixed with other items if sold at a back-alley stolen goods market.

But that shouldn’t have happened.

Though she had been careful in her own way, the tail had grown as long as it could get, and Wilter, who suspected the lady, had people follow her.

Unaware of this fact, Mrs. Karen sold the bracelet and was confirmed to be cast out.

“Foolish woman.”

If she had just not crossed the line and kept to her duties well, she could have lived reasonably happily. What a sight, being devoured by calling excessive greed upon herself.

“Mrs. Karen must adapt well to the lakeside villa. Since that will be the lady’s grave.”

Mrs. Karen, who had worked for the Rochester family for so long, knew all sorts of stories.

There was no need to deliberately touch a dangerous bomb. It was a matter that could be handled by quiet removal.

“Prepare so the lady can go peacefully.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Wilter bowed his head lightly.

“Ah, and it seems Mrs. Addin Poff has greeted Madam.”

Kalian’s gaze fell away from the documents. He looked at Wilter.

“How did it go?”

“She seems to have liked her.”

Wilter nodded. A satisfied smile hung on his lips.

“Mrs. Poff is a gentle person unlike Mrs. Karen. I knew she would get along well with Madam. Moreover, she taught various nobles as a governess when she was young, so she’ll be helpful to Madam.”

“She should be.”

Only after hearing all of Wilter’s words did his gaze touch the documents again.

“That’s why I spent big money to bring her over.”

Actually, Mrs. Addin Poff was not on the list of head maid candidates.

She was already half-decided to go to another mansion and hadn’t even left the mansion where she was working yet.

So Wilter was checking other people when.

“Even a child would know that~”

Kalian happened to witness Stella and Mrs. Karen colliding.

And that evening, it was confirmed that Mrs. Poff would come to Duke Rochester’s mansion.

“I hope the money spent was worth it.”

“Though I only spoke with her briefly, she seems quite capable. Hmm?”

Then Wilter, who saw something through the carriage window, turned his head.

“Madam is over there.”

Kalian’s head also turned. Wilter was right.

Stella Rochester, the woman who had become his wife, was standing blankly on the street.

“What is she doing there?”

Kalian frowned while pushing aside the documents he had been reading.

Why on earth was she standing there blankly like a lost child without even getting in a carriage?

‘Is standing in one place when lost a habit?’

Both then and now.

She stood as if rooted, but he couldn’t understand why she looked precarious.

“Stop the carriage.”