Hidden among the ash trees in the garden, I stared blankly up at the sky. The day was quite clear.

“Days this bright are rare in a northern winter.”

Perhaps because spring was drawing near.

Truly, it was a shame to die on a day like this.

I left the rest unsaid and let out a long sigh.

That was when someone bellowed out a call. It was an announcement that the gates of the main castle had opened.

Word had come forty minutes ago that he had crossed the drawbridge. By now, my husband and his forces should have been arriving at this hilltop castle.

I had to go out. Even if I was about to die, I was still his wife in name.

…… Of course, my husband might never acknowledge that.

Then again, the words husband and wife had always struck me as faintly absurd. It had been a child marriage with not a single grain of affection. Planned entirely through someone else’s malice, at that.

That was when I heard footsteps approaching. Quick, urgent footsteps.

Who is that. I only moved my eyes, peering through the gaps in the leaves. Swathes of navy fabric came into view. Maids who worked here, it seemed.

“Is it true? That the lady’s marriage to His Highness the Duke was actually……”

“Keep your voice down, you.”

I recognized those voices. The maid assigned to clean the third floor of the east wing, and the deputy floor maid on the second floor. I couldn’t quite remember their names.

“Listen carefully. You haven’t been here long, so I’m explaining this so you don’t go making a fool of yourself. Tito Tymveck, the lady’s father, is our Duke’s enemy.”

“What?”

“Tito Tymveck adopted the lady when she was young and forced her into marriage with His Highness. If His Highness died, the real power of the ducal house would pass to the lady!”

“Good heavens!”

Oh no, they’ve gotten to that part. I listened to the maids from within the shrubbery, feeling rather helpless.

“He even tried to have His Highness assassinated, and when that failed, he sent him off to the battlefield.”

“Oh my, so that’s why His Highness was away at war for so long?”

“Exactly! Honestly, the lady is no different from being in on it.”

“What? But the lady worked so hard for the ducal household……”

“That could all be a front, couldn’t it? Think of how lavishly she’s been living here, being called my lady and all?”

Ah, that’s a bit unfair. During my husband’s absence, I had genuinely gritted my teeth and protected this household. I had always despised my adoptive father, Tito Tymveck, with every fiber of my being.

“Listen. Up until now, it was all talk among the higher-ups, so I kept my head down. But things are completely different now. His Highness has returned! A full-blown war hero! You heard about Tito Tymveck’s execution, didn’t you?”

Of course I heard. I was quite pleased when I finally heard he was dead.

That maid has a remarkable grasp of the situation. Quite sharp. She can read the mood and the political climate too……

There were a few inaccuracies, but even in the middle of all this, I found myself appreciating her summary.

“The lady will probably be punished. Tito Tymveck died like that in the capital, so why would she be any different?”

“But the lady is such a kind person……”

“Kind or not, she’s a puppet with her strings cut. As Tymveck’s daughter, she’s finished. Don’t pretend you don’t know her, and don’t stand by her side either. If they think you’re one of her loyalists, you could lose your head too.”

…… I take back what I said.

I exhaled a bitter sigh. I didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. The one who had arranged this marriage was none other than Tito Tymveck, the man who had adopted me.

He had been a man of considerable influence among the central nobility, and he had always coveted the Reinach ducal house, my husband’s family.

So the moment the previous Duke and Duchess of Reinach, my husband’s parents, died of the plague, he had come scrambling to bring me in and marry me off to my husband.

All to exploit the inheritance law, which stipulated that if one spouse died while married, all their assets and authority would pass first to the surviving partner.

So from the very beginning, this marriage could not even be called a marriage.

From the man’s perspective, it was nothing short of a humiliation he would want to erase.

I found myself thinking that if I survived, I might promote that maid to a higher position. …… A pointless fantasy, of course. As she had said, my husband was likely going to deal with me.

“Ha.”

Just hearing it all described made for a miserable life. I made no effort to hide the bitter smile that forced its way through my lips.

“Hm? What was that? Did you hear laughter just now?”

“I heard it too…… What is that?”

But either way, that humiliation would end today. They knew it too, didn’t they.

…… Because he was coming back.

“Has anyone seen the lady?”

At that moment, another voice joined in. I knew that voice well. It was Taylor, the head of the ducal household. A man who had watched over this place since the time of the previous Duke and Duchess, long ago.

He had also always been someone who despised Tito Tymveck and remained loyal to my husband.

…… Which made him the perfect candidate to come collect me like a grim reaper. We hadn’t been on bad terms, but…… well, who knew how things stood now.

I smiled wryly and raised my voice.

“I’m here, Taylor.”

I answered slowly and stepped out from between the trees.

“Goodness gracious!”

The maids went pale as sheets and stumbled back in shock. I understood why.

“M, m, m, my lady……”

“It’s all right.”

I had never intended to be angry with them. I gave them a small smile and gestured to Taylor.

“Let’s go. You came to find me just before the gates open.”

“Yes.”

I gave him a small nod, then strode forward with long steps.

From here to the main gate of the castle was about fifteen minutes on foot, but with the shortcut, it was quick.

Taylor and I had just arrived when the ducal household’s people spotted us and parted to let us through. I was grateful, but…… they were probably looking at me the same way those maids had been.

The moment I stepped forward before everyone, the tips of my fingers went cold.

I was quietly taking my other hand to hold my own when a man carrying a horn trumpet came trotting in, raised it to his lips, and blew hard. The sound that rang out felt somehow ominous.

“The true lord of the Reinach ducal house, master of Orveil Hall and Grand Liege of the North! His Highness Rubenstein von Reinach returns!”

He’s finally here.

I briefly bowed my head and smoothed out my skirt hem one more time. Behind me, the household servants lined up in formation all straightened at once. Their movements were crisp and precise, as though they were soldiers themselves.

Understandable.

The true master of this estate was returning. Most of them had never once laid eyes on him. They had to be quite nervous.

I wanted to tell them to act as they normally would, but…… the truth was, I wasn’t managing that either.

We had parted at twelve and were meeting again at twenty-six. Fourteen years. The moment of shifting from husband and wife to a family enemy to be eliminated.

Uuuung.

The horn sounded again. Through the wide-open gates, a long procession of warhorses and soldiers began filing in.

And at the very front rode a man on the largest black horse of them all.

That’s him.

That man must be Rubenstein, my husband…… right.

…… Is it really him?

I lifted my head and studied him.

The first thing that caught my eye was the splendor of what he wore.

My gaze traveled naturally upward as I took him in. The man was draped in a lavish riding coat lined with fur at the collar and inner lining. Beneath the coat, glimpsed in flashes, was the Aundel military uniform, embroidered with dazzling medals.

And then, raising my eyes a little higher, that face.

His appearance was astonishing, more than a match for his magnificent attire.

The sharp cut of his nose, the delicate and refined line of his mouth, the firm, clean line of his jaw. It was the kind of beauty that made you think this was what it would look like if a god had poured every ounce of care into sculpting a face. His skin gleamed as though crushed pearls had been pressed into it.

So this is how he grew up.

I looked up at him with disbelieving eyes.

He was completely different from back then. If he hadn’t been riding at the front, I might not have recognized him at all. Back then…… he had been a far thinner, frailer child than this. A weak, irritable boy who lived in daily fear of assassination.

But…… even so, the two were clearly the same person. Look at that presence.

Even back then, when that thin, frail boy let his eyes light up, people had a strange way of leaning in to listen to him. Just like those people now, with their gazes fixed on this man.

And in that moment, I truly understood that he had won. Won through all of it. He was genuinely different from fourteen years ago, when he had left this estate as though driven out. He had killed his enemy for all to see and reclaimed his household.

Good. Thank goodness……

In that moment, I smiled as wide and bright as I could manage.

I was glad he had come home alive.

From the start, I had never wished for his death. I had known early on that my adoptive father was a demon. I had tried my hardest because of that.

In the end, I simply hadn’t been able to stop it.

But hadn’t everything come back around as it should? The hero had won in the end, and the petty villain who had envied him was dead. The villain’s daughter would die too, but…… regardless, the smile on my face right now was a genuine expression of joy at his safe return……

Hm?

In that moment, my husband…… that is, Rubenstein and I locked eyes.