Ludwig recalled Kartun, who retained his outstanding looks from childhood—no, he had become even more handsome.

Even as a man, Ludwig found his gaze drawn to him. Plus, Kartun had the image of a hero guarding the Forest of Sleeping Monsters.

He knew well that many noble ladies admired him.

‘Stephanie too?’

It didn’t matter.

Stephanie wasn’t the type to ruin things by floundering in love. She was completely different from that woman who had made a scene about breaking off the engagement because her fiancé had taken a lover.

Still, it wasn’t particularly pleasant.

Ludwig spoke curtly.

“What would a monster-slayer know? He probably fell for Daphne after seeing her compared to the burly women of the grand duchy who are rougher than the men in the capital.”

When Stephanie snickered, Ludwig spoke with a somewhat relieved expression.

“Anyway, we must hand her over to Leonhardt. If she somehow becomes the Grand Duchess, Christine will get carried away too.”

“Is that why you called Fabian?”

“He did graduate early.”

There was a brief pause. Soon Stephanie sneered.

“Does he think making his daughter the Grand Duchess will let him install his son as the family head? How ridiculous.”

But those words actually intensified her creeping anxiety.

Recently, Ludwig being slapped by Werner was a critical incident. Though they didn’t speak about it, their anxiety grew steadily.

Stephanie took Ludwig’s hand as he stroked her belly.

“There are many ways to hand Daphne over to Leonhardt. She was particularly fond of him. Lingering attachments are quite tenacious.”

“If she can’t let go of her former fiancé, will Kartun change his mind?”

“That’s right.”

Stephanie smiled with narrowed eyes.

Unlike with Daphne, Ludwig regarded Fabian as a brother. Though not as much as Zenos, he seemed to care for him.

But Stephanie didn’t.

‘It’s too coincidental that he rushed here overnight after hearing about Daphne. Suspicious.’

Being impure herself, she couldn’t believe in Fabian’s sincerity.

Above all, Stephanie had exceptionally good intuition.

Her father would take her along when buying land or buildings, show her the site, and ask her opinion. If Stephanie shook her head, that property would inevitably have problems later.

That intuition of hers was now sounding an alarm that something wasn’t right.

‘I’m concerned about both Daphne and Fabian.’

Since she had already roughly mapped out how to dispose of Daphne, she decided to focus on Fabian now.

‘Of course Ludwig will oppose, so I won’t tell him.’

It was common for weeds to be pulled out by the roots. What could be done if they were secretly removed? She could simply mourn together with him afterward.

“Luvy?”

Stephanie called him affectionately.

“Don’t worry about anything. I’ll do my best to help.”

Ludwig stared at her for a moment as if somewhat moved, then kissed her. Stephanie embraced his neck and whispered.

“So, you just think about passing the marquis title to this child.”

⁕⁕⁕

When Fabian and Daphne returned home, the dinner was perfectly prepared. Shortly after, Ludwig, Stephanie, and Zenos arrived simultaneously. The Werner couple, who had been at home all day, welcomed their children warmly.

The Armin residence was bustling with the entire family gathered after a very long time.

Zenos spread his arms wide toward Fabian.

“You’ve grown so much, lad!”

But Fabian stepped back and asked.

“What about you, brother?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not still tormenting Sister Daphne, are you?”

At Fabian’s question, Zenos became embarrassed and glanced at Daphne before answering.

“I don’t do that anymore. Even recently, during the Foundation Day……”

Daphne gave a very subtle shake of her head, warning Zenos not to speak.

As he quickly closed his mouth, Fabian tilted his head.

“What happened at the Foundation Day?”

“Ah, nothing……”

As Zenos tried to brush it off, Christine cut in.

“Zenos invented something amazing. Even Her Majesty the Emperor praised him highly.”

Zenos scratched the back of his head.

“Well, not exactly……. Anyway, I’ve changed a lot while you were gone. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Fabian offered his hand to Zenos with a pleased expression. But Zenos pushed it away, saying the youngest had become impudent, and hugged him tightly instead.

Everyone laughed heartily at this.

Soon, various exquisite dishes were served one after another. They enjoyed the food while listening to Fabian’s experiences during his studies abroad.

Amid the continuous laughter, Stephanie asked Daphne.

“You must be very busy, Miss. So many things have suddenly changed.”

“Well, not particularly.”

Daphne answered casually, but a moment of silence fell over the table. It seemed a topic no one wanted to bring up was about to surface.

But Stephanie pretended not to notice. She decided to fully utilize how everyone treated her generously since her pregnancy.

“I’ve heard the grand duchy has a dry climate and rough terrain. Monsters frequently awaken there too……. Don’t you have many preparations to make in advance?”

“Her Majesty told me to hold the ceremony whenever I wish, and I want to stay as I am for now, so there’s nothing to be busy about.”

Stephanie’s eyes sparkled at Daphne’s answer. It was exactly what she wanted to hear.

“Really? It’s such an honor to become the Grand Duchess. You don’t seem to have any lingering attachment to the capital, so I don’t see why you would delay……”

She let her words trail off, but anyone could guess what she meant.

Werner cleared his throat, but Stephanie swallowed her laughter inwardly. Soon Daphne’s face would turn red, and Zenos would snicker. Fabian would get upset, but Christine was there.

She, absorbed in appearing as a benevolent mother-in-law, always took Stephanie’s side and had become even more zealous since the pregnancy.

‘What can she do? She’ll just swallow it again.’

Stephanie closed her eyes as she put a cognac-soaked truffle in her mouth.

‘Ah, so savory.’

Both the food and the situation were enjoyable.

But things didn’t go as she intended.

“What reason do you imagine, Stephanie?”

Opening her eyes at Daphne’s question, she found her smiling faintly while waiting for an answer.

And Werner and Zenos were looking at her with expressions as angry as Fabian’s. The truffle in her mouth felt gritty like sand.

But Stephanie was certainly not someone to be trifled with.

She smiled even more brightly than Daphne and retorted.

“I asked because I don’t know. Miss, were you offended? The whole family has gathered after a long time, and the atmosphere is becoming rather stiff.”

The implication was clear: it’s your fault, stop being sensitive and just eat.

But this wasn’t the Daphne that Stephanie knew, so it didn’t work.

“Yes, I am offended.”

Daphne put down her utensils and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“The ‘lingering attachment’ you mentioned……. It seems to refer not to the capital, but to Leonhardt.”

Normally, Zenos would have immediately said something, but his face contorted even more severely than before as he glared at Stephanie. Only Christine reacted as expected.

“Daphne, what are you saying? That’s just your feeling. She’s pregnant, don’t say unnecessary things.”

“Today I learned for the first time that pregnancy grants the qualification to say whatever one wants.”

At Daphne’s retort, Christine’s face hardened.

In contrast, Zenos, who had looked ready to explode with anger, snickered, and Fabian remained silent as if waiting to see what would happen. He had been prepared to step in if Daphne remained silent.

But it was fascinating to see her counterattack instead of just passively enduring as usual.

She didn’t disappoint her brother.

Daphne leaned back against her chair and looked at Stephanie with a very relaxed expression. But her eyes were unmistakably cold.

“Why are you acting so childishly just because you’re pregnant? It’s not like you’re becoming a baby yourself. If you want to upset me, be more straightforward. Bringing up a former fiancé when a marriage decree has been issued could displease the Empire’s two greatest families and the imperial family itself.”

Stephanie couldn’t say anything. Ludwig, sitting beside her, also couldn’t hide his surprise at Daphne’s changed attitude.

In such situations, he always hung back and made a comment or two to drive the situation. But this situation seemed beyond that approach.

He spoke in a very stern voice.

“Don’t ruin the mood on such a good day. And watch your words. She’s not someone you can speak to carelessly. She’s my wife.”

“So when someone who can be treated carelessly opens their mouth, the mood is ruined. How pitiful.”

Daphne placed her napkin on the table and stood up.