He set down his teacup and rose from the sofa before the Duke. Standing with perfect posture, he stared down at the Duke. His height was so great that he seemed to overwhelm the Duke entirely.

“I’ve shown my sincerity, so I hope you’ll show yours as well, Duke. Trust is the foundation of business, is it not?”

“I’m confident the Count will have nothing to lose by being entangled with our family.”

“I wish the Duke and the lady good health. I’ll take my leave now.”

Luca followed closely behind Diego as he left the Duke’s office with a leisurely, elegant gait. Diego headed toward the carriage without a word.

Before boarding the carriage, he briefly surveyed the ducal residence. Despite such tremendous incidents occurring one after another, the atmosphere remained peaceful as if nothing had happened—likely because the Duke, the center of the family, remained completely unshaken.

“From now on, I should call him a great actor rather than a Duke.”

Of course, the more outstanding the actor on stage, the better for the director.

A satisfied smile hung on Diego’s lips as he boarded the carriage, like a beast before appetizing prey.

Just one more step until the curtain rose on the stage. All that remained was to obtain the final piece.

※※※

Ribeta couldn’t go out to work for several days. It wasn’t because Melissa was being considerate about Ribeta’s wounds festering.

Melissa firmly believed that Alec and Ribeta were in an intimate relationship. So she intended to confine her inside the house where she could watch her and monitor her movements. For Ribeta, it was a hellish time. She felt it would be better to work through the night and die of exhaustion.

It was agonizing that Melissa found fault with everything, but what was even more agonizing was being suspected of something she hadn’t done. On top of that, the handkerchief had been taken from her. She hadn’t been able to keep it even for a full day.

Ribeta had no material desires. The concept of ‘mine’ wasn’t even tolerated for a slave. Objects were one thing, but even she herself wasn’t hers. She belonged to her master.

It was the first thing she had ever received. Though it was a trivial thing Count Ruperto could easily discard, for Ribeta it was the first thing given to her as ‘hers.’

She wanted to cherish it preciously until she died.

It wasn’t that she had lost her heart to Count Ruperto. She didn’t want to catch his eye either. She just wanted something, however small, to comfort her. She just needed a small support to endure her weary daily life.

But even that small comfort wasn’t permitted. That was the life of a slave.

Morning broke. Ribeta opened her eyes with difficulty.

The wounds were healing slowly. Her back throbbed whenever she moved. But there was no medicine to apply. She had to consider herself fortunate that it wasn’t festering since the weather wasn’t hot.

She forced her creaking body to move and prepared breakfast, only to find Melissa already awake for some reason.

“You’re up? Did you sleep well without any discomfort?”

“I need to go out for a bit after breakfast. You’re coming with me.”

Ribeta was puzzled. Going out? So suddenly?

After the family’s ruin, Melissa rarely went out. No one sought out a ruined noble, and Melissa herself had thrown tantrums saying she’d rather die than go out in her shabby state. So Ribeta had handled all the errands that needed to be done outside.

Ribeta soon dismissed her doubts. A slave didn’t need to ask questions. She just had to follow orders. Questions only brought beatings.

“There’s not much money left in the account, is there?”

“Yes…… I couldn’t go out to work for several days……”

“If you hadn’t gotten your hopes up for nothing, you wouldn’t have been beaten and could have gone to work, right?”

For a slave. Melissa added with a sneer as if by habit. Ribeta lowered her head.

“Well, it’s fine. I’ve found a good solution.”

“A good solution?”

“You’ll find out soon. If things go well, we won’t have to worry about money until I marry Alec.”

Melissa began eating while humming. She looked genuinely happy for the first time in a long while.

What could this solution be? Ribeta gripped one arm tightly. For some reason, a sense of foreboding sent chills down the back of her neck.

※※※

After breakfast, Ribeta walked about three steps behind Melissa on the street.

Since around the end of puberty, Melissa absolutely forbade Ribeta from walking beside her. And she always made her cover half her face with something like an old hood. Quick-witted, Ribeta soon realized why. Melissa was jealous of Ribeta—of her appearance.

Ribeta couldn’t understand her master. She knew her appearance was above average. Everyone who saw her never spared their praise. But beautiful looks were no help at all. At least not for a slave.

Slaves with outstanding looks were destined for unfortunate ends. There was no such thing in reality as a slave who lived happily ever after receiving their master’s love.

Abandoned, forgotten, or killed.

Walking down the street, she felt people’s gazes drawn to her. Ribeta pressed the rag-like cloth deeper over her head.

Melissa’s pace was slightly faster than usual. Ribeta, beaten all over her body, endured the pain and followed diligently behind her.

How long had they walked like that? Melissa suddenly stopped and turned around.

“Are you keeping up well?”

“Yes, Miss.”

Something was strange. In the more than ten years she’d served Melissa, not once had she asked such a kind question about whether she was keeping up.

Moreover, the two of them had entered a deserted alley.

When had they come to such a place?

Her fingertips felt ice cold.

Ribeta asked as politely as possible, trying not to upset Melissa.

“Miss, this road is too dark. It’s dangerous, so how about we go back to the main street?”

“It’s a shortcut. Just follow me.”

Melissa started walking again. But Ribeta didn’t want to go deeper into the dark, narrow alley. It felt as if some terribly ominous and horrible monster was opening its mouth to swallow her.

“Can’t you move right now? Do you want to get beaten in the street?”

Melissa urged sharply. Ribeta didn’t want to, but she had no choice but to step forward. Tsk, Melissa clicked her tongue.

“Why are you so slow?”

Whether it was truly a shortcut or not, Melissa stopped in front of a building not far away. Then she opened the closed door and entered without hesitation, but Ribeta didn’t readily go inside and looked around.

No matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find the sign that should naturally be there if it were a shop. It was definitely a suspicious place.

I need to go back. I can’t stay here. I can’t go in there.

Ribeta’s instincts warned her powerfully. As Ribeta backed away, she bumped into something with her back. At the same time, a hand shot out from inside and grabbed her wrist. It was Melissa’s hand.

“Miss……?”

“Thank you for everything, Ribeta. I hope you find a master as good as me.”

Melissa smiled. Startled by the eerie smile for only a moment, a hand holding a strange-smelling cloth covered Ribeta’s nose and mouth.

“Mmph, mmm……!”

“To do this much for a slave who targeted my fiancé—I really am too kind.”

With Melissa’s laughter as the last sound, Ribeta’s consciousness cut off.

※※※

“……Ugh.”

Before she could even open her eyes, a headache hit her first. A terrible headache as if dozens of needles were stabbing her head.

Ribeta tried to hold her head with both hands. But her arms felt strangely heavy. There was a clanking sound too. Looking closely, iron shackles were fastened around her wrists. Heavy iron balls attached to the ends made it difficult even to lift her arms.

“This is……”

“Uuugh, huuugh.”

Before she could grasp the situation, sobbing sounds came from inside. Ribeta flinched in surprise and looked toward where the sound came from. A skeletal hand protruding from a corner of the darkness scratched at the stone floor.

“……Wa……”

It wasn’t simple sobbing. Ribeta listened carefully.

“Wa, ter……”

“Water?”

“Water…… please, give me……”

Her voice cracked harshly, as if suffering from severe thirst. Ribeta looked around and discovered a small water bowl placed inside the iron bars. Fortunately, it was half-filled with lukewarm water.

The moment she lifted the water bowl, an unfamiliar voice whispered from across the bars.

“Better not give it to her.”

“She seems very thirsty, so I should give it to her.”

“That water and bread are yours, and who knows when they’ll give more. If you’re unlucky, you’ll starve to death. Like that woman.”

Ribeta turned to look at the woman. The woman who had asked for water was collapsed on the floor.