As I roamed around looking for a suitable place, people who spotted me called out, “Aren’t you Duchess Penvernon?!” approaching me warmly. I had no idea since when we became so close.

After engaging in some casual conversation with them and turning away, a glass door on one side of the hall caught my eye. It was a door leading to the terrace.

I quietly passed through the door and stepped outside. There was no one on the terrace overlooking the garden. I thought I might be able to rest a bit here.

I leaned on the railing and surveyed the garden. Following my gaze, a vast night unfolded. Moonlight cascaded like a waterfall over the manicured garden trees. Blue magical lights, prepared for this day, gently undulated, illuminating various parts of the garden.

‘It’s beautiful.’

I stared blankly at the scenery. Time passed very slowly, gently brushing past me.

“How was it meeting the Crown Prince?”

“Oh my!”

Rashid suddenly appeared behind me. I turned around to confirm his face and calmed my startled heart.

“Can’t you please say something before approaching? Like last time, do you know how much you surprised me?”

Ignoring my words, Rashid grabbed my hand and rubbed the back of it. It tickled.

“What are you doing?”

I quickly pulled my hand out of Rashid’s grasp.

“I asked how it was meeting the Crown Prince.”

“How did you know about that? Did you see us?”

“There’s nothing about my wife that I don’t know.”

Startled by his answer, I shrank back. As I gently tried to avoid him, Rashid moved closer by the same distance I had retreated.

“I happened to see you as I was coming out of the separate room.”

“I see…”

“So, what did you think?”

Rashid asked again persistently.

Why is he being so insistent?

“Well…”

I tried to recall the Crown Prince. It didn’t seem like he had hidden his identity with any other intention. I think he probably just wanted to tease me because I didn’t recognize him right away. Surely he won’t bring up later that I didn’t recognize him?

“What is there for me to say? His Highness the Crown Prince is just His Highness the Crown Prince. I was a bit surprised, but…”

I continued playfully.

“Why are you curious about this?”

“……”

“Don’t tell me, are you jealous right now?”

Rashid didn’t answer. Instead, he just stared at me silently. It was bewildering to see him not responding to the joke, but just showing a sullen face as if he was upset.

Hmm, really? Seriously? It was just a random comment I made!

I frowned without realizing it. It was creepy. Then Rashid brought his index finger and gently smoothed out my furrowed brow. I quietly pushed his hand away again.

“Don’t worry about unnecessary things.”

What on earth is he thinking? This is truly maddening.

‘It’s probably just a temporary whim anyway.’

He’s acting like this because I’ve been making a fuss about wanting to divorce him.

Men are always like this, they only chase after you when you try to run away. How is this any different from the greed of quickly grabbing something they had no intention of having just because someone else might take it? His obvious and shameless attitude felt utterly disgusting.

‘Come to think of it, adultery is also a valid reason for divorce.’

It goes without saying if there’s even an illegitimate child, and having a lover is only acceptable when there’s mutual consent. If not, it’s either because one doesn’t know about the lover, or even if they know, they’re not in a position to make an issue of it.

Unless both parties pretend not to know, if one decides to make a big deal out of it, it naturally becomes a very significant flaw.

But becoming the mistress myself leaves too bitter an aftertaste. What should I do?

‘Even though I decided not to care about my reputation, that’s a bit…’

It was a stigma of a different dimension.

Besides, the current object of his misunderstanding is the Crown Prince. I wonder if the Crown Prince knows that Rashid is having such terrible thoughts. It’s truly embarrassing.

I turned my thoughts in the opposite direction. It doesn’t have to be just me creating reasons for divorce. Wouldn’t it be even easier if we both had reasons?

There’s a suitable person for that, as it happens.

“Not only did I meet His Highness the Crown Prince, but I also formed a connection with Miss Avellaine, the Marquis’s daughter.”

I lifted the ruby hanging around my neck with my finger.

“She was particularly interested in this ruby necklace.”

The high-quality gem reflected the moonlight, emitting a red glow. It was a brilliant light that would suit Scarlet’s neck much better than mine.

“Alisa.”

Rashid grabbed my arm and lowered his voice. The ruby bounced lightly on my upper chest. I felt unnecessarily tense. Why, what, why.

“Let me make it clear that there has been no infidelity since I married you.”

Even with just those words, I understand everything. As expected, you remember what you said to your former lover. It seems that at least those words were true.

I just smiled quietly.

“Of course. That’s only natural.”

“I can swear to it.”

“Swear?”

“Yes.”

“How will you swear?”

“By Morea.”

Swearing by a god. To the people of this world, it carries an incredibly heavy meaning. There’s no stronger guarantor than Morea to prove one’s innocence.

“You’re being quite solemn.”

“It means don’t misunderstand. For the honor of the Duke of Penvernon as well.”

Rashid was resolute. Honor, huh. So he cares about such things too. Somehow, it was a bit unexpected. It seems he doesn’t like the idea of being the adulterer. It was hard to believe these were the words of a man who had spread rumors with countless women before marriage, but well, that was when he was single.

“I understand. But it’s fine, so you don’t need to pay more attention to me than you used to.”

I spoke calmly. To some extent, I was sincere.

“Alisa, do you find it amusing to tease me?”

But it didn’t seem to sound that way to Rashid. His golden eyes glared at me as if to pierce through. His words became short again.

“A little?”

I shrugged my shoulders slightly.

“You little brat.”

“I meant for you to be comfortable since we’ll be divorcing soon anyway.”

“I’m comfortable enough as it is.”

He smiled and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

I suddenly remembered a passage I had read before. The story about how looking at me reminded him of the butterfly he used to play with as a child.

“Wait a moment.”

I twisted my body, trying to escape from Rashid’s embrace. But his large, firm hand held me tightly. Far from separating, as he pulled me even harder, our bodies pressed closer together.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m being affectionate with my wife to please His Majesty the Emperor.”

When I was about to retort, ah. Again. This scent… A pitch-black fragrance without a trace of light washed over me. It was a deep and heavy scent that made me feel like I would melt into that darkness if I closed my eyes.

“Still, don’t pretend to be close in public. We can’t have situations that might be disadvantageous for the divorce.”

“Does being like this make it disadvantageous?”

“It’s troublesome if we appear to be on good terms.”

“No one’s watching.”

Rashid whispered. In a low and soft voice, as if he was telling a secret, as if he was tempting me to go somewhere together.

“That’s absurd. Then there’s even less need for this!”

I frowned and pushed Rashid away. This time, his sturdy body moved away obediently with a low chuckle. The touch of amber at my fingertips as I pushed him felt particularly soft and cold.

* * *

“Are you concerned about the man who could have been your husband?”

In a quiet corridor of the imperial palace. In the inner palace where only the imperial family could enter, the shadows of two people fell. They were the most noble and high-ranking individuals in this vast empire, except for the Emperor and Empress.

“Wasn’t it you, brother, who opposed the marriage the most?”

Jeanne snorted at Castor’s question.

The Emperor tried to strengthen control over the Penvernon ducal family. In an era where the special abilities of the five ducal families were gradually weakening, the emergence of an extraordinary figure like Rashid was a major event that stimulated the Emperor’s wariness.

One of the methods the Emperor found to grasp this coveted yet fearsome ability was an engagement. He intended to tie Rashid to the imperial family by marrying him to his daughter, Jeanne.