She thought it was a joke, but he truly turned away without a hint of hesitation and began to walk.

As she watched her husband grow smaller in the distance, Elicity clutched the hem of her sleeve with a bewildered expression.

‘W-what, you became a duke and still can’t tell the difference between empty words and sincerity?’

But the words had already been spoken. As her husband smoothly disappeared into the hall without even a shadow left behind, a wave of disappointment surged through her chest.

***

Lowen was taken aback.

The duke, who had stepped into the banquet hall after ascending the stairs, had furrowed his brows ever so slightly.

‘Did someone get on His Grace’s nerves again?’

Despite being a noble, Alex was not arrogant. Some might assume it was only natural since he had risen from a fallen noble family, but in that case, his manners would have been crude. However, there was not a single flaw in his conduct while greeting the guests.

The issue lay within.

The duke concealed it well, but at his core, he despised the nobility. More precisely, it was as if a fish accustomed to clean waters refused to mingle with those from polluted ones.

Thus, every time a banquet was held, the duke was never pleased by the nobles who approached with honeyed words of flattery.

‘But His Grace just went to see the duchess.’

Lately, the duke had grown closer to his wife. It was strange for someone who should be smiling foolishly to return with a scowl.

Of course, only Lowen, who had spent a long time by Alex’s side, would notice such a subtle change.

And precisely because of that, Lowen knew all too well how sharp and irritable Alex could become when annoyed. He had to lighten his mood somehow.

Catching hold of a passing attendant, Lowen took two glasses of lemon champagne from his tray.

“Your Grace.”

“…Lowen.”

As he handed the champagne to the duke, the furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

Not wanting to risk being caught in the crossfire, Lowen spoke in a very gentle tone.

“Did someone upset you, Your Grace?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Your brows were furrowed.”

“…Was I?”

The duke, as if unaware of it himself, paused mid-sip of his champagne.

“Then, no one displeased Your Grace?”

“No. On the contrary, actually. The reason I was frowning was probably…”

‘The contrary?’

Just as Lowen narrowed his eyes in confusion, he saw it clearly—beneath the hand stroking his smooth jaw, the duke’s lips were curved into a round smile.

“I must be getting old. I can’t control my expressions.”

“Ah…”

“You should get married soon too. Teasing one’s wife is quite amusing.”

‘As expected, there was no way he’d be in a bad mood after seeing the duchess.’

Lowen couldn’t help but chuckle as he replied.

“Your Grace would have to give me time to meet a lady first. You pile so much work on me—how am I supposed to meet someone, let alone marry?”

“That’s because you’re too competent. You should be a little less so. Perhaps make a few mistakes.”

“And then Your Grace would have me executed, wouldn’t you?”

“Hmm…”

At his superior’s lack of denial, Lowen suddenly felt a chill around his neck. At that moment, he spotted Marquis Prisant approaching from a distance.

Not one to meddle in conversations between high-ranking nobles, Lowen swiftly pretended to have something urgent to attend to and slipped away.

Meanwhile, as soon as Alex saw Marquis Prisant approaching, he barely managed to suppress a frown.

However, the chill in the air around him was unavoidable, so he took a sip of champagne to temper the cold atmosphere.

Marquis Prisant took great pride in his family’s long history and often looked down on Alex. Moreover, being older, he occasionally took it upon himself to lecture the duke.

Of course, since Alex held a higher title, the marquis couldn’t be openly disrespectful, but his subtle arrogance was unmistakable.

He was not a man Alex could like.

“Haha, this victory banquet is truly splendid, Duke. Thank you for the invitation.”

Although the banquet had only just begun, the tip of the marquis’s nose was already slightly red. Clearly, he had indulged in his drinks.

Wearing his “duke” mask, Alex greeted him as expected.

“I’m glad you came, Marquis. It’s good to see you enjoying the event.”

“You seem quite different from before. It looks like your wife has done a lot of studying.”

“……”

The marquis, idly chattering under the influence of wine, suddenly felt the previously warm atmosphere grow increasingly cold.

The sharp shift sobered him up instantly. Clearing his throat a couple of times, he swiftly changed the subject.

“Speaking of which, I heard that Salita has set its sights on your daughter as the crown princess. Congratulations.”

His skill at wriggling out of trouble was remarkable. Watching the young duke’s reaction, he lightly swirled his glass as if offering his congratulations.

However, Alex remained indifferent.

“There’s nothing to celebrate. If Bella does not wish it, I will not send her.”

“What? Why not?”

“Why do you think?”

“……”

The duke’s sharp response made the marquis narrow his eyes. Instantly sobered, he set his glass down on a passing attendant’s tray.

“Salita will not stand still. This is, in reality, a diplomatic transaction between nations, Duke. A royal decree will soon be issued formally. So just prepare to send your daughter.”

“……Marquis.”

However, the words that came from the Duke’s mouth were completely unexpected.

“I told you, I will not send her.”

His tone suggested that even the king did not intimidate him. Rather than feeling mere surprise, the Marquis felt fear.

The Duke’s eyes shone with an icy gleam. They resembled the eyes of a predator preparing to hunt, sending a shiver down Marquis Prisant’s spine.

At the same time, he could not understand what gave this young Duke such confidence.

No matter how much the king favored Zeroden or how much merit he had earned in war, he was still young, with minimal political backing.

“Th-That may be so, but…”

It was at that moment—

“Duke.”

A lilting voice rang out, and from a distance, Lucellia could be seen approaching slowly.

The princess, with her golden hair swept up into an excessively elaborate ornament, was breathtakingly beautiful.

It was impossible for any man to resist turning to look at her, and in fact, every man in the hall had already done so, their gazes dripping with undisguised desire.

“Duke, it has been a while.”

However, the princess’s gaze was fixed solely on Alex.

It was only natural. Ten years ago, she had thrown tantrums in the royal corridors, begging the king to let her marry the Duke.

Lucellia was beyond confident—she was brazen.

She made no effort to hide the desire in her blue eyes for the strongest man on the continent.

Even though he was already married and had a daughter.

‘……Still the same.’

Lucellia’s eyes roamed over Alex’s broad shoulders, his muscular chest, the leather belt cinching his narrow waist, and his powerful thighs before finally meeting his crimson eyes.

The moment she locked eyes with those fiery irises, which seemed as though they would never be extinguished, she felt her mouth go dry.

At the same time, fury surged within her toward the Duchess, who was not present at this gathering.

She could not believe such an attractive man was being left alone.

‘No, this is actually perfect.’

Lucellia, flashing an alluring smile, extended her pale hand. Under the chandelier’s glow, her well-manicured nails and soft skin shimmered.

“Congratulations on your victory in the battle against the Tutania tribe.”

“……”

“Here.”

Lucellia gently shook her hand again, urging him to kiss it.

However, Alex remained utterly still.

The words that finally escaped his lips were entirely unexpected.

“I heard you were not invited. And yet, here you are.”

Lucellia’s face turned bright red.

Of course, she knew that. She had come despite the humiliation, solely to see Alex. More precisely, she had come to seduce him, leveraging her status as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

‘……Was he always like this?’

From what she remembered, Alex had always been indifferent toward her, but never this cold.

No, this was not mere indifference—this was outright rudeness.

Lucellia was taken aback but assumed he must be in a poor mood due to exhaustion. She forced another smile.

“I can go anywhere I wish. After all, I am of divine lineage.”

“……I see.”

Alex murmured in a low voice and took her hand.

‘Of course. He wouldn’t disregard courtly manners.’

Just as Lucellia smiled in satisfaction, he pressed his lips to her hand.

However, something felt off.

She could not feel anything on her skin.

Lucellia asked in a baffled tone,

“Duke, are you sure you just honored me with a kiss?”

“I am.”

“I felt nothing. And yet, you claim you kissed my hand?”

“You must be mistaken.”

That was impossible.

Lucellia’s golden brows knitted together.

“Duke, this is highly—”

At that moment, someone suddenly clung tightly to Alex’s leg.

“Ah, Princess, it is an honor to meet you.”

It was Alex’s only daughter, Isabella Zeroden.

“Isabella?”

Alex was startled and called out her name.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you playing with children your own age?”

“……I was, but—”

Lucellia immediately understood why the young lady had appeared.

Even as she hesitated, Isabella’s sharp gaze remained fixed on her.

‘How annoying.’

Lucellia did not like children. Especially not the daughter of that infuriating Elicity.

However, since she was also the daughter of Alex, Lucellia forced a smile.

“Oh, my dear Yvella. It has been so long.”

For a moment, silence fell between the four people, including Marquis Prisant.

The only person unaware of why the atmosphere had frozen was Lucellia herself.

“Why is everyone acting like this?”

“Regrettably, my daughter’s name is Isabella Zeroden, Your Highness.”

A voice from behind Lucellia provided the answer.

It was Elicity.