However, Elicity did not seem relieved. The Marquis sensed that something was seriously wrong and turned to Alex.

As expected, Alex’s face had hardened grimly, but he did his best to maintain a gentle smile as he quickly approached Elicity.

“Duchess.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“It doesn’t seem like this was properly resolved. Do I need to step in?”

“No. It’s all been taken care of. Bella and Christina have made up.”

Hearing Elicity’s subdued voice, Alex’s mood worsened further.

If his wife, who deeply loved their daughter, truly believed the conflict had been resolved amicably, she wouldn’t have reacted this way. Especially since her beautiful violet eyes had darkened deeply.

“Then why do you look like that? You don’t seem well.”

“That’s…”

Elicity seemed about to say something but instead forced a smile.

“It’s nothing. I think I was just too startled by the fact that our child got into a fight.”

At that dry, brittle smile, Alex’s lips tightened.

Alex was not naturally a gentle man. He had spent years living among rough knights in the barracks and had fought on countless battlefields, so it was only natural that his temperament had hardened.

However, he had always made an effort to be kind and affectionate toward his wife. He had longed so much for Elicity to smile, yet now, she had lost that smile.

Alex wanted nothing more than to crush the Marquis of Prisant and his family at this very moment, but he held back. His priority was comforting his downcast wife.

Ignoring the Marquis, who was anxiously watching him, Alex gently tucked a stray lock of Elicity’s hair behind her ear.

“Elicity, you look very tired. Why don’t you return to your chambers? I’ll escort you.”

“You should be attending to the guests.”

“You are more important.”

His voice was sweet as he whispered, but Elicity’s expression did not soften.

“Dear, Elicity.”

“…I told you I’m fine.”

Smack.

At that moment, she pushed his hand away from her cheek.

At that cold rejection, Alex finally realized that his wife’s sorrow was not caused by the Prisant family.

‘It’s because of me.’

Since he had not been involved in their daughter’s conflict, she must have recalled painful memories from her past life while resolving the situation, wounds that had been inflicted by him.

This was undeniable proof of the saying that spilled water cannot be gathered back.

As Alex stood in silent, growing regret, Elicity gave him a soft smile.

“Oh dear, I must have been too on edge. I apologize for pushing your hand away.”

Alex was adept at wearing masks.

So he immediately recognized that the radiant smile on his wife’s face was not genuine.

However, even if he pressed her, she was not the type to reveal the truth. And since he was the cause of her pain, she was even less likely to confess.

Suppressing the bitter taste in his heart, Alex forced himself to smile as if nothing was wrong.

“Very well. Let’s go to your chambers.”

***

Since she had fought with the daughter of the banquet’s host, it would have been shameless to remain at the ducal estate any longer. Christina and the Prisant couple quickly left, claiming they had other matters to attend to.

Though there had been a commotion, the children soon returned to playing boisterously as children do.

The noblewomen, as if nothing had happened, resumed their original purpose for attending the banquet—searching for suitable marriage prospects for their children with hawk-like eyes. Meanwhile, the young ladies and gentlemen of age busied themselves seducing one another with feigned modesty.

Thanks to this, Alex was able to reach his daughter Bella, who was talking with Lorraine, without anyone stopping him.

“Oh, Father?”

Bella’s crimson eyes widened in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected him to come. Her gaze then quietly lowered.

Lorraine, who had been watching over Bella, easily understood that her downcast expression stemmed from guilt over failing to maintain the perfect image of a noble young lady.

‘They call him the Ice Duke, don’t they? I wonder how he will handle his daughter…’

Earlier, the Marquis of Prisant had harshly scolded his daughter, almost dragging her into the carriage like an unruly beast.

It was obvious that the Prisant young lady would be confined to the estate for weeks, forced to copy etiquette books as punishment.

But this was Zeroden’s Duke—someone even more terrifying. Lorraine could only hope that the punishment for the adorable little princess she was set to tutor would be nothing worse than an early curfew.

“Isabella.”

However, the reaction of the Duke of Zeroden was completely different from what she had expected.

“I’m sorry for coming late. Your mother looked exhausted, so I escorted her to her chambers first. I should have come to comfort you sooner.”

His gentle tone and immediate apology left not only Lorraine but also Bella staring in shock.

However, Bella seemed more surprised by something else rather than her father’s reaction.

“Mom is exhausted?”

Bella soon murmured with a tearful expression.

“It’s my fault. No matter what, I should have endured it… I must have disappointed Mother.”

As tears welled up in her large eyes, Lorraine, who was beside her, panicked and quickly waved her hands.

“My Lady! This is not your fault. I have heard the full story, and the Marchioness’s daughter—”

“Yes, it is not your fault.”

Since Lorraine, unable to openly criticize the daughter of a noble ranked higher than herself, bit her lip instead, Alex spoke up decisively on her behalf.

“As an adult, I don’t want to be too quick to point out a child’s faults, but Lady Christina was the one in the wrong first.”

“…Father.”

“To dare to look down on the Duchess as a fallen noble—regardless of her being a child, that is a grave offense.”

Alex swept back his disheveled hair and leaned against the window sill.

“Bella.”

“Yes? Yes.”

“What would you like me to do?”

“What do you mean?”

Bella widened her eyes in surprise, and Alex gave her a gentle smile.

But it was a chilling smile.

“It is the family that tormented both you and your mother. I am asking what you would like me to do about it.”

“…!”

“My daughter is clever, so I am sure you understand my words well.”

As Alex said, Bella was unusually intelligent for a ten-year-old. She knew well that her father was incredibly powerful and possessed great wealth. Because of that, she had no doubt that whatever she uttered would be carried out immediately.

At the same time, Bella took after Alex greatly. That was why she was fit to wear the heavy tiara of the great nation of Salita.

Her small hands, which had been fidgeting with the hem of her dress, slowly clenched into fists.

“Father. Anything is possible?”

“Anything.”

“Then…”

Bella’s red eyes gleamed with determination.

“Make sure I never have to see Christina again.”

Alex’s eyes curved slightly in approval.

“An appropriate response.”

She hadn’t asked for Christina to be killed. A ten-year-old child’s thoughts weren’t quite that ruthless.

She had likely meant that Christina should be prevented from moving within the same social circles. But for a noble lady, that was an even harsher punishment. If she couldn’t debut properly in society, her prospects for a good marriage would be blocked.

Having fully grasped their conversation, Lorraine realized she needed to revise her initial impression of Bella as an innocent, model young lady.

‘This is a rather intense conversation. I wonder if the Duchess knows about this father-daughter dynamic.’

However, Lorraine actually found this side of Bella more reassuring. A purely naive noble lady wouldn’t survive long in high society.

Unknowingly, Lorraine had begun to smile when Alex turned his gaze toward her.

“Miss Fertel, thank you for looking after my daughter until I arrived.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Though he was expressing gratitude, his crimson eyes remained cold. The emotionless way he looked at her, as if she were just a pebble on the road, made Lorraine feel somewhat awkward.

‘His expression is completely different from when he looks at his wife.’

Even his voice was devoid of warmth.

“I hear you will be staying at the ducal residence from now on. Please take good care of my daughter.”

“Yes, of course. But….”

Lorraine hesitated before cautiously lifting her gaze.

“Are you not going to reprimand me for what happened by the lake with His Highness? I heard that the incident led to Lady Bella’s fight with her friend. I just wanted to clarify.”

“You mean the part where His Highness caught you when you almost fell? Wasn’t that an accident?”

“Yes, it was an accident!”

Lorraine quickly raised her voice but then continued in a softer tone.

“But to others….”

It certainly would have looked bad to an outsider. It was the perfect gossip material—an easy excuse for people to mock and attack a fallen noblewoman like herself.

Thinking about how it could even appear in the weekly papers tomorrow and potentially ruin her younger siblings’ chances at marriage, Lorraine felt utterly hopeless.

But Alex seemed to have a different perspective.

“Do not concern yourself with others’ opinions. Anyone with sense will know that such things are nothing more than meaningless gossip.”

“Oh.”

“More importantly, regarding the prince…”

It seemed he wanted to say something to Lorraine, but he closed his mouth instead.

“Your Grace?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Shaking his head, Alex turned toward Bella, who had been quietly watching their conversation. His hand reached toward the top of her head.

Bella, quickly realizing what he was about to do, widened her eyes, and her cheeks immediately flushed red.

But Alex’s hand never actually touched her. It didn’t even land on the crown of her head before it dropped back down.

Naturally, Bella’s puzzled gaze followed him. But instead of meeting his daughter’s eyes, Alex turned his face away, looking at Lorraine instead.

“Please take good care of her.”

“Oh, yes….”

With that, the duke gave a polite nod and turned away, leaving the lounge.

He did not escort his daughter to her room. He did not stay to have tea with her.

Lorraine turned to look at Bella.

Watching her father’s retreating back, Bella’s expression was that of an abandoned child left at an orphanage.

Seeing that lonely face, Lorraine instinctively pulled Isabella into a tight embrace.

A weak voice emerged from the girl in her arms.

“Teacher, I thought Father came to comfort me… but I guess I was wrong. I must have done something terribly wrong, right?”

“No, I’m sure he’s just very tired. Hosting a banquet is an exhausting task.”

“…Do you think so?”

Lorraine gently patted the despondent young lady’s back for a long time.