After that, he could not remember clearly.

People had pulled him away, and when he came to his senses, the man beneath him was covered in blood and unconscious.

Alex did not panic but instead searched for his wife.

If Elicity had gotten caught up in the commotion and been hurt, he would never forgive himself.

“Elicity!”

Among the crowd, he found his wife, unharmed—not a single strand of hair out of place. But the problem was…

“……”

His wife was afraid of him, the husband who had just saved her.

The emotion reflected in her violet eyes was unmistakably fear. This was not the gaze of a wife welcoming her husband home after a long time.

It was the look one would give to a terrifying wild beast. He had encountered such gazes countless times on the battlefield; there was no way he could mistake it.

My love, are you afraid of me right now?

Just as Alex was about to ask, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window.

‘Ah.’

Blood was splattered across his lips, hands, and chest.

She was afraid of him.

Shame washed over him. And once again, he was overwhelmed by self-loathing. Unable to control his violence—he was no man, but a monster.

The grudges of the slain seemed to turn into a swamp, dragging him down. At that moment, Alex wanted nothing more than to be buried deep in the ground.

But he barely managed to suppress his emotions and explained the situation to the guards who had just arrived.

He even offered to go to prison if necessary.

However, the guards trusted a national hero, even a violent one, more than they trusted a man who had been harassing a woman.

Silently, they dragged the bloodied man away, and the onlookers, sensing the atmosphere, quietly dispersed.

“D-Dear. Thank you for helping me… When did you return? Are you in good health…? Have you eaten?”

Elicity spoke, but Alex could no longer hear her.

He no longer had the courage to look at her face. If those violet eyes wavered again, he might completely fall apart.

Alex turned away.

“Let’s go home. There’s something I need to tell you.”

And so, he brought Elicity home and explained everything—how he was to become the duke’s adopted son and everything that had happened in the meantime. Then, he took his family to the duke’s territory.

Throughout the entire process, Alex could not bring himself to so much as touch Elicity or their daughter, Bella.

He was terrified that he might become a monster again and hurt the people he loved.

Even so, he could not leave their side. The weight of love was too heavy—his feet would not move.

What he truly wanted to say was that he had missed them.

That he had longed for them, felt lonely…

And that he had been afraid.

No one would expect it, but a war hero had been terrified of the battlefield.

The accusations, resentment, and curses that came when he raised his sword.

The fear of dying without a name or a trace.

The crushing loneliness that pierced his bones.

All of it had been too much to bear.

But the moment he saw the fear in Elicity’s eyes, his mouth felt frozen shut.

Would those violet eyes, like those of the ones he had slain, turn into shadows of resentment and condemnation?

Hearing words of reproach from the one you love is more painful than a dagger through the heart.

So, Alex buried everything about the war.

Not just the ordinary people he had killed, but also the sorrow and suffering he had wanted to share—he buried it all beneath silence.

As if he had simply returned from a normal day’s work. As if he was determined to keep it that way forever.

His illness persisted even after returning from the battlefield. However, thanks to the treatment of an exceptional physician, he improved and was eventually cured after a few years.

He was finally able to touch his wife and daughter.

But only ‘when necessary.’ Even then, it was still difficult to reach out to them. They were too precious.

‘…And yet, over something so trivial, I hurt her.’

—This… I don’t like this. I’m scared.

A trembling voice echoed in his ears. His heart pounded in a terrible way, and his breath felt choked.

‘A wretch lower than trash.’

He roughly rubbed his face with one hand. There was no way he would be able to sleep.

***

After Alex left the ducal estate, Elicity steeled herself and carried out the duties of the duchess.

She took good care of her sister-in-law, ensured Melina felt comfortable, and prepared a space for the Rogers couple whenever they visited.

And she dealt with Calix.

When Elicity announced that she would put her older brother Calix on trial, her sister-in-law said nothing.

Elicity took that silence as tacit agreement.

After all, even if his wife did not consent, Calix had tried to strike the duchess. Anyone could see he belonged in prison.

Moreover, he was a potential threat to the Zeroden family in the future. Elicity decided that she would make sure he remained behind bars for at least twenty years.

Trials between nobles were held at the Supreme Court in the capital.

If she wanted Calix to receive a severe sentence, she needed the Supreme Court judges to take her side.

‘To do that, I need the support of the Chief Justice.’

Just in time, after the last tea party, an invitation to a charity event arrived from the wife of Marquis Cambly, the Chief Justice.

Elicity picked up a pen to write a reply.

<Madam Cambly, 

Thank you for inviting me to the charity event you are hosting. I had planned to attend, but unfortunately, an unfortunate matter has arisen. It seems a trial will soon be held at the High Court. If this concern can be resolved quickly, I may be able to attend, but… otherwise, I don’t think I will be able to.>

‘With this much, she should understand what I mean.’

Madam Cambly adored her only son dearly.

However, young Master Cambly was, regrettably, a failure. At only fifteen, he was already drinking and frequenting clubs, showing no promising future.

Thus, the only support he could rely on was his mother and her family.

Madam Cambly would surely receive this letter, pressure the marquis, and ensure that Calix received a life sentence.

“Olivia, send this letter to Marquis Cambly’s estate immediately.”

“Yes, understood.”

The next issue was Serad. Elicity sighed, her gaze resting on the teacup atop her desk.

‘No matter how I think about it, Alex does not seem to like Sir Serad.’

That must have been what led to last night’s outcome.

As the memory of the dark, lonely bedroom resurfaced, her mood sank again.

There was no way she could continue to keep someone who made her feel this way in the estate.

‘It’s cruel, but…’

Having made her decision, Elicity called for Olivia.

“Olivia, could you bring me another sheet of royal stationery?”

“Huh? Who will you be writing to?”

“To Prince Helios. It seems that sending Sir Serad back would be the right course of action.”

She expected Olivia to hand over the stationery quickly, but her expression was strange.

“Ah… y-you’re sending him back?”

“Yes. But why do you look like that?”

Crash!!

At that moment, a vase shattered nearby.

Retia, who had been changing the water in the vase, had apparently slipped and dropped it.

Startled, Elicity dropped her pen. The fallen pen left a dark ink stain on the letter.

“Retia. Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?”

“Ah, yes! I-I’m fine.”

However, Retia’s face was ashen.

“Ouch!”

To make matters worse, instead of calling for a maid, she picked up the broken shards herself and ended up cutting her hand.

Elicity sprang up from her seat.

“Retia, don’t worry about the vase and get treated immediately!”

“Ah, yes!”

Something felt off. Throughout both her past and present life, Elicity had spent a long time with Retia.

Now, Retia was trembling as if she were deeply unsettled.

However, she was not the type to easily reveal her thoughts. Retia was loyal and would never want to trouble her mistress.

Seeing her like this, Elicity quietly called Olivia over.

“Olivia, does Retia have something on her mind lately?”

At this question, Olivia avoided Elicity’s gaze.

“You know something, don’t you?”

“Actually…”

What Olivia revealed next was shocking.

“What did you say? Retia and Sir Serad are in a relationship…?”

Elicity blamed herself for not noticing it sooner.

“How could I have missed this…?”

“Madam! Please don’t concern yourself. They have only been seeing each other for less than a month. Who would have guessed they had become lovers?”

“How did you find out, Olivia?”

“I only learned about it this morning after witnessing their secret meeting yesterday and then asking her.”

“Oh my…”

Rather than feeling anger, Elicity was simply dumbfounded.

Retia, who was always so meticulous in judging others, had fallen in love with Serad in such a short time.

Moreover, the fact that she had failed to notice the relationship between her personal maid and her knight was astonishing.

“I must have been completely out of it…”

Elicity sighed and asked Olivia again.

“Olivia, Retia is aware that Sir Serad is the second son of Count Bleam, isn’t she?”

“Yes. She said she knows her place.”

The phrase ‘knows her place’ felt painfully sorrowful, and Elicity bit her lip.

It was not uncommon for noble heirs to lure fallen noblewomen with sweet words, make them fall in love, and then discard them after using them up.

Retia was from a fallen noble family, whereas Serad was the second son of Count Bleam.

Count Bleam, despite holding the title of count, was notably proud and arrogant. He was deeply connected to the Jubitera family, which had strong ties to House Bleam.

The head of the ‘Jubitera’ family, the maternal family of the current queen, was Marquis Jubitera, the chief of the most reliable bank in the Kingdom of Madonia and the leader responsible for managing Madonia’s national treasury.

Several generations ago, they had remained at the rank of ‘Count,’ which made them close to the Bleam family. However, historically, the Charantes, a naval family, had completely eradicated pirates, clearing the sea routes. As a result, commerce flourished, and riding on this wave of prosperity, the Jubitera family grew significantly.

They did not want to remain at the rank of Count. They aspired to rise in status.

Then, one day, war broke out with Salita.

Count Jubitera provided war funds on the condition that his incredibly beautiful second daughter, who was then a concubine, would be placed on the vacant queen’s throne. This agreement also included funding the post-war reconstruction.

Thus, they were able to rise from Counts to Marquises.

To a family like the Bleam family, which had deep ties with them, a fallen noble like Retia would never be considered worthy.

‘But Sir Serad seemed sincere. He didn’t seem like the type to deceive a woman with lies…’

Olivia also seemed to sense that Retia and Serad were fated to be apart, as her face darkened.

Meanwhile, Retia, though flustered, was calmly directing the maids as they cleaned up the shattered vase.

Seeing her carefully managing the maids so as not to disturb her mistress’s affairs made Elicity’s heart ache.

‘Even before my regression, she served me with unwavering loyalty…’

Retia had never married, remaining single and devoting herself entirely to Elicity, dedicating her entire life to her.

She must have believed it was her duty to provide love in place of the Duke, who never loved his wife.

Of course, there had been attempts to arrange a marriage for her. But Retia had refused.

—I don’t need a husband. My duty is to serve my lady with all my heart.

‘No… Maybe I simply never noticed the person Retia truly loved.’

For Elicity, her daughter had always been her sole priority. She had never concerned herself with anyone but Bella.

But now, Retia had someone she loved.

‘I can’t ignore this. This issue… I need to think about it more carefully.’

Elicity folded the letter she had intended to send to Helios and placed it back in her desk drawer.