The servants had grown accustomed to the peculiar mealtime atmosphere where Leticia and Callius didn’t exchange a single word.

The weather had warmed considerably, and the air was filled with the vibrant energy of spring. When the wind blew, the scent of greenery tickled their noses.

“There will be a party at Winstleton Castle in three days.”

The name of Duke Winstleton was well-known even in the capital, though not for good reasons.

He was the third son of the Winstleton family, with two elder brothers ahead of him to inherit the family name. However, his brothers had died one after another, leaving the position to the third son, Austin Winstleton.

Regardless of the truth, it was undeniable that there was constant controversy surrounding his ascension as the head of the family. Even his marriage was no exception.

He had married a young lady of unknown origins from the countryside, who had been a famous mistress of Mathias at the time. There was no way he hadn’t known that his wife had once been the mistress of the imperial prince. Despite this, he had taken her as his wife and became a strong ally to Mathias.

“I’ve already asked Nora to handle the preparations, so just be aware of that.”

Callius spoke as if it were no big deal.

Leticia hadn’t attended any proper parties since the reception. Even the reception had ended in chaos due to the appearance of an assassin.

Leticia was well aware of Austin Winstleton’s personality. He had been her peer during her days in Damian. Although he had left the academy earlier than her due to the deaths of his brothers, she remembered him well.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, there isn’t.”

At least, it wasn’t a problem that Callius needed to concern himself with.

Leticia finished her meal and rose from her seat first.

—

Nora approached Leticia as soon as she finished eating, citing the urgency of having less than three days to prepare.

Back in the capital, Leticia had separate maids for tailoring dresses, selecting accessories, and styling her hair. Her father had insisted that such attention to detail was necessary to maintain the dignity of Rearbon.

“At last, it’s time to try on all these dresses!”

“What is all this…”

Compared to the dress room at the Rearbon estate, Leticia had underestimated the dress room at Siscreek, which had only recently welcomed a mistress.

Leticia looked at the rows of dresses with a slightly dumbfounded expression. The sheer number of designs was overwhelming to the point of suffocation. This wasn’t just a dress room—it was practically a boutique transported in its entirety.

“I heard the master, lacking any sense in this area, simply purchased an entire famous boutique from the capital.”

In that moment, two thoughts crossed Leticia’s mind.

First, how had they managed to move an entire boutique all the way to remote Siscreek? Second, how much money would something like that even cost?

Not long ago, they had been fretting over raising tenant fees.

No, wait.

It wasn’t Callius who had been concerned about raising the fees—it was Nora.

“The sizes might be a little big, but I can adjust them. Do you have a specific design in mind?”

“…I’ll leave it to you, Nora.”

Nora’s face lit up with the happiest expression Leticia had ever seen.

Even Christine, standing behind Leticia, couldn’t keep her mouth closed in astonishment.

“I feel like I’d die before I could try on all these clothes.”

Leticia silently agreed with her.

Nora, as if she had already decided on something, quickly brought out a dress.

“Of course, we’ll have to see which color suits you best.”

Nora’s laughter felt almost sinister, and it wasn’t just Leticia who thought so. Christine broke into a nervous sweat just watching her.

—

They were scheduled to depart shortly after noon.

When the day finally arrived, Leticia was bathed and dressed by Nora from early morning.

“Did they soak you in honey or something?”

Leticia couldn’t help but recall what Callius had said on their wedding night, as the same fragrant oils clung to her now.

“Why is he taking so long? I’ll go fetch the master myself.”

Just as Nora, impatient from waiting, was about to go call Callius, he finally appeared.

The black uniform suited him as if it were made for him. It was rare to see the uniform personally bestowed by the emperor.

Though he wasn’t part of the imperial guard, his uniform was of equivalent rank.

The brooches on his chest were marks of his achievements. The cape fixed to his shoulder fluttered like a flag with his every movement.

“What are you staring at?”

“The uniform suits you well.”

She wasn’t trying to win his favor; the compliment was genuine.

Instead of thanking her, Callius flung the carriage door open.

“Get in. Who knows what they’ll say if we’re late.”

Throughout the journey to Winstleton Castle, Callius was full of complaints.

The nobles envied him yet looked down on him. His origins were something he could never change, no matter what he did.

“Is this your first time going to Winstleton Castle?”

“Of course not. Austin Winstleton spends his entire life gathering people to show off how well he fits into his position.”

His tone was sharp. Leticia couldn’t agree more.

Even so, the reason he couldn’t refuse the invitation was likely because Austin Winstleton was an ally of Mathias.

“And he was also your peer in Damian.”

It surprised her that he knew this, though it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Attending Damian was a source of great pride, and Austin Winstleton certainly wouldn’t have kept quiet about it.

“Were you close?”

“We only spoke a few times.”

“That’s a relief. I’d be disappointed if you were close to someone like him.”

Unlike her, however, Callius shared a common interest with Austin.

“And you?”

“I’m disappointed, Leticia. Do I seem like someone who would associate with an idiot like him?”

His question could be answered both ways. Personality-wise, he wouldn’t associate with someone like that, but considering his ambition, it was hard to say.

The more time she spent with him, the more unexpected sides of him she discovered.

In terms of judging people, Leticia and Callius weren’t so different. Their standards for identifying fools were nearly identical.

As they exchanged trivial conversation, Winstleton Castle came into view.

The sunset engulfed the entire castle, making it look as though it were on fire from a distance.

By the time they arrived, the sun had set, and torches were lit throughout the grounds.

Before stepping out of the carriage, Callius extended his hand to Leticia.

“Shall we head into the mud together?”

He wasn’t a gentleman.

His tone and words were far from refined.

But at least for now, he would be more amicable to Leticia than anyone they were about to meet.

Leticia took his hand.

As they stepped out of the carriage together, the servants greeted them.

“Welcome to Winstleton.”

From a distance, the sound of string instruments could be heard.

—

Austin Winstleton’s wife, Merilyn Winstleton, knew enough about Mathias’s preferences.

After all, she had been his mistress, and during that time, she had encountered several of his other mistresses.

“She is beautiful.”

Her husband commented indifferently.

“Just beautiful?”

But mere beauty couldn’t explain it.

This was the woman Mathias had desired so much that he was willing to destroy a family to have her.

For someone as capricious as Mathias to go that far, she couldn’t be just a beauty.

“What are you so curious about?”

“Think about it, Austin. For someone so fickle to ruin a family, she can’t just be beautiful.”

“People tend to obsess over what they can’t have.”

“Hmm.”

Merilyn had just received word from a servant that Marquis Maxis and his wife had arrived.

She didn’t believe Austin’s words, but she could confirm them herself.

Besides, Merilyn was also curious about the infamous hunting dog.

This would be her third time meeting him.

He was a man whose thoughts were written all over his face, so she was curious to see what kind of chaos he would cause today.

And, of course, to admire his handsome face a little.

Descending the spiral staircase, Merilyn spotted the couple who had just arrived below.

Arm in arm, they whispered to each other like a true married couple.

It was strange.

Merilyn had expected Callius to enter separately from his wife.

The Callius she knew would certainly have done so.

“It’s been a while, Marquis.”

At Merilyn’s voice, both of them looked up simultaneously.

“It has been a while, Lady Winstleton.”

For a moment, Merilyn thought she must have misheard.

Callius’s expression was the exact opposite of what she had anticipated.

He didn’t seem angry, and most shockingly, he was polite to a fault.

“Leticia Maxis,” Leticia introduced herself. “Thank you for inviting us, Lady Winstleton.”

And Lady Leticia.

The moment Merilyn saw her, she realized.

All of Mathias’s mistresses had been mere substitutes for this woman.