“So that’s how it happened.”

Hailey took a deep breath as she wrapped up her long explanation.

She looked down at the Duke seated at his desk.

With his face hidden behind a black mask, she couldn’t guess what he might be thinking.

“Hm.”

Tayton let out a low hum as he rested both elbows on the desk.

Then he placed his chin atop his interlaced fingers and gazed at Hailey intently.

His silver eyes were as sharp as an awl.

“So.”

He spoke slowly, his eyes narrowing into thin slits.

Hailey looked visibly tense, like a mouse cornered by a cat.

“You’re quitting?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“What about the leaky roof?”

At the unexpected question, Hailey parted her lips with a small “Um.”

Her light green eyes spun with unease.

“For now, I’ll just have to hope it doesn’t rain.”

“If you return to Kent Hall, you won’t be able to eat lamb or venison.”

“Maybe it’s time I become a vegetarian.”

Tayton frowned as if something displeased him and stared at her in silence.

He looked like someone struggling to come up with a suitable excuse.

Hailey endured his piercing gaze without flinching.

Just as the stifling silence was beginning to suffocate her—

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking shattered the frozen stillness.

With a tinge of annoyance in his voice, Tayton said, “Come in.”

The door opened, and Madam Mastis appeared.

As if expecting her, Hailey met her gaze and gave a polite nod.

After all, only Madam Mastis and Hailey ever came in and out of the Duke’s study.

Soon it would be only Mastis.

That thought left a bitter taste in Hailey’s mouth.

She bit her lip slightly.

Madam Mastis walked straight to the Duke’s side, bent slightly, and whispered something into his ear.

Hailey pricked her ears, curious, but she couldn’t make out a word.

The Duke’s already furrowed brows tightened even further.

He nodded, and Madam Mastis exited the room.

As if on cue, the door opened again.

This time, a well-dressed middle-aged man stepped inside.

He glanced Hailey up and down briefly, then walked over to the desk and stood beside her.

‘Should I leave?’

Feeling the growing tension in the room, Hailey looked back and forth between the two men.

Then the middle-aged man calmly spoke.

“It’s been a while, Duke Gunner. I trust you’ve been well?”

“A pleasure to see you, Lord Histein. But what brings you here without notice?”

“I’ve come to deliver an official letter from Princess Irene.”

As her eyes rolled ever so slightly, Hailey quietly took a step back.

A bad feeling crept up her spine.

The man handed over an envelope sealed with the royal crest, and Tayton tore it open without much reaction.

He scanned the letter with only his eyes.

“…”

The next moment, Hailey, who had been inching away, froze in place.

The Duke’s eyes had visibly twisted into a scowl.

His entire body radiated displeasure.

She couldn’t breathe.

The air in the room felt twice as heavy as usual.

Her face turned pale.

Then, the Duke slowly set the letter down.

Still staring at Lord Histein, he asked quietly:

“Annulment. Is this the princess’s will?”

“!”

Hailey drew in a sharp breath.

Annulment?

She turned her head abruptly, eyes wide.

She met the Duke’s chilling silver gaze.

He wasn’t joking.

His frosty stare was fixed on Histein.

The middle-aged man responded without a single change in expression.

“I’m merely the messenger, Lord Gunner. Even if you ask, I have no authority to answer.”

“Has His Majesty the King also given consent?”

“I’m merely the messenger.”

A loyal vassal always keeps his mouth shut.

The House of Histein had served the royal family for generations, and he had been raised from childhood to serve as a retainer.

Tayton, realizing he would get nothing out of him, abruptly rose from his seat.

Leaning on a cane, he began to walk.

Step. Drag. Step.

“I must have an audience with His Majesty.”

He passed Hailey without so much as a glance.

Cold, dismissive.

She watched his back in shock.

A dreadful suspicion gnawed at her—that she might be deeply entangled in the reason behind this sudden annulment.

Her lips twisted with anguish, and her expression looked on the verge of tears.

She didn’t know what to do.

It had been a long time since she felt this utterly lost.

Just before leaving the room, Tayton stopped and turned back to look at her.

Gazing at her pale face, he gave a low warning:

“Until I return, do not take a single step outside this estate, Miss Hailey Salmon.”

Only after both men had exited the room did Hailey collapse into the chair behind her.

She buried her face in her hands.

A faint groan slipped out from between her palms.

“Why did I have to get involved in someone else’s business…”

She trembled with shame at her own thoughtless actions.

She wanted to stomp on her own foot for not having changed a bit from the past.

If she could sell her soul to turn back time—she just might do it.

***

Tayton faced the king in a luxurious drawing room adorned in gold. King Edward personally received Duke Gunner, who had come to the royal castle, with courtesy.

As if he already knew the reason for the duke’s visit, he offered Tayton a seat and dismissed all the attendants from the room.

“It’s been a while, Lord Gunner. You haven’t changed.”

Edward greeted him with a friendly smile. The sharp silver eyes behind the black mask carried a chilling air.

But it was only for a fleeting moment—Tayton quickly pulled up the corners of his lips.

“I’m glad to see Your Majesty in good health.”

“You must be here because of Irene.”

Edward furrowed his brow and made a regretful expression. Tayton skipped any preamble and went straight to the point.

“Yes. Princess Britton unilaterally informed me of the annulment. And with just a letter, no less. I’ve come to request an audience, wondering if Your Majesty was aware of this.”

“She’s my daughter, but I really have no idea what’s going on in her head.”

Edward shook his head and continued. He wore an expression of concern like that of an ordinary father. Tayton tightened his lips to suppress the sneer threatening to escape.

“She’s so stubborn. Once she makes a decision, she refuses to compromise. No matter what I say, she won’t listen. I’m ashamed to face you.”

Tayton narrowed his eyes and stared at Edward, who wore a look of regret.

‘That sly serpent… What is he plotting?’

It was the king who needed Duke Gunner—the man who held power and wealth equal to the royal family. The royal family’s decline was already an open secret.

Due to the previous king’s indulgence in luxury and pleasure, the royal treasury had quickly emptied. Edward, who had inherited this burden, was in desperate need of the duke’s wealth.

That was why he had tried to marry off his daughter to Duke Gunner, despite her objections. Tayton was well aware of this.

As someone who calculated faster than anyone, Tayton had willingly played along, knowing Edward’s intentions. After all, becoming the next king wasn’t a bad deal for him. That’s why he had endured Irene’s rude behavior.

And yet suddenly, the king had taken Irene’s side, pretending to be a caring father. He, who had always forced her into sacrifice, now did a complete about-face. Why?

Just as a strange glint flickered in Tayton’s eyes, Edward spoke casually.

“I heard you’ve found yourself another woman, Lord Gunner?”

It was half an accusation, half a reproach.

Tayton slowly closed his eyes, then reopened them to look directly at Edward. The king was trying to shift the blame for the broken engagement onto Tayton instead of Irene—quite skillfully at that.

“Was it Miss Hailey Salmon? I heard Irene was deeply hurt because of her. She became a laughingstock in front of everyone. Since that day, she hasn’t taken a single step out of her room.”

“Over a single dance? Has Your Majesty not heard that Princess Britton danced first with Andrei Lermont?”

At Tayton’s gentle rebuttal, Edward lightly shook his head as if dismissing nonsense.

“Women are delicate, Lord Gunner. They always want to feel loved.”

He took Irene’s side. Tayton silently stared at the king. The tension between them was as taut as the string of a violin.

Hailey Salmon was merely an excuse. Both Tayton and Edward knew that. Irene had repeatedly requested the engagement be broken, always for different reasons, and each time Edward had refused.

But this time, he had taken her side. There had to be a reason unknown to Tayton behind this sudden change.

Just before leaving his office, Tayton had recalled the look on Hailey’s face—pale and bewildered, as if she were about to burst into tears.

At the same time, he remembered her confident expression when she asked him to dance. That face, hiding rising fury beneath a gentle smile.

In that moment, Tayton had wondered if dancing with her might give Irene the very excuse she needed.

And yet, he had taken Hailey’s hand.

“……”

Tayton’s eyes narrowed faintly.

‘Why, indeed?’

“I won’t demand compensation.”

Edward’s voice interrupted Tayton’s thoughts. The arrogant tone, as if he were magnanimously forgiving the duke despite it being all his fault, elicited a silent scoff.

But instead of sneering, Tayton nodded. It was his principle never to reveal hostility before the decisive moment.

A strike that kills in one blow. Opportunities to cut off an opponent’s breath don’t come often.

“It would be more proper if the announcement came from the princess herself. I won’t make any response on my end regarding the annulment.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Lord Gunner.”

Edward exhaled a sigh of relief he couldn’t hide. He must have been worried that Tayton would press charges.

The tension finally eased. Tayton slowly rose to his feet.

“Then I’ll take my leave. May divine grace be with Your Majesty.”

After offering a polite farewell, he began to walk away. Edward’s gaze chilled as he watched the duke’s limping figure retreat, supported by his cane.

Once outside the audience chamber, Tayton moved swiftly. A servant followed behind him to escort him out. Suddenly, Tayton stopped in his tracks and frowned.

A displeased voice slipped between his teeth.

“She’s quitting? By whose permission?”