“B, but from what Luna told me, you were old friends……”

“I wanted to stay by her side, even as a friend. That was my mistake. If I had been just a little braver… perhaps Luna might have stayed with me.”

Luna was so flustered she couldn’t manage her expression at all. She had never once imagined that Demian had harbored such feelings for her.

And for Demian, the surprise and flustered reaction he had just witnessed were enough. That response was clear proof that she was not Adelia but Luna. He looked at her face for a moment with quiet longing, then let out a faint, self-deprecating laugh as though it were nothing.

“I must have caught you off guard, bringing something like this up so suddenly. It’s all in the past now. What can be done about it at this point.”

“R, right… I had no idea you felt that way. It must be hard… but I hope you’re able to sort through your feelings.”

“I’ll try.”

After that, in an atmosphere that had settled into a somewhat awkward stillness, Demian slowly set down his teacup. Then he changed the subject with an air of nonchalance.

“Ah, come to think of it, you used to have allergies, didn’t you? Are you all right now?”

“Wh, what allergy?”

“As a child, eating peaches would bring out hives on your body. My father treated you for it once. The redness spread all the way to the back of your hand and the nape of your neck, and you suffered for quite a while.”

“Did that happen?”

“Yes. Of course, by the time Luna came to the Lutenberg manor, that symptom had nearly disappeared… but childhood allergies sometimes resurface in adulthood. I asked just as a reference.”

Luna quickly smoothed over her stiffening expression and laughed awkwardly.

“Oh… r, right. That did happen, didn’t it? Fortunately I haven’t had any symptoms like that lately.”

“That’s a relief, then.”

She fumbled for a moment and looked away from Demian before hurrying to add,

“I’m unusually tired today. I think I need to rest.”

Her dismissal prompted Demian to rise quietly.

“Yes. Then… please rest well.”

Click.

The moment her door closed, Demian’s eyes slowly darkened.

Having completed his final confirmation, he felt a wave of certainty wash over him. Adelia had never had a peach allergy. The question just now had been a lie, told purely to test her.

And yet she had been unable to hide her momentary flustered reaction, eagerly agreeing as though recalling a memory from the past.

“…Luna.”

The name that fell quietly from his lips carried longing and relief tangled together with something far more complicated.

But this was not the time to be swept away by emotion. For Luna’s sake, he needed to find a way forward and move carefully.

His resolve set, Demian slowly closed his hand into a fist and walked unhurriedly down the corridor of the Grand Ducal residence.

* * *

Not long ago, after hearing Adelia’s story in the carriage on the way to the orphanage, Caesar had immediately ordered an investigation into Luna Ellen.

A vanished maid. A disappearance without a trace. The further the investigation went, the more strange details accumulated, just as Adelia had said.

After the woman disappeared, no body was ever found. If she had fallen from a cliff, the chances of survival would have been slim. In that case, at the very least, a body should have surfaced.

But as far as Caesar had confirmed, not once had the body of a woman presumed to be the missing maid been discovered.

Caesar, listening quietly to his aide’s report, asked in a low voice,

“Then what about the possibility that another vessel passed through?”

Leonil answered carefully.

“There was heavy rain at the time, and the waves were rough. After investigating the nearby shipping lanes… it was determined that no ships passed through the area during that window.”

“Look into it more closely, just to be sure. Don’t forget to make inquiries among the people in the area as well, without exception. If she did fall from the cliff… however long it takes, a body will eventually surface.”

“Yes, understood.”

“And keep tracking the brooch. Don’t limit it to the surrounding area; expand the search nationwide. Anywhere stolen goods might flow through, it doesn’t matter where.”

That meant deploying not only the normal intelligence network but also the covert distribution channels and underground contacts Caesar held.

Leonil bowed his head and answered.

“Your orders will be carried out, Your Highness.”

Just then, a quiet knock came from beyond the study door.

Knock knock―

“Physician Elliott is here.”

“Send him in.”

The door opened and Demian stepped inside.

He walked in with a composed stride, stopped before Caesar, bowed in greeting, and spoke in a low voice.

“You called for me, Your Highness.”

Caesar leaned back against his desk and looked at him in silence. A distinctly cool atmosphere hung between the two as they faced each other without a word.

“I’d like a report on the Grand Duchess.”

Demian answered Caesar’s question without any change in his bearing.

“Yes, Your Highness. Her Highness the Grand Duchess has been consistently maintaining a health-conscious diet of late, and her food intake has increased considerably compared to before.”

Caesar gave a nod as though to say, go on.

“Her sleep has also been relatively regular, and her physical stamina has recovered substantially as a result. I have also heard that her weight has increased slightly from before. Based on her current condition alone, I would judge that her health is recovering steadily.”

“Then there should be no problem resuming relations.”

Demian’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly for just a moment.

A flash of discomposure crossed his usually composed face. His fingertips visibly stiffened, then he gathered himself as though nothing had happened.

“That matter… I would still consider premature.”

His voice was carefully lowered, but the reluctance within it was unmistakable.

Caesar, however, met his words with an impassive expression.

“I need to secure an heir as soon as possible. That is to my benefit and to the Grand Duchess’s as well, which means there is no more time to waste.”

“But her condition is not yet fully……”

Before Demian could finish, Caesar’s low voice cut him off.

“While you were away, another physician came and took the Grand Duchess’s pulse. He told me there is no issue with resuming relations immediately. Do you need more reason than that?”

Demian did not back down even in the face of Caesar’s firm stance. Now that he knew Adelia was Luna, this was something he could not stand by and watch.

He drew a short breath and opened his mouth carefully.

“If I may be so forward… Her Highness has not yet fully recovered. Resuming relations too soon could deplete her vitality. Even if her current condition has stabilized―”

But Caesar’s cold voice cut him off again.

“Demian Elliott. Do I look like I have that kind of time to spare right now?”

The atmosphere in the study turned sharp in an instant. Caesar’s eyes cooled as well, settling like water drained of all warmth.

Demian looked at him with a set expression and answered.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“Ah, it seems there’s been some misunderstanding. I’m not asking for your consent right now; I’m informing you. So your role is simply to fulfill your duties as an obstetric physician and ensure conception goes smoothly. For instance… advising on positions favorable for conceiving an heir.”

The Grand Ducal household’s obstetric physician.

In noble society, it was by no means an unfamiliar concept.

The question of succession was not a simple matter of privacy; it was directly tied to power and politics. Particularly for couples joined through political marriages, relations were often governed more by purpose than by affection.

For that reason, royal obstetric physicians and court physicians were involved in far more intimate matters than one might expect.

The periods most favorable for conception, foods and medicines to avoid before and after relations. Even positions believed to increase the likelihood of fertilization.

Especially in households desperate for an heir, a specialist obstetric physician would be brought in to intervene even in bedroom matters, and at times the advice given was bluntly explicit.

But for Demian, this was not something he could simply accept and move past. Even when ordered to take on the role of obstetric physician, he could not bring himself to answer easily.

Caesar, however, had already made up his mind. Indifferent to Demian’s silence, he spoke coldly.

“Starting today, I will resume relations with the Grand Duchess. So you will fulfill your duties accordingly. Give me the guidelines for what is needed to conceive an heir. If they prove effective, I intend to follow them.”

“But……”

“If you find yourself unable to do so, I have already looked into a capable obstetric physician in this field, and I will bring him in separately. There is no shortage of people who could take your place.”

After a brief silence, Demian slowly parted his lips and spoke.

“…Understood.”

“Good. For now, start by laying out the approach that will put the least strain on the Grand Duchess’s current condition. Use every method at your disposal.”

“That would be……”

Demian’s eyes wavered for a moment, unable to continue easily.

But looking at Caesar’s manner, he had no choice but to recognize that further resistance was pointless. On top of that, Caesar had already sought counsel from other physicians.

If Demian tried any underhanded moves, Caesar would see through them immediately.

The conversation between the two men went on for quite some time.