“I saw her when I visited Gjorn when he was injured. You were there that day too, Satin. Don’t you remember?”

Ah, she remembered. Satin flinched as if burned. It was the day she had rushed over upon hearing about Gjorn’s accident. She had met Rublier on her way out after an unsettling visit.

“I remember.”

Satin quickly composed her voice into a prim tone. Looking back, the incident where Gjorn threw himself to save Delilah was the root cause. Delilah had invited Satin and Gjorn to a performance as a token of gratitude, and it ended in disaster.

“Is that all?”

“Do you think I’d have any other chance to meet her?”

“…Were you perhaps invited to a performance?”

Come to think of it, there was a subtle question earlier. Unlike herself, who was awkward in front of an audience, Rublier played the role of a husband perfectly. Where did he learn these embarrassing words and actions?

“A performance? What performance?”

Rublier tilted his head. He genuinely seemed unaware of any performance. With no other means to pursue the matter, Satin decided to brush it off.

“Never mind. It was just a thought.”

But this time, Rublier didn’t let it go easily.

“Now I’m curious because you brought up a performance out of the blue. Do you think I’ve been going to performances? You’ve seen how busy I am with long-term business trips lasting three months. You need to tell me.”

Rublier looked into Satin’s face. Satin let out a deep sigh.

“It’s just… you seem so experienced. That’s all. Sir Ka Dillon and I are both first-timers at marriage.”

She didn’t want to imagine it, but if the wedding had gone smoothly without Delilah’s presence, she could easily picture what her honeymoon with Gjorn would have been like.

Gjorn was not the type of man who would put her on a horse and ride through a difficult path; he would wait in a carriage until the road cleared.

Even if she brought the relic of Del Mare and sat face to face, both blushing and holding their heads in their hands, he wouldn’t trap her with words like ‘I want you.’

“Oh, that’s what you meant. If it’s about that, I don’t need to watch any performances.”

Rublier smirked.

“I’ve imagined it enough.”

He seemed to be wondering why she was curious about something so trivial.

“Pardon?”

“I had plenty of time to imagine.”

Rublier took a large step forward, startling Satin as she looked up at him.

“Curious?”

“About what?”

The reflexive question popped out of her mouth. She immediately regretted it, realizing how foolish it sounded.

“What I imagined.”

It might be better not to hear the undoubtedly burdensome answer. Especially now, when she was confused about how to react.

Satin remained silent.

“If you knew how far my imagination went, you’d be very surprised. Are you ready for that?”

Her mind was in turmoil. She had been furious because of Gjorn and Delilah, but somehow they had faded into the background. Rublier had a knack for turning her discomfort into confusion. It was a strangely mysterious ability.

“I’ve never fully satisfied my imagination.”

The man who claimed to have imagined countless things about her had a shamelessly confident expression. Satin’s face grew hot.

Every part of her that he had touched today tingled. The hand that removed her shoes, the hand that held her ankle, the weight of the arm around her waist, the center of the palm that had kissed her… The further down her body, the more intensely the sensations resonated.

“So I’m waiting for the day I can turn my imagination into reality.”

Satin pushed her heel back. The heel of her shoe scraped against the rough floor, making an unpleasant sound. She stopped walking. Satin glanced sideways at the shadow that had already invaded her space. She didn’t need to look up to feel the gaze demanding a reaction.

“Satin.”

“…Know where we are. This is the sacred Papal Palace.”

Satin fumbled for the edge of the curtain they had walked through. It seemed best to leave. She needed new air. Light, bright, and fresh air. Being alone in a confined space was not good for her heart. Even in the narrow box seat of the opera house with Gjorn, she hadn’t felt like this.

But Rublier stretched out his arm and gripped the curtain tightly. The thick fabric closed again.

“How long will you keep running away?”

It was the question she was least confident about.

It was strange. As the daughter of Del Mare, she rarely felt unsure after making a sudden decision, but Rublier made it possible.

She was genuinely puzzled.

What was the difference? Why did she feel suffocated? Was she scared, frightened, or just confused by an unfamiliar feeling?

What was certain was that she kept discovering new sides of Rublier. Had he always been this kind of man? She was often surprised.

Satin forcibly pulled the curtain open. A timely excuse came to mind.

“Earlier, His Eminence Kirion called for Sir Ka Dillon. It seems His Holiness needs you, so you shouldn’t be late.”

Several people in the nearby hall openly observed Rublier and Satin as they emerged from the separated space. Conversations abruptly stopped. Rublier gave a wry smile and nodded.

“…Alright, I’ll go. Wait for me.”

Only then did Satin quietly sigh in relief. She still wondered if she had come up with a good excuse or if Rublier had conceded again.

* * *

With Kirion, Satin, and Rublier gone, only Vitalis, who had nowhere to go, remained. Finally, Delilah bowed gracefully.

“Your Eminence Vitalis.”

She smoothly maintained her humility.

“I shouldn’t have been in such a place, so I didn’t recognize Your Eminence. I’m embarrassed. I apologize for my earlier rudeness.”

“No, no. I don’t usually… come to such places.”

Vitalis waved his hand. Delilah gently explained.

“Please understand that I couldn’t properly greet Your Eminence. I wasn’t formally invited. I had the honor of entering thanks to Lord Gjorn’s kindness.”

At this moment, her position as a mistress allowed for an explanation.

“I-I see. It’s alright.”

Vitalis nodded. Although the rudeness was well-covered, the peculiar atmosphere of those who knew about the scandal between Satin and Gjorn lingered.

People who had witnessed the long-standing engagement between the guardian families showed mixed feelings about the sudden change. For Gjorn, the past three months had been filled with constant explanations.

“Your Eminence Vitalis, I apologize if I startled you.”

Emotions cannot be wrong. It was a conviction he had repeated many times. Nevertheless, seeing Vitalis momentarily swayed by the scandal’s protagonists made Gjorn feel the need to apologize.

“No, it’s fine.”

Vitalis shook his head vigorously.

“I-I’ve been handling a lot of marriage, no, divorce cases lately… Many couples divorce for unexpected reasons.”

Out of nowhere, Vitalis mentioned divorce cases. Gjorn widened his eyes. He didn’t understand why Vitalis was talking about divorce in front of him and Delilah, but he tried to follow the topic.

“Is that so?”

“Yes… Some couples have serious reasons for divorce, while others divorce over trivial matters.”

“Hmm… Many couples are divorcing. That’s unfortunate.”

“I-I think it’s unfortunate too.”

“These are people who once loved each other enough to get married.”

“That may be true, or maybe not.”

Gjorn scratched his head. Vitalis was not a pleasant person to converse with. When a person who complicates conversations and a person who doesn’t like talking come together, the conversation becomes a tangled mess.

It would have been better if at least one of them was eloquent. But neither was; both were equally introverted.

Gjorn used to attend all events with Satin. In such cases, Satin would handle all the communication and socializing for the both of them.

“Your Eminence, is there a particular reason you’re talking about divorce?”

Delilah intervened. Gjorn felt relieved. Satin was no longer there, but Delilah was.

“Well, I, uh, I just… realized that connections, yes, connections are important.”

“Ah, Your Eminence Vitalis seems to be saying that Gjorn and I are meant to be.”

Delilah leaned her head against Gjorn, smiling sweetly. Vitalis nodded.

“While divorce is permitted by law and not necessarily bad, finding someone to live with happily for a long time… seems to be a difficult task.”

Finally, it made sense. Gjorn quietly agreed.

“Yes, that’s true.”

“So, if you’ve found your true connection… I think it’s something to be congratulated on.”

Vitalis seemed to relax, speaking more fluently than before.

“And making a choice that transcends social status seems very courageous.”

“Thank you, Your Eminence.”

Gjorn was somewhat surprised. Everyone had criticized him for choosing the prima donna over Del Mare, but this was the first time he received encouragement.

“After all, marriage is just…”

Delilah muttered softly. Gjorn tilted his head, catching the fleeting word.

“Delilah, I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

Delilah looked up at Gjorn.

“I just thought that giving up on your marriage to choose me shows that you are indeed as courageous as His Eminence Vitalis said.”