Roina couldn’t ignore her father’s summons forever.

Marquis Würetti was exactly the type of person who would stop at nothing to achieve his objectives.

‘The question is whether Conrad will accept this.’

Several days had passed since she sent a reply to the marquis saying she would visit the trading company soon.

Sitting in front of her vanity, Roina stared blankly at the reflection in the mirror.

“So this is…… how I look now.”

Brilliant platinum hair like embroidered gold thread and violet-tinged purple eyes.

She, who had once held high competitiveness in the marriage market, had become much more gaunt than before.

Her gloomy-looking face seemed to embody the unfortunate woman from the headline she had seen.

When Roina forced an awkward smile, her lips twitched.

‘This must be why the servants don’t think well of me either.’

It wasn’t hard to guess from not only her current appearance but also the atmosphere within the estate.

Most of the servants treated Roina with the courtesy due a duchess, but they couldn’t hide their subtle coldness.

Even though years had passed since she married Conrad, she seemed to have gained no one’s recognition within the ducal residence.

With the daughter of an enemy house occupying the mistress position, they must have found it quite disagreeable.

Roina let out a long sigh thinking of her past self who seemed to have given up on building rapport within the estate long ago.

Then she pulled the bell rope hanging from the ceiling, and soon someone knocked on the door.

Knock knock—

“My lady, did you call for me?”

“Yes, come in.”

Sophie, who entered the room, was said to be the personal maid who had been with Roina ever since she first came to the ducal residence.

Among the servants who knew about her memory loss, Sophie was the only one besides the head butler and attending physician.

Though she was on the quiet side, seeing how faithfully she assisted from the side, she didn’t seem like a bad person.

“Could you help me get ready? I have somewhere to go.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare immediately.”

Today Roina was scheduled to visit Dillon Trading Company in response to her father’s summons.

‘If possible, it would be better to hide the fact that I lost my memory from Father.’

She had decided not to mention her memory loss to others.

Revealing it would only create useless rumors without providing any benefit to herself.

Moreover, Conrad had also silenced even the few servants who knew about Roina’s condition.

Whether it should be considered fortunate or not, since she spent most of her time only within the estate, no outsiders had noticed.

“My lady, your preparations for going out are complete.”

“Good, I should head downstairs now.”

※※※

Having finished getting ready, Roina headed downstairs.

In the main building of the ducal residence, servants were moving busily, helping their master prepare for his afternoon departure.

The tall man standing at the center maintained his usual neat and stylish attire.

‘How should I tell you about this.’

Conrad hated everything about Würetti. Roina wasn’t confident whether she should tell him she was going to meet her father.

She was genuinely worried about aggravating an already festering wound.

After hesitating for a long while, she approached him after much deliberation.

“Are you heading to work?”

“That’s right.”

Under his indifferent gaze directed at her, Roina clenched her fingertips tightly and struggled to continue speaking.

“Um…… I’m planning to visit the trading company today.”

“You mean Dillon Trading Company?”

In contrast to his calm voice, a slight crack appeared in Conrad’s brow.

Carefully reading the atmosphere, she offered a plausible reason.

“I think I need to recover my memories quickly so I won’t be a burden to you.”

Of course, Roina didn’t think her father would be helpful in recovering her memories.

But she couldn’t keep bothering Conrad indefinitely. Especially not when there was distrust regarding herself.

He seemed to loosen the corners of his mouth slightly, then spoke in a quiet voice.

“Your efforts are quite admirable.”

“……”

“Why don’t you take this opportunity to spend some quality time with the marquis?”

It seemed Conrad thought she was making excuses because she wanted to visit her family home.

Just as Roina was opening and closing her mouth, unable to respond, the man’s cold voice reached her.

“It would be best if you avoided mentioning House Asheter as much as possible.”

Every time his cold gaze touched her, she had to feel her body shrinking.

※※※

House Würetti’s Dillon Trading Company was a massive trading organization so well-known in the Noxtan Empire that there was no one who didn’t know of it, having monopolized the supply of goods within the empire.

The trading company’s operation, built through trade business, played a large part in how the marquisate family had built up long-standing reputation and wealth.

“It’s been a long time since you visited, Duchess Asheter.”

To the trading company executive who noticed her and showed courtesy, Roina nodded lightly.

“Yes. I’d like to meet Father, is now a good time?”

“The company head is currently handling urgent business that needs immediate attention.”

Looking at the executive who gave a hurried response, Roina answered calmly.

“I see.”

“It seems it will take a bit more time, shall I escort you to the reception room?”

“No, I’ll look around the trading company.”

The newly expanded trading company, as if revealing the three-year gap, boasted an overwhelmingly magnificent scale.

Just as she was newly realizing her father’s business acumen, she reached the front of the marquis’s office.

CREAK—

The moment Roina’s eyes met with someone coming out through the opened door, her expression instantly turned cold.

“Oh my, if it isn’t Duchess Asheter.”

It was a seductive but grating voice and thick perfume that seemed capable of paralyzing one’s sense of smell.

The woman radiating a strong presence was none other than Madam Chefrin.

To briefly introduce her……

She was the mistress that Marquis Würetti had taken in four years ago.

‘I didn’t expect they would still be meeting.’

Madam Chefrin was brazenly frequenting the trading company under the pretext of being a commoner-born businesswoman.

Seeing her disheveled attire, it seemed she really had conducted important business. Roina could only swallow a hollow laugh.

Lightly ignoring the madam’s greeting, she raised her voice slightly toward the door that hadn’t fully closed.

“Father, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

The window opened wide for ventilation, Marquis Würetti adjusting his cravat without caring about his disheveled appearance.

At the scene visible immediately upon entering the office, Roina felt as if her breath was being choked off.

Biting her lower lip firmly, she closed the door tightly and approached the desk where the marquis was seated.

Just as she was about to lift her head after briefly bowing—

SWOOSH—!

The documents the marquis threw fell over Roina’s face.

“Pathetic thing. You still haven’t captured the duke’s heart and created this mess?”

“……”

As expected, news of her running away seemed to have reached the marquis’s ears.

Roina calmly lowered her head. She knew that in times like this, it was best to bow first and go along.

Contrary to being known publicly as a caring father, to the marquis, his children were merely chess pieces he could move according to his whims.

Just like three years ago, he looked at his daughter with disdain.

Then he clicked his tongue and placed a small glass bottle containing liquid on the desk.

“Since you can handle it, you must have chosen to run away.”

“What is…… this?”

“Take it. It’s medicine that will help you conceive a child.”

“What do you mean……!”

Even seeing her face turn pale with shock, the marquis continued speaking indifferently.

“You know well what you need to do when you return to the ducal residence. Wasn’t this something you brought upon yourself in the first place?”

“……”

“I think I’ve neglected you too much during this time. Now you need to do your part too.”

As if Roina’s role had been predetermined from the beginning, the marquis made his demands brazenly.

To exert influence over House Asheter by bearing Conrad’s heir.

She had never been given a choice from the start.

‘Have I been receiving such demands all along?’

Roina suddenly had that thought. That perhaps the reason she left the ducal residence was due to the marquis’s repeated coercion.

Of course it was only speculation, but the possibility couldn’t be ignored.

Swallowing a bitter smile, she looked at the marquis with resentful eyes.

“At least…… you’re my father.”