Conrad was staring at the ribbon tie when he put it back inside his garment.

“I greet you, Your Grace.”

Sophie, Roina’s dedicated maid, had come to the training ground.

Conrad received reports about Roina Würetti’s activities at a set time each week.

“So what has Roina been doing lately?”

“Apart from visiting the fabric shop recently, Madam has been staying at the mansion.”

With her head bowed, Sophie briefly explained Roina’s recent schedule.

Listening to the report, Conrad soon looked at the maid with a cold gaze.

“There must be more that I asked you to find out.”

Nodding slightly, Sophie hurriedly continued her report.

“According to my investigation, there was no one in the mansion who struck Madam.”

“Are you saying she got injured without anyone touching her?”

As Conrad’s eyebrow twitched, Sophie swallowed dryly and calmly answered.

“After meeting with Marquis Würetti, Madam dismissed all the servants.”

Since Roina had said she had no appetite and skipped meals, no one had noticed her condition.

In other words, Roina’s swollen cheek could only be explained as either bumping into something as she claimed, or self-inflicted.

‘Unless…’

Perhaps Marquis Würetti had struck his daughter.

After imagining this implausible scenario, Conrad shook his head and his eyes gleamed like an abyss.

Though he tried to form hypotheses in other directions, there were no clear premises to support them.

Perhaps because even he found it absurd, a bitter smile spread across his lips.

‘That’s impossible.’

Lost in thought, the man soon spoke in a low, deep voice.

“You may go now.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Only then did Sophie bow her head respectfully and leave the training ground.

Left alone, Conrad lightly brushed his hair back as if something displeased him.

“What is the truth here.”

Though he had instructed Harrison to investigate just in case, no evidence was found that Roina had been abused by the marquis.

On the surface, the Würetti household appeared perfectly normal and ideal.

It seemed like a highly polished picture without any flaws, but the more he learned, the more suspicious elements emerged.

On the day the marquis visited the ducal residence, Roina didn’t seem to welcome her father at all.

‘Even this might be an excessive leap of logic.’

Exhaling a deep sigh, Conrad pressed his throbbing forehead.

It would have been better if he hadn’t shown interest as he had until now; he felt as if he had mistakenly stepped into what might be a swamp.

He deliberately avoided finding the reason why his mood kept sinking.

Conrad closed and opened his eyes, which were filled with complex emotions.

Then he calmly tried to define Roina Würetti.

A woman without any ambition, unlike her father.

A woman who steadfastly maintained her marriage despite everyone’s mockery.

Yet occasionally showing a hurt expression…

She was truly a puzzling woman. Even more so after losing her memories.

For a moment, complex and subtle emotions rippled in Conrad’s eyes.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Many nobles and knights were gathering at the entrance to the forest that stretched along the mountains, tinged with red and yellow.

“Since it’s a competition hosted by the imperial family, participation is high this time too!”

“That’s right. Who will be the winner of this hunting competition?”

The excited voices of participants heard here and there fully revealed their expectations for the hunting competition.

As a major event held once every two years, the morale of knights seeking to make their names known was truly remarkable.

Moreover, special privileges were given to the winner of the hunting competition.

For commoners, the honor of joining the imperial knights; for nobles, the opportunity to dine with the Emperor.

‘Though I don’t care who wins.’

Roina carefully looked around. Marquis Würetti was nowhere to be seen.

Surely by now, he would be busy dealing with the rumors about Madam Chefrin.

Then suddenly, Roina’s gaze fell upon a couple.

They were exchanging ribbon ties according to the hunting competition’s tradition of wishing good luck.

“I wonder if you brought a ribbon tie too.”

Naturally thinking of her husband, Roina turned her gaze away with a bitter smile.

Though there was plenty of time to meet Conrad before the competition began, she deliberately didn’t seek him out.

Surely he wouldn’t want her coming to his tent.

Considering herself fortunate to have delivered the ribbon tie the day before, she tried to calm her unsettled heart.

‘But what should I do about this?’

Dismay showed on Roina’s face as she took out a brooch from inside her garment.

What she held in her hand was none other than the citrine gem brooch.

It seemed her maid had mistakenly attached it, confusing it with what Roina had taken out of the jewelry box.

This was entirely her own oversight.

That morning, while hurriedly processing approval documents, she hadn’t properly checked her appearance.

‘I don’t want to cause unnecessary misunderstanding.’

With a troubled expression, Roina put the brooch back inside her garment.

Since the time to meet Bleon was approaching, she needed to hurry to their meeting place.

She quietly moved toward the forest vicinity, avoiding the gaze of the Asheter knights.

˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Upon arriving at the previously arranged meeting place, Roina was able to meet her brother.

“It’s been a while, Roina.”

Bleon, who was planning to participate in the hunting competition, wore hunting clothes with a quiver slung over his shoulder.

Quietly looking at the man with his affable smile, Roina nodded slightly.

“Yes, brother. It’s been a while.”

As if trying to soothe his seemingly tense sister, Bleon spoke glibly.

“You know, right? That my hunting skills aren’t very good.”

While Roina was wearing an awkward smile, he curled his lips and cut straight to the point.

“So why did my sister leak information without saying a word?”

“……”

Though Bleon’s voice was as calm as ever, Roina knew he was annoyed by unexpected events.

While infinitely affectionate toward his sisters, he was ruthless about things that didn’t go his way.

Roina could only guess that he must have had many things to handle without the marquis knowing, due to the rumors she had spread.

‘Father must have been very angry too.’

Swallowing dryly, Roina tried hard to maintain her composure. Then she decided to give her brother the answer he wanted.

“I had no other intention. I simply disliked the growing power of the Madam.”

Bleon was an aristocrat to the bone.

The only time this normally indifferent man didn’t hide his hostility was when facing Madam Chefrin.

Finding his sister’s answer not bad, Bleon nodded readily.

Swallowing a sigh of relief, Roina observed him for a moment before casually asking.

“But why are you gathering information about Father?”

It was difficult to understand why he had collected information not only on Madam Chefrin but also on their father’s misconduct.

At that moment, Bleon’s cold eyes turned toward Roina. As if trying to see through her, persistently.

“You’ve never asked before, are you curious now?”

“……”

Instead of answering, Roina quietly looked at her brother.

Taking this as affirmation, Bleon slightly shrugged his shoulders and added.

“I think we share quite the same intentions.”

‘We… share the same intentions?’

His words were still difficult to understand, but Roina could make one guess.

Perhaps she had been tacitly supporting her brother’s plans all along.

After pondering how to speak without arousing suspicion, she calmly answered.

“My intentions remain unchanged. I was merely curious about your exact thoughts.”

At that moment, an indecipherable emotion clouded Bleon’s cold eyes before disappearing.

Nodding slowly, he answered firmly yet solemnly.

“I simply had different aspirations than Father.”

‘Different aspirations…’

Roina couldn’t fathom her brother’s mind at all.

At that moment, a severe headache struck her, naturally making her frown.

Then the afterimage of a letter flickered before her eyes.